Serving Hypoluxo Island, South Palm Beach, Manalapan, Ocean Ridge, Briny Breezes, Gulf Stream and Coastal Delray Beach
December 2014
Delray Beach
LEFT: James ‘Bay’ McBride Jr. drowned in 1956 while swimming at an unguarded beach. It was illegal for him to use the ‘whites only’ beach off Atlantic Avenue. BELOW: Bay’s mother, Rosabelle McBride, visits his grave. Jerry Lower/ The Coastal Star
Tragedy on beach sparked change
Gulf Stream
Town attorneys raise questions about O’Boyle law firm
Teen’s drowning echoes through city’s civil rights history By Ron Hayes After church on that Sunday afternoon — May 13, 1956 — a bunch of teenagers gathered on a stretch of sand south of Delray Beach. “I was a junior in high school and I drove my father’s truck,” Walter Stephens remembers. “Gas was 25 cents
n Spady Museum to document 1956
beach conflict. Page 18
a gallon back then.” Where private homes and condos stand today, there were only dunes. “Nothing but woods,” Stephens says. “We made a path.”
No private homes, no condos. No lifeguards. “None of us could swim. We’d just get in the water and play.” Among the teenagers playing in the water that afternoon were brothers Jaycee McBride, 11, and James, 15, See DROWNING on page 19
Even as it grows, goal of bank is to stay small Bill Burke walks through the main lobby of Paradise Bank’s Boca Raton branch — you could call it a lounge — on North Federal Highway, and sees a customer sitting at a desk with a teller. “Hello, Michael,” he says. Burke, the bank’s president and chief
Inside
Holiday events
Your complete guide to Nutcrackers and other holiday events. Page AT1
Building height limits Delray officials fret that fourstory cap would curb office space. Page 8
By Dan Moffett
Attorneys for the town of Gulf Stream are challenging the legitimacy of The O’Boyle Law Firm in their defense against dozens of lawsuits brought by resident Martin O’Boyle. In the crosshairs of the town’s counterattack is O’Boyle’s son, Jonathan, who, in documents filed with the Florida Department of State in February, lists himself as the law firm’s president and director. While Jonathan O’Boyle has a license to practice law in Pennsylvania, he is not licensed in Florida, and the Florida Bar requires that lawyers supervising cases have a state license. During a six-hour deposition with Martin O’Boyle in September, Robert Sweetapple, an attorney for Gulf Stream, repeatedly raised questions about the relationships between Jonathan O’Boyle, the family law firm, the firm’s nonprofit partner Citizens Awareness Foundation and hundreds of lawsuits that together they filed across the state. Sweetapple accused Martin O’Boyle of putting his son in “an untenable position” by enlisting him to perform legal work he wasn’t licensed to do. “You were in such a rush to have your O’Boyle law firm that See O’Boyle on page 23
Paradise Bank executives: (front row, l-r) William J. Burke, Dennis Gavin, (back row, l-r) Ward Kellogg and David Englert. Tim Stepien/ The Coastal Star
Along the Coast By Thomas R. Collins
Volume 7 Issue 12
operating officer, and a few other top banking executives will be having lunch later with Michael. The customer mentions a doctor’s appointment he has that day. That’s how tight he is with the top management. “Don’t forget to give the doctor some help,” Burke quips. Burke then continues giving his tour of the See PARADISE on page 31
Seafood celebrations
Christmas can include the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Page H1
Holiday Gift Guide Our annual guide highlights offerings by local merchants. Inside