The Coastal Star July 2025

Along the

Sadie Hawkins, a hawksbill turtle being treated at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in this June 13 photo, was moved to Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach after the nonprofit Coastal Stewards closed Gumbo Limbo’s sea turtle rehab unit. Of the 13 turtles being treated at the time of the closure, only three have yet to be relocated. One is to be transferred to another facility and two are expected to be released into the ocean this month. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Gumbo Limbo loses its sea turtle

By Steve Plunkett

The gift shop at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center is locked and empty, 10 of the center’s final 13 sea turtle patients have been transferred to other facilities or released, and no one can yet say whether a turtle rehabilitation unit will ever return to Boca Raton.

“We’re open to discussing potential new partnerships for sea turtle rehabilitation and we haven’t decided on how the gift

Gulf Stream

Former Gumbo Limbo crew prepares to open rehab unit, but at Palm Beach Zoo. Page 20

shop space will be used,” said Deputy City Manager Chrissy Gibson.

The rest of Gumbo Limbo remains open and operating.

The changes are the result of a surprise decision June 12 by the nonprofit Coastal Stewards group, which had run the

One by one, sons go forward with school’s lessons for life

By Ron Hayes

William Shannon left first in 2010. Christopher followed in 2013. Then Nicholas in 2015, Charlie in 2016. On June 6, Finn became the last of the five Shannon brothers to graduate from the Gulf Stream School.

They left an institution that has been a family to their family for 18 years, and took with them memories both happy and sad, and educations they treasure.

“Honestly, it’s been surreal every time I think about leaving Gulf Stream because it’s been such

Delray Beach Mayor and police union battle over benefits

Carney’s letter to residents heightens years-old debate on cost of public safety

By John Pacenti

The war of words between Delray Beach Mayor Tom Carney and the Police Benevolent Association went nuclear in June. The mayor unleashed a scathing email newsletter to residents, saying that the union’s position on the stalled contract negotiations is “driven solely by personal gain rather than the department’s or taxpayers’ best interest.”

hospital

rehab unit and gift shop since April 2024 but faced declining contributions and increased competition for donations.

“Like many environmental nonprofits, the Coastal Stewards has faced increasing difficulty securing consistent and sustainable funding,” Shivani Gupta, a member of the group’s Board of Trustees, said in a news release the day after the board’s vote.

See STEWARDS on page 20

The Police Department’s lead union negotiator, in the meantime, says 26 officers — including seven near the end of June — have left since negotiations started a year ago, alarming some in the community who have pressured the City Commission to capitulate before the release of a mediator’s recommendations, expected this month.

Carney has given no quarter when it comes to the police union’s proposal for an extension of a special retirement program that would benefit, he says, only the

an important part of my life since I was 3 years old,” Finn Shannon, 14, reflected a few days after the graduation ceremony. “The school has done so much for me, my brothers, my mom. There’s always a connection.”

Now, before you ask, Finn was not named for Huckleberry. As the youngest Shannon, and the child born in Florida after the family moved to Gulf Stream from Montreal in 2007, Finn was given a name that reflected their new home.

“We wanted something to represent the ocean,” their mother, Anna Shannon, explains. “We thought of either Reef or Fin. So, we chose Fin and

See FAMILY on page 16

Catch ’The Winter’s Tale’ at this year’s Shakespeare Festival.

Page AT7

'Living' sea wall Native plants, natural rocks a better option?

Page 10

A1A upgrades

Fixes planned from Linton to Atlantic.

Page 13

The Shannon brothers (l-r) Christopher, Charlie, William and Nicholas hoist the youngest sibling, Finn, after his graduation from the Gulf Stream School. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

See POLICE on page 9

'Old Betsy' Firefighter on wheels served for most of a century. Page AT1

July 2025 Serving Hypoluxo Island, South Palm Beach, Manalapan, Ocean Ridge, Briny Breezes, Gulf Stream and Coastal Delray Beach

Coast

online: https://supportfloridajournalism.com/newspaper/the-coastal-star/

Editor’s Note

Soak up the off-season’s best — and by that we don’t mean sweat

This time of year, when I set foot in my backyard, I’m greeted with the most beautiful floral bouquet — a large and magnificent frangipani tree. Fragrant fivepetal white flowers adorn the tree. Some fall gracefully to blanket the green grass below. The scent is even sweeter after the lawnmower plows over them. And the tree looks so very pretty when covered with raindrops!

Summer treats are within easy reach. Neighbors share the bounty of their mango trees — and I can’t wait to turn them into mango smoothies or margaritas.

A h, the joys of summer in South Florida! Moments like these are part of the reason I look forward to the off-season, or the summer slowdown. I’ve learned to welcome summer, appreciating all its perks, including the blooming trees and juicy stone fruits.

The population dwindles, with many of our neighbors chilling in northern climes, or cruising aboard private yachts bound for the French Riviera, the Mediterranean or the Greek islands.

But those of us left behind are not without benefits.

We don’t have to worry about reservations at our favorite dining spots. To sweeten the pot, restaurants are offering summer specials and discounted prices.

It’s also a great time for staycations, since many resorts offer discounted rates, too.

Along the Coast

Beaches are less crowded, but sea turtles are busy laying eggs and if we’re lucky we can participate in a turtle walk, giving us an exclusive after-hours look at the nesting process.

W hile both the temperature and humidity feel stratospheric now, we have ways of getting around that. Take in a theatrical performance or see a movie on the big screen. Icy air conditioning is complimentary. Visiting an art museum is another option for indoor entertainment and elucidation. Check out the exhibits at Boca Raton Museum of Art or the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, which, by the way, offers free admission to county residents on Saturdays through Aug. 30.

Of course, we’ll want to keep an eye on the tropics and stock up early with hurricane supplies. But we won’t let fear of a bad storm keep us from enjoying our summer.

Adiós for now. There’s a mango margarita with my name on it waiting on the lanai — and the lounge chair beside it has a great view of my favorite frangipani tree. It’s happy hour at mi casa and you can guess where I’ll be hanging out.

Please join me in toasting the off-season.

¡Salud!

— Mary Thurwachter, Managing Editor

Philanthropist Lois Pope’s latest donation — $10 million — went to further Alzheimer’s research at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine last month. Pope’s daughter Lorraine, 51, succumbed to Alzheimer’s disease last year.

provided by Laura Massa/ CAPEHART

I-95 HOV lanes, decals eliminated — Florida has eliminated its HOV lanes as of July 1, and ended the decal program that allows drivers of electric, hybrid or low-emission vehicles to drive for free on the Interstate 95 express lanes. The Florida Legislature passed SB 1662, which repealed the state law creating HOV lanes, and Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it on June 19.

The elimination of high-occupancy vehicle regulations — which limited the use of the designated HOV lanes to multipassenger vehicles during weekday morning and evening rush hours — won’t have much impact south of the Congress Avenue interchange in Boca Raton, where single HOV lanes have been replaced by double express lanes in most areas.

However, the change will free up solo motorists to use the innermost I-95 lanes north of the Congress Avenue interchange without fear of getting a ticket.

— Steve Plunkett

By Tao Woolfe

Sometimes a philanthropist chooses a cause to support, and sometimes pain drives the choice.

No one knows this better than Lois Pope, world-renowned philanthropist, Manalapan resident, primary heir to the National Enquirer fortune, and a mother who lost her youngest daughter to Alzheimer’s disease last year.

Heartbroken, Pope donated $10 million to further Alzheimer’s research at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine last month. The gift will finance the Lois Pope Laboratory Wing in Memory of Lorraine Pope.

“Alzheimer’s is an insidious disease,” Pope said. “Knowing how it robbed my daughter of any recognition of who I and other family members were, and who she herself was, couldn’t have been more heartbreaking.”

Lorraine Pope was born with Down syndrome. She nevertheless thrived at Cedars of Marin, a special facility in Ross, California, according to published reports. She joined the family for vacations around the world. She died last year at age 51.

“My daughter suffered for a number of years with Alzheimer’s disease,” said Pope, who is 92. “It was very difficult and very sad. I can’t think of anything more devastating to a mother than watching her daughter dying like that.”

Besides Alzheimer’s, university staff will study other neurological and neurodegenerative diseases and disorders, including ALS and Parkinson’s.

Pope’s gift builds on other donations to the university, including one for $10 million in 2000 to establish the Lois Pope Life Center. The center houses the Miami Project to Cure

Send a note to news@ thecoastalstar.com or call 561-337-1553.

Paralysis, which researches and treats spinal cord injuries.

Often a personal experience will suggest — or deepen — Pope’s commitment to a cause.

For example, Pope was moved to initiate the Miami Project’s spinal cord research after her friend Christopher Reeve, the actor, was paralyzed in a horseback riding accident in 1995.

A nother $12 million went to Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in 2018 because Pope’s mother suffered from macular degeneration.

A nd in describing her ongoing concern for disabled veterans, Pope tells this story: Back in the 1960s, Pope was a Broadway performer. While giving a holiday benefit for patients at the Rusk Rehabilitation Hospital in New York, she sang Somewhere Over the Rainbow W hen she got to the line, “Hold my hand and I’ll take you there,” she reached out to a soldier in the front row, but stopped when she realized he could not take her hands. He had no arms.

“After the performance,” she said, “I went over to talk to him. He shared with me that he had lost his arms from fighting in the Vietnam conflict. In fact, everyone in the audience was a disabled Vietnam veteran. … I promised all of them that if I ever had the resources, I would do something big and memorable for them, to honor their sacrifice.”

Pope became a full-time philanthropist after the 1988 death of her husband, Generoso Paul Pope Jr., founder of the

National Enquire. Lois and Generoso had supported a number of charities together, most of which focused on children, animal welfare, art and community health. The couple had four children.

Lois Pope further winnowed her favorite causes into four categories — projects for disabled veterans, children, medical research and animal health.

Her role models were her husband, who was a generous philanthropist in his own right, and her mother, who always set aside a little something for those in need.

“I grew up in Philadelphia amid the Great Depression,” Pope said. “My grandfather owned a small auto parts store, and my father worked there. My mother was a teacher.

“ Times were tough, and we didn’t have much. But I can still vividly recall my mother saving coins in a jar so that when people came to the door looking for a donation … she would have a little change to give them.”

W. Dalton Dietrich III, scientific director for the Miami Project, said Pope’s largesse gives hope to those in need.

“Lois Pope’s generosity has touched so many lives all over the world,” Dietrich said. “We could not be more grateful for her continued belief in, and support of, the basic and translational research we conduct in the Lois Pope Life Center.”

Pope says she thoroughly enjoys her role as philanthropist.

“It has been my life’s privilege to have the resources and passion to do this,” Pope said. “It brings me great joy and satisfaction.

“I say to young people: ‘Find your purpose and pursue it. Yes, you want to do well in life, but it is equally important to also want to do good in life.’” P

Photo

Delray Beach

Police chief resigns amid turmoil, takes top job in Longboat Key

By John Pacenti

Less than 12 hours after Delray Beach Mayor Tom Carney criticized his department at a June 3 City Commission meeting, Police Chief Russ Mager resigned.

Mager submitted his resignation on June 4 after serving the city for 29 years. He had long hinted at retiring. His last day was to be July 4.

Just weeks later, officials in Longboat Key, a barrier island town off Sarasota, announced Mager will be police chief there of its 23-person department starting in August.

Delray Beach officials said on June 6 that Assistant Chief Darrell Hunter will serve as the interim police chief. Hunter

joined the Delray Beach Police Department in 2007.

Mager’s resignation came after Carney criticized Mager’s department for failing to conclude an internal investigation involving the firefighter who drove a truck into the pathway of a Brightline train in December.

It also came the same week that Mager sent an email to commissioners expressing concern about 15 vacancies in the department, as the police union and the city haggle over a new contract.

“Chief Russ Mager has been a dedicated public servant and an integral part of the Delray Beach Police Department for nearly 30 years,” said City Manager Terrence Moore.

“His leadership, integrity, and commitment to our community have left a lasting impact on our city. We are deeply grateful for

his service and wish him all the best in this next chapter.”

Carney struck a positive tone, as well, on hearing of the resignation. “He’s had a great career with Delray Beach, and it’s been an honor to have him,” he said. “I wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

Carney said he wasn’t criticizing Mager personally at the June 3 meeting, saying his comments on the internal investigation were more directed to Moore.

But the mayor wanted to make clear he was unhappy the internal investigation had not been concluded by Mager’s internal affairs unit.

In June 2023, firefighter David Wyatt drove his car into a tree on Atlantic Avenue. Though police suspected a DUI, neither a breathalyzer nor a blood test was taken. Some police officers also turned off their

body cameras once they learned Wyatt was a firefighter.

The investigation was looking into police conduct in responding to the crash. Wyatt ended up getting a ticket, and his license was suspended for failing to attend a driving class. For nearly two months, he drove a firetruck without a valid license.

Wyatt was behind the wheel of an aerial ladder firetruck when it went around lowered railroad crossing gates on Dec. 28 and was struck by a Brightline train.

“I don’t know how this city can be satisfied that it has taken as long as it has to investigate that accident on West Atlantic,” Carney said about the inquiry into the 2023 crash. “It’s been over four months.”

Mager has previously said he has had trouble scheduling officers for interviews.

“If I couldn’t get people in to testify, I would suspend them,” Carney said at the June 3 meeting.

Moore told Carney that he would have Mager approach the dais and explain, but the mayor said, “I don’t want to hear from the chief. These are the commissioners’ comments. I think I made my point pretty clear.”

The investigation has since concluded, with police officials determining the officers at the scene did nothing wrong in how they treated Wyatt.

The department still has yet to conclude another inquiry into police competency in the investigation that led to the arrest of a code enforcement officer for bribery in October.

In that case, the State Attorney’s Office has so far declined to file charges because of problems with the case. P

Investigation finds code director’s complaint against vice mayor ‘unsubstantiated’

By John Pacenti

Accusations that rocked Delray Beach apparatchiks for weeks came to an end June 27 when an independent investigator found the claim by a recently hired director that her job was threatened by Vice Mayor Rob Long to be “unsubstantiated.”

Still, the investigator — attorney Brooke Ehrlich — found plenty of room for improvement, recommending City Manager Terrence Moore stop his practice of conference calls with city employees and individual commissioners. She also recommended that commissioners stop directly contacting city directors — and, if they do, ensure the city attorney or internal auditor is on the line.

In the meantime and before the investigation’s conclusion,

the center of the storm — Rodney Mayo, lightning rod restaurant and coffee shop owner — decided to pour gasoline over the already raging fire by releasing a scathing email that blasted the director who leveled the complaint: Jeri Pryor, the neighborhood and community services director who also oversees code enforcement.

“Was there any due diligence, background checks or concern of Mrs. Pryor’s past job performance and strange anomalies? Is this the best hire the city of Delray can offer its residents?” he wrote.

The investigation’s report redacts Pryor’s name, but The Coastal Star previously identified her as the

complainant, citing a leaked document.

Pryor did not return a phone call for comment.

Pryor accused Moore and Long of telling her in a Feb. 20 conference call to “stand down” on code enforcement for Mayo’s Subculture coffee shop and his restaurant Dada. She said they “threatened her employment,” according to the report.

The 52-page report — obtained by The Coastal Star July 1 through a public records request — also found “unsubstantiated” Pryor’s complaint that Moore directed her to go soft on businesses represented by the Downtown Development Authority.

“With the conclusion of this investigation, the City remains committed to fostering a respectful and supportive work environment,” Moore said in a July 1 statement.

“We look forward to strengthening leadership within Neighborhood and Community Services and across all departments to ensure positive, productive relationships both internally and in service to our community.”

Long emailed a statement, saying the complaint called his integrity into question.

“The report also raises legitimate concerns about the reliability of the complainant’s account. She waited two months to raise her complaint, never brought her concerns to her direct supervisor, and acknowledged that her decision to file was shaped by prior trauma in a different workplace,” Long said.

“Those factors, combined with the absence of corroborating evidence and the consistent accounts of multiple witnesses, speak for themselves.

I’m grateful that the facts are now on the record.”

Pryor, when she was working as chief of staff for Fort Lauderdale Commissioner Warren Sturman, filed a complaint against Commissioner Steve Glassman there for using an expletive in her presence on Jan. 9, 2024. Pryor accused Glassman of “violent, hostile and aggressive behavior.”

The investigator in that case concluded that Glassman’s comments did not constitute harassment or bullying.

Another significant finding in the Delray Beach report: Pryor was not considered a whistleblower. Pryor had claimed protection under the state law, stating that Long and Moore violated the city’s charter by telling her to engage in “selective enforcement.”

“Whether or not (Pryor) engaged in a protected disclosure is unnecessary to examine in this matter, given that ultimately, no adverse employment action has been taken by the City against (Pryor) since the time her disclosure was made,” Ehrlich found.

Pryor was hired in January and Moore said he felt the phone call was more of an introduction between her and Long.

Long said he felt the phone call was cordial.

Both men denied putting any pressure on Pryor to go easy on Mayo’s establishments but said the conversation may have addressed prioritizing “big” code violations, rather than “small” ones.

Mayo’s Dada had been cited for using an A-frame sign, which is prohibited by the city. Mayo said he went on the offensive with his email because he is being singled out and targeted for political reasons.

Mager

Mayo

top few in the department. That sticking point has stalled negotiations for months.

Carney has dared the union on several occasions.

“Let the members vote, because the new officers like this pay package, because what they’re interested in is being able to buy a house, they want to go on vacation, they want to buy a boat, they want to do something. They want some disposable income,” Carney told The Coastal Star

The city has offered a $15.3 million increase over three years, raising starting salaries to $72,000 — up from $61,000. Third-year salaries will increase to more than $80,000, he said.

Carney went deeper with the late-night email on June 16 to residents, saying two union negotiators were trying to line their own pockets by bloating the compensation by $2 million each.

Not a DROP in the bucket

The issue is extending the DROP — the Deferred Retirement Option Program — that allows an officer eligible to retire to continue working while accruing retirement benefits for a fixed period of time. A participating officer earns the regular salary and a pension — with the latter going into a special account that’s paid out when the DROP period ends and the officer officially retires.

DROP is used as an incentive to retain veteran officers. Instead of officers retiring so they can begin collecting pensions and start new jobs elsewhere, DROP allows them to keep working for the city while receiving pension benefits.

The union wants to extend the DROP program period from five years to eight years, allowing three years of additional pension to be deposited into a DROP account while an officer continues to earn a regular salary.

Carney, in his email, said the union two years ago opposed extending the DROP, arguing it would stifle promotions. The PBA has since changed its tune because the negotiators have skin in the game, the mayor said. “This blatant reversal underscores their hypocrisy.”

Battle tactics

The issue has become personal. The PBA trotted out mobile billboards — one during the St. Patrick’s Day parade — castigating Carney as allowing crime to skyrocket. The mayor says those are lies and produced crime statistics showing it is down in major categories from last year.

“They wanted to politicize it, just like they wanted to politicize the St. Patrick’s Day parade,” Carney said. “They want to politicize everything so that a few people at the top could get an extra three years of salary and benefits.”

In a show of support for the PBA, police officers came out in

force at the commission’s Feb. 18 meeting, filling nearly every seat in the gallery. The tattooed officers — an intimidating presence in the view of many onlookers — puffed up their biceps as John Kazanjian, PBA’s Palm Beach County president, told elected officials the city is the second-lowest municipality in pay and benefits in the county and that officer morale is low.

“The city of Delray is that close to being in a crisis,” he said. “People need to realize this is no joke.”

Boca Raton, for instance, says it has one of the nation’s highest starting salaries for officers — $87,491 a year with a sevenyear DROP. Boynton Beach has a starting salary of $73,000 and an eight-year DROP. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office offers a starting salary of $72,564 for deputies and an eight-year DROP.

The union’s side

The PBA has complained that the city hasn’t taken negotiations seriously since they started a year ago, with officials at the table who don’t have the authority to make decisions. In November, the PBA sent a letter to City Manager Terrence Moore complaining that he had not attended any negotiations.

Moore is not part of the city's seven-member negotiating team, which includes the city attorney.

Meer Dean, a sergeant with the Delray Beach Police Department and the treasurer for the PBA’s county chapter, said the mayor is engaging in the very politicking he criticizes. For instance, a Carney talking point about officers receiving “free” health care is just not true — they have paycheck deductions for their insurance policies like anybody else and have co-pays, he said.

Whatever money the mayor thinks he is saving the city by opposing the DROP extension is countered by replacing and training those officers who have left — estimated to cost $362,000 apiece, Dean said.

“Taxpayers are paying over $6 million to watch people leave,” he said.

Dean doesn’t mince words about what the failure to properly negotiate means for the city. “If the city doesn’t want to pay to attract and retain officers, then it might be time to have the commission ask Sheriff Bradshaw to give them a quote to contract police services in the city,” he told The Coastal Star, referring to Ric Bradshaw.

Casale teams with Carney Commissioner Juli Casale — another target of the PBA’s billboards — says she believes Dean’s figures are incorrect, in part because he may be adding in the annual salaries of the new recruits.

Carney said the average length an officer stays in Delray Beach is 3½ years so attrition is normal. He said the city has five new officers in training.

Carney and Casale came into office last year without union endorsements — which increasingly are not carrying

weight in Delray Beach.

“The union no longer has a commission stacked in its favor,” Casale told The Coastal Star She doesn’t think residents are getting the full picture.

“This isn’t about politics. This is about cold, hard cash we don’t have,” she said at the June 3 commission meeting. “We have offered $15.3 million in increases. We are not going to get $15.3 million in revenue increases from property taxes this year.”

Carney agreed, saying: “People don’t understand what’s been offered, what’s been asked.” He said commissioners don’t negotiate — they just accept or reject the proposed contract.

Long backs union

The PBA has an ally on the commission in Vice Mayor Rob Long, who at the June 17 meeting read a lengthy statement calling former Chief Russ Mager’s impending departure “a rupture” and an “indictment of how this city has handled public safety at the highest level.”

Long told The Coastal Star that Carney is desperate because the public is lining up in support of the union’s position as officers continue to leave. He said Carney and Casale are being “disingenuous and inaccurate” when they refer to the DROP as “double-dipping.”

Long said to remain competitive with other municipalities, the city needs to extend the DROP to eight years.

“What my colleagues are doing is based on ideology and it’s based on politics. It’s not based on what’s best for the city and what’s best for the residents and what’s best for our police,” he said.

Long said the department is now at its highest number of vacancies ever and it takes about a year to get a rookie trained.

As for the expense, Long said the city asked for a third-party analysis and was told extending the DROP would actually save $8 million. “Every single expert has told us the DROP extension will not cost us money,” he said.

Other voices

Commissioner Tom Markert — elected with Carney and Casale last year — is believed to side with the mayor, while Commissioner Angela Burns — who often votes alongside Long — sides with the union.

Markert didn’t return phone calls or texts. He said at the June 3 meeting that his family comes from law enforcement, yet he was critical of the union.

“There is nobody up on the dais who cares more about law enforcement than I do,” he said. “I think some of the tactics have been hurtful, and I want it to stop, and I want it to be over, and I want to get back to the relationship with the Police Department that we always had and enjoyed.”

Burns says she doesn’t speak to the press but did say at the June 3 meeting, “My hope is the city and the union can come to a consensus on something that is fair and sustainable

for everyone, and I'm looking forward to that.”

Paul Cannon, a member of the city’s police advisory board, spoke at the June 3 commission meeting: “I’ve got one very simple ask, and that is, I want you guys please put your politics aside, let’s put the toxicity aside. Let’s get everybody in the room. Let’s have a conclave. Let’s figure this out, and don’t come out of that room until you’ve got a settlement, and let’s do it while we still have a Police Department.”

Former Mayor Shelly Petrolia says the real issue is that the city gave away the store to the fire union for its last contract and now the police want their share. She says these increasing contracts for police and fire — whose departments make up more than half of the city’s operating budget — are financially unsustainable.

“But the moment that you start saying anything about the police or the fire, you no longer care about safety. That’s what they do,” Petrolia said. “They start this whole campaign against you. …”

She said that is why so many commissioners — past and present — capitulate to the unions.

Fire union sees success

It appears the fire union has again gotten what it wants after doing a bit of politicking.

IAFF City Local 1842 posted a photograph of a giant inflatable rat outside City Hall on its Facebook page before a June 10 commission workshop, claiming the administration was aiming to put public safety at risk.

Carney and the commission — possibly not wanting a twofront union war — gave its nod to the department’s proposed $52 million budget that would fund the union’s demands for three men per truck per shift.

“They made a compelling public safety argument. They needed it for public safety to save lives,” Carney said.

Political activist and observer Andre Fladell said the police and fire contracts should not be conflated — nor their political activism. The fire union is much more aggressively involved in local races, he said.

However, the PBA’s strongarm tactics here have backfired, in Fladell’s opinion.

“The communication broke down between what we call the police union and the city electeds,” he said.

“Why did the communication break down? Because for the first time, you had union reps that weren’t communicating. They were marching in the street, and they were doing things that were offensive, and the communication relationship levels broke down.” P

Delray Beach News

City wins millions in tap water lawsuit — Delray Beach will receive $15 million as the result of the nationwide settlement of a class-action lawsuit against the manufacturers of so-called “forever chemicals” that are in tap water.

The city was one of a number of cities in South Florida — Boca Raton is getting $32 million — and in other states that had sued manufacturers of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl, or PFAS, which are linked to a variety of health problems including thyroid disease, liver damage, some cancers, weakened immunity and reduced fertility in women.

In addition to tap water, the chemicals are in a wide variety of products, including non-stick pans, carpets, clothing, cosmetics and pizza boxes. They have been present for decades.

Delray Beach is preparing to start construction on a new $280 million water treatment plant. Costs have escalated in recent years, primarily because of the cost of PFAS-removing technology.

Mary Hladky and Larry Barszewski

Gulf Stream

Pavement project likely to extend past year-end holidays

By Steve Plunkett

The two-month report card for Phase 2 of Gulf Stream’s Core District construction project is good, but work will likely stretch through the yearend holidays and into 2026.

Rebecca Travis of Baxter and Woodman Consulting Engineers told town commissioners at their June 13 meeting that the construction contract now has a 56-day approved extension of the completion date.

“So the original date was Dec. 13 of ’25 and now it’s Feb.

Ocean Ridge

7 of ’26,” Travis said.

Commissioner Joan Orthwein, who had hoped the construction would be over before the holidays, wanted more details.

“Are you going to be paving roads in January, February or December? Or will you be … finishing up little things like mailboxes and driveways?” she asked.

“In December they’ll probably be paving, but typically the contractor takes off the week between Christmas and New Year’s. That’s up to him. He can still

work it, but the restoration, the cleaning up on the mailboxes and that, that should be probably January,” Travis replied.

Once Phase 2 is done, contractor Roadway Associates LLC will then pave Phases 1 and 2 together with the final lift of asphalt. Part of January’s restoration work includes replacing broken curbs and valley gutters, Travis said.

The 56 extra days were based on additional road widening the town requested, a water main change and some weather and holiday delays,

she said.

Commissioners approved paying Baxter and Woodman $68,170 for the extra time the company will be coordinating and supervising the project.

They also approved taking a loan not to exceed $7 million from Seacoast National Bank to finish the construction and pay for a water pipe connection to Boynton Beach, which has agreed to supply Gulf Stream with drinking water. The interest rate will be 5.32%, said Mark Bymaster, the town’s chief financial officer.

Roadway started on Phase

2 of the Core construction on April 21.

“We are pleased with the progress that they are making,” Town Manager Greg Dunham said. ”I think one of the reasons is that they’ve not run into water like they did” previously. “It wasn’t necessary to do as much dewatering in Phase 2 as it was in Phase 1.”

Phase 1 included Polo Drive and the finger roads, the scene of much flooding during previous king tides and storms.P

Town considers creating ‘living’ sea wall to protect Hudson Avenue from Intracoastal Waterway

By John Pacenti

Barrier islands were supposed to be just that — a barrier for the mainland, mostly shifting sands that ebbed and flowed with the whims of Mother Nature.

Then, Florida’s pioneers started building on these pristine sand bars — which were even desirable in the time of the Tequestas and the Jeaga, Native American tribes that settled here long before the pioneers arrived.

With every building, home, neighborhood, or resort that followed the pioneers’ arrival, there also came a sea wall — and with every sea wall, the beach or coastline would eventually erode and vanish.

For decades, the solution has been to dump sand on the beach and rebuild sea walls where they have degraded.

An innovative solution — living sea walls — aims to keep the coastline from degrading. Using unique substrates and designs, a living shoreline employs native vegetation and natural rocks to reduce erosion.

Ocean Ridge is considering such a proposal, with commissioners hearing from Texas-based Shoreline Erosion Control Solutions, which wants to install its first living sea wall in the town. Lisa Burgess, executive vice president of the company, told the commission at its May 5 meeting that the company’s marine-engineered interlocking units diminish 99% of wave energy.

“In the U.S. alone, it’s estimated that coastal erosion causes $500 million annually in damage to property and infrastructure,” said Burgess, who was invited by Commissioner Carolyn Cassidy to give a presentation on how to replace the sea wall at the end of Hudson Avenue at the Intracoastal Waterway.

The design includes special baffle openings specifically designed for mangrove

commissioners

the

growth. “We would be growing mangroves through the baffle openings,” Burgess noted. “Sand and sediment build up naturally at the bottom.”

The Hudson Avenue project, estimated to cost just under $500,000, could be the first of its kind in Florida and is cheaper than the $750,000 the town has earmarked to build a new sea wall at the location, Burgess said.

“Until now, the only solutions were beach nourishment, planting native grasses, or installing rock riprap or vertical structures,” Burgess explained. “Nature-based solutions often get washed away in the next storm, while rock and riprap structures shift, sink and erode from behind.”

Cassidy said Shoreline’s presentation was only that — a presentation. She said the town needs to explore grant options, but said that the sea wall at the end of Hudson is deteriorating and will need to be replaced.

When Mayor Geoff Pugh asked about potential cost benefits, Burgess highlighted her company’s commitment: “We have not put any profit on this ... we are doing it at cost.”

Ocean Ridge would be the first living sea wall in Florida for SECS — but it has installed two others in Rockport, Texas.

Interim Town Manager Michelle Heiser said she knows that the company will be meeting with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and is meeting with the South Florida Water Management District.

“They need to be able to give some guarantees that we’ll be able to get a permit before I would be comfortable moving forward,” Heiser said.

Burgess said the company will start testing its project with the Army Corps of Engineers on July 28. “We’re making sure that we have a full battery of testing. There are a lot of projects that we’re under consideration for across the country,” she said.

A Google search for “living sea wall” will return numerous companies working in the space of coastal retention. It’s a vibrant area for academic and governmental researchers, as well. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has catalogued all the projects nationwide on its Living Shoreline Map.

Last year, the town of Palm Beach approved $157,000 for Applied Technology & Management to design a living shoreline along 500 feet of Lake Worth Lagoon on the town’s North End.

Palm Beach Public Works said the project is moving along, currently in the design and permitting process.

The Coastal Star previously reported on Delray Beach’s Singer Studio, which has invented a substrate for an artificial reef that encourages coral growth and interlocks to prevent beach erosion, creating an offshore breakwater.

The newspaper also reported how the University of Miami developed its SEAHIVE system — perforated, hexagonal concrete pieces that fit together to dissipate wave energy.

While wave energy eventually degrades sea walls from the bottom up, Burgess said her company’s sea walls are robust.

“They interlock and pin to the sea floor, so once you put them in, they don’t move,” Burgess said. The company has already tested similar units in Texas, with installations surviving Hurricane Beryl in 2024 without displacement.

Ocean Ridge Vice Mayor Steve Coz probed the timeline, learning the project would take approximately 18 months, with engineering, environmental studies, and permitting consuming much of that time.

Permits would be needed from the Army Corps of Engineers and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. P

Ocean Ridge

are considering installing a ‘living’ sea wall, such as those pictured here, at Hudson Avenue along

Intracoastal Waterway. LEFT: A living sea wall form being installed. TOP RIGHT: A cross section of sea wall showing how a mangrove can interact with it. BOTTOM RIGHT: A single section of sea wall being moved. Photos and rendering provided

Along the Coast Property values tick higher in appraiser’s revised numbers

Revisions by the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s Office to preliminary taxable property values released earlier this year show that those valuations have increased in all cities and towns in southeastern Palm Beach County.

Property Appraiser Dorothy Jacks releases two sets of numbers each year, with the first estimates reported in May. The numbers are updated as the office refines them and finalizes the additions of properties to the tax roll before they are sent to the state at the end of June.

The office’s data released on June 26 shows that Palm Beach County-wide taxable property values increased by 8.2%, up from May’s estimate of 7.7%.

The total market value of county properties now is $528.8 billion. New construction added to the tax roll was nearly $5.5 billion, the second year in a row that new construction topped $5 billion.

In southeastern Palm Beach County, the

Briny Breezes

By Steve Plunkett

largest upward change was in Briny Breezes, jumping from a 9.5% increase to 10%. Delray Beach moved from 8.3% to 8.7% and Lantana increased from 6.4% to 6.8%.

South Palm Beach was an outlier this year, seeing a 0.62% decrease — the first such yearto-year drop for a county municipality since 2013. The updated numbers still show a drop, but reduced to 0.21%.

South Palm Beach Town Manager Jamie Titcomb has attributed the decrease to the town’s aging condos that must comply with laws enacted after a Surfside condo’s collapse in 2021. The resulting higher maintenance fees and special assessments have prompted potential buyers to seek price reductions.

Local governments use taxable values to calculate how much property tax money they can expect. They then set their annual budgets and tax rates.

— Mary Hladky

Property value totals

Here are the latest 2025 taxable property values for Palm Beach County and coastal South County municipalities, the percentage changes from 2024 and the amount of new construction

to the tax rolls.

Town ponders pulling out of county library system

The Bookmobile stops at Briny Breezes every other Monday afternoon. All town residents can get a free Palm Beach County Library card and have access to the county library’s e-resources. They can also get free library cards in Boynton Beach, Delray Beach and other municipalities with a cooperating library.

That would all end if Briny

Breezes withdrew from the county system. But if the town did leave, its property owners would save a collective $57,000 a year in county library taxes.

So town officials are exploring the possibility of the town’s leaving the county system and relying mostly on its own volunteer library.

Town Manager Bill Thrasher suggested the breakaway at the Town Council’s monthly meeting June 26.

He had contacted Douglas Crane, director of the county system, about Briny Breezes’ leaving and was told that the town would need to meet five criteria: having an organized collection of library materials, paid staff, an established schedule of time open to patrons, the necessary facilities and being supported in whole or in part by public funds.

Thrasher said the town easily meets four of the requirements,

spa. A grand staircase sets the stage for the elegant ambiance, leading to formal living and dining rooms, and home office. The primary bedroom suite offers dual primary bathrooms and walk in closets. A fourth bedroom on the main floor can easily be configured. The home also offers a two car garage and elevator.

but “it is a volunteer system. That might be a sticky wicket.”

Town Attorney Keith Davis said some preliminary research showed the idea of having a paid staff was not part of the law establishing the county’s library, and a legal challenge to that requirement might be made.

Crane also told Thrasher that 56 town residents hold county library cards, 119 have Boynton Beach privileges, and 36 have Delray Beach cards. He did not specify whether one person might have more than one card.

If the town leaves the system, a resident might still get a county card for $95 a year as a nonresident, Crane said. Boynton Beach extends library access for $30 for a three-year period, Thrasher said.

Mayor Ted Gross said paying county library taxes is similar to town residents’ paying the corporation for the

shuffleboard courts.

“That’s because collectively, together, we’re able to end up having more resources,” he said.

Also, he said, the town’s library is “jigsaw puzzles, books and some movies. It’s nothing compared to what we’re talking about, the resources, the Bookmobile.”

The council wound up directing Thrasher and Davis to explore the matter further.

Earlier, at a June 21 special meeting, the council accepted the Resilient Florida Grant Agreement and authorized Gross to sign it, approved paying Baxter and Woodman Consulting Engineers up to $30,664 to file a State Revolving Loan Fund application, and agreed to pay Engenuity Group up to $190,000 for design and permitting of a stormwater drainage system. P

Briny council questions new language in police contract

Concerned that the cost of police services might go up by double digits, Briny Breezes officials told Police Chief Scott McClure to politely ask his Ocean Ridge bosses if they would temper a proposed contract renewal.

“No push, you know, respectful. Be kind to us,” Town Manager Bill Thrasher said.

Ocean Ridge has policed Briny Breezes since 2019, with the cost going up 3% per year to a proposed $214,928 starting in October.

But this time, Ocean Ridge wanted the payment to rise in following years by the greater of 3% “or the May All Urban Consumer Price Index CPI for the Miami-Fort Lauderdale Region.”

That May CPI figure brushed 10% in 2022 and was more than

3% in 2023 and 2024. Officials don’t know where it might land in future years.

“I’m wondering if we could possibly get a letter signed by the mayor respectfully sent to the Ocean Ridge council asking if we could just stay at the 3% rate. Is that a possibility?” Town Council President Liz Loper said.

Thrasher and others said the CPI wording also appears in the 10-year contract the town signed with Boynton Beach for fire and rescue service.

“It’s kind of standard rate increases in contracts,” Mayor Ted Gross said.

In the end the council designated McClure its ambassador on the matter.

— Steve Plunkett

SOURCE: Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s Office

Along the Coast

FDOT to start $2.2 million upgrade of A1A from Linton to Atlantic

By John Pacenti

A flood-prone stretch of State Road A1A in Delray Beach is getting a $2.2 million upgrade starting this summer.

The Florida Department of Transportation aims to bolster pedestrian safety, enhance storm drainage, and lay down new asphalt.

The 1.6-mile, two-phase project from Linton Boulevard to just south of Atlantic Avenue will address longstanding issues with the roadway that partially abuts Delray Beach’s awardwinning Blue Flag beach.

The original design of the road had shallow swales paralleling it.

“This allowed the water some place to go as it runs off the paved area,” Fernando Gomez, a consultant with Allbright Engineering Inc., said at FDOT’s June 11 open house about the project.

“Through the years, with the residents adding landscaping and that type of work to their properties, many of them filled in that swale so it wasn’t performing.”

FDOT aims to restore a minimal swale and enhance the natural percolation to remove the water more quickly.

The project, which was to start in late June and go until spring 2026, comes at the tail end of another FDOT project immediately to the south — covering A1A in Delray Beach south of Linton and extending through all of Highland Beach — that populated the scenic drive with plastic barriers to protect property along the highway.

Besides repaving, upgrades will include safety measures such as installing rectangular flashing beacons at crosswalks, upgrading pedestrian signals and adding LED lighting at critical intersections.

There will be green bicycle markings at A1A and Linton Boulevard.

After initial public workshops, the team adjusted plans based on resident feedback, particularly regarding flooding and sidewalk concerns, Gomez said.

Traffic disruptions will occur from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, with flaggers directing traffic as needed.

Sidewalk and curb ramp closures will be implemented as needed, with temporary pedestrian detours. Access to businesses and residences will be maintained at all times.

Phase 1 will kick off the infrastructure project with foundational groundwork.

According to project details revealed in a recent public meeting, contractors will first focus on constructing new swales, concrete sidewalks, and pedestrian ramps. This initial stage will also include installing new signage and lighting, along with critical enhancements to traffic signaling.

The second phase will concentrate on the road surface itself. Contractors will mill and repave most of the roadway within the project’s 1.6-mile limits. This stage includes installing new pavement markings and implementing signal detection loops to improve traffic flow and safety.

The lighting along A1A is currently turtle-friendly because hatchlings can be attracted to artificial light. So, the challenge was how to upgrade pedestrian crossing locations without endangering beloved marine animals.

“So whatever lighting was added in that section of the project was done to match the existing decorative lighting. And all lighting, both existing and new, is turtle-friendly,” Gomez said. P

The majority of repaving will happen between Linton and Casuarina.

Other improvements will happen up to Atlantic.

A1A project details

• Milling and repaving A1A from Linton Boulevard to Casuarina Road, and at Nassau Street;

• Upgrading curb ramps and replacing sections of the existing sidewalk;

• Regrading swales on the east side of A1A between White Drive and Brooks Lane — and at Carissa Road — for enhanced drainage;

• Upgrading the pedestrian signal at A1A and Casuarina Road;

• Installing rectangular rapid flashing beacons for crosswalks at Rhodes Villa Avenue, Bucida Road, Anchor Park, Nassau Street, and north of Ingraham Avenue;

• Upgrading lighting to LED fixtures at Linton, Rhodes Villa, Bucida, Casuarina, Nassau, north of Ingraham and at Atlantic;

• Upgrading signage and pavement markings, including installing green bicycle markings at A1A and Linton.

A quarter of the work still to go on Highland Beach’s stretch of A1A

Motorists on State Road

A1A in Highland Beach who enjoyed a short respite from lane closures during an ongoing road project can expect once again to face slowdowns as crews prepare the road and adjacent areas for a final layer of asphalt.

The 3.35-mile-long project with a price tag of about $8.3 million began about a year ago and is about 75% complete, Florida Department of Transportation officials say.

Workers will now focus on grading driveways and

widening the northbound lane within the project. For the first couple of weeks of July, the emphasis will be on continuing the widening of the northbound roadway, reinstalling paver driveways and reconstructing asphalt driveways throughout the area.

Crews will continue paving on widened parts of the road, which will be followed by temporary striping until the final layer of asphalt and permanent striping are applied.

One much-requested

Boynton Beach Boulevard widening at I-95 to start soon

By Tao Woolfe

The Florida Department of Transportation this month is set to begin the four-year, $64 million widening of Boynton Beach Boulevard near and over Interstate 95.

The project will widen the overpass with room for dual left turn lanes onto I-95 in both directions, create additional turn lanes for the on- and off-ramps and add a third through-lane for westbound traffic over the interstate.

The work also includes:

• Milling and repaving the roadway;

• Constructing 5- to 7-foot bicycle lanes;

• Replacing signal mast arms, installing traffic monitoring cameras and wrong-way detection devices;

• Upgrading curb ramps and adding 8-foot sidewalks;

• Installing new LED lighting to improve visibility and safety at night; and

• Providing new signage, including bicycle markings, to enhance visibility.

The project extends from Old Boynton Road west of I-95 to Northwest Third Street east of the interstate.

Traffic impacts are expected to be felt throughout the project, but the work will be implemented in phases to minimize inconvenience, the FDOT said in a press release.

While FDOT said business and resident access will be maintained at all times, it warned motorists to expect numerous lane closures and detours —mostly at night.

improvement has been the completion of the left turn lane from northbound A1A to Linton Boulevard. The lane has been extended but will receive a final asphalt layer and final striping.

“Once all roadway construction activities are finished, the contractor will install sod as needed,” an FDOT spokesperson said in an email.

— Rich Pollack

LETTERS: The Coastal Star welcomes letters to the editor about issues of interest in the community. These are subject to editing and must include your name, address and phone number. Preferred length is 200-500 words. Send email to news@thecoastalstar. com.

Atlantic Ave.

Linton Blvd.

Casuarina Rd.

Coastal Star graphic / Google map image

Along the Coast

County addresses possibility of homes at Milani Park site

By Rich Pollack

When several Palm Beach County commissioners last month threw the proverbial monkey wrench into plans to continue developing the Milani Park property as a park, they left open the possibility that the property could be sold for

residential development.

If that takes place, the county’s coffers would grow greatly from the sale and future property tax revenue, while the door would be open for a developer to benefit financially.

Anyone purchasing the 5.6acre parcel at the south end of Highland Beach would have to

overcome a series of obstacles, including a hefty price tag and more recent archeological findings that could limit where construction takes place.

“There are some challenges but they’re not insurmountable,” said Highland Beach Town Manager Marshall Labadie, whose Town Commission would have to change the zoning of the property from use as a park to residential.

Plans for the park, which has faced opposition from the town and residents for more than 30 years, seemed to be on track until early last month, when Cam Milani told the County Commission his family, which sold the land to the county almost 40 years ago, no longer wants a park built there.

That was an about-face of the long-term position of the family, which in the past had financially contributed to the campaign of at least one member of a previous County Commission who had pushed for development of the park.

In an email to The Coastal Star, Cam Milani said that the decision to oppose the park came because “resident opposition to the park has reached levels we did not anticipate. We want peace and harmony in our community as we live here and want to continue to live here.”

Milani’s comments at the June 3 meeting set off

an often-tense exchange between Commissioner Marci Woodward, who supports the park and whose district includes the Milani Park property, and Commissioner Joel Flores, who had previously voted in favor of developing the park but was now questioning that position.

Woodward has pointed out that Flores’ political action committee received $30,000 in contributions from Highland Beach Real Estate Holdings, a company controlled by the Milani family. The Coastal Star independently confirmed that three $10,000 contributions from the company went to the political action committee Friends of Joel Flores in 2024.

“We are proud to support candidates who share the same values as our family and will continue to do so as we feel that is our civic privilege and obligation,” Cam Milani said.

Following the discussion last month, commissioners agreed to meet individually with county staff for updates on the status of park development before deciding on the park’s future. Those discussions are expected to continue through early July.

If the county agrees to sell the land, the Milani family has not ruled out making an offer. The family, under a 2010 settlement agreement, has the right of first refusal, meaning that it could buy the property with an offer that matches the highest bid.

“We would also work and cooperate with the town and its residents to ensure a development that is beneficial to all parties,” Cam Milani said

Obstacles to development

Two of the biggest obstacles facing a developer hoping to build on the property, should the county sell it, would be zoning and price, and the relationship between the two.

In a letter to Woodward dated April 2024, Highland Beach Mayor Natasha Moore wrote that the property had been appraised at $45.75 million by an independent appraiser based on medium density on the west side of State Road A1A and low density on the east side.

Multifamily low-density zoning allows for six units per acre, while medium density allows for 12 units per acre.

Were the property to be sold to a developer, the new owners would first have to go before the Highland Beach commission to apply for a zoning change since the property is zoned for a park.

Along with density restrictions, the zoning comes with height restrictions:

Buildings would probably be limited to 35 feet above the finished first-floor elevation on the east side, if approved for low-density zoning, and as much as 40 feet above the firstfloor elevation on the west side if approved for medium density.

Moore said she believes residents who have opposed the park have focused their

concerns mostly on the number of parking spaces — about 100 — that the county plans to put on the west side of A1A.

“My understanding of what most residents want is that they would like to see a park with just a few parking spaces as opposed to development of more residential units,” she said.

Archeological issues

A buyer who might be interested in building on the eastern parcel of the property, which the county is planning to turn into a beach park, would also face a major obstacle due to the archeological significance of the property.

County planners have long known of the existence of a Native American burial ground on the property and the historical significance of the use of the area by members of the Yamato Colony, a group of Japanese pineapple farmers in the early 20th century.

Woodward said that as the county conducts an archeological study, it is discovering that the historical significance of a portion of the property is greater than originally thought.

“It’s a treasure trove,” she said, adding that it is the only undisturbed place in Palm Beach County where evidence of a Japanese colony still exists.

Bryan Davis, a principal planner with the county working on efforts to get the area registered nationally as a historic site, says the Yamato Colony’s link to the property makes it unique.

“Every other piece of the Yamato Colony is gone,” he said. “It’s the only parcel left that’s still identifiable as associated with the Yamato Colony.”

Davis said that the Native American burial ground is the last remaining one of seven similar mounds — from Riviera Beach to Deerfield Beach.

The county’s design for the park includes elevated walkways over the historically significant areas with educational material posted along the walkway.

The county has submitted a National Register of Historic Places nomination for part of the property, and the state division of Historical Resources has confirmed that it is eligible for listing on the national register. The county is providing additional information to the state as requested.

Should the county sell the property, it could be at least four years before construction is completed given all the preliminaries involved.

Ron Reame, former president of Boca Highland Beach Club and Marina, which is adjacent to the park property, said he is hoping a compromise can be worked out with no more than 40 parking spaces at the park.

“I don’t think people realize what the alternatives to a park are and what the impact would be,” he said. P

FAMILY

Continued from page 1

added an n.”

Ask him what kind of an education he received, and Finn doesn’t hesitate.

“Phenomenal, and it’s going to help me my entire life,” he says. “They focused on making sure we were ready for life. They taught us the difference between right and wrong, and how to be the best human being we could be, how to impact the world for the better.

“And the English teachers were always on the watch for a grammar mistake.”

In the fall, he will start ninth grade at St. Andrew’s School in Boca Raton, which William, his oldest brother, also attended. The other three, Christopher, Nicholas and Charlie, went on to St. John Paul II Academy.

The family home is now in Delray Dunes.

Choosing St. Andrew’s for his high school years seems appropriate.

“Finn and Will have a lot in common,” their mother says. “The three in the middle all played lacrosse at St. John Paul. They’re more athletic. But Finn and William are more academic.”

The oldest, Will, and the youngest, Finn, would rather read than play sports.

“Will introduced me to

Harry Potter,” Finn says, “and the Gulf Stream School really strengthened my love of reading.”

He was assigned The Giver and Lord of the Flies, both sophisticated dystopian novels. But his favorite subject was history.

The Shannon family was featured in The Coastal Star in May 2011: Anna Shannon surrounded by her loving sons and husband, Bill, then at their Gulf Stream home. From left, Charlie, 8, Chris, 12, Anna, Finn, 6 weeks, Will, 14, Nick, 10, and Bill. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

“I took Latin for three years and it made me learn about Roman culture and mythology,” he says. “I learned how to speak some Latin, and our teacher would bring us out onto the field, and we’d have a Roman battle with pool noodles. It was very fun. Not much speaking,

but a lot of screaming and laughing.”

‘Mr. Shannon’s disease’

The school’s athletic field was not always a place for laughter.

Finn Shannon was only 3 months old in 2011 when his father, Bill, was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS is a progressive disease in which the motor neurons from the brain to the spinal cord slowly weaken, leading to paralysis and death. But to the boys’ fellow students, ALS was “Mr. Shannon’s disease.”

Bill Shannon was already using a wheelchair on Sept. 12, 2014, when the school proved it is more than a place to study Latin.

At 2 p.m. that afternoon, all but a dozen of the older students had their parents’ permission to stand in line and dump buckets of ice water over their heads in the popular “ice bucket challenge.” Participants were asked to donate $5. The event raised at least $700 for ALS research.

Two months later, Bill Shannon’s funeral service was held in the school chapel.

“Not to be too saccharine about it,” Anna Shannon says now, “but when Bill was sick and died, those teachers really rallied around the kids, and there was never a day, even in the worst of times, when they didn’t want to go to school. After Bill passed away, two teachers had them come in for tutoring, to keep them busy.”

Where are they now?

If Finn’s time at the school has prepared him for adulthood as well as it trained the older boys, his future is secure.

William, 29, is the head of strategic itineraries for a company in Barcelona, Spain. Christopher, 26, is an analyst at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Nicholas, 24, has just earned his MBA at Florida Southern. And Charlie, 22, a Lynn University grad, is a superintendent for a local builder.

Institutions love to promote themselves as families.

Employees are “family.” Family restaurants. Family entertainment. Family Dollar. But at the Gulf Stream School, the numbers don’t lie.

Of the 21 students in Finn's graduating class this year, 19 have a sibling who either graduated before them or is still attending the school.

“I just want people to know how much the teachers have done for me and my family,” Finn Shannon says, “and how important the Gulf Stream School was in all our lives.

“I know I can’t go back as a student, but I can always go and visit, just to see what’s going on. And when I have kids of my own, I want them to go there, too. I’m planning for the future.” P

More photos from Gulf Stream School graduation. Page AT17

If town rakes beach, work can’t begin until at least August

By Mary Thurwachter

Although Lantana hasn’t formally given the green light to raking sargassum off its beach, the town appears to be headed in that direction — but the earliest the raking could begin is in August.

That’s because the town needs approval from the sea turtle nesting monitors to be able to rake the beach during the summer and fall, according to Marc Fichtner, Lantana’s marine safety supervisor.

Although the town has a turtle monitoring service agreement with D.B. Ecological Services Inc., it had not signed up specifically for monitoring for mechanical beach raking, the Town Council learned at its June 9 meeting.

“They informed us that at this point in the nesting season, when no nest marking has occurred, mechanical beach cleaning cannot proceed until nest marking begins and a minimum of 65 days have passed,” said Maria Rios, executive assistant to the town manager. “This waiting period allows any incubating nests to emerge before any mechanical activities take place.”

Rios said the town would first need to enter into an agreement for sea turtle monitoring specific to mechanical beach raking, followed by a separate agreement authorizing the raking itself.

Town Manager Brian Raducci said the town would seek those necessary agreements, but that would mean raking couldn’t

Scheller to stay on

begin until August at the earliest.

“The monitoring would cost about $5,000 for the season,” Raducci said. “The raking would cost between $1,000 and $1,200 for twice-a-month service.”

Mayor Karen Lythgoe said the town wanted to do raking several years ago, but “it was not real popular.”

Lantana’s policy has traditionally been to limit raking and not to remove sargassum. The thinking was that seaweed was essential for marine life, kept replacement sand on beaches and provided nutrients to plants on dunes.

In April, freshman Council member Jesse Rivero asked for the subject to be revisited and in June that happened.

In advance of that, on May

as police chief, delay scheduled retirement

By Mary Thurwachter

Sean Scheller won’t be calling it quits as Lantana’s top cop this month — as he had been scheduled to do.

The police chief wants to stay — and the town wants him to remain. Council members told him so at their June 9 meeting and approved an ordinance change at their June 23 meeting that makes it possible.

Scheller has been in the five-year Deferred Retirement Option Plan, Town Manager Brian Raducci said. Employees in DROP are considered “retired” for pension purposes, but remain active employees for all other aspects of their job.

Being in DROP allowed Scheller to receive his regular pay while also earning pension benefits, which accumulate and are paid out when the DROP period ends.

Scheller’s DROP period was set to end July 31, when he would have to retire. But the council approved an ordinance change that allows Scheller to continue working as chief while stopping any additional DROP benefits, Raducci said. Scheller also won’t receive his accumulated DROP benefits until he officially retires from his job and begins collecting his pension.

Scheller turns 55 this month and has worked for the Lantana Police Department for 30 years. He wants to remain in his job, Raducci said at the June 9 meeting.

“He loves his job, he loves who he works with and he’s been in it for 30 years, so he’s committed that he wants to stay on,” Raducci said. “He could go somewhere else and collect his full retirement and a salary

comparable to his salary here, but that’s not his preference. He would love to see some projects he started here come to fruition.”

Town Council members praised him and so did residents, including Michelle Donahue of Hypoluxo Island.

“Our chief is the greatest and our town is so incredibly lucky to have him here,” she said. “We have the best Police Department, and I agree, it comes from the top down. He’s engaging. He listens. He cares.”

After hearing a round of applause, Scheller said the decision to stay was “a nobrainer.” He thanked the council, the staff and his officers for their dedication and support.

“I don’t want any of my successor chiefs to go through what I went through,” he said, remembering the day 13 years ago when he became acting

chief after a previous top cop left abruptly.

He said he wants to see some of the projects he started take hold. One of them is the takehome car policy, which will go into effect Oct. 1. The policy will allow officers to take their vehicles home at the end of their shifts. The program will be phased in, starting with five vehicles, and be based on seniority.

“We are very progressive in our staffing and hiring right now,” Scheller said. “When I leave here, I want this department to be fully staffed.”

Scheller, whose annual salary is $200,322, said he “really enjoys working with people and solving problems on a daily basis.”

He promised to give the town his “heart and soul” for the next two years … or maybe more. P

12 Raducci had Fichtner share his views, based on his being at the beach every day, talking with experts and hearing from beachgoers.

Fichtner said he was seeing an increase in sargassum at Lantana Beach and that patrons were becoming progressively annoyed by it.

Fichtner had spoken with Brian LaPointe, Ph.D, a research professor at FAU’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, who said 14 million tons of sargassum is expected in the Caribbean this year, the most ever recorded.

At some point, whether that’s June, July or August, some of that is going to hit Lantana’s beach, Fichtner related.

The bacteria that form from rotting sargassum are a

Lantana News

problem, he said. One of the biggest things with that is hydrogen sulfide and ammonia produced by decomposing sargassum, which is toxic to animals and people.

Raking the beach, Fichtner said, could prevent that. It would also remove litter and other pollutants and would make it safer for sea turtle hatchlings, which can get trapped in sargassum piles while trying to get to the ocean, he said.

Vice Mayor Kem Mason asked whether hand raking could be done.

Raducci said he thought the town would be hard-pressed to find somebody to do it.

“Depending on the depth of the seaweed it could be incredibly heavy,” he said. P

Helping neighbors — Lantana has launched Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a program connecting volunteers with residents who need extra help in keeping up their homes.

The program is designed to assist residents with non-professional tasks such as mowing, weeding and trimming bushes, painting houses and cleaning gutters, taking out the garbage, storm prep and cleaning debris after a storm.

“I’ve been talking about it for some time,” said Mayor Karen Lythgoe. “As people grow older and/or get sick, it gets harder to maintain yards and homes. Not everyone can afford to hire someone. And then they get code violations and fines. If we had some way to match those in need with those who want to help, that would be great.”

Development Services Director Nicole Dritz and her team came up with the program, and they facilitate the registry, Lythgoe said.

“I see people asking for help putting up shutters before a storm and then after, they need to come down,” she said. “This might be a solution. It is at least worth a try.”

Homeowners who need help or people who would like to volunteer can email codeenforcement@lantana.org with a completed application form available at tps://www.lantana.org/ DocumentCenter/View/349/Neighbors-Helping-NeighborsApplication-Form?bidId=

Emergency operations center renovations — The Town Council on June 9 authorized an agreement with CPZ Architects, Inc. to provide architectural design and engineering services for the Lantana Police Department. The police are renovating their emergency operations center and training room. The cost for CPZ services is $39,560. — Mary Thurwachter

Scheller

STEWARDS

Continued from page 1

Coastal Stewards staff transferred six turtle patients to the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach on June 24, released two along Cape Canaveral’s seashore and dropped off one at the University of Florida Whitney Lab’s Sea Turtle Hospital in St. Augustine, said the nonprofit’s spokeswoman, Melissa Perlman.

One patient was taken to the Turtle Hospital in Marathon by Turtle Hospital staffers who were in the area for other reasons, said Lisa Thompson, a spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which regulates handling of sea turtles and other endangered or threatened animals.

That left three turtles — named Blossom, Sparrow and ReReRe — in the Coastal Stewards’ care, Perlman said.

“Blossom and Sparrow will probably be cleared for release within about two weeks and both will be local,” Perlman said. “ReReRe is showing some clinical decline, unfortunately, and will likely be a medical transfer instead of a release.”

’I've done all I can do’

The nonprofit’s board of trustees June 12 meeting marked the unraveling of the Coastal Stewards in its present form. John Holloway, the group’s president and chief executive, tendered his resignation but agreed to stay on as a consultant while the Stewards wind down Gumbo Limbo’s turtle hospital.

“Currently the Coastal Stewards face challenges that reflect the broader crisis in the nonprofit sector,” Holloway told the trustees. “The Chronicle of Philanthropy recently reported nearly 20,000 nonprofit jobs lost in the last five months alone, underscoring the gravity of the situation.”

Drastic federal budget cuts have led to increased competition for dollars and reduced prioritization for community services such as marine conservation, he said.

Former

Visitors to the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton could view patients in the sea turtle rehabilitation unit only from behind a gated fence June 13, the day after the

Veterinarian Shelby Loos and rescue and rehabilitation coordinator Kara Portocarrero also stayed to care for the turtle patients but have accepted jobs elsewhere, Holloway said. He said he had fired the group’s chief financial officer and support staff.

“I’ve done all I can do, and the organization cannot afford a staffing,” he told the trustees.

Holloway, who joined what was then known as the Friends of Gumbo Limbo in 2020 as its first paid president, quickly faced the challenges of that year’s COVID pandemic and the city’s extended closure of the nature center and gift shop, as well as the city’s 2023 decision to keep donations collected at the door to run Gumbo Limbo rather than turn them over to the nonprofit.

Money issues

That resulted in “an immediate annual loss of approximately $350,000 to our operating budget,” said Holloway, who was paid $122,323 in 2023, according to Internal Revenue Service records.

Holloway’s estimates of the door donations were high. The city actually took in $133,741 January-September 2023, $164,270 October 2023-September 2024, and $176,671 October 2024-May 2025, according to Deputy City Manager Jim Zervis.

Another damper on

already been relocated. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

fundraising efforts was a decision by the city attorney that names of any donors would be public records under the state’s Sunshine Law, he said.

Holloway thanked his staff members for their services, including his husband, Chad Farnum, “who stepped in to do half-price event planning.”

Earlier in the meeting, the trustees were told that they had $1,000,012 left in their bank and investment accounts after withdrawing $200,000 to pay the costs of closing the turtle rehab center and gift shop. That’s down from $3.8 million the group reported having in assets to the IRS in 2020.

The sudden closing surprised some people with close ties to the turtle hospital.

“That was a shock to me,” said Bob Rollins, vice chair of the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District, which reimburses the city for Gumbo Limbo’s operating and capital expenses.

“I think it was a mistake getting the chief executive,” said Beach and Park District Commissioner Susan Vogelgesang.

“I’m sad and disappointed, but totally unsurprised given what I know of decisions and directions the nonprofit took starting in 2020,” said Michele Peel, a former volunteer president of the Friends of Gumbo Limbo.

Holloway said he had contacted city officials in

February about getting financial help and received no response. He tried again in May and got a reply that “the city is working on a response.”

The trustees’ moves came after the Coastal Stewards in April vacated their rented office space in an unincorporated county pocket between Ocean Ridge and Briny Breezes.

A troubling few years

The closure of the rehabilitation center does not affect the three “resident” sea turtles housed in outdoor tanks at Gumbo Limbo, which remain on display and available for public viewing. Boca Raton, which operates the nature center, holds the FWC permit for keeping the resident turtles, while the Coastal Stewards were given the permit for providing veterinary care.

Also still open are the cityrun turtle nesting and hatchling programs, youth camps and community education, the butterfly garden, boardwalk and observation tower.

Boca Raton used to operate all facets of Gumbo Limbo, but it decided in March 2023 to fire its sea turtle rehabilitation coordinator, who held the FWC permit, and her assistant coordinator. The FWC then ordered all ailing sea turtles and resident sea turtles transferred to other facilities.

The terminations came as the city was developing a plan to transfer the rehab

unit — including its financial obligations — to the nonprofit Coastal Stewards and a month after Maria Chadam, the unit’s on-call veterinarian, resigned.

Since then, the Coastal Stewards hired veterinarian Loos and two other employees full-time to qualify for a new permit.

The road to the permit was hampered by a series of missteps by both the Coastal Stewards and the city, and it wasn’t until April 26, 2024, that the first new sea turtle patient arrived.

From then through March 31, the Coastal Stewards admitted 54 sea turtles needing rehabilitation, roughly five per month, and all were under Loos’ care, the FWC said.

Patrons’ confusion

The closure makes the Juno Beach center and ZooMiami the closest places where sea turtles in distress can get veterinary care. Ann Paton, the group’s onetime grants coordinator, told the trustees that raising money was difficult because everyone thinks the city and not the Coastal Stewards runs the rehab unit.

“As soon as you start to explain it, you can look into the eyes of the person you’re talking to, and within 30 seconds they’ve glazed over because they’ve always believed that that whole magilla, that whole beautiful institution, is one entity,” she said.

“In order for (the nonprofit) to move forward, it would need to have a board that was very focused on fundraising and able to bring people from the public to the table to discuss the nonprofit’s needs, so that the important education that it’s doing can move forward and benefit our community,” Paton said.

The agreement with Boca Raton calls for the Coastal Stewards to give 90 days’ notice if they want to terminate it. Holloway said he hoped the city would end it in 45 days.

Chadam, the former parttime veterinarian at Gumbo Limbo, said she heard in May that Holloway would be leaving by year’s end.

“He’s blaming the city of course,” she said.

But city officials, in her view, don’t care about sea turtles.

“I predict a pickleball court coming to GLNC,” she joked.P

Gumbo Limbo workers plan to open turtle hospital at Palm Beach Zoo

By Steve Plunkett

A 2-year-old nonprofit started by two former Gumbo Limbo Nature Center employees is seeking a state permit to give veterinary care to sick or injured sea turtles.

When their application is approved, their Sea Turtle Care and Conservation Specialists LLC will become the second sea turtle hospital in Palm Beach County after the June collapse of the nonprofit Coastal Stewards’ rehab center at Gumbo Limbo.

The ex-employees, Whitney Crowder and Emily Mercier, lost

their jobs helping sea turtles at Gumbo Limbo in March 2023 as Boca Raton transitioned turtle care at the city-operated nature center to the Coastal Stewards.

Also involved with the STCCS are fellow Boca Raton resident Samantha Clark, who spent eight years at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach caring for turtle patients; Dr. Maria Chadam, Gumbo Limbo’s former oncall veterinarian; Dr. Charles Manire, Loggerhead Marinelife’s former vet; and Kirt Rusenko, Boca Raton’s now-retired marine conservationist.

There has been no dialogue between the group and the city or the Coastal Stewards since the Stewards announced they were closing their rehab center.

“We have not been contacted by any city officials or Coastal Stewards people,” Clark said.

She said the STCCS handles “one or two (cases) a week, so it’s been pretty busy as it normally is at this time of year.”

The group rents space, not accessible to the public, at the Palm Beach Zoo in West Palm Beach, according to its permit application to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation

Commission. It already installed two 2,000-gallon tanks there to rehabilitate turtles.

“The space includes a complete AZA-accredited hospital suite, state of the art hospital equipment, necropsy space, food preparation and storage,” Crowder wrote the FWC in May.

The group submitted final documents for its FWC application on June 24.

When the permit is issued, the STCCS rehab center will join Loggerhead, ZooMiami and the Turtle Hospital in the Keys as the only sea turtle hospitals

in South Florida.

In filings with the Internal Revenue Service, the group reported raising $6,156 in contributions and having $4,546 in expenses in 2023, a healthier $61,571 in contributions and $35,807 in expenses in 2024.

“We’re very fortunate to have those donations coming in,” Clark said. “It’s crucial that nonprofits cultivate those relationships with supporters.”

The group has a website, careandconservation.org, and a page on Facebook at “CareandConservation” where supporters can donate. P

Coastal Stewards decided to close the facility. These turtles have

Holloway

10 Questions

Graphic designer Patricia Torras made news recently when she won the Legacy Through Art Initiative, a competition for a design that would inspire a new logo to celebrate and revitalize the visual identity of Old School Square, Delray Beach’s iconic cultural arts campus. The initiative was launched in March by the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority and the city of Delray Beach.

“I live just down the street,” she said, when asked why she decided to participate. “I took out my watercolor brush and my sketchbook, and I kind of just started. I traced over the memorable architectural details of the buildings — a window or arch that are easy to identify — I sketched it out in my book and then digitalized it.”

W hat she came up with was a quadrant of squares in the color palette specified by the city and DDA, each with an easily recognizable architectural detail of Old School Square venues: the Amphitheater pavilion, Cornell Museum, fieldhouse, and the Crest Theatre and Creative Art School.

A panel of art and design professionals narrowed the entries to three finalists, and after a three-week public voting period, Torras, 32, emerged as the community favorite.

Now, she is fine-tuning her “inspirational” designs into five actual logos: an Old School Square main logo along with four individual venue logos.

W hat will they look like? They will be revealed early fall as part of Old School Square’s Centennial Celebration. But she gives a hint. Sort of.

“They are going to be in watercolor — that’s the medium Old School Square chose. They will be vibrant, colorful and very Delray.”

She’s happy to have won this competition, which came with prizes: the $5,000 design commission, a Spotlight Gallery feature at the Cornell Art Museum, recognition across Old School Square’s branding and media campaigns, and special honors at the official unveiling event.

“Old School Square is such a great venue,” she said. “I’m super honored. I’m trying for my creation to be a timeless piece that is recognizable and memorable, and it will be cool to see my art daily. It’s part of my legacy.

“I love Delray, as cheesy as it sounds — I really do live and breathe Delray.”

Torras has a new nickname: pattypalms. That’s because during the pandemic, she spent a lot of time walking and taking photos of palms that she put up on Instagram with the hashtag pattypalms. So, as a freelance graphic artist she has a website that’s officially torras.design, but if you put in pattypalms. com you’ll be automatically

MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR: Patricia Torras

redirected.

“I’m a South Florida girl. I like my palm trees,” she explained. “I never had a nickname, and it just stuck.”

— Christine Davis

Q. Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?

A. I’m originally from Miami, born in Coral Gables, and spent my early years in the Miami Beach area until my family moved to Boca Raton in October 2001. Even after the move, Miami remained a significant part of my life, but my educational journey firmly took root in Palm Beach County, where I attended various schools: Orchard View Elementary, Calusa Elementary, Boca Raton Middle, Don Estridge Middle and Boca Raton High, before earning my bachelor in communications from Florida Atlantic University and my master of business administration in marketing from Lynn University. Summers were a mix of family vacations and local camps: Camp Boca and Delray Beach Junior Lifeguard. I always embraced these experiences, finding excitement in making new friends. And having stayed in the area, I love the hometown feeling of always getting to run into someone I know.

Growing up in South Florida instilled in me a deep desire to live by the water and foster my creativity, a privilege I don’t take

for granted, as our coastline is rich with art and history, greatly influencing my ambitions for a career that provided the freedom to pursue creative outlets.

Q. What professions have you worked in? What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?

A. I’ve always been a graphic designer. My professional journey began at FAU, designing the marketing of events and promoting the programs and resources within the Division of Student Affairs. Currently, I’m the creative manager at Atlantic Pacific Cos., directing the design projects for their residential portfolio and corporate branding. I also freelance, helping local small businesses with their branding and marketing initiatives.

My passion is to connect people through design, transforming complex information into tangible, inspiring visuals.

I’ve won a couple of awards and design contests in my day, but I’m most thrilled about recently winning Delray’s Old School Square logo contest, which allowed me to design the inspiration for their rebrand. I’m working on that this summer and excited to unveil it in the fall. Fun fact: This isn’t my first Delray Beach win — back in 2002, I won the Fourth of July bike decorating contest.

Delray Beach resident Patricia Torras, standing on the Old School Square campus, holds the sketches and watercolor designs she will use to create new logos for the cultural arts center: one main logo and one for each of the four venues. Torras received the most public votes in a contest to choose the designer. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Q. What advice do you have for a young person selecting a career today?

A. If something sparks your curiosity, learn everything there is to know about it. Aim to become the ultimate best in that field, striving for excellence but knowing the balance of not taking yourself so seriously that it stops being fun. Remember that beyond the allure of high salaries or travel opportunities, your career should be something you’re proud of for the impact it makes in the world.

Q. How did you choose to make your home in Delray Beach?

A. I chose to make Delray Beach my home because, simply put, my boyfriend [she doesn’t wish to share his name] and I never wanted to leave. While it may no longer be a hidden gem to these high school sweethearts, Delray is our favorite village by the sea.

Q. What is your favorite part about living in Delray Beach?

A. What I love most is the welcoming atmosphere, particularly the distinctive “chill vibe” of its residents. Taking a walk or bike ride alongside A1A with my Vizsla pup, Vinny, often feels like I’m on an episode of Cheers — he’s a hit.

The DDA is also exceptional in ensuring there’s always something engaging for people of all ages happening throughout downtown. Delray

is where all my friends want to meet up; it’s a guaranteed good time for everyone. And I can’t forget my amazing neighbors! Our street is small, but there’s so much love on it!

Q. What book are you reading now?

A. Just finished Freida McFadden’s “The Housemaid” series. An absolute psychological thriller, and now I’m ready for the first movie to come out later this year.

Q. What music do you listen to when you need inspiration? When you want to relax?

A. For inspiration, I always choose upbeat music; I’m not really a fan of slow jams. My playlists are diverse, ranging from Latin and 2000s hip-hop/ rap to classics like John Mayer, the Beatles and the Eagles. If I need to focus while working, I often listen to instrumental versions of my favorite songs.

Q. Do you have a favorite quote that inspires your decisions?

A. When I’m feeling selfdoubt, I remember Paula Scher’s words: “It’s through mistakes that you actually can grow. You have to get bad in order to get good.” This quote reframes failures as learning opportunities, encouraging me to embrace experimentation and see setbacks as steps toward growth.

Q. Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?

A. Yes, my dad. He was a great man who carried himself with such poise and intelligence, combined with his deep understanding of who I am, truly set him apart as my favorite mentor. He was my unwavering supporter, making me feel worthy and seen in every possible way.

Though he recently passed in June 2025, a loss I’ll always deeply feel, the knowledge that he prepared me so well for life without him brings comfort, making me believe he’ll always be with me. He taught me invaluable lessons like empathy and humor, inspiring me to strive for perfection while understanding the need for flexibility and patience, knowing when to pivot. Most importantly, he taught me to be independent, to believe in myself, and to find happiness within.

Q. If your life story were made into a movie, who would you want to play you?

A. I think I’d want someone who can embody my vibrant and imaginative energy, but also be hilarious and unserious. Perhaps someone like Florence Pugh.

By John Pacenti

Manalapan Town Manager

Eric Marmer has a whiteboard in his office full of projects that need addressing, but he says the top priority has long been on the municipality’s to-do list: converting its multimilliondollar homes from septic to sewer to protect against a future environmental disaster.

The plan is to present a feasibility study of extending the central sewer system at the July 8 Town Commission meeting. Engineers have 30% of the design complete. Installing a sewer system would run between $15 million and $20 million, but Marmer says 50% of those costs could be covered through state and local grants.

“The thing that was most shocking is the fact that in just a few short years, the water intrusion potential into the current septic systems people have here is troubling,” Marmer said.

Septic systems release nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus into the surrounding soil. In coastal areas, these nutrients can leach into the groundwater and eventually leach into bays, estuaries in the Intracoastal

Septic-to-sewer conversions becoming urgent with threat of sea level rise, town manager says

Waterway and the ocean, where they feed algal blooms which choke marine life and cause coral bleaching.

And Florida — one of the most ecologically sensitive states in the U.S. — loves septic. Roughly 30% of its population relies on these onsite sewage treatment disposal systems — translating to roughly 2.6 million septic systems.

As such, Manalapan is hardly alone as other coastal Florida cities, towns and villages are struggling with the septic problem. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, for instance, has made eliminating septic tanks one of her signature issues, tied to the health of Biscayne Bay.

In the coastal areas of South Palm Beach County, septic systems are common and used by the majority of singlefamily homes in Ocean Ridge, Manalapan and Gulf Stream.

In Ocean Ridge, for instance, there are 728 single-family homes on septic and 873 multifamily units with approximately 15 “package plants.” Multifamily developments utilize small “package plants” that are privately owned, privately maintained and must be permitted through applicable

“I think doing this not only raises the property value, but also brings this municipality up to the standards that people expect it to be at.”

— Manalapan Town Manager Eric Marmer

state and local agencies.

Connecting homes to sewer has been talked about in Manalapan since at least the 1990s, Marmer said. Currently, its commercial and government properties — Manalapan Town Hall, the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa, Plaza del Mar, and La Coquille Villas — are connected to a central sewer that feeds into the Lake Worth Beach system.

The commission is looking at the options because 220 properties in town use septic tanks: 155 on Point Manalapan and 65 along State Road A1A. Only 93 properties are part of the gravity sewer system from Town Hall to the north.

Florida has mandated that some vulnerable areas — homes along the Indian River Lagoon in Martin County, for instance — convert to sewer by July 2030.

If the state does require Manalapan and other communities to move from septic to sewer, Marmer said

that the competition for contractors and grant dollars will be fierce, putting the town in a bad position.

“We’re racing against the clock,” Marmer said.

Manalapan is home to large residences, often with unique designs that make their way to architectural magazines. For such a sophisticated community, it may come as a surprise to some — such as potential homeowners — that there is a septic field beneath those manicured lawns.

“The investments that are being made in this town and the development of more modern homes here, it’s just something that people who come to live here expect is already done,” Marmer said.

“I think doing this not only raises the property value, but also brings this municipality up to the standards that people expect it to be at.”

Tom Biggs, vice president for

Mock Roos & Associates, the engineering firm that conducted the feasibility study, explained that the assessment uses multiple National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration sea level rise models. The study indicates that some septic systems are currently impacted by seasonal high tides, with regular flooding along State Road A1A.

With sea level rise, Mock Roos models show that between 70% and 80% of the septic fields in Manalapan will be inundated. NOAA’s intermediate-high sea level rise predicts a rise of 1.65 feet this century.

“I’m confident right now with seasonal high tides, there are probably systems in the town that are impacted,” Biggs said.

Along the Indian River, municipalities struggled to get residents to connect to the central sewer because of the cost. Marmer told the commission at its April meeting that a connection fee is currently projected at $32,500.

“It’s going to be expensive to connect. We’re going to look at different ways to fund that, to try not to have residents bear the brunt of that connection fee,” Marmer said. “But we’re still exploring that.” P

Marmer

Obituary

Harold Louis ‘Sonny’ VanArnem III

OCEAN RIDGE — Harold Louis “Sonny” VanArnem III, a visionary technologist, entrepreneur, sportsman and loving father, died on June 5 in Ocean Ridge. He was 84 years old. Born in Cincinnati, Mr. VanArnem defied convention and exceeded expectations. A gifted athlete, he played college football as a wide receiver at the University of Cincinnati before launching a groundbreaking career in technology. He began at the General Electric Computer Division, quickly rising to a top sales position, then boldly left GE to pursue a more humancentered vision of computing, founding one of the earliest computer timesharing and software firms in Silicon Valley.

Mr. VanArnem’s contributions to the tech world were pioneering. He helped launch one of the world’s first doctoral programs in computer engineering and launched ACTS Computing, an early leader in cloud computing and remote access. He later co-founded Cybergate, one of the first internet service providers in the Southeastern U.S., and later led TOTALe, Europe’s largest network integrator, to a successful IPO. Decades ahead of his time, Mr. VanArnem was already envisioning the future of the internet and artificial intelligence.

But his ambition didn’t stop at technology. He was a true Renaissance man: owner of the Detroit Express professional soccer team, which won the 1982 ASL championship; an early cable television pioneer with a vision for sports and entertainment that anticipated the rise of networks like ESPN; and a film producer, coproducing the blockbusters Love at First Bite and The Quick and the Dead He lived boldly and took risks, once pursuing

Along the Coast

Condo reserve relief — A new state law is giving a reprieve to condo associations that are being required to build up quickly their reserve funds needed for future repairs. The legislation (HB 913), signed into law on June 23 by Gov. Ron DeSantis, aims at giving relief to the sudden, large fee assessments facing many condo owners.

The law extends a reserve study requirement for one year and allows a two-year pause in reserve fund contributions, to give time “to prioritize funding critical repairs identified in a milestone inspection,” according to the governor’s office.

the purchase of the Detroit Red Wings hockey team and the Pontiac Silverdome. He was also involved in auto racing, reflecting his evercurious spirit and love for challenge.

Yet for all his professional triumphs, Mr. VanArnem’s greatest devotion was to his family. He is survived by his loving children Aleise VanArnem, Heather Chidiac (Jean Chidiac), Sean VanArnem, and his grandson, John “JJ” Chidiac. He was predeceased by four of his beloved children: Heidi, HL (Harold IV), Adam, and Max VanArnem. Each of their lives and legacies carry forward Sonny’s indomitable spirit.

Heidi, despite becoming quadriplegic after a tragic injury, became a national advocate for people with disabilities and received recognition from President Bill Clinton. HL founded the financial platform Money.net. Adam is honored with a hotel in downtown Delray Beach, and Max will be memorialized through a future project named “The Maxwell.”

Mr. VanArnem bore unimaginable loss with grace and faith, never ceasing to lead, give back, or live with passion. He was a man who could fill the lives of many and, in fact, lived a life that would take several men to duplicate. His story is one best told in his own words, in his published memoir, Sonny Side Up

Mr. VanArnem’s legacy is etched into the lives he touched, the industries he transformed and the family he cherished. He was a pioneer, a dreamer, and above all, a father whose love knew no bounds.

A f uneral Mass was held June 13 at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church in Delray Beach. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Avenue Church or to a charity of your choice.

— Submitted by the family

South Palm Beach

Seaside condo gets approval to remove aging car lifts

By Mary Thurwachter

When 3550 South Ocean opened in 2019, developers boasted that the six-story structure offered opulence unlike anything South Palm Beach had seen, with concierge service, a dog park and VIP access to the Eau Palm Beach Resort and Spa. Every unit came with an ocean view.

Building across from Town Hall on land previously occupied by the Hawaiian Inn, an icon that was demolished in 2015, developers squeezed every inch of the property to erect 30 luxury units that sold for between $3 million and $7 million each.

To meet the 60-space parking requirements, 25 mechanical parking lifts were installed. The ocean views and concierge service are still there, but the lifts haven’t fared well. Only four of them still work.

That’s what brought representatives of the condominium, located as its names suggests at 3550 S. Ocean Blvd., to the Town Council meeting June 10. They asked for a variance to remove the mechanical lifts and to reduce the minimum required off-street parking spaces from 60 to 47.

A second variance permits the condo association to reconfigure the parking layout to allow for valet-operated tandem parking.

Both variances were granted

after representatives of the 3550 South Ocean Condominium Association made their pitch.

Attorney Janice Ruskin of Lewis, Longman & Walker, representing the association, said the changes were needed for several reasons.

“These variances are necessary due to unique conditions affecting the property, including the prior installation of mechanical parking lifts by the original developer,” Ruskin said. “The mechanical parking lifts have proven to be unsafe, inefficient and incompatible with modern vehicles. The requested relief is supported by a professional parking accumulation study, national and regional planning data and a revised parking plan.”

Karen Mazurek, property manager for the condominium association, said the lifts, ruined by exposure to salt and sand, have reached the end of their life expectancies (five to seven years) and are rarely used.

Council members Sandra Beckett and Monte Berendes questioned whether the association had considered adding a second floor for parking. But Ruskin said the plan presented was what the association wanted.

Association representatives said 47 parking spaces were adequate and that there hasn’t been a need for more. P

The law also increases the cost of repairs required to be included in reserves from $10,000 to $25,000, and it provides alternative funding options to provide flexibility to associations, the governor’s office said.

“The legislature and the governor responded to requests from residents to re-evaluate requirements,” said State Rep. Peggy GossettSeidman, who lives in Highland Beach. “We are aiming to keep everyone safe but with reasonable time frames that don’t put undue stress and demands on our residents.”

— Larry Barszewski and Rich Pollack

South Palm Beach News

Remembering Rob Weber — South Palm Beach Mayor Bonnie Fischer paid tribute to coastal engineer Robert “Rob” Weber, 46, who died on May 29. Weber, of Boca Raton, was the coastal coordinator for the town of Palm Beach. He played a vital role in restoring and preserving local beaches, including South Palm Beach’s.

Weber and Fischer were instrumental in forming an interlocal agreement with Palm Beach, South Palm Beach and Lantana for dune restoration.

“Our beach today is significantly better due to his engineering expertise,” Fischer said.

Committee appointments — Council member Elvadianne Culbertson, Lantana Town Manager Brian Raducci and Manalapan Town Manager Eric Marmer were appointed to serve on the newly established Auditor Selection Committee. The committee will help the town select a qualified independent auditor for financial audits.

New employee — Town Manager Jamie Titcomb introduced the town’s newest employee, Emma Trotto. She is the administrative assistant to the town manager and town clerk. She works from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays.

Trotto, a Lake Worth Beach resident, previously was a community relations director and tour guide for the Florida Sugar Cane League. She has a bachelor’s degree in management, sustainability and marketing from State University of New York.

— Mary Thurwachter

Weber

Along the Coast Cities meeting deadline to keep treated wastewater out of ocean

By John Pacenti

The Florida Legislature passed a law in 2008 to protect fragile coral and marine life off South Florida’s coastline. The law directed municipalities — except in extreme weather events — to eliminate the release of treated wastewater through ocean outfalls by the end of 2025.

It’s been a long time coming, but Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach say they are meeting the mandate.

The South County municipalities got there through different methods, though. Boynton Beach and Delray Beach jointly own and operate the South Central Regional Wastewater Treatment and Disposal Facility and utilize two deep-injection wells. Boca Raton, on the other hand, has found a home for treated wastewater in the city’s many lakes.

The cities also have reuse programs that provide treated effluent for residential or commercial irrigation purposes.

Delray Beach and Boynton Beach’s first deep-injection well went online in 2009, but it was the second well, which started working in mid-June, that will really help those municipalities redirect the effluent that doesn’t go to golf courses, homes or businesses.

The second well came at a taxpayer cost of about $8 million.

“We are in a much better position than other coastal communities, because during the high rain, typically they don’t have any other outlet,” said Delray Beach Utilities Director Hassan Hadjimiry.

“If you didn’t have this deep well and, let’s say, we get 20 million gallons extra

flow to the treatment plant because of rain, then that would have gone to the ocean outfall,” he said.

Changing old habits

The 2008 legislation was named after environmentalist and Everglades advocate Leah Schad. It prohibited the construction of new domestic wastewater ocean outfalls and required that any effluent that is discharged meet new standards. It also created the 2025 timeline to eliminate discharges from outflows — except as emergency backups — and required cities to use 60% of the effluent for “useful purposes.”

“Ocean outfall legislation represents an amazing collaborative effort between environmental, scientific and political communities,” said Delray Beach City Commissioner Juli Casale. “We are fortunate our Utilities Director Hassan Hadjimiry had the foresight to move forward with a second deep-injection well, ensuring our ability to meet ocean outfall compliance by 2025.”

The outfall for Delray Beach and Boynton Beach is a large pipe that reaches about a mile into the ocean near Atlantic Avenue. The plant itself is at 1801 N. Congress Ave. in Delray Beach and treats about 17 million gallons per day.

Kent Edwards, who was Delray Beach’s sustainability officer before moving over earlier this year to Boca Raton, said once the effluent is sent to the netherworld through deep-well injection, it is gone for good. “It will never get back to the surficial aquifer,” he said.

Edwards said the misapprehension

about the 2008 legislation is that it would eliminate outfalls for treated wastewater completely.

Doug Levine, plant manager for the wastewater treatment facility, said that the last time the South Central outfall was used was in September, because of heavy rainfall associated with Hurricane Milton. However, he added, that would not have been the case if the second deep-injection well had been online.

The problem with outfalls

Treated wastewater is a cheap irrigation alternative for golf courses and communities with large green spaces — it even acts as a fertilizer with high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus. But those pollutants can harm the marine environment and coral reefs, causing fish die-offs and loss of coral diversity, according to the Reef Resilience Network.

“Florida’s outfalls are threatening its coral reefs, which have seen increased rates of disease in recent years,” the organization states on its website. “For instance, stony coral tissue loss disease has been reported across more than 300 miles of coral reefs in Florida, from the southeastern coast all the way down to the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas National Park.”

Casale — who is also on the South Central facility’s board — said, “This legislation enjoys widespread support because it focuses on creating a healthier, more resilient ocean environment.”

She said the two deep-injection wells have a capacity of more than 35 million gallons per day, “providing a sustainable

solution for excess flow during high rainfall seasons.”

“Prior to the installation of the Deep Injection Well 2, excess treated influent had to be diverted to the ocean outfall,” Casale said. “However, with the construction of Deep Injection Well 2, we have a sustainable alternative to ocean disposal.”

Lakes instead of wells

In Boca Raton, Utilities Director Chris Helfrich said the city is meeting the state’s mandate on reducing use of ocean outflows that jig and jag from the plant on Glades Road down to Palmetto Park Road and into the ocean.

The city right now is at “zero outfall,” sending any unused effluent to the manmade lakes to the west, Helfrich said. “There are a lot of lakes,” he said. “We’d rather put it into lakes than to send it to the outfalls.”

Boca Raton became a 100% reuse city in 2018, using the reclaimed water for irrigation for 1,700 residential customers and multiple golf courses, he said.

Helfrich said deep-injection wells are very expensive. “We think we made a good strategic move,” he said.

There has also been a rethinking when it comes to treated wastewater since it was seen as the bogeyman of the reef some 17 years ago.

“It’s kind of evolved that reclaimed water is acceptable, and reclaimed water is something that is a resource,” Helfrich said. “It’s a resource, and people appreciate it. Now, the golf courses really appreciate it.” P

Ocean Ridge

Worker electrocuted while trimming coconut palm

A worker killed while trimming a tree June 4 in Ocean Ridge has been identified as Alonzo Gilberto Domingo Domingo, 25, of West Palm Beach, according to a report from the Ocean Ridge Police Department.

Police responded to a 911 call at 10:41 a.m. When they arrived at 4 Beachway North at 10:43, they saw Domingo Domingo unconscious and dangling from a coconut palm tree by his safety harness. He dangled about 25 feet off the ground for several minutes before Boynton Beach Fire Rescue firefighters in a bucket truck could get him down.

“They immediately called Florida Power & Light to shut off the power so they could start the rescue. OSHA was called and the investigation

Boynton Beach

By Tao Woolfe

is continuing,” said Chelsea Sanabia, a spokesperson for Boynton Beach, which provides fire rescue services to the town.

Tom Pelegrin, who lives at 16 Adams Road directly behind the home, said his neighbor told him she was in her back yard when she heard a scream.

“She told me she looked up and saw the gentleman in distress,” he said. “She also saw smoke, then she called 911. This is horrible. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Power lines could be seen close to the tree, which appeared to have burn marks. The arriving officer also “detected a faint burnt odor in the area,” according to the report.

Domingo Domingo worked for Gator Lawn and Landscape of Jupiter. He was part of a fourperson crew that arrived at the

job site that morning, but was working alone at the time of the incident, the report said.

The Palm Beach County Medical Examiner’s Office observed burns to Domingo Domingo’s hands and upper thighs, and later determined the cause of death as electrocution, the report states.

This is the second incident this year in Ocean Ridge of a tree trimmer being killed.

A worker identified as Elmer Eduardo DeLeon Calmo, 32, of West Palm Beach, was pulled into a wood chipper and killed while trimming coconut palms at Ocean Ridge Town Hall on Jan. 28.

He was a member of a crew from Carlton Tree Services, a vendor hired by the town for the work.

— Henry Fitzgerald

City Commission debates ideas for new signs

Boynton Beach city commissioners are considering spending about $1.5 million on signs to help ensure that all who wander — within city limits, anyway — are not lost.

Dani Moschella, the city’s public affairs director, presented several artists’ renderings of proposed signs in various sizes to the commission at its June 3 meeting.

Some 89 new signs were included, from huge welcome signs for four of the city entryways, to 32 medium-sized signs for use in street medians, 33 park signs, eight digital information-providing signs and 12 directional signs to city destinations, such as City Hall and the Children’s Museum.

The city would start the installations next year if commissioners approve, but they had differing concerns about the designs.

All the signs feature blue lettering as well as the city’s signature sailfish, which, as it turns out, is not universally beloved.

“I hate the fish,” said recently elected Mayor Rebecca Shelton.

Commissioner Thomas Turkin, a boating and fishing enthusiast, argued in favor of keeping the soaring sea creature, whose Latin name is Istiophorus albicans, at least on the most prominent signs

“We are the gateway to the Gulf Stream,” Turkin said. “I like the fish on the big signs, but not so much on the little ones.”

The 8.5 feet high, 15 feet wide entryway signs, which say, “Welcome City of Boynton Beach,” would light up

at night. They feature “Boynton Beach” in dark blue letters on a silver, mesh background, with grassy shrubbery at their bases. The tops of the signs are wavy, to show the city’s relationship to the sea. The sailfish is ubiquitous.

Vice Mayor Woodrow Hay questioned the wisdom of the overwhelmingly blue lettering on the signs proposed by the unnamed consultant.

“I like blue. It’s my favorite color,” Hay said. “But doesn’t blue have a tendency to fade?”

Commissioner Angela Cruz’s comments were less nuanced.

“I don’t love the signs,” she said of the artist renderings.

She added that she would love the idea of using big entryway signs to sell the city and make a statement.

“Let’s get one big sign — something huge,” Cruz said, pointing out that massive, well-designed signs in other

municipalities, such as those of Hollywood, California, Orlando, and Miami Beach, make a lasting impact.

Hay reminded his colleagues that closer to home, Delray Beach has done an excellent job with its entryway signage.

Delray Beach’s so-called gateway feature, which was installed in 2013, consists of six lighted, free-form sculptures designed by San Antonio artist Michelle Newman.

The forms tower 28 feet above the pavement and flank Atlantic Avenue, the main road into the city, on the east side of Interstate 95. They are front- and back-lit at night and depict images, such as gladioli to honor the city’s old gladiola festival, and pineapples to represent the city’s early history as a prime grower.

Moschella explained that branding is a way to market the city. A brand incorporates such elements as a

city’s culture, values, natural beauty, architecture, its businesses, history and people, she said.

“It’s more than just a logo or a motto,” Moschella said.

Signage is considered part of a city’s visual identity, which is a particular aspect of branding, the public affairs director said. It incorporates color schemes, design aesthetics, logos and city seals, and text font.

The sailfish is part of the city seal, Moschella said, so must be kept for official purposes.

Shelton conceded that the sailfish would be an appropriate addition to some signs — such as those that grace the city’s marina — but overall, she’d like something less hokey.

“The fish looks a little cheap sometimes,” the mayor said.

The commission did not vote on the matter and no public input was allowed, but Hay suggested the city solicit suggestions and opinions from residents about what sets Boynton Beach apart from other coastal cities.

Hay also recommended the city look into whether a small impact fee — which the city collects for public artworks from developers for construction projects of $250,000 and up — could be levied for the signs.

“It is art,” said Hay, who also suggested that residents be enlisted to give alternative suggestions based on their perceptions and memories of the city.

The vice mayor offered the top question residents should ask themselves to start the visioning process: “What’s special about Boynton Beach?” P

First responders at the scene where a man was electrocuted while trimming a palm tree. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Commissioners were not sold on all design features for signs such as this one for city gateways. Rendering provided

Along the Coast Wanted: Older homes with character (bells and whistles, too)

By John Pacenti

David Cooke, a real estate agent with Douglas Elliman, said for every billionaire who has moved operations to South Florida, there are highly paid professionals who followed in what he called the “tech migration.”

They are professionals with young children. They are sophisticated. And they are looking for unique homes that at least aesthetically capture the Old Florida charm and are renovated and are move-in ready, Cooke said, though in many cases Old Florida may be as young as the early 1980s.

“When I think of Delray and new construction, I think of white concrete houses with black windows. How many of those are going up right now?” Cooke said.

“There was a time when that was what everyone wanted. I feel we are in a place now where people appreciate the old and they want the character.”

This trend isn’t just in Delray Beach. It is being seen up and down Palm Beach County’s coast from Boca Raton to Jupiter, real estate professionals say.

“I am seeing buyers want more move-in ready homes as buyers are more price sensitive and don’t want to deal with renovations,” said Alex Mendel, the owner of Boca Raton’s Mendel Group.

“People still want new — but with character — and homes that still have that homey, you know, warm feeling. A lot of these new builds are ultra modern, a little bit of a colder side,” he said.

Cooke said Delray Beach’s Seagate neighborhood on the barrier island south of Casuarina Road is hot right now because the architecture and character of the homes eschew that bland monochrome aesthetic of brand new construction.

He pointed to a pristine home on Seagate Drive, built in 1950, that he said sold for $8.5 million. It has Mediterranean doorways and arched windows. He pointed to another Seagate Drive home on the market for $6.7 million that is fairly new but still has the aesthetic these buyers want.

“It was built in 2014, but if you look at that house, it could have been built in 1950 and updated,” Cooke said. “It’s full of charm.”

These buyers don’t want open floor plans, Cooke said. He said one client specifically said when he walks in the door he doesn’t want to see the kitchen.

They want walls.

“People who are moving here, they’ve got art collections. They want to hang that art. They don’t want to walk into their house and see dirty dishes, right?” he said.

Mendel concurred.

“I am also seeing walls

coming back in style as we move away from a completely open floor plan and closed-off sections,” he said. “More so like a hybrid of open floor plans and closed-off sections.”

An example of this, he said, would be a kitchen separate from the living area or dining area — but still able to entertain or for a parent to keep an eye on the kids while preparing dinner.

Patrick and Kristen McCaughan are a perfect example of the type of prospective buyer that Cooke and Mendel are seeing more and more. The couple, who recently moved from Houston to North Palm Beach and have a toddler, are now looking at older homes in established neighborhoods.

“Florida real estate seems to like these big open spaces where the living, dining and kitchen are all together,” Kristen said. “I like to have walls.”

And the McCaughans are not

looking for a fixer-upper.

“I’m willing to do some work if we need to do some bathrooms or this and that, but I’m not looking to have to rebuild a house,” she said. “Especially with, you know, with a young family and all of that.”

Cooke in May said he was encouraging the McCaughans to look at homes as far south as Delray Beach. “I would say they are open-minded,” he said.

Joy Howell, who is selling some Delray Beach properties she previously rented out, said she has seen the trend, as well, recalling one couple who said, “We want one that is not a big white box.”

“Let me say it this way: You don’t have a lot to pick from that are fully renovated, completely up to date, with tripped out designs, and yet, have character.”

They also need to have space, she said.

The homes in the Seagate neighborhood mentioned by Cooke sported as much as 5,000 square feet.

Ken Johnson, a former Florida Atlantic University professor who recently became the Christie Kirkland Walker Chair of Real Estate at the University of Mississippi, called the market a toss-up on whether it favors buyers or sellers. But he said there is a niche market for older homes.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a

200-year-old property in Boston versus a 100-year-old property in Atlanta, Georgia, versus a 50-year-old property in Delray,” Johnson said.

“There are people who like that nostalgic look, and they’re going to have the old tortoise shell shutters on their windows when there’s a risk of a hurricane, and there’s going to be the bright colors and the hardwood floors or the terrazzo tile that’s huge in that area.” P

In-home health providers stay mobile during hurricanes

How, where to move patients plays big part in preparations

By Charles Elmore

The contingencies, the calculations, the human factors start turning over in Rose Glamoclija’s mind long before hurricane season starts each June 1.

Her company, Boca Nursing Services, cares for scores of patients in their own homes, many set along a seascape capable of delivering both startling beauty and abrupt catastrophe.

“Some of the clients live alone,” Glamoclija said. “They live on barrier islands. Some can feel helpless.”

Once a storm takes an ominous turn, often at what seems like the last minute, there’s no calling time out, no asking for a little breathing space to start preparations then. This takes earlier planning for individual needs and possible evacuations.

People who receive inhome health care — or depend on others for their daily care — represent one strand of a wider story of the preparations taking place each year for when the tropics start roiling.

“Experts are predicting a very active hurricane season, so whether you are a longtime resident, or new to the city, it is critical to prepare now and be ready for a potential storm,” said Boca Raton’s emergency manager, Christine Mucci.

Hurricane season runs through Nov. 30, with peak storm activity expected between mid-August and late October.

Rose Glamoclija, who owns Boca Nursing Services, started planning for hurricane season months ago, such as by listing which of her nurses and aides can do what and for which clients as a storm approaches. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Plans in place

State regulators require in-home care providers — among others — to file comprehensive emergency management plans. Those must include “how services will continue to be provided to clients who must evacuate their homes in an emergency,” according to instructions from the Florida Department of Health.

Large senior facilities, such as the Carlisle in Lantana, also have plans for their residents should a hurricane approach. The Carlisle, for instance, has reciprocal agreements with facilities in other areas that it can turn to in a crisis if residents need to be evacuated.

Glamoclija’s privately

owned company also prepares, as need be, to evacuate clients north or south or west, away from the projected path of a storm. Because her company offers to handle relocations, it’s important for her to develop relationships with hotels, nursing homes and hospitals so she knows who can take people in crunch time.

Sometimes it can fall on others, not the in-home care agency, to handle the actual evacuation details. In those instances, the relocation decisions might be in the hands of family members or a patient’s designated caregiver. An agency then coordinates with them to ensure that their services continue to be provided at an evacuation

location, says Geiselle Surette, owner of Seagrape Concierge Home Healthcare based in Boca Raton.

“Each staff member would be assigned a client, before during and after the storm,” Surette says.

“We have reached out to all of our clients and gone through all of these details with them. It takes time to make sure we have all of the key elements in place,” Surette says.

Government can also play a role.

Palm Beach County offers special needs sheltering during hurricanes for people who cannot be without electricity because they depend upon life support equipment, have special medical needs, or require assistance with activities of daily living, allowing them to evacuate with their caregivers. Space in a special needs shelter is limited and is prioritized based on need. An online application is available at discover.pbcgov. org/publicsafety/dem/SpNS/ SpecialNeedsApplication.pdf

County Commissioner Marci Woodward, whose district includes South County’s coastal communities, urges people to be aware of the resources available.

“Take a moment to review the county’s comprehensive hurricane guide,” she advised.

That can be found at discover. pbcgov.org/publicsafety/PDF/ Hurricane-Guide.pdf.

Managing care

Seagrape is only three years old and Surette said the company has not yet had a client needing its help to coordinate

an evacuation, but she said such care would fall under the concierge services it provides if the situation arose.

For Glamoclija, whose company has been around for three decades, there’s a practical side to the preparations that amounts to more than just a plan on paper. For example, she employs about 100 nurses and aides at any given time. She takes the time in meetings before hurricane season to establish which of them can handle certain duties in a storm.

That means knowing who can accompany a patient inland to a temporary refuge on short notice. Some workers need to tend to their own families in such a moment.

“By May, we have updated every patient’s home chart,” she said. “That involves calling every doctor and updating their medication lists.”

A common priority is securing at least a two-week supply of all medicines.

With the help of aides, patients might prepare a suitcase in advance of possible evacuation. Supplies at the ready typically include water, nonperishable food and batteryoperated lamps, among other things. It’s also good for them to have their IDs and medical information in waterproof bags to include with their other items.

Depending on the patient’s needs, an evacuation could take place by way of a private vehicle or by ambulance. Conditions such as whether patients receive oxygen can affect how they are transported and where they take up temporary residence.

There are usually twists. Glamoclija says one client — a guy in his 90s on Palm Beach County’s southern coast — simply refused to leave with a hurricane coming. She pleaded with him personally. Police said they could not remove him forcibly from his home. The power went out for two hours, but he survived.

The majority of patients tend to fall toward the other end of the spectrum, worrying they might get cut off in the confusion.

Client considerations

Relocation is not limited to people in recommended, voluntary or mandatory evacuation zones, which typically denote high winds or a storm surge.

Just losing electric power can be a very big deal. Thanks to feeder bands, gusts and tornadoes, that can happen in places outside tidy cones or colored spaces on a forecast map.

No power almost certainly means the air conditioning goes out in sweltering conditions, except in a few places with powerful generators. It can also

Continued on the next page

Surette

Getting prepared for storms

With hurricane season here, towns and cities along the coast are offering tips to stay ready.

Recommendations from Boca Raton’s emergency officials include trimming excess foliage and taking advantage of taxfree shopping weeks for storm supplies in July and August.

Highland Beach reminds residents about what is at stake given their location.

“As a barrier island, Highland Beach is in a mandatory evacuation zone when Hurricanes rated as a Category 2 or higher are expected to make landfall,” the town’s website says. “The Town of Highland Beach follows Palm Beach County’s Emergency Operations Center Evacuation orders and policies.”

Delray Beach mentions stocking up on a gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, as well as a similar supply of nonperishable food.

“Don't forget the pets!” its site adds.

Manalapan’s hurricane tips include inspecting windows for rust, missing bolts or other damage.

“Repair immediately,” it urges online.

South Palm Beach’s website advises, “Know where to go for trusted sources of information during a hurricane event.”

One option: Sign up for the town’s emergency notification system called Blackboard by contacting Town Hall at 561588-8889.

— Charles Elmore

2025 hurricane details, forecast

• Season started June 1 and ends Nov. 30, with the heaviest storm activity expected from mid-August through October.

• Florida, the state with the highest risk, stands a 92% chance of encountering at least a tropical storm in 2025, and a 65% chance of a hurricane, according to experts from Colorado State University.

• AccuWeather predicts between 13 and 18 named storms in the Atlantic region. That includes seven to 10 hurricanes and three to five major hurricanes that reach Category 3 strength or higher (meaning wind speeds of at least 111 mph).

• The first storm names were Andrea and Barry (shortlived tropical storms that formed in June and have already dissipated), to be followed by Chantal, Dexter and Erin.

mean elevators don’t work, a serious issue for someone with limited mobility who may live, say, 15 stories up. Or it can be life threatening for someone relying on electrically powered medical equipment.

A big part of Glamoclija’s job involves staying in touch with patients’ families and loved ones, letting them know what is happening each step of the way during a relocation.

And once a storm has passed, the job is hardly wrapped up

and done.

“We have the phone numbers for every building,” Glamoclija said. “Is your electricity back? Are your elevators working? Are there power lines down on the street?”

The overarching goal remains the same.

“We’re trying to lift the worry and burden off them,” she said.P

Larry Barszewski contributed to this story.

Walk onto the marble flooring of this spacious 2,244 square foot oceanfront, completely furnished, home in Gulfstream Shores. Two bedrooms (split plan), two baths- the primary suite has a sitting area and its ensuite bath has dual sinks. There is an eat-in kitchen, a formal dining room, vaulted ceilings throughout and complete hurricane protection with impact windows and doors.

The community has an oceanfront pool complete with chairs and umbrellas for optimum sunbathing and a barbeque area for casual entertainment.

$1,500,000.

Delray Beach again voted ‘Best Beach in Florida’

Delray Beach was named for the second consecutive year as the “Best Beach in Florida” in USA Today’s 2025 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards.

To determine the winner, a panel selected a short list of Florida’s finest beaches, and the public was then invited to vote daily for their favorite destination, with voting concluding on May 19.

“We’re thrilled — but not surprised — that Delray Beach has earned this recognition again,” said Laura Simon, executive director of the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority.

Added Stephanie Immelman, CEO of the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce: “In Delray Beach, the beach is just the beginning. Our internationally recognized Blue Flag beach is complemented by a walkable downtown full of unique restaurants, local boutiques and inspiring art galleries. With year-round events and a welcoming, engaged community, Delray Beach is the kind of place people fall in love with — and keep coming back to.”

Two Florida cities were named All-America for 2025 — and Delray Beach is not one of them.

The city, one of 20 finalists in the annual National Civic League competition, sent a delegation to Denver to present the city’s case over the June 2829 weekend, led by Vice Mayor Rob Long and City Manager Terrence Moore.

Delray Beach lost out to Tallahassee and Port St. Lucie — and eight other cities across the country. Delray Beach had previously won the honor in 1993, 2001 and 2017.

1140 S Ocean LLC, managed by homebuilder Joseph G. Farrell Jr. of West Palm Beach-based Farrell Cos., sold the ocean-toIntracoastal estate at 1140 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan, for

$55.5 million to a company linked to WeatherTech founder and CEO David F. MacNeil.

Farrell bought the 1.6-acre property for $32.5 million in January 2024, then built the 13-bedroom, 23,400-squarefoot home with a guesthouse, two pools, a pickleball court, a gym and a dock on the Intracoastal Waterway. It was listed for sale in August 2024 for $95 million.

A note: In May 2024, MacNeil’s Whiskey Tango 1120 LLC bought the adjacent home at 1120 S. Ocean Blvd. for $38.5 million.

The five-bedroom, 8,370-square-foot estate at 1788 Royal Palm Way in the Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club, Boca Raton, sold for $31.5 million. The Intracoastal Waterway property belonged to the late Barbara M. Voorhees, with Candace Clark as personal representative.

The new owner is listed as the 1788 Royal Palm Way Land Trust, with Jeffrey D. Fisher as trustee. Douglas Elliman agent Louise Buehler represented the seller, with David W. Roberts

The eight townhomes of Casa Avenida offer private elevators, second-floor terraces with pool/spa, and much more. Photo provided

Each unit features a private elevator, two-car garage, second-floor terrace with a pool/spa and a fourth-floor terrace with an outdoor kitchen and bonus room. The townhomes are exclusively offered for sale by TJ Verdiglione and Nicole Melveney of the GVC Real Estate Team at Douglas Elliman

of Royal Palm Properties representing the buyer.

The home, built on a 0.74acre lot in 2014, last traded for $16.75 million in 2020.

A ndrew Charles Wilkins, a managing partner of Atlantic Street Capital Management LLC, sold his four-bedroom, 4,344-square-foot Bermudastyle estate at 3809 Bermuda Lane in Gulf Stream for $8.5 million in May.

The new owner is Jason K. Peterson, trustee of the Peterson Trust. The home sits on a 0.94-acre lot. Pascal Liguori Estate Group represented the seller and Cole Devitt of Premier Estate Properties represented the buyer.

Wilkins bought the property in 2018 for $3.6 million. The home was originally listed in October 2023 for $12 million.

Casa Avenida, a collection of eight four-story townhomes at 102 SE Fifth Ave., Delray Beach, is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2027.

Developed by 4TRO Development and Kastelo Development and designed by RWB-Linares Architecture, the townhomes range in size from 2,804 to 3,336 square feet, with prices starting around $3 million.

Delray Beach-based Festival Management Group named Jennifer Costello as its executive director in June. With more than 20 years of experience at the company, Costello started as a school group volunteer, moving up to ultimately serve as associate director assisting one of the founders, Nancy StewartFranczak, who died in April. Costello is also a retired neighborhood planner with the city of Delray Beach.

Boca Raton-based HairClub, a company that offers hair-loss products and treatments, appointed Boca Raton resident Ahmad M. Wardak as its new president and chief executive officer.

Wardak joined the company in September 2022 as chief sales and marketing officer. He later rose to chief financial officer, and then to president/chief operating officer. HairClub credits Wardak with returning the company to profitability after five consecutive years of operating losses.

The Tinka Ellington Group recently joined Compass, operating out of the Compass office at 101 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton. Tinka Ellington and her team of seven agents specialize in coastal and waterfront properties in areas that include Lighthouse Point, Boca Raton, Pompano Beach, Highland

Readers selected Delray Beach as the ‘Best Beach in Florida’ for the second consecutive year in USA Today’s 2025 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards. Photo provided

Costello

Ellington

Beach, Delray Beach and Deerfield Beach.

Previously at 444 E. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton, the team has garnered more than $254 million in sales volume and offers 25 years of combined experience.

“The team structure Compass offers is most useful for our future growth plans in addition to the brokerage’s superior technology and innovative services, which will greatly benefit our clients,” Ellington said.

The League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County is hosting a free online discussion with Barbara Cheives titled “Backslide/Backlash: Where Do We Go from Here?” on July 16 from noon to 1 p.m. Cheives is president and CEO of Converge & Associates Consulting. The talk will assess the future of affirmative action and similar initiatives.

Her consulting expertise includes law enforcement and public safety, notfor-profit organizations, media, education and corporations. She served as the first executive director of Toward a More Perfect Union in Palm Beach County, and she is a past chair of the Palm Beach County Criminal

Justice Commission. She also served on former West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio’s transition team. Register at lwvpbc.org.

Several growing startups recently joined Global Ventures’ incubator program at the Research Park at Florida Atlantic University to expand their businesses in the United States. Global Ventures offers flexible work spaces, access to university resources, investor connections and expert guidance.

The new startups are: MyWayv, an Israeli company that uses artificial intelligence to provide emotional and mental health support; Enetsec , a Brazilian-founded startup that uses digital forensics to fight cybercrime; PayPhone App, an Ecuadorian-founded financial tech firm that facilitates mobile payments; FocusSafe, a U.S. and Argentina company that uses education technology software to help schools improve classroom focus and campus safety; and Totaligent, an AI-powered digital marketing platform across email, text, social media and online ads.

Delray Beach resident Linda

Cavasini

Cavasini opened H2Oasis Shampoo Bed Spa, 1325 N. Federal Highway, Suite 122, Delray Beach. With nearly 40 years of hairdressing expertise from here and New York City, Cavasini offers her clients professional classic haircuts, blow-dries, and scalp treatments, all designed to be more than a standard salon visit. She can be reached at 561389- 4750.

Delray Beach Housing Authority’s Delray Housing Group Inc. won the Housing Leadership Council of Palm Beach County’s 2025 Nonprofit of the Year award for Island Cove, an affordable housing community.

Island Cove, at 900 SW 12th Ave., consists of 60 apartments for eligible families earning below 70% of the median income in the area. The endeavor was a partnership among Smith & Henzy Group, the Delray Housing Group, and Delray Beach Housing Authority.

“The Island Cove project was an immense success in providing affordable housing

for the residents we serve in Delray Beach,” said Shirley Erazo, president and CEO of Delray Beach Housing Authority/Delray Housing Group. “We continue to strive for more opportunities for housing. Our commitment is our mission to provide working families a place to call

Celebrations

Photos from charitable fundraising events. Page AT4

Dining

Which restaurants are coming or going. Page AT6

Finding Faith

Rabbi retires after decades of service. Page AT13

On the Water

Check your gear and skills before lobstering. Page AT16

Boca Raton‘s Centennial

Betsy ’ ‘Old

From

storms to blazes to parades, this firefighter on wheels served community for much of a century

By Ron Hayes

Boca Raton’s oldest fire engine turns 100 next April, but it’s been “Old Betsy” from the day it was born.

On Oct. 21, 1925, the Boca Raton Town Council approved a check for $1,000, the down payment on a $12,500 engine to be built by the American LaFrance Fire Engine Co. of Elmira, New York.

It would be 20 feet 1 inch long, 6 feet 2½ inches wide, and 9 feet 1 inch tall.

It would weigh 9,050 pounds, minus the firemen, hose and water.

It would pump 750 gallons per minute. It would be unloaded at the town’s railroad station on April 20, 1926, to the delight of elementary school children excused from class

to watch.

A nd it would be called Old Betsy.

• W hy not Old Nancy? Old Mary? Old Sue?

“Old Betsy meant reliable,” says Thomas Wood, who retired in December 2021 after 15 years as the city’s eighth fire chief. “All fire engines are Old Betsy.

“We know of at least 10 other departments that have an Old Betsy.”

See OLD BETSY on page AT11

ABOVE: Old Betsy was new to Boca Raton in 1926 when the station was at Old Town Hall. Photo provided by Boca Raton Historical Society BELOW: Betsy now resides at Fire Station No. 3 on State Road A1A near Palmetto Park Road. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Philanthropy Notes

Junior League appoints new leadership

The Junior League of Boca Raton has appointed Victoria Matthews as its president and has appointed a new board of directors.

The 202526 team was introduced at the league’s annual dinner meeting. Board members for 2025-26 include Debbie Abrams, Darina Bowerman, Daniele Jean, Kristin Martin, Jocelyn Mijares, Shannon Moriarity, Amanda O’Brien, Jackie Reeves, Lee Ann Ryan, Alexandra Scheiber, Christina Seamster, Christa Siciliano and Alex Welsh.

“The Junior League is more than service,” said Matthews, a league member for 18 years. “It’s about sisterhood, leadership and creating lasting change.”

For more information, call 561-620-2553 or visit jlbr.org

Nonprofit gives nurses gifts of gratitude

In honor of National Nurses Day, Her 2nd Chance, a nonprofit social enterprise that empowers women in recovery, delivered more than 1,000 handcrafted mugs to Boca Raton Regional Hospital.

The mugs were made and packaged by women participating in Her 2nd Chance’s transitional-

employment program, which provides job skills, workplace confidence, and healing through the process of creating.

“This is more than just a gift,” Her 2nd Chance board member Jim MacCutcheon said. “It’s a symbol of heartfelt appreciation for the incredible nurses who show up every day for others.”

For more information, call 561-405-6346 or visit her2ndchance.org

Financial adviser receives philanthropic designation

Doug Mithun, a Wells Fargo financial adviser, has earned the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy title.

The title marks a significant milestone in Mithun’s commitment to helping clients leave lasting legacies.

“This achievement reflects his dedication to empowering individuals and families to align their financial goals with their personal values and philanthropic vision,” according to a press release.

Grants enable 10 charities to advance their missions

The Addison has announced the 10 nonprofit recipients of its “100 Years, $100K Giving Initiative” created to celebrate the venue’s centennial by giving back to the community.

The winners were celebrated at a cocktail reception in June.

“We were incredibly moved

by the level of passion and purpose displayed by all the applicants,” said Zoe Lanham, The Addison’s vice president.

“This initiative is a reflection of our century-long commitment to serving the community, and we look forward to helping these 10 deserving organizations advance their missions in meaningful ways.”

The following organizations received $10,000 grants to support a future fundraiser or awareness event at The Addison:

• Boca Raton Historical Society

/ The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum

• Boca Raton Police Foundation

• EmpowHERto

• Florida Atlantic University Foundation

• Friends of Foster Children

• Great Plains Foundation

• Impact 100 Palm Beach County

• JARC Florida

• Sweet Dream Makers

• Twin Palms Center for the Disabled

For more information, call 561-372-0568 or visit theaddisonofbocaraton.com/ celebratingourlegacy

Send news and notes to Amy Woods at flamywoods@ bellsouth.net

Matthews

Celebrations

Check presentation

Broken Sound Country Club, Boca Raton — May 8

The Pap Corps Champions for Cancer Research presented a $3.4 million check to Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the corps’ annual breakfast meeting. The event brought together hundreds of enthusiastic volunteers, prominent sponsors and executive leaders and marked the culmination of a yearlong fundraising effort by the corps’ 20,000-plus members across nearly 50 South Florida chapters. ‘The tools at our disposal come from research, and The Pap Corps is our essential partner,’ said Dr. Antonio Iavarone, deputy director of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. ‘We could not survive without you.’ ABOVE: (l-r) Jayne Sylvester Malfitano, Susan Dinter, Sally Berenzweig and Dr. Iavarone.

Photo provided by Kay Renz

Boca Bacchanal

Boca Raton — April 3 through 6

The Boca Raton Historical Society’s signature food and wine event concluded its 22nd year with record-breaking attendance, exquisite vintner dinners and an unforgettable Grand Tasting, all in celebration of the city’s centennial. More than $200,000 was raised for The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum. ‘Boca Bacchanal 2025 was a truly special tribute to our city’s centennial,’ said Mary Csar, the society’s executive director. ‘The community’s support helps us preserve Boca’s history while enjoying everything our incredible culinary and cultural scene has to offer.’

TOP: (l-r) Olivia Hollaus, Sharyl Curry and Emily Snyder. MIDDLE: Thom and Joyce DeVita.

BOTTOM: (l-r) Denise Alman, Dr. Nathan Nachlas and Fran Nachlas. Photos provided

Garden of Dreams

The Addison, Boca Raton — May 15

The George Snow Scholarship Fund kicked off a new event that honored two of South County’s most inspiring women Christine Lynn and Barbara Schmidt. A conversation with both of them was moderated by Terry Fedele and explored deep themes of community, purpose and defining moments. The event also was a call to action to support local youths preparing for college. Every ticket sold sponsored Scholar Packs, large rolling duffel bags filled with college essentials, for the fund’s incoming class. ‘Together, we make it happen,’ Lynn said. ‘It doesn’t matter how much you give, but when you believe in what you believe in and you give what you can, you’re making a difference.’

ABOVE: (l-r) Robin Deyo, Fedele, Schmidt, Lynn and Zoe Lanham.

April 26

Photo provided by Michelle Lawson Photography

Twilight in the Garden

Delray Beach Historical Society and Heritage Gardens —

The Delray Beach Historical Society and Heritage Gardens welcomed 350 guests to its annual fundraiser in and around the landscaped paths of the gorgeous grounds. Tastings from 11 area restaurants were provided, as were live music and an auction with one-of-a-kind items. History exhibits were displayed for all to enjoy. Proceeds will go toward the preservation of an archive of more than 100,000 items from the city’s past. TOP: (l-r) Geoff and Melissa Braboy, Katie Moyer and Tracy and John Backer. LEFT: (l-r) Singleton Cox, Allyson Sullivan and Kristin Finn. RIGHT: (l-r) Diane Helfrich, Kim Solari Brown and Megan Knott Mignano. Photos provided

Celebrations

Emerald Awards

Four Seasons Resort, Palm Beach — April 25

An inspiring afternoon of celebration and philanthropy took center stage at the Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida’s ceremonial luncheon. The more than $170,000 raised will help the organization continue to empower girls to grow into leaders who make a difference in their communities and beyond. The Lifetime Achievement Award for Philanthropy went to Nancy Brinker. The other honorees were Christine DelVecchio, Sophia Eccleston, Marti LaTour and Wendy Sartory Link. ‘Each year, the Emerald Awards shine a light on outstanding women whose passion, perseverance and leadership help shape stronger communities,’ said Lisa Johnson, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida. ‘Their stories inspire our girls to dream bigger and lead with courage, confidence and character.’ ABOVE: (l-r) Eccleston, Sartory Link, Brinker, LaTour and DelVecchio.

Photo provided by Premier Photo Palm Beach

Monopoly & Casino Night

Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club, Boca Raton — April 26

Boca Helping Hands supporters dressed the part and danced the Charleston at the sold-out event with a 1920s theme. Donning flapper dresses and pinstripe suits, they enjoyed an unforgettable evening of music, auctions, cocktails, dinner and the crowning of this year’s champion, Mike Wohl. ‘Combining the timeless excitement of Monopoly with the energy of the Roaring Twenties made for a truly unforgettable evening,’ said Gary Peters, Boca Helping Hands’ board president. ‘Most importantly, every roll of the dice helps support neighbors in need through Boca Helping Hands.’ ABOVE: (l-r) Peters, Bob Tucker, Wohl, Leonard Wierzbowski, Lisa Pechter and Tara Currier.

Photo provided

Literacy Links Golf Tournament

Palm Beach Par 3 May 9

Nearly 70 golfers teed up to help raise more than $50,000 for the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County. The ninth annual event was chaired by coalition board member Nancy Vera, and committee members included Caleb Bowser, John Campo and Travis Foels. ‘I am proud to chair this event and to be part of a community that believes in building brighter futures one reader at a time,’ Vera said. ‘Thank you to all the players and sponsors for your support of this year’s Literacy Links.’ ABOVE: (l-r) Sacha McGraw, Janet Donovan, Brenda Medore and Leanne Adair. Photo provided by

Bark & Brunch: Moms, Pups & Dads

The Addison, Boca Raton — April 27

Tri-County Animal Rescue’s fourth annual furry fundraiser drew more than 200 guests who helped raise money for the nonprofit’s mission of saving, rehabilitating and re-homing abandoned and abused animals. The festivities included a cocktail reception, a plated brunch, lively music and plenty of wagging tails. ‘This event is truly a celebration of love, compassion and the bond we share with our pets,’ Executive Director Suzi Goldsmith said. ‘We are beyond grateful to our guests, volunteers and sponsors whose generosity helps us continue our life-saving work.’ TOP: Ted Campbell and Goldsmith. ABOVE: Rick Goldsmith and Mary Stern. Photos provided

Tracey Benson Photography

Dining

IWhen one restaurant’s door closes, another one’s opens

t’s been a tough year for some longtime restaurants, as well as some newer ones.

In mid-May, Granger’s Grille, a local favorite for more than 30 years in Delray Beach, closed unexpectedly. Writing to customers about the impending closing, owner Marino Pagones said, “This is not how we imagined things ending.”

The restaurant moved from north of Atlantic Avenue to its spot on south U.S. 1 between Southeast Eighth and Ninth streets about nine years ago.

The mom-and-pop eatery shuttered after its building was sold to developers who plan to put an office building there.

“As a family-owned business this decision was not made by will but by circumstance,” the owner said.

Fans lit up the local social media pages. And in an online forum, the owner hinted the restaurant may reopen elsewhere.

On Atlantic Avenue, another local favorite, J&J Seafood Bar and Grill, announced its closing in June. But only days afterward, it was announced the restaurant would stay open, thanks to a vendor who stepped in to buy it.

The 26-year-old restaurant was a destination for parties, special occasion meals and holidays.

Owners John and Tina Hutchinson didn’t give a specific reason for closing.

Linen vendor Anthony DeSabato and his spouse, Christine, took over without closing the doors, keeping staff and menu the same to start out.

DeSabato said he owned delis in New York about 12 years ago.

As for plans, he said, “We’ll do a nice happy hour. They were closed on Sundays and Mondays; we may open for a boozy brunch Sunday.”

No renovations are planned, he said. “Just minor painting

and touch-ups. We like the antique-y look of it.”

He said they want to keep it a “mom and pop” spot. “We’ll do some more modernizing, but it’s a small place, and it’s got a good following.

“I’ve learned business is like a marriage. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel here. Just keep it simple. We’re selling booze and fish.”

A reiteration of a popular Lake Worth Beach restaurant, Not So Bizaare Ave Cafe, also closed in May after less than a year.

Owner Lisa Mercado said it was a combination of one thing after another: a nearby shooting, an election that she says worried everyone, tariffs, and people watching their money.

“We were counting on having a good season to stack up funds through the season, and though we had some amazing nights, it just wasn’t enough to cover us for summer,” she said.

The landlord was great, she said. “He understood the restaurant biz.”

Mercado didn’t want to be indebted or plead for her lease. “It just wasn’t working. You can only work so long for free.”

LEFT: Granger’s Grille in Delray Beach closed its doors after more than 30 years when the building was sold to developers who plan to put an office building there. ABOVE: Newly opened Roka Hula on Atlantic Avenue in Delray has a Polynesian theme and offers entrees with dumplings and shrimp. Photos provided

after less than nine months.

The James Beard awardwinning chef opened the Mediterranean eatery in October 2024 to fanfare on Lake Avenue; it never gained footing.

Word is that owner of Lantana’s Ravish, Alexandra Dupuis, will open a restaurant in Lula’s space. (Mercado sold Ravish to Dupuis two years ago.)

Lisabet Summa has seen this downturn in the hospitality industry in other years. As director of culinary operations for Big Time Restaurant Group, which is behind Elisabetta’s on Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach and in West Palm Beach, as well as Louie Bossi’s in Boca Raton, she has weathered the years around the pandemic and economic uncertainty.

Th is time, she said, there may have been too many restaurateurs from out of state coming in and trying to “strike while the iron was hot,” without understanding Florida’s market and seasonality.

“I think the growth of restaurants was organic until after the pandemic,” she said. “I think a lot of people coming from out of town don’t get the highs and lows of season.”

They may have seen some peaks and dips in the past few years, but “nothing like the higher highs and lower lows” that took place before the pandemic.

“What we’re seeing is a return to normal for us,” Summa said. A lot of people are “falling prey to operating costs that may not have been in their financial plan.”

She said she “wouldn’t want to be a new operator today.”

Gary Rack, owner of Rack’s Farmhouse Kitchen and Rack’s Fish House and Oyster Bar in Delray Beach, agrees.

“It’s hard out there,” he said. “Rents are astronomical. We see one-bedroom places going for $2,000.”

He added, “I think people are watching what they spend. Let’s say the customer went out two to three times a week in the past; now, maybe two to three times a month.”

Rack says his playbook of solid, quality food, with a variety at moderate prices, works well for him.

“People can come from the beach dressed casually, have bar bites and drinks, or dress up and have entrees with wines inside. Farmhouse makes it because it doesn’t have that $60 or $70 entree.”

In summer, he implements his half-price menu at all his restaurants from 3 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. Nearly all items on the menu are half off.

“We did it to support our locals, and our serving staff. We’re crowded and it’s a good vibe of people,” Rack said.

Atlantic Avenue restaurant capitalizes on Asian trend

Newly opened Roka Hula on Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach is capitalizing on a trend of modern Asian restaurants with tiki bars and Polynesian touches.

Th is one’s from the True Grit Hospitality group, which is behind the Mexican Calaveras Cantina in Boca Raton and Jupiter, as well as the CajunCreole Voodoo Bayou in Palm Beach Gardens.

Exotic tropical drinks in showy goblets and mugs, over-the-top tiki decor, and “provocative” and interactive

dishes carry the theme throughout.

The menu shows dishes such as Korean short rib gyoza, pork soup dumplings, a Japanese A5 wagyu cooked on hot stone, and prawn and lobster curry noodles. Lists for bao buns, nigiri, sashimi and rolls fill out the menu.

Roka Hula, 270 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. rokahula. com/delray-beach

Taco eatery opens third PBC location in Delray Talkin’ Tacos, a halal taco spot, has come to east Delray Beach on Linton Boulevard.

A sensation for its birria tacos and bold seasoning, the taco chain comes from two Miami friends who began a taco truck during the pandemic. It became so popular, they decided to open a shop. The chain now has several locations in several states; this one is the third in Palm Beach County.

Talkin’ Tacos, 551 Linton Blvd., Delray Beach. talkintacos. net

Pizza franchise expands to new site in Delray Beach

The Ah-Beetz New Haven Pizza franchise continues to expand in the county, with a new flagship added in Delray Beach by founder Nicholas Laudano. The 3,300-squarefoot space at 1732 S. Federal Highway gives diners a choice of indoor or patio seating, as well as takeout. New Haven, Connecticut, claims this style of coal-fired, thin crust pizza, famous for the white clam pizza. Salads, bowls and appetizers also are on the menu. “Ah-beetz” is the colloquial pronunciation of the pies.

On the mend Louie Bossi’s in Boca Raton is still on the mend from a fire. Work is progressing albeit slowly, Bossi said, as the construction team awaits permits for the rebuild.

Jan Norris is a food writer who can be reached at nativefla@ gmail.com.

A lso, Todd English’s Lula’s in Lake Worth Beach has closed

Happily ever after

By Elisabeth Gaffney Contributing Writer

This summer, Trent Stephens thought everyone could use a break.

“There’s a lot of conflict in the world. So we thought that our community might benefit from a romance, a story where everything turns out OK in the end,” said Stephens, who is the artistic director of the Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival.

And that’s why the festival is bringing back The Winter’s Tale, one of Shakespeare’s late plays, for the festival’s 35th season, which opens in July. It last presented the play in 1998.

The Winter’s Tale is a romantic and dramatic comedy about love, betrayal and family spanning 16 years. The protagonist, King Leontes, suspecting his pregnant wife, Hermione, has been having an affair with his best friend Polixenes, gets lost in a sea of jealousy and anger. His marriage and relationship with Polixenes fall apart, and his newborn daughter, Perdita, disappears. He eventually reunites with Perdita and finds the meaning of family once again.

Though the title The Winter’s Tale gives the impression of a story set in winter, it more so reflects the spring theme of renewal and growth. The title represents how the romance should be told: on a cold, dark night around a fire.

By Jan Engoren ArtsPaper Art Writer

What started in 2015 as a passion project by journalists Kathryn Tolbert, Karen Kasmauski and Lucy Craft — all daughters of Japanese war brides — has grown into a touring Smithsonian exhibit.

Now on display at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, Japanese War Brides: Across A Wide Divide, is accompanied by a companion exhibit titled Women of Yamato. Both run through Sept. 28.

After World War II, between 1947 and the early 1960s, more than 45,000 Japanese women married American servicemen and became known as “war brides.”

Despite a climate of American xenophobia, in 1952 the U.S. passed the Immigration and Nationality Act, giving Asians the right to become naturalized U.S. citizens.

Japanese war brides became the

largest migration of Asian women to the U.S., increasing the AsianAmerican population by 10% by 1960, according to the Smithsonian.

“I hope viewers come away from the exhibit with a sense of the strength and resiliency of the war brides and the diversity of their experiences,” says Tolbert in the museum’s exhibit. “These are universal stories of women building lives, finding identity, and forging community.”

Among the personal stories featured is that of Tolbert’s mother, Hiroko Furukawa Tolbert, from an upper-class Tokyo family, who came to the U.S. in 1952, married a chicken farmer from Elmira, N.Y., and became an “egg lady.”

Interviewed in 2016, Hiroko Tolbert says in an interactive video display as part of the exhibit, “I feel 100 percent American. My ideas,

Stephens said the language of the play is elusive, and requires a good deal of effort to understand and perform. Indeed, the cast did table reads for five days, “just getting our minds around the text,” he said.

“There’s a rhetorical eloquence that you try to identify,” he said of Shakespeare.

“Sometimes the rhetorical figures in the text, they’re a little dense for us.”

The play will feature many local actors and actresses, some of whom have performed in other Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival productions, as well as with other local companies including Palm Beach Dramaworks.

Darryl Willis and Carley George will star as Leontes and Hermione, with Hannah Haley as Perdita, and Max Fonrose as Polixenes. Other cast members are Greta Von Unruh as Paulina, a noblewoman; Matthew Paszkiet as Camillo, an honest nobleman; Kyler O’Brien in the role of Antigonus, Paulina’s husband, and Tristen Hooks as Florizell, Polixenes’ son. Lee Ritter will play Autolycus, a thief; Casey McNamara takes the role of the Clown; Kelly Hussey is Lord Cleomenes; Todd Masterson plays the Old Shepherd, and Keira Harper is Dion.

The Winter’s Tale will be performed at the Seabreeze Amphitheater in Carlin Park in

By Bill Meredith ArtsPaper Music Writer

When it comes to Florida natives who are still performing in the Sunshine State 50-plus years after starting their careers here, the list is very short.

Unlike West Palm Beachborn jazz/fusion guitarist Scott Henderson — who wowed area crowds with the bands Pure Hell and Paradise before moving to Los Angeles and never looking back — pianist Copeland Davis is in the fourth year of a house gig with his trio at Café Centro in West Palm Beach.

“I’m originally from Orlando,” Davis says, “but lived and performed in Las Vegas at rooms like the Stardust and Holiday International from 1978 to 1982 before moving to Massachusetts.

I’d studied music in Palm Beach

County, and love it here, so I moved back in 2003, first to Royal Palm Beach and now Greenacres for the past three years.”

Davis had first moved to South Florida to attend Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton (where Henderson also studied music) in 1970. The pianist has since written arrangements for ’70s vocal pop icons The Fifth Dimension and released three albums under his own name: Smoldering Secrets (on the Regalia label, and recently reissued by the Japanese label P-Vine), Totally Outrageous (with the Miami Sound Machine horn section on Gold Coast), and Endangered Species (New Vision).

A member of the Las Vegas Entertainers Hall of Fame, Davis will return to the glitzy Nevada metropolis in October to perform at the Dream Awards, which honor

Pianist Copeland Davis performs with his trio Fridays and Saturdays at Café Centro in West Palm Beach. Photo by Simone Jones

Darryl Willis and Carley

George in The Winter’s Tale

Photo by Jacek Gancarz

BRIDES

Continued from page 7

my thinking, my action — I’m American. I divorced myself from being Japanese.”

She died in 2021 at age 90. Another war bride, Mimi Fumiko Ishikawa Langley, who married Airman First Class David Langley in 1958 and moved with him to the U.S., says, “I don’t have to pretend. I can be myself wherever I am.”

Unlike other immigrants who settled into ethnic enclaves, the war brides dispersed across the country, without linguistic or cultural support Many worked in or started small businesses, in real estate, hair salons and restaurants.

The exhibit highlights how, despite barriers of race, language, religion and culture, these women created families and lives for themselves, embodied resilience and left a legacy in their adopted country.

To receive approval to marry and travel with their husbands to the U.S., Japanese women were subject to extensive

screening and offered classes by the American Red Cross that educated them in traditional roles, responsibilities, behaviors and skills of the American woman.

In the years after World War II, U.S. immigration policies were harsh toward Asian immigrants; the war brides played a key role in challenging anti-miscegenation laws.

Carla Stansifer, the Morikami’s curator of Japanese art, reflects on the courage of these intrepid women.

“They came to a new country with customs and cultures that were foreign to them. In addition, most didn’t have a Japanese community for support,” Stansifer notes. “They had to forge new community ties on their own.”

In a time of renewed debate over immigration, Stansifer feels that these stories resonate: “It’s a wonderful example of people contributing to and enriching their new homeland.”

Complementing the Japanese War Brides exhibit is Women of Yamato, which chronicles

the lives of early 20th-century “picture brides”— Japanese women who immigrated between 1907 and 1924 to marry men they had never met. By 1920, more than 10,000 picture brides had moved to the continental U.S., according to the Smithsonian, to marry men based solely on photographs. Some of the men sent old or retouched photographs, or posed in borrowed clothing with fancy accoutrements, to give the illusion of being wealthy and well-established. Many women, once they arrived and saw the

DAVIS

Continued from page 7

the city’s historic entertainers in the showroom of the Orleans Hotel & Casino.

A longtime favorite with the Sunshine Pops Orchestra in Boca Raton, Davis still excels in symphonic pops orchestral settings as well as small groups. He blends the gospel training of having played for 13 years in church with his classical studies and popular music expertise.

At Café Centro, that blend happens every Friday and Saturday this summer. House grand pianos sit in both the piano bar (where Davis’s trio performs Thursdays in season), and the Legends Room, where they hold court on Fridays and Saturdays and often improvise on whatever theme Davis conjures up.

“Way back in the day, I established that my name would only be associated with one place at a time,” Davis says. “And I’ve managed to do that for all of my career.”

Davis’s trio also features bassist Val Shaffer and longtime drummer Bill Alexander, who’s played with the bandleader since the 1980s.

With mirrors on either side of the piano in the Legends Room, diners are able to see his hands, and thus perhaps believe what they’re hearing.

“The mirrors near the piano were Joyce Kutsal’s idea,” Davis says, referring to the

If You Go

Japanese

War

Brides: Across A Wide Divide, and Women of Yamato run through Sept. 28 at the Morikami Museum, 4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. TuesdaySunday

Admission: $16; seniors, $14; children, $10 Info: 561495-0233; morikami.org

reality, returned home or ran away from the marriage.

Yet others stayed — among them Etsu Oishi, who married Yamato Colony co-founder Henry Kamiya; Sada Sakai, who wed fellow co-founder Jo Sakai in 1907; and Suye Kobayashi, who married Oscar Susumu Kobayashi in 1922.

Told not to pack her kimono, Suye Kobayashi came to Boca Raton to join her husband at the Yamato Colony, co-founded in 1905 by Jo Sakai and Henry Kamiya, where she would wear Western-style dress suited to

co-owner (with husband Sal Kutsal) of Café Centro since 2007. “I got the gig there just as the COVID-19 pandemic was ending. I went there for lunch and Sal kept walking by the table and ... he needed a piano player.”

The pianist’s list of influential musicians, composers and musical arrangers — from jazz to classical to cabaret; Broadway to film soundtracks — hints at the varied performances diners can expect.

Bassist Shaffer (or occasional substitute David Einhorn or Doug Lindsay) provides Davis with a harmonic link to the animated drumming of Alexander as the trio spontaneously segues between classical flourishes, jazz standards, show tunes, and pop chestnuts from Michael Jackson to The Carpenters.

“There are songs that we play regularly,” says Davis, “but those guys know I won’t ever play them the same way twice. I improvise because I react to what I hear, and what I hear is different every time.”

Even without new music, Davis remains a draw because of his catalog and performances. He has a loyal following, and he returns the favor.

“Besides all of the concerts that he does, this is one of the only places where Copeland plays,” says Joyce Kutsal. “He’s part of the Centro family.”

It’s an extended family. In-between sets, Davis talks

the South Florida climate and to working on the farm.

The Japanese picture brides who arrived at the Yamato Colony defied stereotypes of the submissive Japanese wife.

Due to limited options for Japanese food, they learned to cook American-style dishes for their newly born American children and shopped for toys and children’s clothing in the Sears and Roebuck catalogue.

“The main theme of the exhibit is strong women,” says Stansifer.

Despite their difficulties, she believes these women would choose their same path again.

“Like the Yamato women, I hope we can all live lives with few or no regrets about our choices,” Stansifer says.

Sada Sakai, one of the original Yamato women, had six children and eventually returned to Japan, dying in 1980 at 93. Kobayashi moved to Illinois and lived to 100. Etsu Oishi, Kamiya’s great-niece, settled in Jacksonville, helping run family businesses.

And, although the Yamato Colony disbanded after the entry of the U.S. into World War II to make way for a military training base where Florida Atlantic University now sits, Stansifer says its legacy — and that of its pioneering women — lives on through the Morikami Museum.

“Their stories exemplify resilience, tradition, and ability,” she says. “The legacy of the women of Yamato is alive and well.”

If You Go

See the Copeland Davis Trio at Café Centro, 2409 N. Dixie Hwy., West Palm Beach. When: 6-8:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays Info: 561-514-4070, cafecentrowpb.com

to friends, fans and former classmates every night, and unlike in most restaurants that feature live music, patrons don’t complain about the music interfering with their conversation because they’re present primarily for Davis.

And for the food, naturally. Café Centro offers gourmet pastas, entrees, pizzas, salads and soups, plus a full bar of beers, wines and spirits.

Situated at the intersection of Northwood Road and Dixie Highway, the upscale restaurant features a schedule of live music with no cover charge.

Rob Russell, Ray Chang and Troy McCray present cabaret, jazz, Motown and open mikes weekly in the piano bar, and the Susan Merritt Trio has presented live jazz in that room for the past seven years.

“Café Centro is one of the only places I can think of that’s presenting this much live entertainment,” Merritt, the bandleading bassist, says.

“Especially jazz, which is wonderful for both the musicians and people who love this kind of music.”

Emiko Fukumoto married Steven Kasmauski in 1952. She used money her mother had given her for a ticket back to Japan toward buying a house instead. They are pictured at that house in 1962 with their son Stanley. Photo provided by Morikami Museum

Music

Gingold Chamber Music Festival returns to Boca for July concerts

By Jan Engoren ArtsPaper Writer

“Music can soothe the soul,” says Grammy-nominated violinist Andrés Cárdenes.

He is the co-founder of the Josef Gingold Chamber Music Festival, which returns to Boca Raton for its second year with eight free performances from July 8 to 20, plus five community engagement events.

Originally founded in 2017 as a program of the Elevar Foundation, the festival ran in Miami for six years before moving to Palm Beach County in 2024.

Named in honor of legendary classical violinist Josef Gingold (1909–1995), who was Cárdenes’s mentor at Indiana University, the festival celebrates Gingold’s legacy by bringing together world-class faculty and emerging artists for two weeks of concerts, mentorship and community engagement.

“We’re thrilled to be here in Boca Raton,” says Cárdenes, who also serves as artist-inresidence at Lynn Conservatory of Music in Boca Raton and is professor emeritus at Carnegie Mellon University.

“Josef Gingold was a guiding light for many violinists, especially for me.”

Cárdenes chairs the jury for the 2026 Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition, another Elevar

SHAKESPEARE

Jupiter for two weekends, July 10-13 and July 17-20.

For the first weekend of shows, Devon “The Sonnet Man” Glover will be providing a free pre-show performance starting at 6:30 p.m.

Foundation initiative, and has served on juries for the prestigious Tchaikovsky and Stradivarius international violin competitions.

The Oliveira Competition, the flagship program of the Elevar Foundation, was established by violinist Elmar Oliveira in collaboration with the Lynn Conservatory of Music. It takes place every three years at Lynn.

In addition to the music, part of the festival experience for Cárdenes is a communal one: “It’s an opportunity to share something meaningful with colleagues on the same musical wavelength, and other chamber music enthusiasts and to embody Josef Gingold’s

Continued from page 7 If You Go Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival will present The Winter’s Tale at Seabreeze Amphitheater, 750 S. State Road A1A, Jupiter. Admission: Free, but $5 donation suggested When: 8 p.m. July 10-13 and July 17-20

“The Sonnet Man was a huge hit last year, so we brought him in this year,” Stephens said.

The Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival is a nonprofit theater organization formed in 1988 as a collaboration between the Chamber Theatre of the Palm Beaches and Young Audiences of Palm Beach County.

The festival’s first production, in 1990, was of the tragedy Macbeth at then-Palm Beach Community College. It moved later that year to Carlin Park with a production of Twelfth Night, and has been performing there ever since under the title Shakespeare by the Sea.

The festival draws about 10,000 people each summer for its productions. In 2008, it landed its permanent home at the Seabreeze Amphitheater, where it performed A Midsummer Night’s Dream

The festival also produces its own award-winning contemporary plays and musicals, notably The Second Maiden’s Tragedy, believed to have been written by Shakespeare and John Fletcher.

According to Stephens,

Info: 561-543-8276; pbshakespeare.org

festival founder Kermit Christman co-produced the play with scholar Charles Hamilton, who argued that the play, which had been attributed to Thomas Middleton, was in fact Cardenio, a lost Shakespeare play.

“In a way, we got to be a world premiere for a 400-yearold play,” Stephens said.

The festival presented its first wintertime performances in January and February of this year at Commons Park Amphitheater in Royal Palm Beach with a production of the comedy As You Like It

Stephens said the Shakespeare Festival is always finding new ways to expand its offerings. Last year, it launched Sharing Shakespeare, an outreach program where the current touring cast performs at various local schools.

“That’s a program we’re really excited about, and we’re fortunate that Palm Beach County Schools is also excited about it,” Stephens said.

film Schindler’s List. Performances will begin at 7 p.m. July 8 at the Levis Jewish Community Center in Boca Raton, and July 10 at Beth Ami Congregation in Boca Raton.

The festival also includes four performances at Lynn University: The French Connection (7:30 p.m. July 12), with works by Ravel, Debussy, Ysaÿe and Fauré; Romantic Fantasies (3 p.m. July 13), featuring pieces by Saint-Saëns, Poulenc, Rachmaninov and Brahms; Czech It Out! (7:30 p.m. July 19), a celebration of Dvořák’s Bohemian style; and Swept Away (3 p.m. July 20), with selections by Arensky, Schumann and Brahms.

techniques and spirit,” he says.

“We all share the same goal, vision and passion,” says Cárdenes, who this year is including a special program as a tribute to Gingold’s Jewish heritage.

Titled Sephardic Dreams, the program pays homage to Jewish composers centered on “Sueños de Sefarad,” by David Stock, a piece commissioned by Cárdenes before Stock’s death in 2015.

Other works include music by Julius Chajes (“Prayer”), Erich Wolfgang Korngold (Much Ado about Nothing), Felix Mendelssohn (Piano Trio No. 2), and by John Williams from the 1993 Steven Spielberg

The Dvořák program also will be presented at 7:45 p.m. July 15 at St. Andrews Estates South in Boca Raton, while the Swept Away program will be offered at 7 p.m. July 17 at St. Mary’s Church in Stuart.

Jill Arbetter, executive director of the Elevar Foundation and a former violinist with the Zurich Opera and Berlin Symphony Orchestra, praises Cárdenes’s leadership.

“We’re honored and excited to have Andrés bring his vision to the Elevar Foundation and the Josef Gingold Chamber Music Festival,” she says.

This year’s community engagement component will bring music to Alzheimer’s

Community Care centers in West Palm Beach and Stuart, as well as to students at the Youth Orchestras of Palm Beach County Summer Camp.

Musicians include violinists Cho-Liang Lin, Brooke Gunter and Gary Levinson; violists Gerald Karni, Michael Klotz and Richard Young; cellists Rafael Figueroa and Wendy Sutter; pianists Ian Hobson, Sheng-Yuan Kuan and Lana Suran; harpist Isabel Cárdenes (Andrés’s daughter); flutist Elizabeth Lu; and clarinetist Stojo Miserlioski.

Cárdenes said the pieces selected for the festival were inspired by the Golden Age of violin and a belief in chamber music as a living, breathing art form that can unite people and be a force for good.

“Music is a blueprint for society,” he says. “It reminds us that we can’t create something truly special on our own — we have to do it together. Like musicians, we must be on the same page, and create a contract with our colleagues.

“That’s the lesson music offers us: that something beautiful can emerge through cooperation, shared vision, and a collective purpose.”

For the full schedule and details, visit elevarfoundation. org/jgcmf

Violinists Andrés Cárdenes and Hina Khuong-Huu; pianist ShengYuan Kuan; cellist Susan Moyer Bergeron; and violist Michael Klotz play at the Delray Beach Public Library during the 2024 Gingold Festival. Photo provided by Elevar Foundation

Arts Calendar

Editor’s note: Events listed through July 31 were current as of June 27. Check with the presenting agency for any changes.

ART

Armory Art Center: Through July 11: Before I Forget,; BraveHeARTS Free. 811 Park Place, West Palm Beach. 9 am-5 pm M-F, 9 am-noon Sat. 561-832-1776 or armoryart.org

Boca Raton Museum of Art: Through Oct. 26: Donald Farnsworth: The Parma Portraits (The Kindness of Strangers); through Oct. 12: Glasstress Boca Raton 2025,; Legacy: Mayers and Friedman Collections. Through May 10, 2026: Side by Side: The Artist Couple Bernstein and Meyerowitz $16; $12 seniors 501 Plaza Real (Mizner Park), Boca Raton. 11 am-6 pm W, F, Sat, Sun; 11 am-8 pm Th. 561-392-2500, bocamuseum.org

Cornell Art Museum: Opens July 5: Pop Culture, works of nostalgic cast by artists Gwak, Ashleigh Walters, Annina Rüst and Rogeiro Peixoto, through Sept. 28. Through Oct. 27: Impressions of Italy Free. 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. Noon-5 pm W, Sun, noon-7 pm Th, F; 10 am-5 pm Sat. 561-243-7922 or oldschoolsquare.org

Cultural Council for Palm Beach County: Opens July 11: 2024 Artist Innovation Fellowship Showcase. Through Aug. 29. TFree. 601 Lake Ave., Lake Worth Beach. Noon-5 pm T-F. 561471-2901, palmbeachculture.com/exhibitions Flagler Museum: $28; $14 ages 6-12. 1 Whitehall Way, Palm Beach. 10 am-5 pm M-Sat, noon-5 pm Sun. 561-655-2833, www. flaglermuseum.us

Lighthouse ArtCenter: Through Aug. 1: Roadside Reveries. $5 non-members. 9 am-5 pm M-Th; 9 am-4 pm F; 10 am-4 pm Sat. 561-7463101, lighthousearts.org

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens: Through Sept. 28: Japanese War Brides: Across a Wide Divide; Women of Yamato; The Art of Peace: Jizai Okimono From a Private Collection $15; $13 seniors; $9 children; free for members, ages 5 and under. 4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach. 10 am-5 pm T-Sun. 561-495-0233, morikami.org

Norton Museum of Art: Through Aug. 24: Blur / Obscure / Distort: Photography and Perception Through Oct. 5: Artists’ Jewelry: From Cubism to

Pop, the Diane Venet Collection. Through Oct. 19: Laddie John Dill: Eastern Standard Time $18 adults; $15 seniors; $5 students; free for ages 12 and under, 1450 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach. 10 am-5 pm, M, T, Th, Sat; 10 am-10 pm F; 11 am-5 pm Sun. 561-832-5196, www. norton.org

CLASSICAL

Tuesday, July 8-Sunday, July 20

Josef Gingold Chamber Music Festival: July 8 at Levis JCC; July 10 at Ben Ami Congregation; July 12-13 at Lynn University; July 15 at St. Andrews Estates South; July 17 at St. Mary’s Church in Stuart; and July 19-20 at AmarnickGoldstein. Concerts are free but reservations are required. www.elevarfoundation.org

Friday, July 25

South Florida Symphony: The summer chamber music series concludes with a keyboard concerto by J.S. Bach and the String Quintet No. 2 of Antonin Dvořák. With violinists Huifang Chen and Erika Venable, violist Brandon Wu, cellist Claudio Jaffé and pianist Catherine Lan. At the Center for Spiritual Living, 4849 N. Dixie Highway, Oakland Park. 7:30 p.m. $35. southfloridasymphony.org; 954-522-8445

Saturday, July 19

JAZZ

Ashley Pezzotti: The young New York jazz singer, who has appeared with Wynton Marsalis’s Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, returns to South Florida with her quartet. 8 pm, Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave., Delray Beach. $45$50. 561-450-6357 or artsgarage.org

POPULAR MUSIC

Thursday, July 3

Blue Öyster Cult: The band from Long Island was formed in 1967 and has been working ever since through hits like “Don’t Fear the Reaper” and “Burning for You” makes s stop on its On Tour Forever tour. 7:30 pm, Hard Rock Live, 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood. $63-$213. ticketmaster.com

Saturday, July 5

Stick Figure: The Southern California reggae band, led by Scott Woodruff, is on its Island Holiday tour with Stephen Marley and The Hip Abduction. 7 pm, iThink Financial Amphitheatre, South Florida Fairgrounds, West Palm Beach. $56 to $183. livenation.com

Friday, July 11

The Offspring: The punk rockers with four decades of hits are joined by Jimmy Eat World and New Found Glory. 7 pm, iThink Financial Amphitheatre. $30 -$217. livenation.com

Friday, July 18

Toto + Christopher Cross + Men At Work: Three of the most radio-friendly artists of the 1970s-90s team up for a mega-concert of hits. 6:45 pm, iThink Financial Amphitheatre. $30$287. livenation.com

Saturday, July 19

Darius Rucker: The South Carolina-born singer has expanded his career into country music. 8 pm, Hard Rock Live, 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood. $99-$400. ticketmaster.com.

Sunday, July 20

Keyshia Cole: The influential R&B/hip-hop singer and TV personality celebrates the 20 th anniversary of her album The Way It Is. 7:30 pm, Hard Rock Live. $82-$409. ticketmaster.com.

Tuesday, July 22

Counting Crows: The popular 1990s band led by Adam Duritz, on its Complete Sweets tour, joined by The Gaslight Anthem. 7:30 pm, Hard Rock Live. $75-$788. ticketmaster.com.

Thursday, July 31

David Lee Roth: The singer and hell-raiser best-known as the voice of Van Halen, now 70, previously retired in 2022, but has returned to the concert stage. 7:30 pm, Hard Rock Live. $75-$720. ticketmaster.com.

THEATER

Thursday, July 10-Sunday, July 13; Thursday, July 17-Sunday, July 20 Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival: The long-running summer celebration of The Bard, now in its 35th year, returns with two weekends featuring one of Shakespeare’s late romances, The Winter’s Tale, last presented by the festival in 1998. At Seabreeze Amphitheater, Carlin Park, 750 S. A1A, Jupiter. Performances begin at 8 pm and are free, though a $5 donation is suggested. pbshakespeare.org.

Opens Thursday, July 17

Hair: The classic 1968 rock musical by Galt McDermot, Gerome Ragni and James Rado about counterculture hippies in New York City facing being drafted into the Vietnam War. Through Aug. 3 at the Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Ave., Lake Worth Beach. $40. 561586-6410 or lakeworthplayhouse.org.

Venice, Florida, has an Old Betsy, and so does Stockton, California.

Davy Crockett fans may wonder if the nickname was borrowed from that other Old Betsy, Crockett’s fabled rifle, but no connection has been established.

Except of course that both rifle and fire engine were famously reliable.

Old Betsy the fire engine was already 48 and retired from active duty when Wood joined the department in June 1974. Now in his own retirement, Wood has been studying the centurylong history of Fire Engine No. 1, and on June 11, he shared that history with a full house at a Town Hall Talk in the Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum (the city’s Old Town Hall).

•

“Our first two fire chiefs were volunteers,” he said.

Guy Bender served from 1925 to 1934, and Clifford Purdom from 1934 to 1946.

In fact, the entire department consisted of volunteers, and they were paid more in respect and gratitude than money.

The chief was paid $150 a year, the assistant chief $8 a month, and the volunteer firemen $4 per fire and $2 for each drill they attended.

The first paid chief was John F. Loughery (1946-1964), who painted Old Betsy white to match his white hair.

During its almost 100 years, Old Betsy has been painted white, red, white, and finally red again, Wood said.

• The engine had been in service five months when it worked its first big job.

In September 1926, a Category 4 hurricane struck South Florida, killing more than 370 people in Miami and Moore Haven. Old Betsy responded to a hotel fire in Hollywood and pumped flood water for more than 100 hours.

It was not Old Betsy’s last encounter with a killer storm.

On Aug. 24, 1992, while Betsy was being restored in a barn down in Homestead, Hurricane Andrew roared through South Florida.

The man restoring the engine was able to move it to a warehouse in Florida City before the 165-mph winds hit.

“When we went down to see the damage later,” Wood

recalled, “the tarpaper roof had been torn off the warehouse and the top panel of the garage door was blown in. We borrowed a ladder and looked over the top and were able to see Old Betsy was fine.”

Old Betsy fought its last major fire at 10:36 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 16, 1967, when hot tar set the roof of the San Remo’s Villa Verona ablaze, under construction at the time.

A workman was trapped on the roof when the city’s tallest ladder couldn’t reach the top of the five-story building. A smaller ladder had to be raised from a balcony below.

• Old Betsy was more than 40 years old, and retired from active duty the following year, to be rewarded with the honor all Old Betsys receive: fire department competitions and holiday parades.

At the Tampa Fire Department’s 1995 centennial celebration, it won Best Restored To Original and first place in the balloon race for breaking balloons with its hose.

For the city’s residents, Old Betsy’s appearance at the holiday parade became an annual tradition — and for one in particular, a final bow.

A mong the first volunteers

to join the new department was Francis M. Thomason, only 19 when he volunteered in 1927. You can see him standing, third from the right, in a photo of Old

ABOVE: After the 1926 hurricane, Old Betsy responded to a hotel fire in Hollywood and pumped flood water for more than 100 hours

Photo provided by the Boca Raton Historical Society LEFT: More than 60 people attended retired Fire Chief Thomas Wood’s talk about Betsy in June.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Betsy taken that August.

• He served as a firefighter until the early 1950s and, years later, when The Boca Raton

News asked him to recall the most memorable fire he had ever fought, Thomason didn’t hesitate.

“My house!”

One evening when his house caught fire, he ran over to the City Hall, which also served as the fire station, and drove Old Betsy home to put out the fire. Thomason rode one last time on Old Betsy in the city’s 1995 holiday parade and died on Sept. 4, 1997. He was 89, and Old Betsy was 71.

• That 1995 parade was Old Betsy’s last appearance in the holiday parade.

On Nov. 1, 2001, Old Betsy was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2024, a state historic marker was unveiled outside Boca Raton Fire Rescue Station No. 3 — Old Betsy’s current home — on State Road A1A south of Palmetto Park Road.

Old Betsy is almost 100 years old, after all, and not the spry young firefighter that arrived in 1926, exciting the local school children.

“It’s missing a water pump, and has a cracked head,” Wood said, “so it hasn’t run in several years. We’ve found a company in Pennsylvania that manufactures the parts to either repair or replace the head.” Repairs would cost less than $10,000, Wood estimated.

“I spoke with the chief earlier this week, and he spoke with the city manager, but the wheels of government do run slow.” P

Religion Notes

Florida Legislature working to curtail antisemitism

South Florida, meaning Palm Beach, Broward and MiamiDade counties, boasts the thirdlargest Jewish community in the United States, a fter New York and Los Angeles

On May 23, Gov. Ron DeSantis did his part to remember the Jewish population when he approved SB 356, sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Lori Berman, D-Boynton Beach, to declare Jan. 27 Holocaust Remembrance Day. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate and the House.

SB 356 says, “In honor of the millions of victims killed in the Holocaust, the Governor shall annually proclaim January 27 to be ‘Holocaust Remembrance Day,’ which may be observed in the public schools of this state and by public exercise at the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor may designate.”

January has been Florida Jewish History Month since 2003, but the first official observance of Holocaust Remembrance Day in Florida will take place Jan. 27, 2026.

Florida schools already have a Holocaust Education Week, held the second week in November. That coincides with the anniversary of the Kristallnacht pogrom, Nov. 9-10, 1938. Local schools will now be encouraged to teach about the Holocaust and antisemitism throughout the year in an attempt to curtail the rising trend in antisemitism and attacks on Jewish people.

In a Florida Senate session on June 5, Jewish lawmakers said antisemitic threats have surged in the state with reported incidents in 2023 and 2024 above those reported in 2022.

Acts included vandalism of Jewish properties and places of worship, hate groups distributing flyers, and even the battery of a 68-year-old Broward man near a synagogue.

Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton, urged her colleagues to “be a light in the darkness” and speak out against hate, warning that silence is deadly and endangers Jewish communities. Florida lawmakers, including the 14-member Jewish Legislative Caucus, are urging public condemnation of antisemitism and hate crimes.

Rep. Debra Tendrich, D-Lake Worth Beach, organized the call-toconscience news conference on June 5 where Rep. Jennifer “Rita” Harris, D-Orlando, said, “Hate wants us to be silent.”

The Antidefamation League of Florida’s Audit of Antisemitic Incidents for 2024 tracked 353 incidents in the state, from harassment to vandalism to

assault, down from 463 the previous year but up from 127 in 2020 and 269 in 2022.

The report (available at florida.adl.org/news/48334/) said there were 51 incidents in Palm Beach County in 2024, down from 83 in 2023.

Boca Community Church offering student activities

Reaching out to kids this summer is high on the agenda at Boca Raton Community Church, and its youth ministry is thriving. College, high school and middle school students are invited to learn about the Bible. The church hosts three groups: College students meet at 7 p.m. Sundays (July 6, 13, 20 and 27). High school and middle school groups each meet at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays (July 9, 16, 23 and 30).

These special events for youths are also planned:

• BocaStudents HS: Tacos & Trivia Night from 7 to 9 p.m. July 11 for high school students; features fun, competition and everyone’s favorite food. Test your knowledge of pop culture, Bible facts and trivia to win prizes. Register at bocacommunity.ccbchurch. com/goto/forms/964/responses/ new

• BocaStudents MS: Sky Zone Day for middle school kids takes place from 1 to 3 p.m. July 26 at Sky Zone Trampoline Park, 1729 N. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach. High-flying fun on wallto-wall trampolines, plus foam pits and dodgeball; cost is $25, which includes two hours of jump time and Sky Zone socks. Register at bocacommunity. ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/960/ responses/new

• The Sunday Summer Group meets at 9 a.m. July 13, 20 and 27 in the Family Room at the church for a special summer presentation. A casual alternative to Sunday school, each week features a church leader/guest speaker who will focus on a different section of scripture.

Boca Raton Community Church is at 470 NW Fourth Ave. Call 561-395-2400 or visit bocacommunity.org

Temple Beth El to host Book, Brunch & Mimosas

The Temple Beth El Sisterhood hosts Book, Brunch & Mimosas from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 13 at the temple’s Schaefer Family Campus, 333 SW Fourth Ave., Boca Raton. The Sisterhood and Rabbi Laila Haas meet for fellowship and brunch catered by The Sticky Bun, along with a lively discussion of the book The Third Daughter by Talia Carner. Inspired by true events, the novel is a dark but important story of thousands of young Jewish women who were trafficked into prostitution at

the turn of the 20th century in Buenos Aires. Tickets are $41 for members, $47 for guests. Reservations are required. Call 561-391-8900 or register online at tbeboca. staging.shulcloud.com/event/ sisterhood-book-brunch-mimosas.html

St. Gregory’s offers another Yoga Mass

The combination of prayer and yoga poses is offered by St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church again from 4 to 5 p.m. July 26 in a Yoga Mass at St. Mary’s Chapel in the church. The Rev. Elizabeth Pankey-Warren and Father Andrew Sherman lead. All levels are welcome. Bring your own yoga mat.

St. Gregory’s is at 100 NE Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton. Call 561-395-8285.

Cancer support group at St. Vincent Ferrer Church St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church offers a cancer support group for anyone of any faith (or no faith at all) fighting any form of cancer directly or indirectly, on the first Tuesday of the month at 10 a.m. and the third Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in Room D near the gym. The leaders are all cancer survivors. St. Vincent Ferrer is at 840 George Bush Blvd., Delray Beach. Call 561-6658555 or email romans1212@ stvincentferrer.com

Donations, volunteers needed at First United Changing Lives of Boca Raton sponsors a homeless outreach from 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays at First United Methodist Church, 625 NE Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton. The group offers clothes, toiletries, food, showers, haircuts, spiritual encouragement and more to the community. Donations and volunteers are needed.

Changing Lives focuses on improving the lives of those su ffering from — or at risk of — homelessness by providing scholarships for sober living facilities and detox, housing stipends, costs for mental and physical care, personal documentation, and more.

Changing Lives runs a thrift store at 2170 N. Dixie Highway, Boca Raton. Call 561-961-4635.

Eagle Scouts refurbish church’s Memorial Garden

The Eagle Scouts at First United Methodist Church, 625 NE Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton, have refurbished the church Memorial Garden as part of their scout project, and it includes offering parishioners a chance to add an engraved brick to the garden in remembrance of a loved one. Proceeds will be used to purchase new banners for the Sanctuary and the

Continued on the next page

Tendrich

Finding Faith

Longtime Boca rabbi leaves his role but not his calling

When Rabbi David Steinhardt of B’nai Torah said goodbye to his congregation of 1,400 families, he said goodbye to thousands of friends he knew by name.

Harold Jacobsohn of Highland Beach and his wife, Beatriz, became B’nai Torah members even before Steinhardt arrived in 1994, but for the last 31 years, the man Harold Jacobsohn calls “the people’s rabbi” has been their rabbi.

“We respect him tremendously as a rabbi and as a personal friend. He’s been there for our family during our joys, and he was there with a hug that felt genuine and was a great source of comfort in a moment of sorrow,” Jacobsohn said.

For births and bar mitzvahs, weddings and funerals, Steinhardt served without restraint before he retired at the end of June after 42 years as a rabbi. He knew people’s most intimate stories but never shared the details.

“We are pleased with the way he has led the congregation through difficult times and always served the community socially and spiritually,” Jacobsohn said. “He handled COVID extremely well. What I most admire is his deep insight into the soul of his community and people individually.”

Steinhardt has faced myriad challenges leading the largest conservative Jewish congregation in South Florida and has witnessed tremendous growth in the population and prosperity of the Jewish community in Boca Raton. He’s especially proud of his work with Cathy Berkowitz, the synagogue’s longtime education director, in redesigning and revolutionizing the after-school program, bringing in computers and the arts, and charting students’ growth and progress. As a result, attendance soared.

“Small ideas perpetuated into big programs,” Steinhardt said. “Like TLC with Summer Faerman. I take great pride in that.”

TLC — Tzedakah, Learning,

Gathering Place.

and Chesed — began in 2012 to turn the concept of the “mitzvah of tzedakah,” one of the most important components of synagogue life, into tangible acts to help others. Led by Steinhardt and Faerman, hundreds of volunteers perform acts of service like feeding the hungry and working with the mobile shower ministry with their Christian partner, St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church.

Steinhardt will continue his interfaith work, performed alongside the Rev. Andrew Sherman of St. Gregory’s, in retirement. “The interfaith work is really who he is,” Sherman said by phone.

The two men met 20 years ago when Sherman was conducting his first Christmas Eve service at St. Gregory’s. “I noticed a Jewish man sitting in the back enjoying the music, so I introduced myself and we agreed to meet for coffee.

Bricks are $100; find an order form at files.constantcontact. com/2a360acc001/0168ae62-f26d-4ae4ac63-3d2e91252e5d.pdf

Registration open for Hustle to End Hunger

Registration is open for the annual Hustle to End Hunger footrace on Oct. 4 in John Prince Park in Lake Worth Beach. CROS Ministries depends on this annual fundraiser to feed thousands of residents in Palm Beach and Martin counties. All proceeds go to ensure access to healthy food for those in need. Register at runsignup.com/Race/FL/ LakeWorth/Hustle2EndHunger5K

The chip-timed 5K race ($40) begins at 7:30 a.m. A walk and virtual versions are also offered as well as the new “Lil’ Hustle,” a 100-yard kids dash open to ages 7 and younger.

We started connecting and we resurrected the Boca Raton Interfaith Clergy Association. He and I have been coworkers and colleagues ever since,” Sherman said.

Today, the Gentile and the Jew are best friends.

“I love him so much!"

Sherman said. “He’s a true mensch, as they say. I’ve always responded to his warmth, but our friendship and our mutual work, like feeding the homeless, has blossomed.

“For 20 years our vision has been the same: to bring the community together. One of the gifts of Boca Raton is the diversity of the religious community, our Christian and Jewish members as well as a growing Muslim population and presence. We believe if we can model in Boca Raton what a conversation that doesn’t compromise your religious integrity might look like, we

Volunteers are also needed. Contact Gibbie Nauman at 561-344-4910 or gnauman@crosministries.org. The event is presented by Genetics Institute of America and Lake Worth United Church of Christ.

Worship Night in Delray

The first family-friendly, communitywide Worship Night in Delray is planned for 7 p.m. July 19 at Cason United Methodist Church, 342 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach.

A spirit-filled evening of worship, prayer and unity for the whole community will feature live music and words of hope from guest pastors and Cason Pastor David Schmidt, who helped organize the event.

Admission is free, but tickets are required. Go to casonumc.org/calendars or call 561-276-5302.

— Janis Fontaine

can help spread that message to other communities. We are fellow children of God, and we can serve together, connecting and affirming our community. We know this is possible. We feel if we model it in Boca Raton, we can show that to the world.”

There may be no better model for interfaith understanding than David Steinhardt.

A rabbi is a rabbi for life, but now Steinhardt, 72, becomes a “rabbi emeritus.” He’ll continue to serve his congregation as he’s needed, but he’s ready to make time for himself and for his family, and spend summers in cool green spaces around the Berkshires in Massachusetts with his wife, Tobi, five children and seven grandchildren.

“It was a huge decision, but the timing was right,” he said. “This is very unique work, and it puts you in a special place. It’s very public. I get a lot of adulation as a virtue of the role.”

In reality, the love and respect he’s given have been largely earned. Helene Ballen of Highland Beach, who worked alongside him, said the rabbi has a rare ability to make people feel “seen and heard and understood. He knows our stories and he knows how to comfort us. He takes on everyone’s hardships, but he doesn’t let it weigh him down. I hope people know how hard he worked and how much he cares. He’s the heart of our congregation.”

That came with long hours, and Steinhardt is ready for a life without working weekends and nights or being on call. “I want time to pursue personal interests. I plan to spend time outdoors. I plan to spend more time taking care of myself, and by that I mean pursuing a spiritual life with more time reading and at study, and more time traveling with my wife.”

Steinhardt is confident B’nai Torah will continue to thrive.

“The synagogue is better than it’s ever been,” he said.

Jewish life in South Florida continues to grow and Steinhardt’s interfaith work will

JULY 6-12

Sunday - 7/6 - Zoom Bible Study at Ascension Catholic Church, 7250 N Federal Hwy, Boca Raton. Every Sun 7 pm. Free. Zoom link: communications#accboca.net; 561-997-5486; ascensionboca.org

Monday - 7/7 - Women’s Bible Study via Zoom at First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach, 33 Gleason St. Every M 10 am. Free. 561-276-6338; firstdelray.com

7/7- Rosary for Peace at St. Vincent Ferrer Family Life Center, 840 George Bush Blvd, Delray Beach. Every M 5:45-6:15 pm. Free. 561-276-6892; stvincentferrer.com

Tuesday - 7/8- Tuesday Morning Prayer Service at Unity of Delray Beach Church, 101 NW 22nd St. 10 am. Free. 561-276-5796; unityofdelraybeach.org

Wednesday - 7/9 - Men’s Spirituality Hour via Zoom at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church, 100 NE Mizner Blvd, Boca Raton. Every W 8 am. Free. For link: 561-395-8285; stgregorysepiscopal.org

7/9  - Wednesday Evening Meditation Service at Unity of Delray Beach Church, 101 NW 22nd

be critical to its success.

“I’ll continue to have conversations with leaders and write and learn more about the theology of our differences, to study pluralism,” he said.

Put 700 people in a room and tell them the word of God and each will hear something different, Steinhardt says. “People hear it based on their own backgrounds and learning. We need humility to see that there are other perspectives.”

The reaction to his departure has been “quite beautiful,” Steinhardt said. “People understand working as a rabbi for 42 years is a long time.”

If he could leave one message for his congregation, perhaps it would be this: “Never stop learning. Learning is fundamental to Jewish life.”

As he looks to what’s next, Steinhardt said, “I look at the future with guarded optimism. We’re from a tradition of suffering and we’ve always come through. The near future is going to be really challenging, We have to remember that autocracy does not help democracy. Equal rights and freedom and justice — that stuff is being challenged. But the pendulum will swing, so there’s reason to be optimistic.

“We’re facing a great challenge. We need voices and visionaries. We need to find the people who are working to make life better among our educators and scholars and in the arts. Give them the support they need.

“The truth is, everyone is afraid. Huddle close. But never give up hope.”

A successor has not been chosen, but Steinhardt will continue to assist the congregation as a “rabbi emeritus.”

Janis Fontaine writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events. Contact her at fontaine423@ outlook.com

St. 6:30 pm. Free; love offering. 561-276-5796; unityofdelraybeach.org

Thursday - 7/10 - Thursday Morning Telephone Prosperity Coffee presented by  Unity of Delray Beach Church, 101 NW 22nd St. 605-475-6006, passcode 3031030. Free; love offering. 561-276-5796; unityofdelraybeach.org

7/10 - Men’s Fellowship at First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach, 33 Gleason St. Every Th 8:30 am. Free. 561-276-6338; firstdelray.com

7/10  - Women’s Bible Study at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church Youth Room, 100 NE Mizner Blvd, Boca Raton. Every Th 1 pm. Free. 561-395-8285; stgregorysepiscopal.org

Friday - 7/11 - Legion of Mary at St. Vincent Ferrer Family Life Center, 840 George Bush Blvd, Delray Beach. Every F 9:30-11 am. Free. 561-276-6892; stvincentferrer.com

7/11 - Bible Study w/Dave Kirk at Advent Boca Raton Fellowship Hall, 300 E Yamato Rd. Every F 1011:30 am. 561-395-3632; adventboca.org

7/11 - Virtual Shabbat Service at Temple Sinai of Palm Beach County, 2475 W Atlantic Ave, Delray Beach. Every F 7:30 pm. Free. 561-276-6161; templesinaipbc.org

Senior Rabbi David Steinhardt retired after 31 years from B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton, the largest conservative synagogue in South Florida. Photo provided

Health & Harmony

Manager relied on training to save diner from choking at Eau

It was a typical Saturday afternoon at the Breeze Ocean Kitchen in the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa when, without warning, a man began choking on his food, causing a hush to fall over the room.

General manager Leonardo “Leo” Vallejo-Bryant, 43, of Hypoluxo, was overseeing operations when one of his team members signaled to him from across the restaurant.

Expecting a customer complaint or a problem, he suddenly saw a life-ordeath situation and a woman attempting the Heimlich maneuver and performing abdominal thrusts on her husband.

Noticing that she was struggling, Vallejo-Bryant sprang into action and took over the lifesaving technique.

“I was in shock watching his lips turn purple,” VallejoBryant recalled. He instructed his assistant manager to call 911 while continuing the thrusts and incorporating back blows.

A fter roughly a dozen attempts by the manager, a piece of hot dog dislodged from the man’s throat.

“I felt so grateful once he began breathing,” VallejoBryant said. “I could see his wife’s relief.”

Despite feeling shaken, he returned to work — thankful the outcome was positive.

Vallejo-Bryant, a 2010 graduate of Florida Atlantic University, credits his training and experience for his quick response. With 20 years in the food and beverage industry, he’s taken numerous CPR and lifesaving courses through his workplaces.

The knowledge stayed with him as he used these skills for the first time.

The next edition of The Coastal Star will be delivered the weekend of Aug. 2

Vallejo-Bryant, now a client adviser at Braman BMW MINI in West Palm Beach, is passionate about taking emergency training seriously.

“Be prepared to act,” he said. “People freeze in a high-pressure situation — but take action and just do it.”

As a team leader and a father of two, Vallejo-Bryant

was used to being in a position of responsibility. His motto, “Sometimes you just gotta clean up, even when it’s not your mess,” encapsulates the mindset that drove him to intervene without missing a beat.

In May, Vallejo-Bryant was honored by the Palm Beach and Treasure Coast Chapter of the American Red Cross with its Lifesaving Award.

The award recognizes ordinary individuals who step up in extraordinary moments.

“Learning lifesaving skills doesn’t just prepare you for the unexpected,” said Traci Mitchell, executive director of the American Red Cross South

Health Notes

Leonardo ’Leo’ VallejoBryant, former manager at the Breeze Ocean Kitchen, receives a Lifesaving Award from the Red Cross for dislodging food from a choking diner’s throat while on duty.

Julie Unwin, the Red Cross South Florida Region’s chief operating officer, presents the certificate.

Photo provided

Florida Region, “it gives you the power to become someone’s hero.”

The Red Cross refers to the technique originally known as the Heimlich maneuver as abdominal thrusts — first aid for when a person can’t breathe due to an obstruction in the throat or windpipe.

The Red Cross offers inperson and online training in basic life support; adult, child and baby first aid/CPR/AED; babysitting and child care; swimming and water safety, and workplace safety, among others.

The training in abdominal thrusts is given as part of the CPR and AED

Lifesaving resources

American Red Cross material includes:

Website: redcross.org/ southflorida

Training information is at redcross.org/take-a-class

A first aid app, provided by the American Red Cross, can be downloaded for free for guidance on what to do in common emergencies.

Awards that allow you to nominate a hero in your community, or a group of individuals who used Red Cross skills or training to save or sustain a life, are at LifesavingAwards.org.

training.

Dariana Molina, the American Red Cross regional communications manager for South Florida, said: “Emergencies don’t wait for anyone. That’s why it’s critical for folks to be equipped with lifesaving skills, so that you feel empowered to act at a moment’s notice, like Leo, and potentially save someone’s life.”

Molina was impressed that Vallejo-Bryant acted in a cool, calm and collected manner, stepping up and using the lifesaving skills he learned in his training classes. And she wasn’t the only one.

“That’s my dad,” said his 6-year-old son and biggest fan, Lincoln, who attended the ceremony. “He’s a hero."

Jan Engoren writes about health and healthy living. Send column ideas to jengoren@ hotmail.com.

Boca couple behind FAU summit

Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine hosted the second annual FairfaxWood Amyloid Related Diseases Summit in May. It was attended by an international group of scientists who discussed the latest research and advancements in the study of these diseases.

Buildup of amyloid proteins, or fibrils, causes amyloidosis, a life-threatening disease that can affect various organs. The most common is in the brain and usually manifests as Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and as stroke. Treatments are limited and there are no cures.

In 2023, the FairfaxWood Scholarship Foundation, supported by Boca Raton philanthropists Ann Wood and

her late husband, John Wood, gave $11.5 million to the FAU Schmidt College of Medicine in support of amyloidosis research.

This gift established the FairfaxWood Health and Innovation Technology Initiative, the FAU Amyloidosis Project, and the endowed FairfaxWood chair of clinical neurosciences.

“Amyloidosis is an awful disease that deserves to be thoroughly researched to get results and to eliminate it,” Ann Wood said. “Our family was personally impacted — my husband, John Wood, in particular — so we are committed to making a difference by funding this annual summit.”

Michael R. Dobbs, M.D., the first endowed FairfaxWood

chair of clinical neurosciences, said: “There are dozens of amyloid-protein related diseases, neurological disorders as well as cardiac, nerve and kidney diseases. There also are millions of people suffering from these diseases with the common thread of amyloid protein deposition.

“Our summit is an important and timely conversation to bridge the gap between amyloid research and clinical practice,” said Dobbs, who is chair and professor of the Clinical Neurosciences Department and associate dean of clinical affairs within the College of Medicine at FAU.

Send health news to Christine Davis at cdavis9797@gmail.com.

Health Calendar

JULY 5

Saturday - 7/5 - Morning Beach

Yoga at The Seagate Beach Club, 401 S Ocean Blvd, Delray Beach. Every Sat 8-9 am. $20/person. Tickets: 561-330-3775; eventbrite.com/e/sunrise-beach-yogatickets-336433921917

7/5 - Saturdays @ Sanborn: Yoga Class at Sanborn Square, 72 N Federal Hwy, Boca Raton. 8:45 am registration; 9 am class. Free. 561-393-7703; downtownboca.org

7/5 - Zumba Class at South Beach Park Pavilion, 400 N State Rd A1A, Boca Raton. Every Sat 10 am. Free. 561-393-7703; downtownboca.org

7/5  - Yoga Class at South Palm Beach Town Hall, 3577 S Ocean Blvd. Every Sat 9 am. Free. 561-588-8889; southpalmbeach. com

7/5 - Yoga at the Beach at Red Reef Park West, 1221 S Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Held on grass overlooking the Intracoastal. No cash accepted on-site. Every 1st & 3rd Sat 10-11 am. $10-$12.50/class; 60-day membership $65/resident, $81.25/nonresident. 561-393-7807; myboca.us

7/5  - Judo Class at Boca Raton Community Center, 150 Crawford Blvd. Warm-up exercises, instruction, practice, tournament training. W 6:30-8:30 pm mixed ages/ranks; Sat 10 am-noon all groups. Per month $21.50/resident; $27/ non-resident. 561-393-7807; myboca.us

7/5  - AA Meeting at Unity of Delray Beach Fellowship Hall, 101 NW 22nd St. Every Sat 5:30 pm. Free. 561-276-5796; unityofdelraybeach.org

JULY 6-12

Sunday - 7/6 - Coco Market at Old School Square Amphitheater, 51 N Swinton Ave, Delray Beach. Monthly wellness market: 30 local vendors, health/wellness professionals w/various healing modalities;

live music; 2 free yoga, meditation or fitness classes per event. 9 am-3 pm. Free. 561-870-4090; thecocoyogi.com/market

7/6 - Yoga at the Beach at Red Reef Park East, 1400 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Held on grass overlooking the Intracoastal. No cash accepted on-site. Every W/Sun 6:30 pm. $10-$12.50/class; 60-day membership $65/resident, $81.25/non-resident. 561393-7807; myboca.us

7/6 - CODA (Codependents Anonymous) Meeting at Unity of Delray Beach Fellowship Hall, 101 NW 22nd St. Every Sun 6 pm. Free. 561-276-5796; unityofdelraybeach.org

Monday - 7/7 - Zumba Cardio at Boynton Beach Arts & Cultural Center, 125 E Ocean Ave. Basic modern western square dancing. Adults. Every M/W 5:30-6:30 pm. $10. 561742-6221; boynton-beach.org

7/7 - LGBTQ ACOA Meeting at Unity of Delray Beach Prayer Room, 101 NW 22nd St. Every M 6:30 pm. Free. 561-276-5796; unityofdelraybeach.org

7/7 - Adult Zumba Class at Boca Raton Community Center, 150 Crawford Blvd. Every M 7-8 pm. Per class: $6/resident; $7.50/non-resident. 561-393-7807; myboca.us

Tuesday - 7/8 - Chair Yoga at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Adults. Every T through 7/22 10:30 am. Free. Registration: 561-266-0194; delraylibrary. org

7/8 - Tai Chi Class at Boca Raton Community Center, 150 Crawford Blvd. Beginner through advanced. Age 16+. Every T 6-7 pm. $8-$10/class. 561-3937807; myboca.us

7/8 - Yoga with Sophia at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Adults. Held again 7/22 6:30-7:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561-266-0194; delraylibrary. org

7/8 - Al-Anon Meeting at Unity of Delray Beach Fellowship Hall, 101 NW 22nd

St. Every T 7 pm. Free. 561-276-5796; unityofdelraybeach.org

Wednesday - 7/9 - TRX Outdoor Workout at the Park at Old School Square, 51 N Swinton Ave, Delray Beach. 8-9 am. Free. Registration: 561-243-1077; delrayoldschoolsquare.com/events

7/9 - Tai Chi Class at South Palm Beach Town Hall, 3577 S Ocean Blvd. Every W 9 am. Free. 561-588-8889; southpalmbeach. com

7/9 - Stretch & Strengthening Mindfulness Class at South Palm Beach Town Hall, 3577 S Ocean Blvd. Every W/F 10:30 am. Free. 561-588-8889; southpalmbeach.com

7/9-10 - Yoga in the Museum at Cornell Art Museum at Old School Square, 51 N Swinton Ave, Delray Beach. Every W & Th 11 am-noon. $8/class. Registration: 561654-2220; delrayoldschoolsquare.com/ events

Thursday - 7/10 - Diabetology w/Frank

Lavernia at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. 3:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561-266-0196; delraylibrary.org

7/10 - Full Moon Yoga & Ecstatic Night Under the Stars at Old School Square Park, 51 N Swinton Ave, Delray Beach. 6:30-9:30 pm. Free. 561-561-243-1077; delrayoldschoolsquare.com/events

7/10 - LGBTQ+ AA Meeting at Unity of Delray Beach Prayer Room, 101 NW 22nd St. Every Th 7 pm. Free. 561-276-5796; unityofdelraybeach.org

7/10 - Alateen Meeting at St. Mark’s Catholic Church, 643 NE 4th Ave, Boynton Beach. Every Th 7:30 pm. Free. 561-2783481; southpalmbeachafg.org

JULY 13-19

7/16 - Forme Pilates at Old School Square Park, 51 N Swinton Ave, Delray Beach. Held again 7/30. 8-9 am. $15/ person. Registration: 561-243-1077; delrayoldschoolsquare.com/events

JULY 27-AUGUST 2

Sunday - 7/27 - Yoga at the Museum at Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real. 9:30-11 am. $15/member; $30/nonmember. 561-392-2500; bocamuseum.org 8/2 - The Cold Collective at Old School Square Park, 51 N Swinton Ave, Delray Beach. 8:30 am. Tickets: 561-243-1077; delrayoldschoolsquare.com/events

Taking the month off

Arden Moore's pets column will return in August. Learn more by visiting www. ardenmoore. com

On the Water

Have your dive gear checked before lobster miniseason begins

ust about everyone who dives for lobsters looks forward to Florida’s two-day lobster miniseason.

JThe annual event, which this year is July 30-31, is the first opportunity for recreational divers to catch lobsters since the regular season closed on April 1. The commercial season also closed that day, so there should be an abundance of lobsters hanging around coral reefs, rock piles and ledges.

In addition, because they haven’t been harassed for nearly four months, the bugs — as they are known because of their insect-like appearance — should be less wary.

Best of all for divers in Palm Beach County, the daily bag limit is 12 lobsters, which is twice the limit during the regular season, which opens Aug. 6. The miniseason limit in Biscayne National Park and the Florida Keys is six bugs per person per day (myfwc.com/ fishing/saltwater/recreational/ lobster/).

Ma ny divers only dive during miniseason, so their skills and their neglected dive equipment could be rusty. But even if you dive often, having a local dive shop check out your gear now will save you some headaches.

If you want your air tanks inspected and filled, don’t wait until a few days before miniseason because dive shops won’t have time to do it. The same goes for having your regulator and buoyancy compensator checked and repaired, if necessary.

W hy have your dive gear inspected at all? Because a dried-out rubber O-ring that allows air to leak from your

Outdoors

tank or your regulator can end your miniseason in a hurry. So can a tear or a rusted spring in your buoyancy compensator. Even something as simple as a broken fin strap can keep you from catching lobsters.

That’s why it’s also a smart idea to dive before miniseason. Not only can you scout for lobsters, you can get reacquainted with being underwater and make sure all of your gear is working properly.

Calendar

Note: Events are current as of 6/25. Please check with organizers for any changes.

JULY 5

Saturday - 7/5 - Outdoor Marine Aquarium Feedings at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. All ages; child must be accompanied by an adult. Daily 12:30 pm. Free. 561-5448605; myboca.us/calendar.aspx?CID=47

7/5 - Resident Sea Turtle Talk at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. All ages; child must be accompanied by an adult. Daily 1-1:15 pm. Free. 561-544-8605; myboca.us/calendar. aspx?CID=47

JULY 6-12

Tuesday - 7/8 - Island Treks at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Visitors will be guided on a short trek along the shaded boardwalk

through the tropical hardwood hammock forest, pausing for some intracoastal views through the mangroves. All ages; child must be accompanied by an adult. Held again 7/22. 10-10:30 am. Free. 561-5448605; myboca.us/calendar.aspx?CID=47

Friday - 7/11 - After-Hours Guided Tours at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Guided tour through outdoor aquariums, open-air butterfly garden, nature trail; ends w/ sunset views of the Intracoastal Waterway from the beach by the Seminole Chiki. Ages 7-adult; child under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Held again 7/25 6:30-8 pm. $10/resident & member; $13/ non-resident. Register: 561-544-8605; myboca.us/calendar.aspx?CID=47

Saturday - 7/12 - Coast Guard Auxiliary Boat America: A Boating Safety Course at Spanish River Park HQ Building, USCG Auxiliary Classroom, 3939 N Ocean Blvd,

W hen opening day arrives, many divers are in a rush to get to the bottom and start hunting. If they’d slow down, they’d catch plenty of lobsters and be much safer.

Divers who swim around too quickly end up spooking their quarry. Others, caught up in the thrill of the hunt, run their boats too close to other divers. And some have no idea what they’re doing, but they want a lobster dinner.

Boca Raton. Boating terminology, boat handling, navigation rules, regulations, more. Course provides knowledge needed to obtain a boating certificate; possible insurance discount. 9 am-5 pm. $35/adult; $5/teen. 561-391-3600; peauxboca@gmail. com

7/12 - Intracoastal Adventures: Advanced Canoeing at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Includes talk about South Florida’s unique animals/ecosystems. For experienced paddlers ages 13-adult; child under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. 9-10:30 am. $20/member; $25/ non-member. Registration: 561-544-8605; myboca.us/calendar.aspx?CID=47

JULY 13-19

Sunday - 7/13 - Intracoastal Adventures: Advanced Kayaking at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Includes talk about South Florida’s unique animals/ecosystems. Ages 7-adult; each child under 13 must be

“There are a lot of people out there who have no business being out there,” Dave Brisbane said. “One time I was diving in 20 feet of water and a guy jumps in off another boat and almost hits me.”

Brisbane, of Boca Raton, dives during the miniseason with Frank Schmidt of Lighthouse Point. Unlike those who haven’t been diving since last year’s miniseason — “the ones who take their gear out of

accompanied by one adult. 9-10:30 am. $20/resident & member; $25/non-member. Registration: 561-544-8605; myboca.us/ calendar.aspx?CID=47

JULY 20-26

Sunday - 7/20 - Seining the Lagoon at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Explore grasses/ flats of the Intracoastal Waterway. Wear clothes that can get wet. Closed toed shoes required. Ages 7-adult; child must be accompanied by an adult. Held again 8/2 9-10:30 am. $15/member; $19/nonmember. Reservations: 561-544-8605; myboca.us/calendar.aspx?CID=47

Saturday - 7/26 - Coast Guard Auxiliary Boat America: A Boating Safety Course at Harvey E. Oyer, Jr. Park, 2010 N Federal Hwy, Boynton Beach. Boating terminology, boat handling, navigation rules, regulations, more. Course provides knowledge needed to obtain a boating certificate; possible insurance discount. 8 am-4 pm. $20. 561-312-6439; birdlover5@

the garage and blow the dust off,” Schmidt said — they put in their time scouting before the miniseason and they take their time when the season arrives.

“One of Frank’s favorite lines is that guys beat up the lobsters,” Brisbane said. “You can tickle them out nice and easy. Don’t be aggressive.”

There are basically two methods for catching lobsters. Brisbane uses a tickle stick, which is a metal rod with a bend at the tip, and a net. Brisbane taps on a lobster’s tail with his tickle stick to get it to come out from its hiding place, then puts the net behind the lobster. Then he taps the lobster on its head so it scoots backward into the net and rakes the tickle stick across the back of the net so the lobster can’t get out.

Divers also use a lobster snare, which is a shaft with a length of wire or nylon inside that has a loop that protrudes from the end of the shaft. Divers open the loop and slip it over the tail of a lobster and then pull it tight.

A t rick that works well with a snare is to extend your hand and wave at the crustacean. While the lobster looks at that hand, you use the other hand to put the loop around its tail. Because the bug is distracted by your hand, it doesn’t notice the snare. Just take your time doing that and you’ll have the key ingredients for several delicious dinners.

writer

can be reached at steve33324@aol. com

bellsouth.net

7/26 - Family Fun Snorkel at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Snorkel shallow intracoastal waters, study animals sheltered/protected from ocean’s dangers. Bring your own snorkel, mask, water shoes (no fins allowed). Ages 10-adult; child under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. 9-10:30 am. $15/member; $19/non-member. Registration: 561-544-8605; myboca.us/ calendar.aspx?CID=47

JULY 27-AUGUST 2

Sunday - 7/27 - Intracoastal Adventures: Intro to Kayaking at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Includes talk about South Florida’s animals/ecosystems. Ages 7-adult; each child under 13 must be accompanied by one adult. 9-10:30 am. $20/resident & member; $25/non-member. Registration: 561-544-8605; myboca.us/calendar. aspx?CID=47

Outdoors

Steve Waters

John Strunk holds up his lobster catch. He recommends getting your gear checked and taking a practice dive in advance of the July 30-31 miniseason. Photo by Steve Waters/The Coastal Star

Tots & Teens Calendar

Note: Events are current as of 6/25. Please check with organizers for any changes.

JULY 5

Saturday - 7/5 - Pop-Up Pages at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Literacy enrichment: stories, music, movement. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Ages 0-5. Every Th/Sat through 7/24. 1010:30 am. Free. Registration: 561-393-7968; bocalibrary.org

7/5 - Dungeons & Dragons for Teens at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Ages 13-17. Every Sat through 7/26. 1-3 pm. Free. Registration: 561-393-7968; bocalibrary.org

7/5 - Pop-Up Pages at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Literacy enrichment: stories, music, movement. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Ages 0-5. Every Th/Sat through 7/31. 10-10:30 am. Free. Registration: 561-393-7968; bocalibrary.org

7/5 - Aquatech Discovery Saturdays at Delray Beach Public Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 8-12. Held again 12. 10:30-11:45 am. Free. Registration: 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

7/5 - Sandoway Discovery Center

Daily Feedings at 142 S Ocean Blvd, Delray Beach. All ages. Shark & stingray feedings 1 pm; aquarium feedings 2 pm; animal encounters 3 pm. T-Sat. Free w/$10 admission. 561-274-7263; sandoway.org

JULY 6-12

Monday - 7/7 - Peek-A-Boo Sensory Adventures at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Literacy enrichment: stories, music, movement. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Ages 0-nonwalkers. Every M through 7/21 11-11:30 am. Free. Registration: 561-393-7968; bocalibrary.org

7/7 - Summer Meals Service at Delray Beach Public Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Palm Beach County School District serves lunch/snacks to youth ages 18 & under. M-F through 7/25 11:30 am-12:30 pm lunch; 2-4 pm snacks. Free. 561-266-0197; delraylibrary.org

7/7 - 3D Printing 101 at Boynton Beach City Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. Ages 13-17. 2-3 pm. Free. 561-742-6393; boyntonlibrary.org

7/7 - Teen Career Workshop: Entrepreneurship at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. Ages 13-17. 5-6 pm. Free. Registration: 561-742-6393; boyntonlibrary.org

7/7-20 - Summer Camp: Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr. at The Studio at Mizner Park, 201 Plaza Real, Boca Raton. Ages 6+. M-F 10 am-4 pm 7/7-7/20. $850. 561-2033742; thestudioatmiznerpark.com

7/7-8/1 - Places! A Summer Theatre Camp at Arts Garage, 94th NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. Ages 8-15. Weekly themes. M-F 9 am-4 pm 7/7-8/1. $500/week; $1500/4-weeks. 561-450-6357; artsgarage. org

Tuesday - 7/8 - Toddler Tales at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Stories, music, movement. Ages walking to 23 mos. Every T through 7/22. 10-10:30 am. Free. Registration: 561-393-7968; bocalibrary.org

7/8 - Teen Yoga with Kerryann at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 13-17. 3-4 pm. Free. Registration: 561-2660194; delraylibrary.org

7/8 - STEM In Action: Blast Off! at Boca Raton Public Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Ages 6-8. Held again 7/22. 4-4:45 pm. Free. Registration: 561-544-8584; bocalibrary. org

7/8 - Teen Tuesday at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. Ages 13-17. Every T 5-7 pm. Free. 561-742-6393; boyntonlibrary.org

Wednesday - 7/9 - Bilingual Outdoor Storytime at Boynton Beach Library under the Banyan tree, 100 E Ocean Ave. Stories, rhymes, more. Ages 5 & under. Held again 7/23 10-10:30 am. Free. 561-742-6390; boyntonlibrary.org

7/9 - Reading & Rhythm for 2-3s at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Literacy enrichment class. Child must be accompanied by an adult. Every W through 7/23. 10-10:30 am. Free. Registration: 561393-7968; bocalibrary.org

7/9 - X-STREAM Art at Delray Beach Public Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 6-9. Every W through 7/23 3:30-4:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.

org

7/9 - Game Day at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. Ages 13-17. Every W 4:30-6:30 pm. Free. 561-742-6393; boyntonlibrary.org

7/9 - Explore The Art of Painting at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Ages 9-12. Every W through 7/23. 5:30-6:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561-393-7968; bocalibrary.org

7/9 - Family STREAM Nights at Delray Beach Public Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 5+. Held again 7/23 6-7 pm. Free. 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

Thursday - 7/10 - Tiny Splash Adventures at Delray Beach Public Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 3 mos.-3 yrs. 10-10:30 am. Free. Registration: 561266-0194; delraylibrary.org

7/10 - STREAM Showcase Weekly

Adventures: Gumbo Limbo at Delray Beach Public Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 0-17. 1-3 pm. Free. 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

7/10 - Adventures in Reading at Boca Raton Public Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Literacy enrichment through books w/related activities. Child attends independently. Ages 4-6. Every Th through 7/24. 4-4:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561544-8584; bocalibrary.org

Friday - 7/11 - Baby Bookworm at Boca Raton Public Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Storytime for infants accompanied by an adult. Ages 0 months to non-walking. Every F through 7/25 11-11:30 am. Free. Registration: 561-393-7852; bocalibrary.org

7/11 - Friday Night Soccer at Hester Center, 1901 N Seacrest Blvd, Boynton Beach. Ages 5-15. F through 8/15 6:30-8:30 pm. $125/resident; $156/non-resident. Registration: 561-742-6550; boyntonbeach.org

7/11-12 - Stuffed Animal Sleepover Drop-Off at Boca Raton Public Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Drop off your stuffed animal for an overnight camping adventure. Reunite and pick them up the next day at 1 pm. During pickup there will be a craft activity plus a slideshow of your stuffed animal’s adventures. Ages 2-8. All day. Free. Registration: 561-544-8584; bocalibrary.org

Saturday - 7/12 - Tot Summer Olympics at Hester Center, 1901 N Seacrest Blvd, Boynton Beach. Ages 3-5. 9-10:30 am. $16/ resident; $20/non-resident. Registration: 561-742-6550; boynton-beach.org

7/12 - Bones to Books at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 6-8. 11 am-noon. Free. 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

7/12 - Saturday Morning ART (smART) at Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real. Links art making w/learning about art. Ages 5+. Held again 8/2. 11:15 am12:15 pm. $15/member; $25/non-member. Registration: 561-392-2500; bocamuseum. org

7/12 - Bones to Books at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. Children read to friends from Bonafide Therapy Dogs. All ages. 1-2 pm. Free. Registration: 561-7426390; boyntonlibrary.org

JULY 13-19

Monday - 7/14 - Fun w/Fernanda: Bilingual Spanish-English Story Time at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 0-4. 3:30-4 pm. Free. Registration: 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

7/14 - Quantum Readers Book Club at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 6-8. 3:30-4:30  pm. Free. Registration: 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

7/14 - Teen Kickboxing at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. Ages 13-17. 5-6 pm. Free. 561-742-6393; boyntonlibrary.org

7/14-18 - Summer Art Camp at The Studio at Mizner Park, 201 Plaza Real, Boca Raton. Snacks included, please pack a nutfree lunch. Extended care available. Weekly through 8/8. M-F 9 am-1 pm. $95/day. 561203-3742; thestudioatmiznerpark.com Tuesday - 7/15 - Teen Book Club: The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn

Graduation

Gulf Stream School — June 6

Achievement and emotion ruled the day as the Gulf Stream School celebrated its 87th graduation. TOP: Head of School Gray Smith honored Charlotte E. Thomas of Gulf Stream with the Donald H. Miller Award, given to the student with the highest grade-point average. Charlotte had a stunning 98.93 GPA (on a 100-point scale). LEFT: After 30 years at the school, Wendy Zieglar, assistant to the director of development, is retiring; she held back tears as students entered the ceremony. RIGHT: Also retiring after decades at the school, third-grade teacher Nancy Moore armed herself with a bundle of tissues as she received numerous hugs. Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Barnes at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 13-17. 5-6  pm. Free. Registration: 561-266-0194; delraylibrary. org

7/15 - Karate Class at Boynton Beach Arts & Cultural Center, 125 E Ocean Ave. Ages 6-17. Every T/Th through 8/21. Ages 6-12: 5:30-6:25 pm; Ages 13+: 6:30-7:30 pm. $110/resident; $138/non-resident. Registration: 561-742-6221; boyntonbeach.org

7/15 - Sustainability Skills for Tweens: Lotus Book Binding at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Ages 9-12. 6-7 pm. Free. Registration: 561-393-7968; bocalibrary.org

Wednesday - 7/16 - Special Storytime: Alphabet Soup & Gobbledy Goop at Boynton Beach Library under the banyan tree, 100 E Ocean Ave. Stories, rhymes, more. Ages 0-7. 10-10:30 am. Free. 561742-6390; boyntonlibrary.org

Thursday - 7/17 - STREAM on the Go Kinder! at Catherine Strong Splash Park, 1500 SW 6th St, Delray Beach. Ages 0-5. 9:30-10:30 am. Free. 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

7/17 - Make & Take: Ping Pong Ball Lanterns at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. Ages 5-12. 3:30-4:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561-742-6390; boyntonlibrary.org

Saturday - 7/19 - Wild Wonders (formerly Little Wonders & Nature Detectives) at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Hike, crafts, stories. Ages 3-6 w/an adult. 9:30-10:15 am. $8/resident & member; $10/ non-member. Reservations: 561-544-8605; myboca.us/calendar.aspx?CID=47

7/21 - Sci-Fi Summer Movie Night: Mockingjay Part 1 at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 13-17. 5-7:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561-2660194; delraylibrary.org

Tuesday - 7/22 - Teen Tech Sandbox: Digital Illustration with Krita: Intermediate at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 13-17. 10-11:30 am. Free. Registration: 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

7/22 - STREAM Titans Book Club at Atlantic Dunes Pavilion, 1605 S Ocean Blvd, Delray Beach. Ages 9-12. 2-3 pm. Free. 561266-0194; delraylibrary.org

7/22 - STEM In Action: The Science of Goo at Boca Raton Public Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Ages 6-8. 4-4:45 pm. Free. Registration: 561-544-8584; bocalibrary. org

Thursday - 7/24 - STREAM Grand Finale Party at Delray Beach Public Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 0-17. 1-3 pm. Free. 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

7/24 - Make & Take: End of Summer Charm Bracelets at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. Ages 5-12. 3:304:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561-742-6390; boyntonlibrary.org

Friday - 7/25 - Friday Special: Professor M. of the Wizard School at Boca Raton Public Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Child must be accompanied by an adult. Ages 4-11. 3-4 pm. Free. Registration: 561-544-8584; bocalibrary.org

Saturday - 7/26 - ColorSpace: Teen Art Studio at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 13-17. 11 am-noon. Free. Registration: 561-266-0194; delraylibrary. org 7/26-27 - Creation Station at Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real. Limited seating. Noon-4 pm. Free w/admission. 561-392-2500; bocamuseum.org

JULY 27-AUGUST 2

Monday - 7/28 - Summer Cinema: IF (2024) at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. All ages. 2-4 pm. Free. 561-7426393; boyntonlibrary.org

7/28 - Teen Hip-Hop at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. Ages 13-17. 5-6 pm. Free. 561-742-6393; boyntonlibrary.org 7/28 - TAB (Teen Advisory Board) Meeting at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 13-17. 5-6 pm. Free. Registration: 561-266-0194; delraylibrary. org

7/19 - ART Tales at Boca Raton Museum of Art Wolgin Education Center, 501 Plaza Real. Literacy/visual arts program; Boca Raton Library joins w/book readings. Special art project follows. Ages 4-9 w/guardian. 11:15 am-12:15 pm. $15/ member family; $25/non-member family. Registration: 561-392-2500; bocamuseum. org

JULY 20-26

Sunday - 7/20-25 - Criminal Justice Summer Camp at FAU Boca Raton Campus, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. For students entering grades 9-12 in the coming fall. Breakfast & lunch provided. M-F. Sun-F. $900. Info: 561-297-4287; rubins@fau.edu; Registration: fau.edu/swcj/sccj/cj-summer-camp/ Monday - 7/21 - Summer Cinema: Flow (2024) at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. All ages. 2-4 pm. Free. 561-7426393; boyntonlibrary.org 7/21 - Teen Zumba at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. Ages 13-17. 5-6 pm. Free. 561-742-6393; boyntonlibrary.org

Wednesday - 7/30 - Special Storytime: Dinosaur Eggs in My Lunchbox! at Boynton Beach Library under the banyan tree, 100 E Ocean Ave. Stories, rhymes, more. Ages 0-7. 10-10:30 am. Free. 561742-6390; boyntonlibrary.org

Thursday - 7/31 - Children’s Wrap Up Foam Party at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. Ages 12 & under only. 4-5:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561-742-6390; boyntonlibrary.org

Saturday - 8/2 - Drop-In Family Storytime at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Up to age 5. 10-10:30 am. Free. Registration: 561-393-7968; bocalibrary.org 8/2 - Saturday Morning ART (smART) at Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real. Based on artwork at the Museum, links art making w/learning about art. Ages 5+. Held again 9/6. 11:15 am-12:15 pm. $15/ member; $25/non-member. Registration: 561-392-2500; bocamuseum.org 8/2 - Haitian Folkloric Dance Class at Boynton Beach Arts & Cultural Center, 125 E Ocean Ave. Ages 6-17. Every Sat through 8/30. Ages 13+. 12:30-1:30 pm. $60/ resident; $75/non-resident. Registration: 561-742-6221; boynton-beach.org

Community Calendar

Note: Events are current as of 6/25. Please check with organizers for any changes.

JULY 5

Saturday - 7/5 Delray Beach Summer Green Market every Saturday (through July 26) at Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave, Delray Beach. More than 60 culinary and artisan vendors, plus live music. 9 am-1 pm. 561-276-7511; delraycra.org/greenmarket

7/5 - Exhibit in Honor of the City’s Centennial: 1925! at The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum, 71 N Federal Hwy, Boca Raton. W-Sat 10 am-4 pm. 561-3956766 x100; bocahistory.org

7/5 - Freestyle Saturdays Art Class at Boynton Beach Arts & Cultural Center, 125 E Ocean Ave. Ages 18+. Every Sat through 8/30 10 am-12:30 pm. Per class $29/ resident; $35/non-resident. Registration: 561-742-6221; boynton-beach.org

7/5 - Virtual Saturday Morning Writers’ Group w/ Caren Neile at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Adults. Every 1st & 3rd Sat 11 am-12:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561-393-7906; bocalibrary.org

7/5 - Ceramics by You Class at Boynton Beach Arts & Cultural Center, 125 E Ocean Ave. Ages 18+. Every Sat through 8/30 1-2:30 pm. Per class $20/resident; $25/ non-resident. Registration: 561-742-6221; boynton-beach.org

7/5 - Pop2000 Tour with NSYNC, LFO, O-Town & Ryan Cabrera hosted by Chris Kirkpatrick at Old School Square Amphitheater, 51 N Swinton Ave, Delray Beach. 6-10 pm. $67/VIP; $47/premium; $27/general admission; free/5 & under. 561243-1077; events.delrayoldschoolsquare. com/event-details/pop-2000

7/5 - The Bruce Tribute at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. 8 pm. $50-$55. 561-450-6357; artsgarage.org

JULY 6-12

Sunday - 7/6 - Boca Raton Green Market every Sunday at Royal Palm Place, 508 Via de Palmas, Boca Raton. Fresh fruits & vegetables, goods by local artisans, fresh meats and seafood, locally-grown flowers, and a variety of handcrafted wares. 9 am-1 pm. Free. bocagreenmarket.com

7/6 - Tree Giveaway at Old School Square, 51 N Swinton Ave, Delray Beach. Must be a Delray Beach resident to receive a tree. First come, first served, limit 3 trees per household. 10 am. 561-927-8733; communitygreening.org

Monday - 7/7 - Advanced Squares at Boynton Beach Arts & Cultural Center, 125 E Ocean Ave. All ages. Every M 2-4 pm. $6.

561-742-6221; boynton-beach.org

7/7 - Pickleball at Hester Center, 1901 N Seacrest Blvd, Boynton Beach. Combines badminton & tennis. Adults. M/F 6-8 pm.

$5-$7; $50-$65/24-visit pass. 561-742-6550; boynton-beach.org

Tuesday - 7/8 - Racial Ideology and Pseudoscience in the Third Reich w/ Irving Berkowitz at Florida Atlantic University Friedberg Auditorium, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. 10-11:30 am. $60/ annual membership; $10.40/member; $13/ non-member. 561-297-3185; olli.fau.edu

7/8 - President Roosevelt, Margarete Steiff, and the Fascinating Origins of the Teddy Bear w/Anette Isaacs  at The Vintage Gym at Old School Square, 51 N Swinton Ave, Delray Beach. 10:30 am-noon. $30.40/member; $38/non-member. 561297-3185; olliboca.fau.edu

7/8 – Socrates Café at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Philosophical discussions. Every T 1:30-3 pm. Free. 561-393-7852; bocalibrary.org

7/8 - Movie Night at Highland Beach Library, 3618 Ocean Blvd. Held again 7/22. 5:30 pm. Free. 561-278-5455; highlandbeach.us

7/8 - West with Giraffes by Linda Rutledge at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. 6 pm. Free. Registration: 561266-0194; delraylibrary.org

7/8 - All Arts Open Mic Night at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. Every 2nd T 8-10:30 pm. $10-$15. 561-450-6357; artsgarage.org Wednesday - 7/9 - Seminar: Is God Male or Female? w/Daniela Szuster at FAU Friedberg Auditorium, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. 10-11:30 am. $$40/member; $50/ non-member. 561-297-3185; olli.fau.edu

7/9 - Experimental Printmaking with Gelli Plates at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 10:30 am-2:30 pm. $97.88. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

7/9 - Mozart’s Piano Concerti at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. 1:30-3 pm. Registration: 561-393-7906; bocalibrary.org

7/9 - Delray Beach Orchid Society Meeting at Veterans Park, 802 NE 1st St, Delray Beach. 2nd W 7 pm. Free. 561-5732422; delraybeachorchidsociety.org

7/9 - Downtown Delray Beach Drum Circle at Old School Square Park, 51 N Swinton Ave, Delray Beach. Every W 7-10 pm. 561-243-1077; delrayoldschoolsquare. com/events

Thursday - 7/10 - Quilters meet at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. Share quilting information, perpetuate quilting as a cultural & artistic form. Limit

Municipal Meetings

7/8 – Manalapan Town Hall, 600 S Ocean Blvd. 9 am. Agenda: manalapan.org

7/8 – South Palm Beach Town Hall, 3577 S Ocean Blvd. 2 pm. Agenda: southpalmbeach.com

7/8 & 7/15 – Delray Beach City Hall, 100 NW 1st Ave. 5 pm. Agenda: delraybeachfl.gov

7/8 – Ocean Ridge Town Hall, 6450 N Ocean Blvd. 6 pm. Agenda: oceanridgeflorida.com

7/11 – Gulf Stream Town Hall, 100 Sea Rd. 9 am. Agenda: gulf-stream.org

7/14 & 7/28 – Lantana Town Hall, 500 Greynolds Cir. 6 pm. Agenda: lantana.org

7/15 – Highland Beach Town Hall, 3614 S Ocean Blvd. 1:30 pm. Agenda: highlandbeach.us

7/15 – Boynton Beach City Hall, 100 E Ocean Ave. 6 pm. Agenda: boynton-beach.org

7/15 – Boca Raton Auditorium, 6500 Congress Ave. 6 pm. Agenda: myboca.us

7/24 – Briny Breezes Town Hall, 4802 N Ocean Blvd. 4 pm. Agenda: townofbrinybreezes-fl.com

10 quilters at a time. Every Th 9 am-noon. $1/lifetime membership. 561-742-6886; boyntonlibrary.org

7/10 - Color Crush: Mix Like a Master, Paint Like a Pro at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. 10 am-1 pm. $81.88. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

7/10 - Line Dancing at Boynton Beach Arts & Cultural Center, 125 E Ocean Ave. Basic modern western square dancing. All ages. Every Th 10:30-11:30 am. $6. 561-742-6221; boynton-beach.org

7/10 - From WWII Airfield to Research PowerhouseL: The Hidden History of FAU w/Sandra Norman at FAU Friedberg Auditorium, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. 12:30-2 pm. $30.40/member; $38/nonmember. 561-297-3185; olli.fau.edu

7/10 - Mystical Abstract Landscape in Mixed Media at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 2-4 pm. $65.87. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

7/10 - Guided Discussion: Summer Staycation Book Club - Lauren Groff’s Short Story Collection “Florida” w/ Christine Kassover at FAU Friedberg Auditorium, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. Every Th through 7/31 3-4:30 pm. $100.50/ member; $134/non-member; $35/at the door. 561-297-3185; olli.fau.edu

7/10 - Exhibition Opening Reception: Artist Innovation Fellowship Showcase at Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, 601 Lake Ave, Lake Worth Beach. Runs through 8/29. 5:30-7:30 pm. Free. 561-4712901; palmbeachculture.com

7/10 - Concert: David PedrazaBroadway Tunes at Highland Beach Library, 3618 Ocean Blvd. 5:30 pm. Free. 561-278-5455; highlandbeach.us

7/10 - Film: Exhibition on ScreenDawn of Impressionism: Paris, 1874 at Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real. Held again 7/17. Two times: 2-3:30 pm & 6-7:30 pm. $8/member; $18/non-member. 561-392-2500; bocamuseum.org

7/10 - Summer Heritage Lecture: New Discoveries at Yamato Rock w/ Bryan Davis at Delray Beach Historical Society Historic 1926 Bungalow, 3 NE 1st St. 6 pm. $10. Registration: 561-274-9578; delraybeachhistory.org

7/10 - Summer Exhibition /Open House at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 6-8 pm. Free. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

7/10-11 - Self Portrait Painting with Primary Colors 2-Day Workshop at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 10:30 am-12:30 pm. $76.54. 561330-9614; artswarehouse.org

Friday - 7/11 - Sizzling Summer Mystery Movies for Grownups: An Invitation to a Murder at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. 2 pm. Free. Registration: 561266-0194; delraylibrary.org

7/11 - Fuller Center’s Living Our Legacy Society Birthday Party at Crazy Uncle Mike’s, 6450 N Federal Hwy. 5-7 pm. $30. 561-391-7274; fullercenterfl.org

7/11 - Beginner Squares at Boynton Beach Arts & Cultural Center, 125 E Ocean Ave. All ages. Every F 6-7 pm. $6. 561-7426221; boynton-beach.org

7/11 - Castoffs Square Dance at Boynton Beach Arts & Cultural Center, 125 E Ocean Ave. Basic modern western square dancing. All ages. Every F 6-9 pm. $6. 561-742-6221; boynton-beach.org

7/11 - Santana /Steve Miller Band Tribute Concert at Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton. Bring blankets/chairs; chair rental $5. 7-10 pm. Free. 561-393-7890; mizneramp.com

7/11-12 - Bette Midler Tribute: Bathhouse to Broadway w/ Shelley Keelor & Friends at The Studio at Mizner Park, 201 Plaza Real, Boca Raton. F/Sat: 7:30 pm; Sat: 6 pm. Tickets start at $49.75. 561203-3742; thestudioatmiznerpark.com

7/11-12 - The Motowners: Ultimate Motown Tribute Show Experience at

Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. 8 pm. $60-$65. 561-450-6357; artsgarage.org

7/11-13 - Freaky Friday The Musical at FAU University Theatre, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. Runs through 7/27. F/Sat: 7 pm; Sat/Sun: 2 pm. $20-$30. 561-297-6124; fauevents.com

Saturday - 7/12 - Summer Cyanotype Workshop at Delray Beach Historical Society Historic 1926 Bungalow, 3 NE 1st St. Held again 8/2. 9:30-11:30 am. $35/ members; $50/non-members. Registration: 561-274-9578; delraybeachhistory.org 7/12 - Calling All Serious Writers! Saturday Writers Studio at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. All other Sat via Zoom. 10 am. Free. 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

7/12 - Open Figure Studio w/Model at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Ages 18+. Held again 6-8 pm 7/24. 10:30 am-12:30 pm. $15. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

7/12 - Abstract Flow: Simple Expressive Watercolor Landscapes at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 10:30 am-2:30 pm. $44.55. 561-3309614; artswarehouse.org

7/12 - 12th Annual Boca Burger Battle at Sanborn Square Park, 72 N Federal Hwy. Benefits Children’s Giving Foundation. Ages 21+. 6-10 pm. $71.30; $91.88 VIP. 561-3387594; bocaburgerbattle.com

JULY 13-19

Monday - 7/14 - Monday MoviesDocumentary: The River directed by Jennifer Peedom at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Adults. 5:30-8 pm. Registration: 561-393-7906; bocalibrary.org Tuesday - 7/15 - Common Myths in Astronomy Debunked w/Ata Sarajedini at FAU Friedberg Auditorium, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. 10-11:30 am. $30.40/ member; $38/non-member. 561-297-3185; olli.fau.edu

7/15 - Book Talks - Non-Fiction/ Biographies: Architect, Verb by Reinier de Graaf at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Adults. 2-3 pm. Registration: 561393-7906; bocalibrary.org 7/15 - And the Nominees Are … w/ Shelly Isaacs at FAU Friedberg Auditorium, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. Every T through 8/5 2:30-4:30 pm. $64/member; $80/nonmember; $30/at the door. 561-297-3185; olli.fau.edu

7/15 - Spoken Word Open Mic: Poetry, Storytelling & Lyrics at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. Every 3rd T 8-10:30 pm. $10-$15. 561-450-6357; artsgarage.org

7/15 - FAU Astronomical Observatory

public viewing at FAU Science & Engineering Building 4th floor, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. 1st F & 3rd T 8 pm. Free. Schedule subject to change; check website: 561-2977827; physics.fau.edu/observatory/events/ Wednesday - 7/16 - Seminar: Save Your Life with a Plant-Based Diet: Good for you and the Planet Too! w/ Sharon Wallenberg at FAU Friedberg Auditorium, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. 10-11:30 am.

$40/member; $50/non-member. 561-2973185; olli.fau.edu

7/16 - Long Pose Open Figure Studio w/ Model at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Age 18+. 10:30 am-12:30 pm.

$15. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

7/16 - Book Buzz Adult Book Club at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. Adults. 10:30 am-noon. Free. Registration: 561-742-6390; boyntonlibrary.org

7/16 - League of Women Voters Virtual Hot Topics Discussion: BACKSLIDE / BACKLASH: Where Do We Go from Here? w/Barbara Cheives. Noon-1 pm. Free. Registration: 561-276-4898; lwvpbc. org

7/16 - Scientific Study of Coral Reefs at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Adults. 2 pm. Free. Registration: 561-2660194; delraylibrary.org

7/16 - The Art of the Figure: Drawing the Human Body 3-Day Workshop at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Every W through 7/30 2-5 pm. $225. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

7/16 - Seminar: Let’s Talk About Being a Woman in 2025 w/Ellyn Mantell at FAU Friedberg Auditorium, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. Every W through 8/6 3-4:30 pm. $69.60/member; $87/non-member; $30/at the door. 561-297-3185; olli.fau.edu

Thursday - 7/17 - Torn & Textured:

Abstract Art with Attitude at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 10 am-1 pm. $81.88. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

7/17 - Introduction to Art Appreciation + Creative Response at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. 10:30 am-noon. $25. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

7/17 - Live Zoom Conversation: Peace in the Middle East: The Search Continues w/Harry Chernotsky at FAU Friedberg Auditorium, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. 12:30-2 pm. $30.40/member; $38/nonmember. 561-297-3185; olli.fau.edu

7/17 - From Courtroom to Celluloid: Famous Trials Made Into Films, Part 1 w/Kurt Stone at FAU Friedberg Auditorium, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. Every Th through 8/7. 3-5 pm. $64/member; $80/non-member; $30/at the door. 561297-3185; olli.fau.edu

7/17 - 2025 Supreme Court Case Review w/Jeffrey Gordon at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Adults. 6-7:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561-393-7906; bocalibrary.org

7/17 - Summer Sips & Sounds: Ragtime Revival: The Roaring 20s at the Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum, 71 N Federal Hwy. 6-8 pm. $40/person. 561-395-6766 x100; bocahistory.org

Friday - 7/18 - Love Song/The Cure Tribute Band Concert at Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton. Bring blankets/chairs; chair rental $5. 7-10 pm. Free. 561-393-7890; mizneramp.com

7/18 - Fortunate Sons: Creedence Clearwater Revival Tribute at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. 8 pm. $50-$55. 561-450-6357; artsgarage.org

7/18-19 - Portrait Painting in Chuck Close Method 2-Day Workshop at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 10:30 am-12:30 pm. $76.54. 561330-9614; artswarehouse.org

Saturday - 7/19 - Charcoal Mastery: Light, Shadow & Texture That Pop at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 10 am-1 pm. $81.88. 561330-9614; artswarehouse.org

7/19 - The Fun of Painting Without a Brush - Fluid Paint & Texture at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 2-4 pm. $71.21. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

JULY 20-26

Sunday - 7/20 - Soccer in Paradise Tournament at Hester Center, 1901 N Seacrest Blvd, Boynton Beach. Single elimination tournament. Teams must provide their own jerseys. Age 18+. 9 am-4

pm. $200/resident; $250/non-resident. 561-742-6550; boynton-beach.org

7/20 - Music in the Museum - Skobin

Duo at Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real. 3-4 pm. $8/member; $18/nonmember. 561-392-2500; bocamuseum.org

7/20 - Story Central Storytelling Slam at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Adults. 3-4:30 pm. Free. 561-393-7906; bocalibrary.org

Tuesday - 7/22 - Just Along for the Ride: Opera’s Greatest Sidekicks at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Adults. 3 pm. Free. Registration: 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

Wednesday - 7/23 - Mah-Jongg w/ Diane Engel at FAU Friedberg Auditorium, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. Every W through 8/27 10 am-noon. $100.50/ member; $134/non-member; $30/at the door. 561-297-3185; olli.fau.edu

7/23 - Art & Jazz on the Avenue at Pineapple Grove, NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. Live music, art, culture, dancing, dining in the street. 6-9:30 pm. Free. 561-243-1077; downtowndelraybeach.com/artandjazz

Thursday - 7/24 - Wild Horizons:

Abstract Your Landscape at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 10 am-1 pm. $81.88. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

7/24 - When the Musical Misbehaves w/Steven Friedman at FAU Friedberg Auditorium, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. 12:30-2 pm. $30.40/member; $38/nonmember. 561-297-3185; olli.fau.edu

7/24 - Friends Virtual Book Club: One Hundred Saturdays - Stella Levi and the Search for a Lost World by Michael Frank presented by Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Adults. 6:30-7:30 pm.

Free. 561-393-7968; bocalibrary.org

Friday - 7/25 - Color Theory with Colored Pencils at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 10:30 am-12:30 pm. $25. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

7/25 - Sizzling Summer Mystery Movies for Grownups: Knives Out at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. 2 pm. Free. Registration: 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.

org

7/25 - Sunset Concert Series: Fleetwood Mac Tribute at Old School Square Amphitheater, 51 N Swinton Ave, Delray Beach. 5 pm. free; $50/VIP. 561-2431077; tickets.delrayoldschoolsquare.com

7/25 - Tree Giveaway at Centennial Park & Amphitheater, 120 E Ocean Ave, Boynton Beach. Must be a Boynton Beach resident to receive a tree. First come, first served, limit 2 trees per household. 6 pm. 561-927-8733; communitygreening.org

7/25 - Women of Country Concert at Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton. Bring blankets/chairs; chair rental $5. 7-10 pm. Free. 561-393-7890; mizneramp.com

7/25 - Dante Vargas & Val Vargas Salsa Dura Y Boogaloo at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. 8 pm. $50-$55. 561450-6357; artsgarage.org

7/25-26 - Boynton Beach Night Market at Centennial Park & Amphitheater, 120 E Ocean Ave. Live music & entertainment. Stroll the plaza, visit downtown merchants & restaurants. 5-11 pm. Free. 561-6009097; boyntonbeachcra.com

Saturday - 7/26 - Christmas in July Arts & Crafts Fundraiser Show presented by GRWC Casuarina Woman’s Club of Lantana at Lantana Recreation Center, 418 S Dixie Hwy, Lantana. 9 am-4 pm. Info: 561-588-

9546; casuarina.wc@gmail.com

7/26 - Bold Marks: Exploring Line and Form in Dynamic Drawings at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 10 am-1 pm. $81.88. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

7/26 - Sunny Strokes: Beginners Sunflower Watercolor at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 10:30 am-12:30 pm. $44.52. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

7/26 - Start Me Up! A Tribute to The Rolling Stones at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. 8 pm. $45-$50. 561-4506357; artsgarage.org

JULY 27-AUGUST 2

Monday - 7/28 - Kantika by Elizabeth Graves at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. 1 pm. Free. Registration: 561266-0196; delraylibrary.org

7/28 - Monday Movies - Feature Film: Memories of My Father directed by Fernando Trueba at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Adults. 5:30-8 pm. Registration: 561-393-7906; bocalibrary.org

Tuesday - 7/29 - The Greatest Movie Songs of All Time w/ Emanuel Abramovits at FAU Friedberg Auditorium, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. Every T through 8/19 10-11:30 am. $64/member; $80/nonmember; $30/at the door. 561-297-3185; olli.fau.edu

7/29 - Seminar: Ripped from the Headlines w/Eliot Kleinberg at FAU Friedberg Auditorium, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. Every T through 8/19. 12:30-2 pm. $69.60/member; $87/non-member; $30/at the door. 561-297-3185; olli.fau.edu

Wednesday - 7/30 - Trivia Night at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. 6-7:30 pm.

Free. 561-393-7906; bocalibrary.org

7/30 - Delray Beach Drone Show at Old School Square, 51 N Swinton Ave, Delray Beach. 7:30 pm. Free. 561-243-1077; delrayoldschoolsquare.com/events

Thursday - 7/31 - Abstract Painting

Intensive for Intermediate Level - FullDay Workshop at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 10 am-4 pm. $151.23. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

7/31 - A Riveting Legacy: Levi Strauss’ Journey from Bavaria to the Wild West w/Anette Isaacs at FAU Friedberg Auditorium, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. 12:30-2 pm. $30.40/member; $38/nonmember. 561-297-3185; olli.fau.edu

Friday - 8/1 - First Friday @ 5 Concert: Alive Beat at Centennial Park & Amphitheater, 120 E Ocean Ave. Featuring food trucks, artisan market, children’s activities and music. 5-9 pm. Free. 561-7426024; boynton-beach.org

8/1 – The Art of Laughter with Headliner Vien Phommachanh featuring Mark Christopher at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. 8 pm. $40. 561-450-6357; artsgarage.org

Saturday - 8/2 - 5th Annual Delray Beach Unity Festival at Pompey Park, 1101 NW 2nd St. 3-9 pm. Free. 561-2437356; delraybeachfl.gov

8/2 - Memphis Lightning - at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. 8 pm. $45-$50. 561-450-6357; artsgarage.org

8/2-3 - Boca Ballet Theatre: Summer Breezes at Countess de Hoernle Theatre at Spanish River High School, 5100 Jog Rd, Boca Raton. Sat: 7:30 pm; Sun: 2 pm. $35$55/adults; $25-$45/seniors & children. 561-995-0709; bocaballet.org