The Coastal Star June 2025

Along the Coast

A new water-rescue ring stands

New life rings at inlets signify safety — and sacrifice

Preserver is credited with Memorial Day rescue

By Tao Woolfe

If you’re at the Boynton Inlet or Boca Raton Inlet this summer and you spot an official-looking lifesaving ring mounted near the water, you can thank Aden Perry, an altruistic young man who might still be

Along the Coast

alive if he’d had access to one of the bright orange flotation devices in 2022.

The life rings, previously installed near waters in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, were added last month to the two South Palm Beach County inlets and to other county locations thanks to a donation from Aden’s mother, Sarah Perry.

Perry has been on a mission since her 17-year-old son drowned trying to rescue

a car crash victim on April 20, 2022. She believes that had life rings been available on the final night of her son’s life, Aden — and the man he was trying to save — might not have been sucked down into the waters of a dimly lit pond in Sunrise.

“I would like to see life rings installed by every body of water in Florida,” Perry said, explaining that her organization — the Aden Perry Good Samaritan and

See RINGS on page 12

Bringing ocean into sharper focus

Boca photographer counsels St. Vincent kids to be caretakers

By Ron Hayes

When Denise O’Loughlin, the principal at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic School in Delray Beach, introduced that morning’s guest speaker, about 100 middle schoolers gathered in Kellaghan Hall welcomed him with polite applause. When he had finished speaking 45 minutes later, the applause was

loud and long, borne on a wave of enthusiasm mere etiquette cannot inspire.

In between, Ben Hicks had taken them underwater to visit sea turtles and jellyfish. He had shown them a Galapagos shark off the coast of Hawaii, a whale shark off Borneo, and a jaguar stalking turtles in Costa Rica.

He had shown them beautiful creatures in their natural habitat, shown them how human beings threaten those creatures, and then what human beings can do to save them.

Hicks, 45, is a nature photographer who travels the world from his home in Boca Raton, bringing back images that have been displayed in the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton, Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, Manhattan skyscrapers and Central American hotels.

“I like to talk to young people,” he says. “I tell them my background, the stories behind the images, and how I use the images as a voice for environmental

See HICKS on page 11

South Palm Beach dip is area’s first since ’13

By Mary Hladky

The taxable value of Palm Beach County properties has cooled for the second year in a row, heading back to a more typical rate of increase following stratospheric gains in 2022 and 2023.

But even with the smaller value jump, this marks the 14th consecutive year that taxable values have increased in a long rebound from the 2008 Great Recession.

In southeastern Palm Beach County, Ocean Ridge led the way with a 9.9% taxable value increase, closely followed by Briny Breezes’ 9.5%.

Gulf Stream was up 8.5%, Delray Beach 8.3%, Manalapan 7.6%, Boca Raton 7.1%, Highland Beach 6.7%, and Boynton Beach and Lantana, both 6.4%.

South Palm Beach was the only community in the county to see its taxable value drop — down 0.62% — the first time there’s been a year-to-year decrease for a county municipality since 2013.

South Palm Beach Town

See VALUES on page 16

at the Boynton Inlet, thanks to the work of Sarah Perry. Her nonprofit donated the devices in honor of her late son, Aden Perry, whose photo graces each one (at top). Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

This sea turtle was saved from mistaking the plastic bag for an edible jellyfish when the photographer grabbed the bag. Photo provided by Ben Hicks

An eclectic look on life Highland Beach cartoonist draws regularly for The

Publisher

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

Editor’s Note

careful

Riptides at the beach.

Strong currents in the inlet. Distractions on State Road A1A.

And, oh yeah, hurricane season has arrived. Can’t you feel them circling, honey?

Be careful out there.

Since A1A is now officially the Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway, let me quote the great beach bar balladeer: “Fruitcakes in the kitchen, fruitcakes on the street, Struttin’ naked through the crosswalk in the middle of the week.”

I don’t know about fruitcakes, but there is definitely a healthy dose of near-nakedness in the beach crossings along A1A. I guess some driver distractions are more welcome than others.

But I digress.

Let's start with hurricane season. There’s a mass preoccupation with what may be brewing offshore and what category an approaching storm will reach. Ice cream cone debates (one scoop or two) become less important — and far less chilling — than getting the scoop on the cone of a hurricane’s forecast track.

If you’ve never been through a hurricane, just know this: If one hits us, we’re in for a heap of misery.

So, stock up on water and other essentials, make sure your generator is ready if you have one, and get your emergency evacuation plan in order.

Be prepared out there.

And not just for hurricanes. Say, for instance, you go out for a refreshing dip in the ocean. As best as you can, choose lifeguarded areas when you’re at the beach and pay attention to signs warning of riptides and other dangers.

Be smart out there.

Take advantage of help that’s available to you. At the Boca Raton and Boynton inlets, safety has improved

thanks to life ring donations in May from the Aden Perry Foundation. It didn’t take long for one of the new arrivals to serve its purpose, during a Memorial Day rescue at the Boynton Inlet just weeks after it was placed there.

Then there’s the elephant on the island — A1A — with lots of crosswalks in some areas and none in others. Use them when you can.

But please, don’t try to be macho when crossing A1A. If the crosswalk has a button to make lights flash, press it. Also, no one will think less of you if you carry one of those orange flags — provided at some crosswalks — as you cross the road.

Remember: It’s not about your abilities; it’s about the abilities of the driver coming at you. Have you seen how some people drive lately? Anything that can draw attention to yourself as you cross the street is a good thing.

Last of all, for drivers, I realize you’re facing plenty of distractions that have nothing to do with the amount of clothing worn by beachgoers. Avoid the urge to catch a glimpse of the ocean or see what’s behind the gate of an estate you’re passing.

Depending on the day, it may feel like it takes all of your energy just to watch out for those ubiquitous A1A bicyclists. Maybe you’re taxed having to drive through a road construction project that has shifting lanes and is loaded with traffic barrels and heavy equipment.

No matter the circumstance, the advice is the same: Pay attention out there.

Sydney Michelin will be on a boat as a volunteer medic during the Bahamas-to-Lake Worth Beach Crossing for Cystic Fibrosis this month. She enjoys paddleboarding herself, here at Rutherford Park in Boca Raton. Michelin lost two cousins to cystic fibrosis when she was young. ’The challenges that they faced drove me to stay in the fight against CF,’ she says.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

— Larry Barszewski, Editor

By Kathleen Kernicky

After moving back to South Florida three years ago, Sydney Michelin was looking for a nonprofit where she could help others, advocate for a meaningful cause and volunteer her skills as a registered nurse.

Michelin, 30, who lives in Boca Raton, found a perfect fit as a volunteer at the ninth annual Crossing for Cystic Fibrosis this month. Participants on paddleboards and surf skis, or in kayaks, canoes and rowboats, will make an 81-mile ocean crossing from Bimini, Bahamas, to Lake Worth Beach, arriving June 22 after some 12 hours of travel following a midnight departure.

The Crossing benefits CF patients and their families through Piper’s Angels Foundation. The nonprofit was founded by paddler enthusiast Travis Suit after his daughter, Piper, 17, was diagnosed with CF at age 4.

An avid paddleboarder, Michelin will be assigned to a boat that provides medical support to paddlers and their accompanying boaters throughout the journey. It is her second trip as a Crossing volunteer.

“Obviously, it’s an intense physical and mental journey,” she said. “You’re watching for dehydration, exhaustion, injuries. Some of the paddlers have CF, so it’s also a way of being aware of their feelings and making sure you’re communicating with them.

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

“It can be an emotionally exhausting experience. You’re there to be a calm, steady presence.”

Michelin has a personal connection to cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that primarily attacks the lungs and digestive system. Two cousins died of CF when she was young. “The challenges that they faced drove me to stay in the fight against CF,” Michelin said.

Volunteering at the oceancrossing event and its annual gala at the Kravis Center is a way to “honor my cousins’ memory and support others living with the condition.”

A nurse for the past six years, Michelin works as an IVF coordinator at CCRM Fertility, a leading fertility treatment center based in Denver.

“I was drawn to fertility nursing because it blends science with compassion and advocacy in a way that is pretty unique. I’ve always been passionate about women’s health. The idea of being able to help someone build a family resonates with me,” Michelin said.

Her work in the medical field dovetails with her support of the CF community. As a fertility nurse she guides patients through the process of

genetic testing, which includes screening for CF and other genetic mutations.

“It made me more aware of the role genetics can play in our life,” she said. “It pushed me to look at my own genetics, given I have CF in my family. It deepened my empathy for the patients and the families.”

Michelin grew up in South Florida, graduating from St. Andrew’s School in Boca Raton before earning a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina. She played soccer in high school and during college.

“That shaped my love for teamwork and staying active,” said Michelin, who enjoys running and paddleboarding. “It’s my way of staying grounded and balanced outside of work.”

Volunteering offers a sense of purpose and connection.

“The Piper’s Angels Foundation came into my life for a reason that’s both a work purpose and personal,” she said. “You never know what people are fighting through. There are people out there who are paddling 81 miles in the ocean and fighting CF while they’re doing it. I look at myself in the mirror and think if they can do it, I can do it.

“I feel honored to be able to support people who are pushing themselves for such a meaningful cause. I am proud to contribute however I can.” P

For more information on the Crossing for Cystic Fibrosis, visit crossingforcysticfibrosis.com.

Along the Coast

Delray Beach poised to raise water rates again for Gulf Stream

By Steve Plunkett

Gulf Stream residents will face higher water bills this fall before the town switches its water provider from Delray Beach to Boynton Beach.

The town was already braced for Delray Beach’s expected boost from $4.49 per 1,000 gallons to $5.28 per 1,000 come Oct. 1. That long-planned 18% increase was part of Gulf Stream’s motivation to find a new provider.

But in a May 9 letter to Delray Beach city commissioners, Delray Beach City Manager Terrence Moore said Gulf Stream wants service to continue until October 2027 and that his utilities director

will “evaluate potential rate adjustments to offset increased service-related expenses.”

No dollar amount was given, and Gulf Stream Town Manager Greg Dunham said neither Moore nor Delray Beach Utilities Director Hassan Hadjimiry had contacted the town with a figure.

When Gulf Stream connects to Boynton Beach’s system, the cost to town customers will plummet to $3.75 per 1,000 gallons under a 25-year agreement the town and the city signed last fall.

But before that can happen, a water main must be laid from Seacrest Boulevard east along Gulfstream Boulevard to a connection just inside the

entrance to Place Au Soleil.

The main will be installed in conjunction with a roadway improvement project on Gulfstream Boulevard, which separates Boynton Beach and Delray Beach. Both cities are sharing the cost of improving the road.

“The most up-to-date estimate for this work to be completed is 18 months,” Dunham told Moore in an April 15 letter. “Thank you for continuing to provide water during this transition period.”

The water arrangement has soured relations between Delray Beach and Gulf Stream somewhat. Dunham has said the town first approached Moore in August 2022 to see if

he would lower the customary 25% surcharge that Gulf Stream was paying, the maximum the state allows.

But Delray Beach said no and encouraged the town to seek a better rate elsewhere.

“It was only at the Delray Beach city manager’s direction that the town started talking with the city of Boynton Beach and its utility department,” Dunham has said.

As recently as April 12, 2024, Assistant Town Attorney Trey Nazzaro said it looked like Gulf Stream would be renewing its contract with Delray Beach. But six days later Dunham told Moore that the town would switch its water provider to Boynton Beach.

And six days after that, Moore told Gulf Stream officials that the town would have to get off the city’s water system by June 17, 2025. He also said Gulf Stream “has

been on formal notice of the city’s intention not to renew the agreement since May of 2022, if not before.”

At the time, Delray Beach was charging the town $3.81 per 1,000 gallons.

Delray Beach is raising its water rates to pay for building a new water plant. The city says it can only afford a plant large enough to serve its own population, which is expected to grow by 7,000 residents.

Water payments from the newcomers will more than offset the money Gulf Stream has been paying.

Delray Beach has supplied Gulf Stream with water since at least 1976. It also provides fire rescue services for the town and until August 2022 handled its building permits.

Along with lower rates, Gulf Stream expects to get better water pressure from Boynton Beach once it connects. P

Letter to the Editor

Many Canadians don’t hate our government — and are happy to visit here

I have been a resident of the Seagate neighborhood for 26 years. My wife, Linda, and I are avid readers of The Coastal Star, which we think does an excellent job of informing us about what is going on in our beautiful coastal communities. It has always been refreshing to get our local news without the political bias and opinionated news of our mainstream media.

If you are going to write about people’s opinion [O Canada, Will You Still Come and Visit? — May 2025], you should cover both sides.

We know many Canadian visitors that are appalled by what is happening in their country and would love to live here in Florida all year round if they could. They tell us about the Canadian government’s failures — including affordability, housing, public debt, inflation, devalued currency, poor national health care, out-of-control immigration, decline into wokeness, failed global ideology, government’s overreach into citizens’ freedom and the politicization/weaponization of federally run institutions.

Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, had to resign due to his failures

and the discontent of the Canadian people.

Last year we were in Montreal and stayed at the W Hotel across from Victoria Park, where there was an anti-Israel encampment with antisemitic signs and banners. The statue of Queen Victoria in the park had been defaced. At McGill University there was a huge encampment with signs like “No Jews Allowed” and “Death to Israel.”

This lawlessness and racism would not be tolerated here in Florida. We are very fortunate to live in the greatest, freest, most prosperous nation on Earth. We are also blessed to live in a state that upholds law and order.

You should keep in mind that you are in a state and in a country whose people voted for our current government. It is Canadians’ choice to come to our beautiful, free and safe area — or not. They can stay in their country enduring their frigid winters if they wish. What you ignored is that for every Canadian that dislikes our government, there are many others that would love to live here and enjoy our way of life.

— Joe Carballosa Delray Beach

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.

Ocean Ridge

Commissioners OK design for new condo development

By John Pacenti

In the first Ocean Ridge development of a multifamily condominium in decades, town commissioners and the public embraced the design for the proposed condominium to grace a former co-op site.

The commissioners voted unanimously to approve the major site plan review for the property at 6855 N. Ocean Blvd. It is the first multifamily development since the early 1990s when the Portofino condominiums were built.

Commissioners praised the staff of the Building & Zoning Department for working with Ohio-based Edwards Companies and its associated contractors to address any concerns with the design.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had somebody come in front of us with [Building and Zoning] and the company, and everybody agrees and works together very well,” Vice Mayor Steve Coz

said at the commission’s May 5 meeting.

Mayor Geoff Pugh said, “This is exactly what the Town Commission has always strived to get people on [Building and Zoning] to do this type of work: detailed, comprehensive, and it’s just an impressive form of work.”

Edwards bought the since-

demolished co-op in October 2022 for $29 million. West

Palm Beach architect Keith Spina unveiled a four-story Dutch Colonial design to the commission that decreases the 22 units of the co-op to 15, plus garage parking, swimming pool and deck, resident bar/grill area, and interior amenities.

“It’s fantastic,” said Pugh,

noting how reducing the number of units reduced the density. Bryan Donahue, a land planner with Insite Studio, told the commission that the reduction in units means fewer daily trips on State Road A1A.

A rendering shows a structure in white with cobalt blue accent shutters and gables. Units have setback windows

with balconies. Spina said the designs were changed — at the town’s suggestion — from a more contemporary design so that the building more closely matches Ocean Ridge’s aesthetic.

“Our building is designed so that we can have a 10-foot ceiling in the master bedroom and in the living area,” Spina said.

The Ocean Club, next door, will have access to the fitness center at the new development. Ocean Club President Allen Weaver said there is agreement on shared parking spaces and an access road.

“We have a 60-year history of those properties — separate ownership yet common usage,” he said.

Resident Terry Brown, a former commissioner, praised developers for planning a crosswalk. “This property is going to be a wonderful property,” he said. P

Interim town manager now says she would like permanent position

By John Pacenti

In a surprise, Ocean Ridge Interim Town Manager

Michelle Heiser said she would be amenable to staying on in the position permanently.

Heiser’s comments at the

end of the Town Commission’s June 2 meeting came after she attended a municipal managers conference in Tallahassee at the end of May. Earlier in the month, she helped outline for commissioners a detailed process to find a permanent replacement.

Heiser said at the June 2 meeting that she came back from the conference with a handful of potential candidates who would be interested in the job. She then added her name to the mix.

“I completely understand if that’s not a fit in your eyes. It’s nothing personal, but I do want you to know that I’ve enjoyed working with each of you,” she said.

Mayor Geoff Pugh suggested that Heiser discuss a potential offer with Town Attorney Christy Goddeau. Commissioners have been effusive in praising Heiser — especially when it came to financial matters. Lynne Ladner, who resigned in April, struggled with the budget to the commissioners’ frustration.

Pugh said the beginning of the fiscal year 2026 budget process with Heiser has been like “night and day. A breath of fresh air.”

“I’ve worked closely with Michelle and her team, and it’s quite a difference,” Commissioner Ainar Aijala Jr. said.

Heiser has recommended a salary range of $180,000 to $270,000 — a significant increase from the current $144,000 base salary. “It gives you an opportunity to consider where they’re at within their lifespan of their professional career,” she said.

If the commission decides

to go in a different direction from Heiser, she helped outline a plan in choosing a permanent replacement, including roundrobin interviews with elected leaders and a final public interview.

Commissioners emphasized the importance of finding a candidate with strong financial management skills. “We want somebody who understands how to budget and manage a budget process,” Aijala said.

The search comes with some constraints, including mandatory considerations for veterans’ preference in hiring even if there is one desired candidate the town wanted to recruit.

The commissioners stressed flexibility in their search, acknowledging that the perfect candidate might not meet every initial criterion.

“I don’t want to overweigh what we think is most important, so they self-select against coming,” Aijala said. “I might be willing to take somebody with less financial background if they were an incredible superstar.”

The town lost some candidates during its last search for a town manager because it didn’t pay enough for travel reimbursement.

“We should pay reasonable travel,” Aijala said. P

Ocean Ridge commissioners unanimously endorsed the site plan for a 15-unit condominium at the former home of a co-op at 6855 N. Ocean Blvd. Rendering provided

Heiser

Continued from page 1

awareness.”

On that Wednesday morning in May, Hicks began with a very simple statement.

“I press the button for a living,” he said, and then he filled the big white screen at his back with some of the marvelous images that buttonpressing had captured.

When he showed the students a hundred-foot wave curling before a fiery sunrise, they oohed.

And when he revealed that in fact that wave was really only two feet high, shot in only a few feet of water off Boca Raton’s Red Reef Park one morning, they gasped in amazement.

A gray triggerfish is not the cutest of creatures, and to see one close up, swimming straight for Hicks’ camera by the Boca Inlet, brought startled “oohs.”

•

“A lot of times I’ve spent 21/2 hours to get close,” he explained. “I’m in their habitat, so I let them have their space. I spent three days in North Florida waiting for manatees.”

He showed them the manatees those three days had earned him.

“I also use drones,” he said, and took the students high above the curving coastline of Costa Rica, and then had them look down on tiny sea turtles swimming far below in clear Indonesian waters.

The students learned that the beak of a macaw, photographed only a few feet away, can be a beautifully unnerving thing. And they oohed.

And then the screen was filled with an anonymous couple seated at a rustic table, with one of Hicks’ most popular prints, a baby loggerhead sea turtle, hanging on the wall above.

He’d happened on it in a hotel during a trip to Costa Rica last October. The hotel’s owner had found it online and enlarged it.

“He was a little embarrassed when I told him I’d taken the picture,” Hicks said, “but I told him it was all right, and then I signed the photo.”

• Raised in Venice, Ben Hicks arrived at Florida Atlantic University in 1998 to pursue a degree in audiology. He’d had ear surgery as a child, so that seemed a sensible career.

Six months later, he switched to graphic design. And then he found photography.

“I borrowed my sister’s camera to shoot my surfer friends,” he recalled. “This was freshman year, she was still in high school, and that Christmas I asked for a camera and got a Canon EOS Rebel.”

In college he had a design internship at a local advertising agency and was offered a fulltime job when he graduated in 2003. “But I quickly found out the cubicle life was not for me.”

• Hicks stayed at the agency a year to learn the business, and then he hit the road.

“I packed my truck and drove

around the country for three months first, exploring where I wanted to go.”

He surfed the Pacific coast, did freelance work with a Canon 10D, his first digital camera, and found work as a mechanic in a San Diego bike shop.

Back in Boca Raton by 2005, he bought a casing to keep his camera dry underwater, and when a friend invited him to shoot sea turtles, he found his calling.

In 2008, the Friends of Gumbo Limbo, now called the Coastal Stewards, invited Hicks to display his work at their Sea Turtle Day, and he began selling his photos in their gift shop.

Today he has 43 retailers throughout the Southeast.

His work has appeared in both National Geographic magazine and on the Disney Channel.

His cinematography for the PBS documentary Troubled Waters: A Turtle’s Tale won an Emmy, and he was part of the team that created We’re All Plastic People Now, also for PBS, which won another.

Come July he’ll be in Mexico, to surf and photograph more turtles.

And he does all this without scuba diving.

“I had scar tissue from the ear operations, so growing up they said I shouldn’t scuba dive because it would create pressure in my ears,” he said. “I’m pretty

much deaf in my right ear, so I only use a mask, snorkel and fins. That keeps it simple. I can walk the beach with my gear.”

•

“Who knows what jellyfish look like in the water?”

“Translucent,” one student called out.

“Plastic bags,” another said.

“That’s right,” Hicks told them, and now he’d arrived at the real reason he was there that morning.

“Sea turtles eat jellyfish,” he said, “and they can mistake plastic bags for jellyfish.”

On the right side of the screen, a green sea turtle approached a plastic bag on the left.

“Six years ago, it finally happened,” Hicks said. “I’ve been shooting since 2006, and in 2019 I was shooting this turtle and a plastic bag floats in.”

He pressed the button, then grabbed the bag before the turtle could eat it.

“PLASTIC KILLS,” the screen told the students.

“How long does plastic last in the ocean?” he asked. “Anybody know? A minimum of 1,000 years.”

He showed them a photo of a dead 4-inch baby turtle next to hundreds of plastic pieces found inside it.

“Thousands of baby turtles leave our coast every morning in [nesting] season,” he explained, “and plastic is found in their

awareness,” he said. “You don’t know the shot that will really impact people on how they care about the environment, but a lot of people tell me, ‘I’ve never been in the ocean before.’ And then they see a baby turtle.”

“Pick up trash on the beach,” he encouraged the students. “Carry your water in a reusable bottle. Bring your own straw.

“You guys are the next generation,” he said. “It’s important that you guys know our planet needs your help at all times.”

• When the long, loud, enthusiastic applause had died down for the man who’s pretty much deaf in his right ear, the students said they had heard him perfectly.

“I heard a lot about how we can take care of the ocean,” said Alora Kuzzy, 12, a seventhgrader from Greenacres. “There are things we can change by what we buy and reusable items and cleaning the beach.”

Dylan Urrutia, 13, a seventhgrader from Delray Beach, said, “He showed me how even a little plastic can hurt a turtle. And how much plastic is in them.

“The photos were really impressive and hard to take, but they told a great story.”

• Last October, Hicks traveled to Tortuguero, Costa Rica, hoping to photograph a jaguar preying on a sea turtle.

“They’re not a threat to humans,” he told the students, “but jaguars roam the beach along the rainforest, where the mother turtles return to lay their eggs on the same beach where they were born.”

stomach. Most of the time, the plastic breaks down into small pieces that are easier for turtles to eat, unfortunately.”

Ask Hicks for the one shot he longs to get, that single photo that eludes him, and he says it’s not about the shot. It’s about the viewers’ reaction.

“For me, that one shot is the one that will impact the most to bring environmental

One night, Hicks got unlucky. The jaguar appeared, coming toward him out of the jungle, but he couldn’t get a camera out of his backpack fast enough, and went home with only an unfocused, badly lit shot with his iPhone.

“I’ll be back this year,” he promised. P

To see more examples of Ben Hicks’ nature photography, visit benjhicks.com.

TOP: The majority of Ben Hicks’ portfolio deals with sea turtles, with many of the photos from near his home, including this loggerhead hatchling shot in Boca Raton. ABOVE: Hicks ended his session at St. Vincent Ferrer by taking a selfie with students and staff. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Along the Coast

New state law aims to end random stops of boats by police

By Rich Pollack

Boaters will be less likely to have an encounter with law enforcement come July as the result of Florida’s new Boater Freedom Act.

Currently law enforcement officers can stop boats to conduct safety and marine sanitation inspections without having evidence that a violation of the law has taken place.

Under the new legislation, officers will need to have reason to believe that vessel safety laws

RINGS

Continued from page 1

Scholarship Fund — has so far donated some 500 life rings to municipalities and counties throughout the state.

The life rings began appearing in Palm Beach County parks in May — National Water Safety Month.

In addition, Perry said her organization is in discussions with Boynton Beach and Delray Beach fire departments about adding more ring stations in city-owned waterfront parks.

have been violated. A violation of marine safety laws may only be considered a secondary offense.

State Rep. Peggy GossettSeidman, R-Boca Raton, a boater, says that there was a belief, especially among longtime responsible boaters, that some of the inspections were unnecessary.

“The overwhelming feeling is that there were probably too many random stops,” said Gossett-Seidman, who voted for the law. “Now the focus is on real rule breakers.”

Paddleboarders rescued

The rings are already proving to be worth their salt.

The ones at Ocean Inlet Park in Boynton Beach arrived close to a year after 8-year-old Saul Cerrato-Vasquez of West Palm Beach drowned there, falling into the inlet’s dangerous waters while on an early morning fishing outing with his father on June 13, 2024.

On Memorial Day, one of the new Aden Perry life rings was used during a rescue there.

At about 1 p.m. May 26, Palm Beach County Fire

Under the provisions of the law, marine officers will have the authority to inspect for the necessary safety equipment and licenses should a boat be stopped for another violation.

The required equipment includes engine cut-off switches, personal flotation devices, visual distress signals, fire extinguishers, and backfire flame controls.

The proper number of life vests is one of the priorities, and Florida law also requires that all children under 6 must wear a personal flotation device.

Rescue responded to a 911 call reporting two “distressed” paddleboarders.

Teams from both the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit and Ocean Rescue pulled the paddleboarders out of the typically strong current, with one of them transported to a hospital. No serious injuries were reported.

A video of the incident, which was sent to Perry, shows one of the Boynton Inlet’s three life rings being used by one of the rescued paddleboarders.

“The ring did exactly what

While the effect of the law will not be felt for several months, leaders of at least one local law enforcement agency say they don’t expect major changes in the way the marine unit operates.

“The new law won’t have a big impact because our focus is on speed reduction education and manatee zone enforcement,” said Highland Beach Police Chief Craig Hartmann.

The town’s marine unit, he said, will continue to educate boaters on safety requirements and perform inspections if a

it was supposed to do — help someone who fell into rough water,” Perry said. “This is why we’re doing what we’re doing.”

At a May 1 unveiling ceremony at South Inlet Park in Boca Raton, county rescue personnel performed a mock rescue using a life ring, which is mounted on a stand that is accessible to anyone — whether that person is walking or in a wheelchair, Perry said.

The ring, manufactured by Datrex, which is based in Kinder, Louisiana, is made of low-density polyethylene. The company website describes the material as one that provides “superior life expectancy in the most severe environments.”

The rings cost about $140 apiece, according to the Datrex website.

Aden’s message

Perry said she raises the money to pay for life rings from people and companies all across the country. The Aden Perry Foundation partnered with the Palm Beach County Parks & Recreation Department, for example, to place the most recent rings along county waterways.

Each life ring bears a small patch containing a photo of Aden Perry and a message

boat is stopped for speeding or other violations.

In addition to requiring probable cause before an inspection can take place, the law will require the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to create Florida Freedom Boater decals that can be placed on a boat that has completed a safety inspection.

The decal, Gossett-Seidman said, will let law enforcement and others know that the operator is a responsible boater.

“This is very decent legislation,” she said. P

that says: “A hero is a person of distinguished courage and ability, admired for their brave deeds and noble qualities in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”

The rings look like those you might see on cruise ships or cargo vessels, Perry said, adding that when she looked out over the rocks and breaking waves at the Boca Inlet, she was reminded of how quickly water can turn deadly.

“It hits me every time,” she said.

Sarah and Aden Perry had been walking the family dog along a retention pond in Sunrise on the night of the 2022 incident. They saw a driver lose control of his car, crash into a tree, and land in the water. Aden Perry jumped into the pond to help, but he hit a rock and both he and the driver — an 18-yearold man — drowned.

The Carnegie Institute presented Sarah Perry with a posthumous hero medal for her son in August 2023. The organization honors selfless acts of heroism in civilian life in the United States and Canada.

Sarah Perry had begun on her mission to provide life rings and scholarships to Florida parks in February 2023. The first of them were installed along Coral Springs waterways.

“Aden was very bright and wanted to be a neurosurgeon,” Sarah Perry said. “He just wanted to help people. Our foundation’s motto is: ‘It’s great to be brilliant, but it’s more important to be kind.’” P

Aden Perry drowned while trying to rescue a car crash victim. Photo provided

Delray Beach Political tumult erupts over whistleblower complaint

Code enforcement issues at center of controversy

By John Pacenti

The Delray Beach City Commission is reeling as a leaked document, social media outrage, and defiant statements followed the revelation that a whistleblower complaint had been filed over the potential strong-arming of a new city director over a code violation at a popular restaurant.

The whistleblower complaint remains sealed while an independent investigation is conducted, but a redacted page from it, under the subject “Code Enforcement Concerns,” has been leaked to The Coastal Star Trouble in the Code Enforcement Division first surfaced in October when an officer was arrested and charged with shaking down a resident selling ribs out of his home — the case remains open, though state prosecutors so far have declined to file charges.

Then it came to light that a supervisor had liens removed

from a home she owned after resolving long-standing code violations—without alerting city officials that it was her property.

The supervisor resigned in February.

An investigation by the city’s Human Resources Department didn’t look at the arrest of the officer or the allegations of conflict of interest by the supervisor until Commissioner Juli Casale insisted.

Whatever problems were lurking in Code Enforcement were supposed to be excised by the hiring of Jeri Pryor as the director of Neighborhood and Community Services, who oversees the division.

Leaked document

But now it is Pryor who has filed the whistleblower complaint in the form of an email to City Attorney Lynn Gelin, sources say.

The City Commission at a special meeting on April 29 instructed Gelin to retain a private firm to investigate the whistleblower allegations. Gelin told commissioners the allegations are exempt from public disclosure and that no

Delray Beach News

New fluoride law forces city to change direction — Delray Beach City Manager Terrence Moore told city commissioners at their May 20 meeting that the city is preparing to halt the fluoridation of its water supply by July 1 following Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signing of a bill prohibiting the additive.

The Florida Legislature passed SB 700 after the DeSantis administration used data that it said showed an impact on cognitive function for children who drank water with fluoride. Those studies, however, were from India, where the concentration of fluoride was much higher than that used in the United States.

DeSantis dispatched Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo to try to convince municipalities to ban fluoride earlier this year. But after hearing from dentists in February, the Delray Beach City Commission voted 3-2 to continue the practice of adding fluoride to the city’s water supply.

However, with the new law, the state has preempted self-rule for municipalities on the issue, joining Utah in banning the additive.

Moore told commissioners the city will save $100,000 in capital equipment costs related to fluoride treatment and another $100,000 in annual cost savings.

Proponents of fluoridation of the public water supply — a decades-long practice — have long argued that fluoride helps prevent tooth decay.

New driver’s license policy emerges after train-fire truck collision — One of the consequences of a Delray Beach fire truck’s collision with a Brightline train on Dec. 28 was the revelation that 10 of the city’s Fire Rescue employees had allowed their driver’s licenses to lapse in recent years.

Under a new policy, employees who operate city vehicles or receive car allowances must sign a consent form for continuous license monitoring, City Manager Terrence Moore told the City Commission in his May 15 information letter. Human Resources will be responsible for maintaining and supporting all related sensitive information.

The firefighter at the wheel of the December crash — David Wyatt — had his license suspended for a period in 2023 when he failed to attend a mandated class after he ran his vehicle into a tree on an Atlantic Avenue median.

In the train crash, Brightline video shows the aerial fire truck Wyatt was driving going around lowered train crossing gates before being struck. Wyatt has since been fired.

The suspended driver’s licenses among Fire Rescue employees led briefly to the paid suspensions of Assistant Chief Kevin Green and Division Chief Todd Lynch before an independent investigation found that city policy was really to blame.

— John Pacenti

one should be talking about the matter while it is under investigation.

Vice Mayor Rob Long recused himself from the discussion and vote on hiring an outside firm to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, but he did not elaborate at that time on the reason for his decision.

The redacted email that was leaked does not show Pryor’s name but is from a city director — overseeing code issues — who started Jan. 21. That’s the same date that Pryor was to begin her new position, according to City Manager Terrence Moore’s Jan. 10 Commission Information Letter about her hiring.

“I regret to inform you that I am sending this email to address conflicting directions I have received,” the whistleblower writes in the email to Gelin dated April 29. When contacted for comment by The Coastal Star, Pryor deferred any questions to a city spokeswoman.

In the email, Pryor said she took the job that oversees the Code Enforcement Division “despite the division’s unfavorable public history.”

Moore, according to the email, called her on Feb. 20 to talk about a local restaurant, Dada, which had been issued a violation for using an A-frame sign for its valet services. Pryor said she told Moore that code enforcement officers were cracking down on all businesses that were using the A-frame signs, which are not allowed.

Dada is a restaurant owned by Rodney Mayo and has been a mainstay of downtown for nearly a quarter century. His Subculture coffee shop on Federal Highway has also been the subject of much discussion by commissioners regarding alleged code violations. It was a topic in a heated commission workshop, also held on April 29.

Though Long’s name does not appear in the unredacted portion of the email that was leaked, he has issued a statement — in response to The Coastal Star questions — that he was on the Feb. 20 phone call with the city manager and the employee.

After a five-line redaction in the leaked email that comes as the phone call is being mentioned, the whistleblower wrote to Gelin: “I am only doing what I was told to do and it sounded like selective enforcement and I won’t do that.”

Moore then told her to “be more educational and not automatically issue notice of violations,” according to the email.

Long’s statement

Long’s statement to The Coastal Star said an accusation contained in the whistleblower complaint — one that is not visible on the redacted page — that he threatened the job of the employee with the phrase “if

you want to stay here” is false.

“To be clear: I have never — and would never — threaten a city employee or direct staff outside of the City Manager or City Attorney, and only then as part of commission consensus,” he wrote. “I remain committed to integrity, transparency, and serving the people of Delray Beach.”

Long said the call in question was initiated by Moore while he was meeting with the city manager in person.

“I was completely caught off guard by the accusation, which was made over two months after the referenced conversation,” he said.

Long said the complaint has been “weaponized” with details — exempt from public disclosure — made available to the media.

“The whistleblower process exists to protect people from retaliation when serious wrongdoing occurs — not to be used as a vehicle for malicious attacks cloaked in confidentiality,” Long said. “Undermining that process threatens its credibility when it truly matters.”

Mayo, in an interview, said that his businesses are caught in the political crossfire. “This whole thing has absolutely nothing to do with Subculture, right? We are caught in the middle,” he said.

The perception, Mayo said, that he and Long are best friends and “doing all this bad stuff” is false. He said commissioners Long and Angela Burns responded to his efforts to reach out to the city to solve any code issues with the coffee shop. “Obviously, I met with Rob. I met with Angela right away,” Mayo said.

Mayor Tom Carney, at the April 29 workshop, accused the staff of “subverting the will” of the consensus of the commission when it came to Subculture. The mayor said staff was directed in January to come back to the commission, but instead instituted a new occupational use for the establishment.

Previous complaint

Though never officially named by the city as the whistleblower, Pryor has been the subject of social media posts after the announcement by Carney that the complaint had been filed.

A 2024 newspaper article surfaced about Pryor when she was working as chief of staff for Fort Lauderdale Commissioner Warren Sturman. She filed a complaint against Commissioner Steve Glassman there for using an expletive in her presence on Jan. 9, 2024, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel Sturman told the outside investigator that Pryor used stationery with his letterhead — on which she wrote her complaint — without his

permission. Pryor accused Glassman of “violent, hostile and aggressive behavior.”

The investigator ended up recommending that the Fort Lauderdale City Commission adopt a code of conduct, concluding that Glassman’s comments did not constitute harassment or bullying.

Delray Beach social media erupted over the posting of that story.

“I’m deeply concerned that someone is trying to expose and discredit the whistleblower in the matter involving a Delray Beach City Commissioner — before any investigation has even started,” Ingrid Lee, administrator of the Facebook group Delray Matters, posted.

“It suggests someone in power is trying to shut this down before the truth comes out.”

Reaction to leak

The leaked confidential document took center stage during the commissioners’ statements at their May 6 regular meeting.

Commissioner Tom Markert suggested using a polygraph to determine who on the dais or immediate staff leaked the document to The Coastal Star

“When we have material breaches like this, we need to get to the bottom of it — however we have to do it,” he said.

Burns said the “breach, in my opinion, was not an accident. It was willful, premeditated and intended to cause harm. It was the equivalent of placing individuals before a firing squad.”

Casale said that the leaked document had additional redactions and asked for an investigation by the city attorney. “So someone took it, altered it, and sent it out to people with the sole purpose of impacting the whistleblower,” she said. “I am absolutely shocked.”

Casale said the additional redactions were “pretty telling.”

Long felt Casale was saying he was behind the leak and pointed the finger back at his political rival. “You see in the press who has lots of quotes about things we are not supposed to talk about,” he said.

Casale shot back, “If I leaked it I wouldn’t have taken your name out of it.” There was further sniping between the rivals at the May 20 meeting over who leaked the complaint.

In a May 15 memo to the commission, Gelin said her staff ran an email search and determined the whistleblower email was “forwarded” by Carney, Deputy Vice Mayor Burns and Moore. The memo does not say to whom they forwarded the email.

Gelin said her staff could not determine who disseminated the redacted version of the complaint that deleted the reference to Long on the city’s computer server. P

VALUES

Continued from page 1

Manager Jamie Titcomb said the town’s taxable value — which comes overwhelmingly from aging condos — is finally feeling the impact of the 2021 Surfside condominium collapse and costly new state regulations that came about because of it.

“I think this is the first time we’re actually seeing those numbers reflected in the property appraiser’s assessment,” Titcomb said.

Healthy growth

Still, while County Property Appraiser Dorothy Jacks’ report is not as glowing as in the past few years, other communities had to be pleased with what they were hearing from her office, which will continue to refine the numbers until they are finalized at the end of June.

“While overall taxable value continues to increase, the rate of increase has slowed compared to last year,” Jacks said as she released the June 1 taxable value estimates.

The countywide increase of 7.7% from 2024 to 2025 was down from the previous year’s 10% but is still a healthy rate of growth.

Jacks provided a snapshot of the market to the County Commission on April 22 while her office was still tabulating the data.

She was surprised to see that $5.4 billion in new construction was added to the tax rolls this year on top of $5.1 billion in 2024.

That includes the

Communities see increased taxable values

The 2025 preliminary tax roll for Palm Beach County shows rising taxable values — based on higher values for existing properties plus new construction — for all cities and towns except South Palm Beach, which saw its taxable value drop.

SOURCE: Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s Office

construction of 2,700 singlefamily homes, while 22 new apartment complexes with a total of 3,773 units also were built, she said.

The number of home sales declined 3% in 2024, but the median sales price for singlefamily homes increased 6%, according to Jacks’ office.

Condo market

Similarly, condo sales were down but values increased slightly, Jacks said.

Despite fears that condo values would tank because of changes enacted after the Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside, Jacks said that is not evident in Palm Beach County. Last year, she had expected a decline in condo values over the next few years.

“We are in good shape in the condo market,” she said. She acknowledged, however, that prospective condo buyers aren’t

South Palm Beach

By Hannah Spence

acting blindly and are looking carefully at the adequacy of reserve accounts and insurance coverage.

In South Palm Beach, Titcomb said his town was hurt because it doesn’t have the mix of residential and commercial properties more typical in county municipalities. The town is almost exclusively condominiums — just under 1,900 condos and only four single-family homes — and most of the condos are old, dating as far back as the 1950s, he said.

Those buildings now must comply with the recent state laws that require inspections and adequate reserve accounts to pay for repairs. That has resulted in higher maintenance fees and special assessments, prompting potential buyers to seek price reductions.

Even with the drop in value, the town’s tax rate may not

increase.

“I have no intention of proposing an increase in the rate,” Titcomb said.

The last time a county municipality faced a drop in its taxable value was 12 years ago. In 2013, values dropped in four municipalities — including Briny Breezes — which were still experiencing the lingering effects of the Great Recession.

“In 2006-2007, values ballooned due to the housing market bubble and in 2008, values in Palm Beach County declined across the board when the housing market crashed,” Becky Robinson, public information officer for the Property Appraiser’s Office, said in an email. “Some municipalities continued to see declines in taxable value year over year through 2013, which was the last year that we saw that. After that, all saw taxable value gains until this year.”

Values affect tax rates

Of the county’s 39 towns and cities, Boca Raton continues to have the highest total taxable value of $40.1 billion, followed by Palm Beach’s $34.4 billion.

Taxable value increases are great news for municipal leaders as they work to finalize their budgets for the new fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1.

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

An increase in taxable value means they will collect more money from property owners if they keep their tax rate the same

as the previous year.

Unless governments lower their tax rate, homeowners will face higher property tax bills at a time when inflation and rising interest rates are straining family budgets.

To prevent a tax increase entirely, elected officials would have to use the “rolled-back” rate, which state law requires them to calculate. That rate would generate the same amount of property tax revenue as the previous year, not counting taxes that come from new construction.

Municipalities seldom go to the rolled-back rate — though Delray Beach did last year — because they all face rising costs. For example, Boca Raton, a rapidly growing city with resident demand for quality services, usually lowers its tax rate by a minuscule amount, which allows city leaders to say they have cut the rate while still benefiting from increased revenue.

Homeowners with homesteaded properties, however, don’t feel the full brunt of rising property values because state law caps the taxable value increase to 3%. Non-homesteaded properties are capped at 10%. The taxable value numbers are based on market conditions as of Jan. 1, so they do not reflect any changes in 2025. The final figures will be submitted to the Florida Department of Revenue at the end of this month. Local governments set their property tax rates in September. P

Larry Barszewski contributed to this story.

Council goes with two-story option for Town Hall

The South Palm Beach Town Council decided at its May meeting to construct a twostory Town Hall instead of a three-story one — while facing opposition from a handful of residents who insisted that renovating the existing structure was all that was needed.

“It doesn’t seem necessary as of right now,” said Olga Serafimova, who was among a group of about 20 residents who attended the regular Town Council meeting on May 16. “Lots of buildings in our area are a lot older than that. Nobody thinks of tearing them down.”

However, according to Town Manager Jamie Titcomb, a new building is necessary — and he said the town has the data to prove it.

“It has been determined through multiple studies contracted out by the town over several years that the current facilities were beyond useful functionality and condition,” said Titcomb.

A renovation of the current building would automatically trigger upgrades needed to meet the current Florida Building

Code and more recent FEMA regulations. The cost and rehabilitation studies done prior to the pandemic, along with significant code and FEMA regulation changes, make renovation of the current facility untenable, Titcomb said. Links to multiple assessment study reports performed on the existing facilities for the town can be viewed on the “Town Hall” tab on the town’s website, www.southpalmbeach.com.

For about five months, CPZ Architects — the company hired to design the project — has held individual meetings with each council member where it discussed matters such as

building design and identifying the project scope.

According to a financial report presented at the May 16 meeting, the town has the $6 million to $6.5 million that has been identified as conceptually needed for the project and that no additional taxation of residents would be required. The available money is taxpayer dollars that have been saved over the years with the intent of putting the money toward the Town Hall.

Council member Sandy Beckett admitted she used to be among those who felt the existing Town Hall could be renovated, but she now agrees

with her colleagues that it’s time for a new building.

“First of all, to make it more attractive and more modern,” said Beckett. “Some people expressed we don’t need a place for meetings and such, but we do try to promote community involvement and events, so we certainly want some space for that.”

Joe Barry, vice president of CPZ Architects, said his firm is very early on in the conceptual design. The difference between the two-story and three-story building options was roughly 1,500 square feet, with the twostory model costing roughly a million dollars less than the three-story option.

“Obviously there are going to be some people who aren’t happy with the decision,” said Beckett. “But hopefully, as time goes on and this building evolves and we make other decisions, there will be more input that will help us to design a building that everybody will be happy with.”

About an hour and a half into the meeting, resident Rafael Pineiro said he was appalled that none of the council members had made a single comment about what would happen with the existing turtle sculpture now at Town Hall.

Mayor Bonnie Fischer, responding about what is to be included or excluded at the new Town Hall, said Pineiro’s “statements are conjecture, not factual, as decisions on these matters have not even been made to date. However, the Town Council has indicated all along that the turtle sculpture and the memorial bricks will be utilized in the new town campus.”

Also, Fischer said, the Town Council will determine all final configurations and amenities of the new Town Hall design that gets bid out to contractors. P

A preliminary design shows a two-story Town Hall. The council also looked at three-story proposals. Rendering provided

Council to consider allowing sargassum removal from town beach

By Mary Thurwachter

It’s that time of year again when beachgoers arrive at the Lantana shoreline to find large swaths of seaweed blanketing the sand. It leaves little, if any, space to park a chair or spread a beach blanket.

Called sargassum, the goldenbrown seaweed is unsightly, smelly and sends many wouldbe sunbathers to nearby, more frequently raked beaches such as in Lake Worth Beach or alongside Boynton Beach.

Lantana has been grappling with the problem for years and it’s getting worse.

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

But leaders may have different ideas now with newcomer Jesse Rivero on the Town Council. Rivero defeated 21-year incumbent Council member Lynn “Doc” Moorhouse in the March election and is very proraking. In April, he asked that the town reconsider its raking policy and for the topic to be put on a future agenda.

Sargassum removal will be an agenda item at the town’s June 9

meeting, but in advance of that, Town Manager Brian Raducci invited Marc Fichtner, the town’s marine safety supervisor, to talk about the problem at the council’s May 12 meeting.

Fichtner is at the beach almost daily, talks to beachgoers and has firsthand knowledge of conditions, Raducci said. And Fichtner has consulted with experts.

“We’re seeing an increase in sargassum at Lantana Beach,” Fichtner said. “It kind of disproportionately affects us because we’ve got 750 feet of beach and you’ve got the high tide mark at 10 to 15 yards wide at a max,” leaving only a thin strip for sunbathers, he said. “We’ve been getting increasing complaints from patrons on the beach. I just wanted to let you

all know what I researched and what I came up with.”

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

“It’s the most there’s ever been on record,” Fichtner said. “At some point, whether that’s June, July or August, it’s going to hit our beach.”

Fichtner said erosion wouldn’t be much of a problem because the dunes in Lantana are behind the sea walls. What would be a serious concern, however, would be the bacteria that form from rotting sargassum. “One of the biggest things with that is hydrogen sulfide and ammonia produced

by decomposing sargassum, which is toxic to animals and people as well,” Fichtner said.

Raking the beach could prevent that, he said.

Sargassum can trap small sea turtles and removing it decreases the mortality of hatchlings, he said.

“Raking also removes litter and pollutants that get caught up in the sargassum, which is one of the big issues we’ve been having,” he said. “We get a lot of trash in the sargassum. It also increases beach usability, limits insect infestation and prevents small turtles from exposure to toxic gases.”

As long as the town has proper permits and secures the go-ahead from sea turtle experts, the process can be started, Fichtner said. “It’s

doable. It’s sustainable. It doesn’t have much of a — or any — negative impact on the beach.”

Mayor Karen Lythgoe said she thought the council was in favor of doing something about the problem.

“It is very controversial,” Lythgoe said. “It’s always been happening, and it always will. There are some downsides to it.”

She asked Raducci to find out what raking would cost on an “as needed basis,” and what kind of disposal would be best.

Vice Mayor Kem Mason said something needs to be done. “This will only get worse,” he said. “It’s been growing for 20 years. The problem is not going away.”

Rivero, a fireman with Palm Beach County Fire Rescue based in Manalapan, said he is 100% for raking as often as weekly during the summer.

“I go walking on the beach regularly,” he said. “It’s very therapeutic and it keeps me in good shape. I just see throughout the season what’s going on and that (not raking) is not doing any good for the beach. Aesthetically and health wise, everything would be so much better for everybody” if the beach were raked during the summer months. P

Lantana’s policy is to leave sargassum alone, but the record amount forecast prompted the town to seek expert input on whether to rake its beach (above). Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Along the Coast Brightline’s new commuter pass comes with higher price

By Mary Hladky

One year after discontinuing its commuter pass, Brightline once again is offering one to South Floridians who had used the original pass to get lowercost fares.

But the rides now cost more, which undoubtedly displeases commuters who had relied on the old pass to afford transportation from homes in one city to jobs in another, or those who want to use the trains frequently for other reasons.

Boca Raton riders were shocked that the pass was eliminated June 1, 2024, telling City Council members this was a “declaration of war against commuters” and a “bait-andswitch.”

A reprieve seemed in

the offing on Jan. 10, when Brightline announced that it expected to launch a new commuter pass in March.

But nothing happened until May 6, when the high-speed rail line unveiled new multiride passes. However, the 40ride pass best suited to regular commuters was shockingly more expensive than the original one.

That pass for travel anywhere between Miami and West Palm Beach cost $899, or nearly $22.50 per one-way ride and $45 round trip. The original $399 pass cost $10 one way and $20 round trip. Riders, needless to say, did not like it.

Ten days later, Brightline announced “the return of the commuter pass.” The 40-ride option had been reduced to

$599, or just under $15 per ride. There’s a caveat: “Passes are available in limited quantities, while supplies last,” the company said.

The change, Brightline said, was “based on guest feedback” and would “add even more value for our most frequent and loyal riders with deeper savings.”

Brightline officials did not respond directly to a question from The Coastal Star about whether customer complaints had prompted the change.

“We always continue to refine product offerings to try and match the needs of our guests and the demand for the offering,” spokeswoman Ashley Blasewitz said in an email.

Brightline has insisted since its inception that it is not a commuter rail line. The goal was

to offer much more profitable long-haul service to and from South Florida and Orlando. And yet, when Brightline expanded service beyond Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach to build stations in Boca Raton and Aventura, it became a de facto commuter line for many riders.

Brightline de-prioritized those passengers one year ago when it eliminated the old pass and prioritized those going to and from Orlando. Since then, short-haul ridership has declined while long-distance ridership has increased substantially.

April long-distance ridership was up 20% compared to April 2024 and short-distance ridership was down 3%, according to Brightline’s April

revenue and ridership report. The report mainly attributed the short-distance decline to the elimination of the original commuter pass.

Another potential problem for commuters is that train schedules are not set in stone. Brightline can eliminate certain trains but leaves open the option of adding them back to the schedule. So a rider who relies on a specific departure time might have to switch to a less convenient time.

“Our schedules change quite regularly depending on demand for certain times/availability of trains,” Blasewitz wrote.

People who have prepurchased a ticket on a train that is eliminated or whose departure time is changed are notified. P

Seaplanes can’t dock in Lantana — The Lantana Town Council unanimously voted to amend its ordinances May 12 to prohibit the docking or tying up of seaplanes or flying boats — seaplanes with a fuselage designed as a hull, allowing them to operate on water — to any pier or dock in Lantana. The amendment aims to address concerns related to safety, noise, and compatibility with existing land and water uses.

The change was made as part of an ongoing review of regulatory provisions and was reviewed and unanimously approved by the Planning Commission on May 8.

Free smoke detectors — Lantana residents who signed up by last month’s deadline will get free smoke and carbon monoxide alarm installations from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 14 in their homes. To learn more about the program, call 561-6167034.

Pickleball court survey

The town is conducting a survey to collect feedback on the proposed conversion of the north tennis courts at the corner of Iris Avenue and South Lake Drive to pickleball courts. Participation will help the town better understand the community’s needs and preferences for court usage. The project involves converting the two existing tennis courts into six pickleball courts.

To take the survey, visit s.surveyplanet.com/kf46cyhl

Budget talks to begin — Lantana will hold its first budget workshop beginning at 5:30 p.m. June 9 in the council chambers at 500 Greynolds Circle. — Mary Thurwachter

10 Questions

From

Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea to Jimmy Buffett’s Son of a Son of a Sailor, the romanticism of the job of a fishing captain has become firmly established in American lore. Having lived that life for about 20 years, Rodman “Rock” Leas can testify that the experience is all it’s cracked up to be.

“I loved the ocean,” said Leas, 67, a Hypoluxo Island resident whose fish stories nowadays occur only when he joins friends to charter a boat about once a month.

“I explored the out islands of the Bahamas when nobody could get there, when they were untouched except for the natives. Later on, I heard Jimmy Buffett went to those places and all the yachts followed him there. So, I’m pleased I was able to get to those places when it wasn’t that way.”

Socializing while coming of age around Palm Beach, Leas had plenty of temptations to take a different path.

“There was a bar called the 24 Club, and my friends would start there and would go out the back door and head to the Marakesh to go dancing,” he said. “I knew if I went out the back door I’d be up until 4 in the morning, and if I went out the front door, I’d be up at 6. I always wanted to fish, and it kept me out of trouble.

“That’s why I support the West Palm Beach Fishing Club: Get kids into fishing and they stay out of trouble. It kept me on the straight and narrow, and then it turned into a career.”

Leas earned a degree in seamanship from the Chapman School in Stuart in 1977, started out as a mate and moved up to captain in 1985. As time went by, he became more confident in his ability to help clients catch the big ones.

“I remember running the daughter of the owner of the boat up the coast of this (Bahamian) island to the airport, and told her, ‘The plane isn’t going to get here for about 40 minutes. You want to catch a blue marlin?’ I was serious, and she said sure. I put the baits out, 10 minutes later we hook up, 20 minutes later we were releasing the fish, and the plane (on its way to landing) flies over the boat.

“It was so cool to be in that situation. To be able to offer this girl this opportunity and be serious about it. They say 10,000

MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR:

Rodman ‘Rock’ Leas

people can go blue marlin fishing and 1,000 will catch one, so that’s 9,000 people who come up empty. So, to be able to say, ‘Hey, we’ve got half an hour, would you like to catch one,’ that’s something.”

One thing Leas doesn’t miss about the job was always having to stay on top of the weather forecast.

“The temperature range, precipitation, the wind — especially the wind,” he said. “Even when I was on vacation, I was watching the weather in Palm Beach. It’s so nice not to have to do that.”

A member of the Sailfish Club in Palm Beach, Leas set out to play golf in retirement but found more willing companions in skeet shooting. He has improved significantly and has joined the South Florida Shooting Club in Stuart. He is also an avid birdwatcher and is a member of Audubon Everglades.

Leas has been married to his wife, Maria, for 23 years and has a daughter and a son by an earlier marriage.

— Brian Biggane

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

A: Born in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania, a suburb just north of Philadelphia, and moved to Florida at 15, where I graduated from St. Andrew’s

School in Boca Raton. My senior year introduced me to water skiing after school and fishing off the beach. The crystal-clear waters of South Florida and the friendships I made ignited my lifelong love for the sea. I graduated from the Charles S. Chapman School of Seamanship in 1977.

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

A: As a sport fishing captain until my retirement in 2005, I had the incredible opportunity to explore the Bahamian islands, fish in prestigious tournaments, and introduce people to the beauty and wonders of the ocean. It was deeply rewarding to help others catch their first billfish or bonefish. One of my proudest moments was being recognized for heroism in rescuing the crew of a capsized boat, a moment where preparation met opportunity. The Palm Beach Civic Association honored me with the Raymond Kunkel Award for heroic action because of my efforts that day.

Q: What advice do you have for a young person seeking a career today?

A: Every truly successful person I’ve met — whether a mason, photographer, lawyer or

house painter — had one thing in common: They loved their work. That passion fueled their thriving businesses. My best advice? Show up and give your best effort, and love what you do.

Q: How did you choose your home on Hypoluxo Island?

A: My older brother was selling his house, and I found myself fishing off his dock constantly. When I got married in 1986, the timing was perfect to settle down and start a family here.

Q: What is your favorite part about living on Hypoluxo Island?

A: My neighbors are the best part of living here. Also, this island has so much wildlife, which always fascinated me. My wife and I are avid birders, keeping a close watch on the visitors passing through our feeders on their way to warmer grounds. They mark the seasons for us. Buntings in the fall and cedar waxwings in the spring and the crows of summer. Living across from the Lantana Nature Preserve is a privilege — we often take walks through its serene paths, hoping to catch glimpses of owls or kingfishers.

Q: What book are you reading now?

A: I’ll admit it, I enjoy beach reads. This winter my daughter nudged me toward a few romfantasy novels, filled with flying dragons and daring quests for love. They were fun, but I’ve since returned to my usual reads. I recently finished Mind’s Eye by Douglas E. Richards and am now diving into Perimeter by M.A. Rothman. Action-packed adventures filled with heroes who possess extraordinary abilities to save the world.

Q: What music do you listen to when you want to relax? When you want to be inspired?

A: Naturally, I connect with Jimmy Buffett’s music. Motown and the songs of the ’70s bring back the memories of my early summers. I listen to old radio detective shows when on long drives in my car.

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

A: I looked up to tournamentwinning fishing captains, asking endless questions, eager to learn. One captain taught me the art of varnishing, a skill I still value. My father had a saying: “If you’re allowed to be five minutes late, you’re allowed to be five minutes early.” That perspective shaped my career and much of my life.

I idolized Jackie Morrow. He was an excellent bluefish and sailfish captain out of Palm Beach and he once called me on the radio back around the late ’70s or early ’80s and asked me what I saw in the water. Just the fact that he thought I was a good enough fisherman that he would call and ask if I was getting any bites meant the world to me.

When I feel overwhelmed and unsure of what to do next, I simply focus on doing the next right thing, and somehow everything falls into place.

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

A: My father was friends with Sean Connery, so my pick is an easy one.

Q: Who/what makes you laugh?

A: Rodney Dangerfield’s stand-up always got me laughing, and John Oliver never fails to deliver sharp, insightful humor that exposes society’s absurdities.

Rodman ‘Rock’ Leas lives on Hypoluxo Island across from the Lantana Nature Preserve. He and his wife avid birders enjoy the wildlife preserve’s scenery. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Fire chief develops plan for hydrants having inadequate pressure

By John Pacenti

Just like a heart patient with clogged arteries, a bypass will be used to shore up Ocean Ridge fire hydrants that do not have adequate water pressure due to aging, corroding pipes. In the meantime, the town is moving up the timeline on an infrastructure project to replace those pipes.

Boynton Beach Fire Rescue, which services the town, has

had crews doing drills in Ocean Ridge to ensure homes in the affected area on Hudson Avenue are protected in case of fire.

The plan, Fire Chief Hugh Bruder told the Town Commission at its June 2 meeting, is to run hoses on one of two nearby lines on State Road A1A that have the standard pressure of 1,500 gallons per minute.

Bruder said the bypass is necessary because hydrant flow

tests discovered that inadequate water pressure along Hudson Avenue would severely limit firefighting effectiveness.

“I think we have a plan in place that the residents can feel safe, that if there’s a fire in this area, we’re going to be able to get to it and put it out as quickly as possible,” Bruder said.

Homes in the Pelican Cove development — and those on Ridge Lane, Anna Street, Engle Drive and Edith Street — are in

the affected area, according to a map presented by Bruder.

Town Engineer Lisa Tropepe recommended that the town expedite Phase 4 of its ongoing plan to replace aging water pipes, saying that phase would cover most of the affected area of the low-flow fire hydrants.

The town has estimated the overall replacement project will cost $39 million and be done over eight years. Commissioners voted to approve $24,000 for a

study of the pipes for Phase 4. “The first step is to collect the data. The first step is to get the survey done right from Ocean Avenue to Corinne (Street),” Tropepe said.

Bruder told commissioners his department is set to receive a new fire boat in August that could also be used in the event of a fire. He said “it’s going to be a critical piece of equipment for us to fight fire from the water.”P

New gate apparently marks end to beach access dispute

By Jane Musgrave

A long-running feud between Ocean Ridge neighbors over beach access appears to be over.

In May, the finishing touches were put on a 4-foot-high wooden gate that gives Tropical Drive residents exclusive use of a 5-foot-wide strip of sand at the end of the narrow street that leads to the ocean.

The fence, which cost $800 according to town records, is the only concrete evidence that residents of Tropical Drive and Turtle Beach condominium have reached a truce in the battle that began in 2022 when the 26-unit complex put up “No Trespassing” signs on its swath of the beach outside its gated entrance. The signs inflamed residents of Tropical Drive.

Tropical Drive resident Debbie Cooke, who helped coordinate the project, said she and the other roughly four dozen property owners and renters who live along the street just want to enjoy the beach.

“We need to be assured all of our residents and residents on Tropical Drive will be able to continue to use the path they always did without fighting and without looking at signs,” she said in a text.

Channeling poet Robert Frost, who wrote that “good fences make good neighbors,” Cooke voiced hope that the gate will end years of acrimony.

“We hope this leads to being friendly neighbors with the residents of Turtle Beach and live happily ever after,” she said.

Tropical Drive vs. condo Cooke’s upbeat view belies the stormy history between the

Briny Breezes

neighbors and the fact that it took a lawsuit and an ingenious real estate purchase to end the dispute. Along the way, insults were hurled, an arrest was made and, under pressure from Ocean Ridge residents, the Town Commission voted to change the code to clarify the number, location and appearance of signs on the beach.

The actions that led to the gate began in March 2022 when Tropical Drive property owner Bryan Joffe paid $40,000 for a strip of land that leads from that street to the beach. The purchase came as emotions were running high about the signs Turtle Beach posted on the beach.

Part of the land Joffee purchased borders the back entrance to the condo’s property and has long been used by Turtle Beach for garbage pickup.

Months after buying the land, Joffe turned it over to Sunrise Beach LLC, a newly formed group of Tropical Drive residents.

In early 2023, Sunrise Beach sued Turtle Beach, accusing it of trespassing on the recently

Star

acquired land. It asked for an injunction, stopping the complex from continuing to use the property for trash pickup.

The condominium responded by filing a countersuit against Sunrise Beach. It claimed Turtle Beach had used the land for years, giving it what essentially amounted to squatter’s rights. It called the use of the land for garbage pickup “essential.”

Last summer, the suit was settled for undisclosed terms, court records show. Mark Feinstein, a lawyer who is president of the Turtle Beach Condominium Association, didn’t return a phone call for comment. The association’s attorney, Spencer Sax, declined comment as did attorney Robert Hartsell, who represented Sunrise Beach. Cooke declined to offer specifics.

It’s not unusual for legal settlements to include confidentiality clauses, preventing those involved from revealing the terms.

But, while the property suit was settled, one more is pending.

Libel suit unresolved Feinstein in 2023 sued Sean Currie for libel after the then 35-year-old who lived with his parents on Tropical Drive posted a comment on the town’s Facebook page accusing Feinstein of engaging in a bizarre sexual act.

Currie had strong feelings about the “No Trespassing” signs Turtle Beach posted on the beach. In January 2022, he was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of criminal mischief after police said he grabbed one of the signs and threw it. The charge was dismissed after Currie agreed to pay $300 to replace it.

The libel case was scheduled to be tried before Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Maxine Cheesman in early May. However, court records indicate no trial took place.

As in the property case, all of the attorneys involved declined comment. Whether a settlement is in the works is unknown.

Early in the litigation, Feinstein offered to settle the lawsuit for undisclosed terms. When the offer wasn’t accepted,

he unsuccessfully sought punitive damages, which could have drastically increased the amount he could be awarded.

In court papers, an attorney for Currie said the two lawsuits were both were spurred by the uproar over beach access.

Just as Sunrise Beach sued Turtle Beach in response to the condo’s “No Trespassing” signs, Currie blasted Feinstein on social media because he felt strongly that the signs were wrong, wrote attorney Douglas Allison, asking that the suit be thrown out.

Feinstein claims he was defamed when Currie publicly accused him of a “heinous, despicable act.” But, Allison said, Currie used the term only to emphasize his belief that Ocean Ridge officials and Turtle Beach “are unlawfully erecting signs on the public beach that are washing away in storm surge and causing pollution.”

Courts have consistently ruled that such political speech is protected. “One can readily see that (Currie) was simply using impassioned, loose, and figurative language to enhance the town’s awareness of the issue,” Allison wrote.

“While it may have been ‘vulgar’ or ‘gross,’ no reasonable person could ever view Currie’s insult of Feinstein in context and conclude that it was meant literally rather than as an epithet or rhetorical insult.”

While much has changed, Feinstein has said he wouldn’t back down. “I’m not litigious,” he told The Coastal Star last year. “I don’t want his money. The whole idea is to let him know his actions have consequences.” P

Plan calls for borrowing more money for drainage and sea wall work

By Steve Plunkett

Briny Breezes will borrow an extra $500,000 to kick-start the modernization of its drainage system.

Town Manager Bill Thrasher at first proposed getting a $2.5 million loan to cover the costs of the town’s ambitious project to upgrade its drainage system and raise its sea walls.

“This budget is anticipating a $3 million loan,” he told Town

Council members on May 22. Why the higher number?

“Because of some costs involved with loan processing and some legal hoops that we have to jump through,” he said.

Thrasher had already alerted the aldermen of his plan to raise the town’s property tax rate by 80%, from $3.75 per $1,000 of taxable value to $6.75, to build reserves to pay back the money.

“We can handle a $3 million loan,” he said.

In the fiscal year 2026 budget, which begins Oct. 1, Thrasher said he anticipates using money already earmarked by the Resilient Florida program and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pay for permitting and design of the drainage work.

The estimated construction cost is $3.3 million. He will use almost $1.4 million from FEMA, nearly $1.7 million from the state program and $268,266

from town reserves.

While some residents have wondered whether the town can delay doing the projects if circumstances change, Thrasher assured the council that he did not consider that an option.

“I want everybody to know that I have no intention whatsoever to shelve this project,” he said.

Thrasher has repeatedly said he plans to obtain other grants and accept donations to keep

the cost to residents minimal. Aldermen were scheduled to authorize Mayor Ted Gross to sign agreements to hire a bond counsel, accept the Resilient Florida grant and direct Engenuity Group to create construction drawings. But action on those items was postponed until the council’s June 26 meeting. Also postponed was a discussion of resurrecting the town’s website. P

A gate to the beach completed last month at the end of Tropical Drive protects a pathway that had been the subject of a dispute between drive residents and their Turtle Beach condominium neighbors. Jerry Lower/The Coastal

South Palm Beach News

Webb

Former town police chief dies — The South Palm Beach Town Council held a moment of silence at its May 16 meeting to honor former Police Chief Carl Webb, who died April 16. He was 71. Webb served as chief from 2014 to 2018 and was with the town’s force for 30 years. The town switched in 2019 from having its own police department to having the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office provide police services. Council members also acknowledged the recent passings of former town Police Commander Rob Rizzotto, who died in February; Rene Canning, a member of the town’s Community Appearance Advisory Board who died in April; and Pope Francis.

Town manager’s contract extended — The Town Council approved a two-year extension of Town Manager Jamie Titcomb’s contract through June 2027 with a 9.8% hourly wage boost.

Titcomb receives no fringe benefits, insurance coverage, pension, retirement contributions, or other provisions a town manager usually has in a work agreement. A special contract was created so Titcomb could serve under a “part-time” status, as he came back to work out of retirement.

He is compensated at a higher hourly rate, with his total hours capped at an average of 25 a week. Titcomb was paid $82 per hour; the council amendment increases Titcomb’s contractual hourly compensation to $90 per hour, which would amount to as much as $117,000 annually at 25 hours a week for 52 weeks.

A1A sidewalk in need of repair — Residents complained to council members at the May meeting about the condition of the State Road A1A sidewalk in town. The path has been described as “ugly” and “dangerous” — even after some repairs were completed.

Resident Olga Serafimova provided proof that she has been in contact with several people at the Florida Department of Transportation, who she said kept referring her to other people. Resident Rafael Pineiro said the sidewalk is “non-compliant with ADA. We have people who fall weekly.” He asked who has the responsibility to ensure that the sidewalk is in compliance.

Mike Melendez, an FDOT District 4 representative, was invited to attend the meeting. Although he said he is sensitive to the concerns, he stated that if the intent is to have maintenance replace the entire sidewalk, there may be intermediate measures the department would say meet the requirement.

Council member Raymond McMillan told Melendez that “I don’t really care how it gets done; I want it all done.”

— Hannah Spence

Obituaries

Michael M. Mullin III

GULF STREAM — Michael M. Mullin III died on April 26 at his home in Florida.

Mr. Mullin, or “Moon” as he was known to those who loved him, was born in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, in 1939.  He grew up in the shadow of the Westside Tennis Club and was a ballboy at the U.S. Open Tennis Championship when it was still held at the club. Michael had a penchant for all racket sports and was well known in New York City as a junior tennis champion.

Mr. Mullin graduated from the University of Heidelberg while serving in the U.S. Air Force.

In 1967, Mr. Mullin moved to Delray Beach when he became the sales rep for the Izod Lacoste clothing company for Florida and the Caribbean. His whole world would change forever when he left the Sail Inn Tavern to see Susan Stokes Swem driving up in her purple Corvair convertible. Perky Frazer introduced them on the spot, and they were married exactly one year later across the street at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church.

They would settle down on Palm Trail, where they would start their family. Starting in 1972, and over the next 51 years, the Mullins lived at Froggy Bottom in Gulf Stream.

The couple kept an open-door policy there for all tennis players to come over for a little refreshment after a hard day on the Gulf Stream Bath and Tennis Club courts.

The home was filled with backgammon by the pool, daiquiris of any flavor and the occasional reggae band on the roof. The parties were plentiful, and Mr. Mullin would be the center of attention with a great story, funny joke and a huge warm smile.

Summers belonged to Mr. Mullin’s second love, Osterville on Cape Cod — where he spent a great many summers at Aunt Tempy’s Cottage on the Wianno golf course, enjoying chipping and putting well past dark. The Wianno Club offered the tennis, golf and casual friendships that Mr. Mullin loved so much.

executive committee and alongside his beloved wife, Susan, made an immeasurable impact on the Delray Beach club and the wider community. Mr. Mullin’s leadership and generosity not only strengthened the organization but touched countless lives.

“Michael’s unwavering dedication and kindness will continue to inspire us every day,” said Jaene Miranda, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County.

Mr. Mullin served on the board of the Bethesda Foundation from 2009 to 2017. The organization gives the caregivers of Bethesda Hospital the resources they need to provide best-in-class care. Mr. Mullin was also instrumental in the creation of the Bethesda Hospital East Benefactor Pavilion.

One of his proudest achievements was helping to save the Australian pines that adorn the Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway in Gulf Stream. The canopy created by the trees gives the main thoroughfare of this little enclave a feeling all its own.

This was just one of a great many chapters that could be written on the random acts of kindness and little things Mr. Mullin did for the place he called home.

Nothing was more important to Mr. Mullin than his friends. By combining his love of golf and the friendships created on the course, he founded a group of men known as the “Coconuts.” The Coconuts would travel around the country — and occasionally the world — for a long weekend of competition and good cheer.

All that being said, nothing got Mr. Mullin more excited than cheering for his beloved Miami Dolphins. Having moved to Florida in their second season, he attended hundreds of games both home and away over the last 50-plus seasons. His favorite day, which he accomplished on multiple occasions, was a mid-morning round at Indian Creek followed by a big pile of stone crabs at Joe’s in Miami Beach in preparation for Monday Night Football at the Orange Bowl or Hard Rock Stadium.

Mr. Mullin was predeceased by his parents, Michael Matthew Mullin Jr. and Maryanne McCoy Mullin, and his brother, Edward “Woody” Mullin.

The ultimate salesman, Mr. Mullin took friends’ suggestions he move from selling shirts to selling homes and thus a career in real estate began. He spent 34 years selling and developing residences from Manalapan to Boca Raton. More than anything else Mr. Mullin loved to show people the many aspects of why southern Palm Beach County is the best community in Florida.

In the last months of his life, Mr. Mullin was still working for Premier Estate Properties, which supported him with unconditional love through his long battle with cancer.

The last chapters of Moon’s life were devoted to philanthropy and giving back to those less fortunate than himself. Mr. Mullin was a devoted supporter of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County since joining the board of directors in 2003. He served faithfully on the

In addition to his adoring wife of 58 years, Susan, Mr. Mullin is survived by his son, Michael Matthew Mullin IV, and daughter, Jennifer Warwick Mullin, sister Mary Louise Norton, sister-in-law Cindy Mullin, daughter-in-law Justine Ambrecht Mullin and grandchildren Susan Sloane Mullin, Michael “Quinn” Matthew Mullin V and Ireland Ambrecht Mullin, and his devoted labradoodle, Fritz.

The family requests that donations be made to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County (800 Northpoint Parkway, Suite 204, West Palm Beach, FL 33407).

A celebration of life will be held later this year, date and location to be announced to family and friends. — Submitted by the family

Ocean Ridge News

Former police chief dies — Edward Hillery Jr., who served as Ocean Ridge’s police chief for 17 years — and police chief of Boynton Beach before that — died May 13. He was 85.

Hillery, a U.S. Air Force veteran, took over as chief in Ocean Ridge in 1993 and retired in 2010. He also served 23

years with the Boynton Beach Police Department, rising through the ranks to become chief and retiring there the day before he started in Ocean Ridge.

Hillery worked quickly to improve morale in the department, whose prior chief had resigned in a financial scandal.

— Larry Barszewski

Hillery

By John Pacenti

Commission tells self-help guru to tear down wall — or work out solution with his neighbor

Self-help author Tony Robbins stresses the importance of taking action to achieve desired outcomes. Raise your standards, he says, to reach goals.

Well, when it came to his Manalapan oceanfront house in the 700 block of South Ocean Boulevard, Robbins indeed did raise standards — in this case, a 10-foot wall between him and his not-so-happy neighbor. He also exceeded permissible heights on a side hedge from the ocean wall and installed a new opaque security gate — all without permitting.

This asking for forgiveness rather than permission worked when it came to the hedge and the gate, but not so much with the wall. The Town Commission at its May 20 meeting told Robbins either to remove the wall or work it out with his neighbor, Louis Capano Jr. Robbins, a Manalapan resident since 2013, has sold over 15 million books and 50 million audio programs worldwide. But since the pandemic, his reach on the internet and social media has been extraordinary.

Mark Timm, the deputy director of field operations for

Robbins’ security detail, told commissioners that recently, 800,000 people tuned in for an internet event hosted by Robbins. Furthermore, his spouse — Bonnie Sage Humphrey Robbins — has developed a following and recently had 400,000 women virtually attend an event she was hosting, Timm said.

One effect is desperate fans.

“They think that the Robbinses are their last chance to fix something that’s wrong in their lives,” Timm said.

One of those fans showed up May 17 at the gate, demanding to speak to Robbins. Someone also recently flew from Germany unannounced, looking for an

audience with the motivational speaker. The security measures also were taken, Timm said, because the Robbinses have a small child who has no public photographs of her published.

“From a protective detail standpoint, if people can’t see into the property, we firmly believe that is the best way to deter these unwanted visitations, as we’ll call them,” he said.

The wall was extended from a six-foot concrete barrier between the properties, estate manager Taylor Jantz said, because a hedge would not grow in that spot due to the salt air.

Capano said a few years ago that the Robbinses put in

a chain-link fence — again for security — on Capano’s side of the property. After he complained, the power couple removed the fence.

“Unfortunately, I have to be here, and it’s really kind of absurd, but the Robbinses have a habit of doing things that they just want to do,” Capano said.

He said the metal wall installed about three months ago with a plastic hedge is “ridiculous. ... I don’t see how it could possibly help their security issues, if they have any, because someone to go over the wall would have to come onto my property,” Capano said.

He said the issue isn’t security but that one of his upper-floor

bedrooms looks out over the Robbinses’ property.

As for the hedge, the town has restricted heights to six feet so hedges do not impede the view of neighbors, Capano said. “People who spend a lot of money to live on the ocean, can look at the ocean, not just in a tunnel vision on an angle,” he said.

Jantz said she had just come aboard as the new estate manager and wanted to make sure the Robbinses’ home was in compliance by seeking variances after the fact.

Commissioner David Knobel said he understood the hardship in regards to paparazzi and supported variances on the gate and the hedge — but not the wall. He said there is no hardship because of a “neighbor looking into a property.”

The commission agreed, but in denying the variance for the wall, Mayor John Deese expressed hope that the two neighbors could find a solution.

“We are more than happy to work with the Robbinses,” Town Manager Eric Marmer said.

Jantz said, “The Robbinses have not been in communication with our northward neighbor, and they would love to connect with said neighbor on their opinion, or what would please them visually, you know, moving forward.” P

Town raises water rates 80% on average, the first increase in 11 years

By John Pacenti

Consultants told town commissioners that Manalapan water and sewer rates haven’t gone up in 11 years. Elected leaders rectified that quickly at their May 20 meeting with a significant increase.

While increases will vary among homes and businesses, rates will rise 80% on average, a consultant told the commission.

Town Manager Eric Marmer, hired last year, said that bringing water rates up to speed

is necessary. “When I got here, you know, my whole thing was to right the ship and put things on the right path,” he said.

Marmer said a tiered rate system that increases over time is now required as part of the permitting process to encourage conservation.

Commissioner David Knobel asked that residents receive some information on how to curb their water usage before the rate hike goes into effect on Aug. 1.

“I would just like a

communication going out to the residents, explaining to them the different methods and ways that they could reduce water, including a meter change, including sprinkler head changes and sprinkler head control systems,” he said.

In 2020, the town lost water rate revenue when the town of Hypoluxo switched its water provider from Manalapan to Boynton Beach. The Hypoluxo service account, in place for 60 years, had made up 57% of the town’s water service revenue at

Commission disbands beach committee

Manalapan’s beach committee of three sitting town commissioners disbanded at the commission’s May 20 meeting. Town Manager Eric Marmer said it was determined the committee was duplicative and matters involving the beach can be handled by the full commission.

“We have to come back and report that stuff to the commission anyway,” Marmer said. “So we’re doing double the work for no reason.”

The committee certainly made news as it explored whether Palm Beach County’s sand transfer plant at the

Boynton Inlet was siphoning beach away from Manalapan. It also explored best practices to combat coastal erosion.

The committee appointed Dr. Peter Bonutti — spouse of Vice Mayor Simone Bonutti — to be a liaison among the town, the county and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Bonutti also resigned from his volunteer position at the May 20 meeting, saying he felt he could be more impactful as a citizen.

Recently, Peter Bonutti has raised alarms of how beach rakers were endangering turtle nests.

The main result of the beach committee was Marmer’s taking the initiative to hire the same company tapped by Highland Beach — where he previously worked — to do a study on what could be done in Manalapan to replenish the beach.

An obstacle for the town is that Manalapan has no public access to the beach, meaning it cannot obtain grants like other municipalities to replenish sand.

— John Pacenti

the time, Marmer said.

Meanwhile, the rate of inflation and construction and chemical costs have risen.

Water rates for the town are based on pipe size for a property. The larger the pipe size, the greater demand on the system. Nearly all Manalapan residences are served by either a one-inch or two-inch pipe.

New rates, included in the May 20 agenda packet, would increase for homes with a oneinch pipe, on a per meter basis, from $107 to $172 on Aug. 1.

Along the Coast

That figure would go up to $204 by October 2028 — nearly twice the current rate.

Homes with a two-inch pipe would see an increase, per meter, from $278 to $532 on Aug. 1. By October 2028, the price would increase to $634. Most homes are on septic systems in Manalapan, but 13 wastewater accounts are primarily commercial and would see a 40% increase in their rates come August for a one-inch pipe. P

Record seaweed levels headed our way

Don’t be surprised if seaweed starts showing up on south Palm Beach County beaches in even greater piles than have already been washing ashore this year.

The amount of sargassum in the tropical Atlantic Ocean hit a record in April only to be topped again in May, when scientists said total sargassum in the Atlantic — including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean — went from 31 million tons to 37.5 million tons.

“As in most previous years, June is expected to see continued increases in most regions,” says the outlook put out May 31 by the University of South Florida Optical Oceanography Lab. “Sargassum inundation will continue to occur in most of the Caribbean nations and islands as well as along the southeast coast of Florida.”

Despite the historic seaweed level in the water, some local beaches still could catch a break. The report says that “whether a beach or small region receives record-high Sargassum inundation depends not only on the offshore Sargassum amount, but also on local factors that are difficult to predict, including winds and ocean currents.”

— Larry Barszewski

Robbins

A metal extension on top of a concrete wall raised the barrier from six feet to 10 feet on Tony Robbins’ property, seen from neighbor Louis Capano Jr.’s home. That exceeded the town’s height limit. Robbins was allowed to keep a security hedge and opaque gate. Photo provided

Along the Coast Rising prices, uncertainty challenge nonprofit providers of food

By Rich Pollack

When it comes to serving people in Palm Beach County who struggle to put food on the table, the perfect storm is swirling right over the horizon.

Some say it is already here, driven in large part by the dramatic escalation of food prices over the past few years combined with demand that grows as people struggle to meet the rising costs of housing and other basics they need just to get by.

Consider this: Five years ago, CROS Ministries, which serves almost 122,000 people a year through its food pantry program in Palm Beach and Martin counties, paid $19.56 for 12 jars of peanut butter. Last year that same case of 18-ounce jars cost the nonprofit $24.49, or 25% more.

“We are getting less food for the money in our budget,” said Ruth Mageria, CROS Ministries executive director.

Two or three years ago, Eat Better Live Better — a Delray Beach-based nonprofit that feeds about 1,500 households per month — paid $35 for 12 canisters of oatmeal. Now that same case costs $58, almost a 66% hike.

And for Boca Helping Hands, a food box with six meals and snacks — provided each week during the school year to 1,500 kids in 16 county schools — increased in just two years from $10.59 to $13.15, up 24%.

Food costs are also a factor for the Palm Beach County Food Bank, which has seen prices increase similarly to the national estimate of about 23% since 2020.

“That means we can’t stretch our food dollars as far as we used to, just like

everyone else who goes to the grocery store,” said Jamie Kendall, chief executive officer of the food bank, which provides food to organizations that directly serve people in need.

In addition to prices, one of the other major concerns of those running programs that provide food is the uncertainty and inconsistency surrounding government funding.

Cutting back

Eat Better Live Better, a small operation with just two full-time employees that serves 4,000 to 7,500 individuals per month, saw a cutback in the amount of food provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in May, leading to worries about

whether it would be able to fill all the food bags it provides.

After it had completed its distribution at the beginning of May, staff and volunteers looked around and saw mostly empty shelves.

“We had no food left,” said Jackie Ermola, an executive board member and the volunteer director of social services. “We were able to come up with June, but we’re not sure about July.”

Ermola said the crisis was averted thanks to donations from several organizations and food drives.

At Boca Helping Hands, a big chunk of a 40% reduction in the amount of food it received from food banks — as well as the USDA and private donations — came as a result of the federal

government cutback.

The organization estimates that USDA donations dropped by about 100,000 pounds from March 1 last year to March 1, 2025.

It now appears that Congress has approved cutting food stamp programs, a move that many say will greatly burden organizations already facing heavy demand.

Like most other organizations that provide food, Eat Better Live Better has seen a significant increase in the number of people it serves.

Growing demand

“Right now, we’re serving at least three times as many families as we were three years ago,” said Debra Tendrich, the founder of Eat

Better Live Better, who is also a state representative. “New families continue to walk through our doors on a regular basis.”

At CROS Ministries, there have been significant increases in the number of people it serves. In 2022, the number of individuals served at the food pantry was about 112,000. In 2024 that number rose to almost 122,000.

At Boca Helping Hands, there were 18,500 clients served by the organization’s food pantry in 2019 and by 2024 that number had jumped to about 27,000.

Driving that increase in demand is the rising cost of food that each household has to buy at the grocery store as well as the cost of housing.

“So many people pay their housing costs and then come to us looking for food,” said CROS Ministries’ Mageria.

CROS, which also operates the Caring Kitchen in Delray Beach and provides more than 36,000 prepared meals, is seeing a trend that other organizations have also noticed: an increase in the number of seniors looking for food.

“Seniors are sacrificing their food budgets in order to cover other major expenses,” said the county food bank’s Kendall. “Food budgets are the easiest one to cut.”

A community effort

What are organizations doing to offset the high cost of food and potential government cutbacks? Most are relying on the community to help with monetary donations, food donations or volunteer efforts.

“We have to work

Eat Better Live Better in Delray Beach is worried about filling all the bags it needs to supply the 1,500 households it serves each month. ‘We were able to come up with June, but we’re not sure about July,’ says board member Jackie Ermola. ABOVE: Volunteer Frank Cottone (l-r), staffer Wesley Hinds-Francis and volunteer Delio Molina pack up. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

How you can help

Some ways to help nonprofit organizations serving people in need in south Palm Beach County:

• Financial donation Financial support is welcomed by local organizations, many of which have the ability to buy in bulk at a significantly lower cost than that available to retail customers.

• Donate food Individual food donations are welcomed by many organizations, but there may be some restrictions and some preferences on the types of food they request. It’s best to visit an organization’s website or call first.

• Host a food drive Food drives are an important way for organizations to replenish their supplies. Some organizations will sometimes seek a food drive for specific products, such as peanut butter.

• Volunteer Volunteers are always needed by most organizations to help with everything from sorting food to filling boxes or bags, or picking up or delivering food.

Continued from page 26

extremely hard to get more revenue in and to get more donations,” Tendrich said.

“We’re lucky we have a lot of good relationships set up.”

Food drives and food donations from companies that Eat Better Live Better works with have helped keep the bags it provides full, but Ermola worries about the future if the USDA cutbacks continue.

“If we don’t get donations, then we’ll have to buy food at an increased cost from three years ago or the bags would have to be smaller,” she said.

Already the organization is operating a little leaner, agreeing not to fill a position after it became vacant. The organization is also scaling back on the food it provides to a summer camp for lowincome children.

“We have to have all our funds go to food,” Tendrich said.

At CROS Ministries, Mageria and her board are hoping for more donations, especially now with the onset of summer when school lunch programs aren’t available and donations shrink as seasonal residents have returned home.

With questions about

where the economy is going leading to more cautious philanthropic giving, organizations may want to increase collaboration to strengthen their buying power, Mageria said.

At Boca Helping Hands, which offers medical and financial assistance and job training programs, providing food is a priority and food drives conducted by businesses, places of worship and individuals are extremely valuable.

For the Palm Beach County Food Bank, which provides food to about 200 partner agencies, the ability to buy in bulk means it can do more with a donated dollar than an individual can do by going to the grocery store.

Like most organizations, the food bank also looks for help from volunteers.

With food prices not likely to drop and uncertainty around government programs such as food stamps, organizations continue to seek ways to keep up with demand and are looking toward being more creative in raising funds, Mageria said.

“My biggest concern is what’s going to happen in the future,” she said. P

Boynton Beach City hears design ideas for its oldest homes

By Tao Woolfe

No decisions have been made about preserving two historic Boynton Beach pioneer homes, but ideas for their use are cropping up like fissures in oldgrowth timber.

The Community Redevelopment Agency board on May 13 heard many of those ideas, from turning the 117-year-old Andrews House into a luxury coffee spot, to creating a destination enclave of the Andrews House and the 1919 Magnuson House where people could enjoy a light lunch with a side of history.

Even Manuel Mato — the developer who owns the land at 306 SE First Ave. upon which the Andrews House currently sits, and who was apparently ready to demolish the structure just before Thanksgiving last year — has come up with a proposal for saving and reusing the city’s oldest home.

He has suggested to the city and the CRA that the Andrews House be moved to the north side of his First Avenue project site, just west of the railroad tracks, and used as a coffee shop or eatery in the planned mixeduse Villages project. He would add a commercial kitchen.

Preservationists are not in favor of Mato’s idea because it calls for a complete renovation of the building, an abandonment of any historic designation effort, and asks the city to provide planning assistance and pay moving costs.

City commissioners, acting in their roles as CRA board members, dismissed Mato’s suggestion as premature since the CRA staff has not finished its research.

“Let the CRA run interference, run down the options, and bring it back to us,” Commissioner Woodrow Hay said.

Hay summed up the consensus of the board: He is in favor of preserving the old houses, but wants to see a complete breakdown of costs and benefits.

A $200,000 coffee shop proposal for the Magnuson

House by Allison Boettcher, owner of Blue Mountain Coffee House in West Palm Beach, was also jettisoned by the CRA board members on May 13 as premature and underfunded.

Boettcher, who described Blue Mountain coffee as the “rarest and most sought-after coffee in the world,” was encouraged to reapply when plans are more settled.

Preservationists have been advocating for the city to save the Andrews House for more than 10 years. The matter came to a head in November when neighborhood residents noticed a yellow demolition excavator sitting on the home’s site.

The panicked neighbors pleaded successfully with the mayor and commissioners to persuade the property owner to scuttle the demolition.

The Andrews House and the Magnuson House have been a hot topic ever since.

At a Jan. 14 City Commission meeting, Assistant Public Works Director Richard Hoffer said the city and CRA staff are looking at three potential locations for the Andrews House: a city park at Northeast Sixth Avenue and Northeast Sixth Court, the 211 E. Ocean Ave. site currently occupied by the Magnuson House, and a large, CRA-owned lot at North Seacrest Boulevard and Northeast Third Avenue.

Hoffer added that city staff had consulted with contractors and had determined that it would cost $100,000 to $150,000 to move the Andrews home to a new site, $75,000 to $100,000 in construction costs, and $50,000 in consultant fees for a total of about $375,000, which also included a 25% contingency.

The project would take at least 14 to 16 months to complete — including the design, permitting and ultimately procuring historic designation, Hoffer said.

At that meeting and at all subsequent meetings — and on surveys that have been conducted — residents have said they prefer having the Andrews House on the same parcel as the Magnuson House to create a downtown historic enclave.

Boynton Beach

News

Downtown project finally underway — The northern portion of The Villages, a mixed-use project planned for downtown Boynton Beach, is officially underway following a May 9 ground-breaking at the development site at 405 E. Ocean Ave.

The 3.37-acre first phase, which will include 336 apartments, 668 parking spaces and 8,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, received site plan approval from the city in September 2023. The project will also include two plazas and a linear park along the Florida East Coast Railway right-of-way — doubling as a pedestrian walkway between Boynton Beach Boulevard and Ocean Avenue.

A separate project phase is planned for a 1.8-acre portion to the south of Ocean Avenue.

Senior housing development draws interest — A proposed affordable housing development for older adults — 62 and above — may get financial assistance from the Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency as a way to attract even more dollars from the state and county.

At a meeting in February, the city agreed to set aside $300,000 to use for preservation. Residents are hoping some of the money can be used to move the Andrews House and to renovate the Magnuson House, at least partially.

At its most recent meeting, the CRA board members and staff were urged by residents to come up with a solution quickly.

“I don’t know why we’re continuing to delay this — and giving the developer a chance to knock it down,” longtime resident Susan Oyer said of the Andrews House. “We need to be moving forward.”

The Andrews House once belonged to the daughter of Major Nathan S. Boynton — the city’s founding father. The Magnuson House was built right after World War I, by Oscar Sten Magnuson, the husband of one of the city’s first clerks. He grew ferns and mango and avocado trees, and after his death in 1959, the property became a plant nursery, according to published reports.

Barbara Ready, chairman of the Historic Resources and Preservation Board and president of the Boynton Beach Historical Society, said after the May meeting that she and other preservationists plan to continue their fight to save both buildings and keep them together somewhere.

“We’re not giving up,” Ready said. “We don’t need more condos and concrete. We need — and deserve — a little, peaceful, historic enclave. It should be income-producing — with light food, like salads, cookies, and ice cream — so it’s not an albatross.”

The Andrews House was completely renovated several years ago and has survived many storms and major hurricanes, historian Ginger Pedersen has said.

“Its significance goes beyond its age; the structure embodies the craftsmanship and character of Florida’s early settlers,” Pedersen has said. “It’s a very cool little house.” P

Miami-based Landmark Developers Inc., which is proposing the 92-unit City View Apartments with subsidized rents for the southwest corner of Southeast Fifth Avenue and Federal Highway, requested assistance from the CRA board at its May 13 meeting. Board members, who are the City Commission, said they were supportive of providing more living options for older adults on limited fixed incomes and directed staff to bring back potential financial incentives for the board to consider at the CRA’s June 10 meeting.

Developer Francisco Rojo, whose firm is developing the project in partnership with the West Palm Beach Housing Authority, said the project would probably need a minimum $2.4 million grant (forgivable loan) commitment from the city — and possibly as much as $4.35 million — depending on the level of financial support it’s able to attract from Palm Beach County and the state.

Eliminating eyesore carries steep price — City commissioners say the Inn at Boynton is a blight on a main entry into the city’s downtown — Boynton Beach Boulevard at Interstate 95 — and needs to be redeveloped, but they told the hotel’s owner they’re not willing to pay the $9.1 million he’s asking for a hotel that they’d just end up tearing down.

At the CRA’s May 13 meeting, some commissioners said even the lower, appraised value of $8.5 million is more than they think the hotel site is worth, especially since there’s no clear idea about what would take its place.

Owner Ajit Asrani said a hotel may not be the highest and best use of the property and he has considered the possibility of building multi-family housing under the state’s Live Local Act. That law allows denser development for residential complexes that include at least 40% affordable housing.

Commissioner Tom Turkin said he would not like to see apartments there because of a nearby single-family neighborhood. However, he said while preventing such a development would be a reason for purchasing the property, the current offer was too high.

Town Square gets financial boost from CRA — Hoping to get the city’s long-planned downtown Town Square project off to an earlier start, the City Commission acting as the CRA board agreed to the developer’s request to be awarded up to $35.2 million in tax increment financing funds. The project is on the east side of Seacrest Boulevard south and north of City Hall and the Old Boynton High School building on Ocean Avenue.

The money, which comes from tax revenues that are generated from the increased value of the property due to development, includes up to $20 million for the first-phase portion to the south and up to $15.2 million for the second phase to the north.

Commissioners were told by representatives for developer Time Equities Inc. that the revenues should make it easier for TEI to complete its financing arrangements sooner, which should help speed up the start of construction.

In addition, TEI has committed to providing additional retail space — to be rented out at 50% of market rate for 10 years — and pay $50 a square foot toward the buildout of that interior retail space for its first renters. The company will also hire local artists to paint murals in the retail plaza portion that are part of the north phase.

Under the agreement, construction on the southern portion is to start no later than Oct. 1, 2026, and by Dec. 31, 2031, on the northern portion.

— Larry Barszewski

One idea is to move the 117-year-old Andrews House (above) near the historic Magnuson House and turn them into a downtown historic destination. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Business Spotlight

Travis Kelce spending offseason in Boca Raton’s Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club

There’s no shortage of real estate activity around Boca Raton’s Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club this spring. For starters, residents there have seen Travis Kelce out and about in the neighborhood.

Numerous magazine and news stories report that Kelce, star tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs and boyfriend of Taylor Swift, is renting an 8,340-square-foot residence at the yacht and country club during the NFL offseason.

Amenities include a home theater, 450-bottle wine cellar, private dock, and a primary suite with a Cristallo quartzite linear fireplace, morning bar and a balcony with views of the Intracoastal Waterway and Deerfield Island Park.

It is also reported that Kelce has been training with Andrew Spruill at Johnny O’s gym in Boca Raton.

NFL preseason training camps begin in mid-July.

Also at the yacht and country club, AutoLenders President and CEO Michael J. Wimmer with his wife, Mary Louise Wimmer, sold their seven-bedroom, 8,671-square-foot residence at 144 W. Coconut Palm Road for $17.527 million.

The new owner is the Coconut Palm Road Revocable Trust, with Buffalo, New Yorkarea attorney Catherine B. Eberl as trustee.

The estate previously traded for $24.5 million in 2021.

David W. Roberts of Royal Palm Properties represented the seller in the deal, while Charles Brumsted of Cristina’s Properties worked with the buyer.

The home was first listed for $28.95 million in 2023, and the price was lowered several times before the listing was removed in 2024. It was listed again for

$26.7 million in July 2024.

Another transaction in the community saw Andrew A. Whitmore’s trust buy the six-bedroom, 8,588-squarefoot home at 1758 Sabal Palm Drive for $15.32 million. The seller was the 1758 Sabal Palm Land Trust with Carl Klepper Jr., a principal at Boca Ratonbased developer Compson Associates, as trustee.

The property, which previously traded for $3 million in 2021, was developed by Compson Homes as a spec house designed by  the Boca Raton-based Be-Design Architects with interiors by Lesly Maxwell.

Whitmore is the vice president of sales of Motivair, a cooling systems manufacturer headquartered in Amherst, New York. David W. Roberts of Royal Palm Properties represented the seller in the deal, while Jacqueline Feldman of One Sotheby’s International Realty worked with the buyer.

An Aventura-based investor, author and motivational speaker has bid $230 million in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the 101 Via Mizner Apartments in downtown Boca Raton.

Via Mizner Owner I LLC, an affiliate of Penn-Florida Companies, filed a motion on June 2 to declare Cardone Real Estate Acquisitions, led by Grant Cardone, the “stalking horse” bidder for the 366-unit luxury apartment building, at 101 E. Camino Real.

A hearing was scheduled for June 4 on the motion; an auction of the building had already been set for June 16.

Announcing a stalking horse bid prior to auction is a way to create a purchase price ‘floor,’ according to a filing in support of the motion.

Cardone is known for his “10X Rule,” which in part emphasizes the importance of setting and achieving goals that are 10 times greater than what one believes possible.

Sidney R. Ferenc, previously the chairman and CEO of San Francisco-based worker’s compensation insurer Applied Underwriters, sold his 12,557-square-foot oceanfront home at 2363 S. Ocean Blvd., Highland Beach, for $27.05 million.

The new owner is the 23 Ocean Family Trust, with Dr. M. Rahat Faderani as trustee. Faderani is an attorney and a doctor at Atlas Medical and Orthopedics in Pompano Beach. The property, which was listed in October 2024 for $33.95 million, last sold for $11 million in 2014.

Built on a 0.96-acre lot with 100 feet on the ocean, the home features a wine room, an outdoor pool, an indoor pool and spa, a fitness room, two offices, a putting green, a balcony and an elevator.

JPMorgan Chase Bank provided a $14.88 million mortgage to the buyer. Nicholas

million. There will also be 5,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space.

The condominiums on southbound Federal are being sold by Douglas Elliman agents Lauren Mathews and Claudia Fisher. Unit details include 10foot ceilings, glass balconies, natural wood flooring options and a coastal color pallette.

Community amenities include a resort-style infinity pool, cabanas, summer kitchen, club room with prep kitchen, and a fitness center.

For more information, visit onixdelray.com.

Malinosky and Michael O’Connor of the Exclusive Group at Douglas Elliman brokered the deal.

A mostly vacant 1.86-acre ocean-to-Intracoastal lot at 1800 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan, owned by ADE 925 LLC and managed by R. Richard Yates Jr., sold for $25 million.

“We decided to demolish the primary house on the Intracoastal parcel (west of State Road A1A) to show the high elevation of the property that allows spectacular views of both the ocean and Intracoastal from the ground up,” explained Corcoran Group real estate agent Shelly Newman, who represented the seller.

There’s still a cabana house on the ocean side east of A1A, she added. ADE 925 LLC purchased the property in 2021 for $14 million. The buyer, LOKI2 Land Trust, was represented by Elizabeth Lary of Dodge Real Estate

An oceanfront 1.11-acre lot at 939 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach, owned by a limited liability company associated with billionaire Wayne Rothbaum, a biotech investor, sold for $22 million.

The buyer was 939 Ocean Delray LLC, managed by Coral Springs-based attorney Larry A. Rothenberg.

Rothbaum purchased the property for $10 million in 2014. Miami-based City National Bank of Florida provided a $14.3 million mortgage to the buyer. Douglas Elliman agent Nicholas  Malinosky represented both the buyer and the seller.

Ónix Delray Beach, a new condominium project at 318 SE Fifth Ave., Delray Beach, developed by 1112 Development and Black Star Construction Group, broke ground in May.

Ónix Delray Beach will include 26 two- and threebedroom units ranging in size from 1,400 to 2,000 square feet with prices starting at $1.549

The Boca Raton/Boynton Beach Chamber of Commerce hosted the 2025 Boynton Beach First Responders Awards Luncheon in April at Benvenuto Restaurant.

Honorees at the event included Deputy Sheriff Jayson Robbins, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, who was named Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. Detective Sean Steele, Boynton Beach Police Department, was named Police Officer of the Year. Capt. John Prince, Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, was named Paramedic and Firefighter of the Year. Firefighter/Paramedic Freddie Ramirez, Boynton Beach Fire Department, was named Paramedic of the Year. Firefighter Darren Clarke, Boynton Beach Fire Department, was named Firefighter of the Year.

Former Delray Beach Vice Mayor Ryan Boylston, founder of 2Ton, a digital marketing agency, was appointed as Urban Abundance’s chief executive officer.

Urban Abundance, founded by Jack Sandquist, is a Jupiter-based company that specializes in installing and maintaining custom backyard fruit and vegetable gardens.

The company expanded after aligning with Eightfold Ventures, a consultancy/venture capital fund, founded by South County residents Jayson Koss and Ed Mileto. Koss founded Delivery Dudes, and Mileto founded Waitr Holdings. For more information, visit urbanabundance.com.

Delray Beach artist Patricia Torras was the winner of Legacy Through Art, an initiative of the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority and the city of Delray Beach.

Legacy Through Art was launched March 6, with an open invitation to artists to create a watercolor illustration that represents Old School Square and will be used to design a new

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was training with Andrew Spruill (left) at Johnny O’s gym while staying in Boca Raton. The gym featured Kelce on its website. Photo provided

Boylston

logo for the campus.

More than 30 local artists submitted their original watercolor designs and a selection committee chose three finalists. Their designs were put to a public vote, with Torras receiving 4,006 out of the 10,000-plus votes cast.

“I’ve lived and breathed Delray Beach for most of my life,” said Torras. “As a South Florida native, I’ve always drawn inspiration from the city’s color, architecture and community energy. To create something so personal and lasting for a place I love — that’s incredibly meaningful.”

She will collaborate with the DDA to create a set of logos for each Old School Square venue. Her style will inspire the final designs, which will be revealed early this fall as part of Old School Square’s Centennial Celebration.

Torras will receive a $5,000 design commission, a Spotlight Gallery feature at the Cornell Art Museum, recognition across branding and media campaigns, and special honors at the unveiling event.

Boca Raton is celebrating its 100th birthday this year

and noting this milestone, six Boca Raton hotels are offering limited-time Centennial Celebration packages that include perks, discounted rates and commemorative items.

Participating hotels are The Boca Raton, 501 E. Camino Real; Fairfield by Marriott Boca Raton, 3400 Airport Road; Waterstone Resort & Marina, 999 E. Camino Real; Boca Raton Marriott at Boca Center, 5150 Town Center Circle; Wyndham Boca Raton, 1950 Glades Road; and Hyatt Place Boca Raton, 100 E. Palmetto Park Road.

Availability is limited, and blackout dates may apply. Guests are encouraged to book early and mention the “Centennial Celebration package” when reserving.

For information on Boca Raton’s centennial events, visit  Boca100.com.

The Boynton Beach Online Chamber of Commerce partnered with the city of Boynton Beach in Adopt-aRoad, a nationwide program where individuals, businesses and organizations can partner with cities to remove litter on their adopted road segments.

Those participating are recognized by signs posted on the roads they maintain. The chamber’s signs are on the north

side of Gateway Boulevard at Publix and at the canal next to the Hampton Inn at 1475 Gateway Blvd.

On May 7, Alina Residences

Boca Raton partnered with the Boca Raton Museum of Art to host a sculpture unveiling at Alina 220, 220 SE Mizner Blvd. The two bronze works unveiled were by Richard Erdman: Continuum (2005) and Belladonna (2005). Both sculptures were acquired by the Boca Raton Museum of Art in 2016 as gifts from Carole and Barry Kaye and are on loan to Alina Residences. Erdman’s works belong to collections that include the United Nations, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Princeton University, and the Rockefeller Collection.

The unveiling aligned with Boca Raton’s commitment to public art through its Public Art Boca program. Notable installations include murals at Red Reef West and Spanish River Park’s beach tunnels, as well as sculptures at Wildflower and Silver Palm parks.

Amanda’s Corner officially launched on May 3 at Habitat for Humanity of Greater Palm Beach County’s Delray Beach ReStore, with local designer and ReStore enthusiast Amanda Perna in charge. Following the ribboncutting, attendees browsed Amanda’s Corner’s selection of thrifted finds from the ReStore, designs by Perna and pieces from her Delray Beach boutique, House of Perna

Each month, Amanda’s Corner will showcase new treasures hand-selected by Perna, a two-time Project Runner contestant and HGTV Flea Market Flip winner.

The Delray Beach ReStore is at 1900 N. Federal Highway.

At the League of Women Voters Hot Topic Luncheon on June 25, guests will meet Palm Beach County’s new public

defender, Daniel Eisinger

He began his career in the Public Defender’s Office in 2003 and was elected the county’s public defender in November.

Eisinger has been instrumental in establishing court programs such as the Misdemeanor Mental Health Court, which connects low-level offenders suffering from mental illness with mental health professionals.

Eisinger, league member, also belongs to the national and Florida associations for criminal defense lawyers and the Palm Beach County Bar Association, and is a graduate of Leadership Palm Beach County.

The luncheon will be held at the Fountains Country Club, 4476 Fountains Drive in Lake Worth Beach. Doors will open at 11 a.m. and the lunch begins at 11:30. The program starts at noon. The registration fee is $40 for league members and $45 for nonmembers. The deadline to register is June 19, at www. lwvpbc.org.

Steve Plunkett contributed to this report.

Send business news to Christine Davis at cdavis9797@ gmail.com.

Perna

Continuum, by Richard Erdman, is on loan to Alina Residences. Photo provided

Torras

the mold. Page AT5

Philanthropy - Page AT2

Celebrations - Page AT3

Health - Page AT14

Calendar - Page AT18

Pets

Dapper doggies celebrated in new book. Page AT11

Finding Faith

Boca pastor to lend a big Helping Hand. Page AT13

Tots & Teens

Atlantic HS grad inventing a great career. Page AT16

Drawn to cartoons

Humor on exhibit in Highland Beach emerged from artist’s hair-on-fire epiphany

By Rich Pollack

It was New Year’s Eve 1990 and Marisa Acocella was searching for answers from a higher authority.

A self-taught cartoonist who had been drawing since she was 3, Acocella earned a degree from the Pratt Institute in New York and was working as an advertising agency art director, catering to high-powered clients. She hated it.

So she lit a candle to summon saints and others from above and ask for guidance. She accidentally leaned forward into the flame, setting her hair on fire. This happened right after Acocella had added the line “she was a little upset during the meeting” to an irreverent drawing of herself with a gun in her mouth.

Then she had an epiphany.

“That’s when I realized that’s what I

should have been all along — a cartoonist,” she said.

Three and a half decades later, that once-frustrated commercial artist is an internationally recognized cartoonist whose work is regularly featured in The New Yorker. Her cartoons have also appeared in

ABOVE: Marissa Acocella with the tools of her craft at home in Highland Beach. Tim Stepien/ The Coastal Star

LEFT: Acocella’s cartoons from The New Yorker are on display in the Highland Beach Library. This one hints at her love of fashion and a childhood as daughter of a luxury shoe designer. Cartoon provided

some of the top fashion magazines including Mirabella, Glamour, W and Elle, as well as in The New York Times and O, The Oprah Magazine

Now 64 and living in Highland Beach,

See CARTOONIST on page AT4

Fashion

SI swimsuit photos shot at The Boca Raton. Page AT10

Dancers selected for Boca’s Ballroom Battle 2025

The eight dancers for the 2025 Boca’s Ballroom Battle, co-chaired by Terry Fedele and Zoe Lanham, have been selected.

The theme will be the British Invasion, and the attire will be bold fashion inspired by music from across the pond.

In its 18th year, the George Snow Scholarship Fund’s signature event is set for Sept. 20 at The Boca Raton and coincides with National Dance Day.

The dancers’ goal is to capture the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy not only by giving spectacular performances but by raising funds to help students achieve higher education.

For more information, call 561-347-6799, Ext. 114, or visit ballroombattle.com.

Apply now for ‘Quantum in the Community‘ grants

“Our grantees are not only serving but encouraging and giving strength to those who need it most,” foundation President Eric Kelly said. “They all make our neighborhoods a much stronger and healthier place for residents.”

Applications for “Quantum in the Community” grants will be accepted through Aug. 1.

The foundation also is accepting nominations for the Marie Thorpe Above and Beyond Award. In memory of staff member Marie Thorpe, who served the foundation for more than two decades, the recognition will be given to an everyday hero who exemplifies sacrifice and service.

For more information, call 561-832-7497 or visit quantumfnd.org

of the Peter Blum Family YMCA.

For more information, call 561-395-9622 or visit ymcaspbc. org

$460,000 in grants goes to 21 nonprofits

The Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties has awarded its Community Impact summer grants following a highly competitive cycle in which 40 applicants sought more than $1.7 million in funding.

Grants worth $460,000 to 21 local nonprofits will empower them to launch or expand summer programs ranging from academic enrichment and mentorship to arts and wellness.

The Quantum Foundation is calling local grassroots nonprofits with annual budgets up to $500,000 to apply for a portion of the $1.25 million in grants available this year.

The grants are aimed at meeting the basic needs of Palm Beach County residents by providing food, shelter, transportation, clothing, showers, furniture, medical equipment and hygiene supplies.

Donation expands YMCA scholarships for teens

The YMCA of South Palm Beach County has received a $20,000 donation from Maurice and Margie Plough and the M.B. & Edna Zale Foundation to support at-risk teens.

The funds will provide full and partial scholarships, giving teens access to Y memberships and programs that promote academic success, leadership and personal growth.

“With today’s teens facing rising challenges like mental health issues and academic pressure, support like this ensures no teen is left behind due to financial barriers,” said Bryan Hunt, executive director

“We’re proud to support these 21 organizations whose summer programs will positively impact local children, families and communities,” said Julie Fisher Cummings, chairwoman of the foundation’s Community Impact committee, which oversees the process. “These grants reflect the foundation’s deep commitment to strengthening nonprofits on the front lines of change.”

For more information, call 561-659-6800 or visit yourcommunityfoundation.org

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

Ballroom Battle dancers will be (l-r) George Petrocelli, Michael Drews, Mitchell Fogel, Troy Ganter, Michelle Hagerty, Lauren Muñoz, Linda Paton and Allison Stewart. Photo provided by Muñoz Photography

Celebrations

Swing to Achieve Palm Beach Par 3 — May 16

A full field of players raised more than $30,000 for Achievement Centers for Children & Families at the nonprofit‘s sixth annual golf tournament. Achievement Centers, based in Delray Beach, supports hundreds of children and their families by providing access to affordable child care and after-school services. Under the leadership of Co-Chairmen Mike Cruz and Leon Teske, the event received support from numerous sponsors, including the Delaire Country Club Car Club. ‘Achievement Centers for Children & Families has given me and my fellow car enthusiasts a meaningful way to connect with younger generations and share our passion for automobiles,’ club member Jim Newman said. ‘Learning about their impactful programs serving at-risk youth across south Palm Beach County has been truly rewarding.’ ABOVE: Cruz and Teske. Photo provided

Annual auction

The St. Andrews Club, Delray Beach — April 16 The Creative Waves Foundation raised more than $100,000 at an event that featured opportunities to win vacations to Africa and Italy, fine jewelry, a golf outing and a fishing charter. The event also featured songs sung by children from the Belle Glade enrichment center and by Bianca Rosarrio and The Smooth Operators band. The foundation helped fund the 15,000-square-foot enrichment center that opened in February. The foundation also underwrites student scholarships and summer programs. ABOVE: Steve and Val Coz of Ocean Ridge. Photo provided

Anniversary party Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa, Manalapan — March 29 Selfless Love Foundation is celebrating a decade of dedication. Since 2015, the nonprofit based in Jupiter has assisted thousands of children in foster care by helping them get adopted and by providing supportive housing for youths aging out of the system. Its record-breaking fundraiser included signature cocktails, exquisite auction items and heartwarming stories highlighting the organization’s milestones.

‘When my husband, Ed, and I started Selfless Love Foundation, we never imagined what would happen in 10 years,’ founder and CEO Ashley Brown said. ‘All the families that have been created through adoption and the youth who are succeeding against all odds are the living legacies of Selfless Love that our supporters have helped to build.’ ABOVE: (l-r) Ajayda Davis, Eloise DeJoria, Jazzy Amerson, Tradella Lester, Serena Aguilar, John Paul DeJoria and Antonia Fede. Photo provided by Capehart

Gala

With record-breaking ticket sales of more than 500, the annual Kravis Center Gala featured a performance by Harry Connick Jr. Guests were first ushered in to a 1940s-themed Klub Kravis cocktail reception. The evening concluded with dinner and dancing highlighted by a replica silent film created especially for the event. ‘Education and community engagement are at the heart of the Kravis Center’s mission, and the generosity of our Gala guests helps make it all possible,’ Gala Co-Chairman William Meyer said. ‘Together we are shaping the future — one student, one performance, one lifechanging moment at a time.’ LEFT: Jeff and Aggie Stoops. Photo provided by Capehart

In honor of the 100th anniversary of the Spady House, home of the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum, Steve and Lori Martel served as hosts of a garage-band celebration. As members of the museum’s Society 1926, the Martels are leading efforts to raise $100,000 during the next year. Society 1926 members are organizing a series of events, and the Martels kicked off the first one with a rousing lineup of musical performances. Participants also enjoyed food and wine while learning about the museum’s mission to promote Black history. ‘We believe that a community that includes a mix of good people is a necessary key to a great life,’ Steve Martel said. ‘The Spady Museum is part of what makes our city so great, and Lori and I are honored to help it continue.’ ABOVE: (l-r) Holly Downs, Ed Flak and Anne Stretch. Photo provided by MasterWing Creative

Florida, a South County-based nonprofit that provides programs and services to educate and empower individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, brought in more than $1.1 million at its 39th annual fundraiser. Nearly 400 guests attended. The 2025 Lynne & Howard Halpern Champions for Special Needs Award was presented to the late Bernie Marcus and Billi Marcus. Craig Shapiro received the 2025 Volunteer of the Year Award. ‘The JARC Gala is a heartfelt celebration of our clients, their families, dedicated staff, generous donors, volunteers and the community partners who make our mission possible,’ CEO Jeffrey Zirulnick said. LEFT: Michael and Dale Bare. MIDDLE: David and Dale Pratt. RIGHT: Dara and Andy Tupler. Photos provided by Jeffrey Tholl Photography

Delray Beach Home Tour

Marina Historic District — March 11

More than 850 guests enjoyed the 22nd annual benefit for Achievement Centers for Children & Families as they visited seven exquisite homes with gorgeous views, eclectic art and lush landscaping. More than $200,000 was raised to support people in need of services in South County. ‘Each year we select a different Delray Beach neighborhood where homeowners can showcase their interior designs and architectural styles,’ Co-Chairwoman Noreen Payne said. LEFT: Gina Griffin and Robert Norberg. Photo provided

JARC Gala Boca West Country Club, Boca Raton — March 9

JARC

Kravis

Kravis Center, West Palm Beach — March 5

House party

Private home, Delray Beach — March 22

ABOVE: Marisa Acocella has authored a book detailing her battle with breast cancer. RIGHT AND BELOW: Most of Acocella’s cartoons focus on women and fashion, although men are not immune from her wit. Cartoons provided

CARTOONIST

Continued from page AT1

Acocella is also the author of three graphic novels, and the acclaimed graphic memoir — Cancer Vixen — detailing her battle with breast cancer that was diagnosed in 2004, three weeks before she was married.

Through July 22, a sampling of 28 of Acocella’s cartoons from The New Yorker will be on display in the Highland Beach Library, along with underwater photographs by Mark Kosarin.

Visitors to the exhibit will note that Acocella’s work is somewhat eclectic, although fashion tends to be a favorite theme.

“They’re about fashion but they’re not just about fashion,” she said. “They’re about women.”

Her work, much of which was created while she lived in Manhattan, can also be autobiographical and, of course, a little irreverent.

“I look at the world through my own lens,” she said.

Working for The New Yorker, she says, is not easy. The magazine famous for its cartoons has a reputation for being highly selective.

Like many of the cartoonists who submit ideas, Acocella sends 10 to 12 drawings every week to The New Yorker.

“It’s a lot of hard work,” she said, adding that as a cartoonist there is no steady paycheck.

“You can go months without a sale.”

Coming up with ideas for the one-panel cartoons that appear in the magazine is the fun part, she says. “As an artist, you go where your imagination takes you, then you put it down on paper.”

The hard part, she adds, is re-creating the initial sketch that took five minutes to rough out and turning it into the final

artwork, which can take days.

The daughter of a high-end shoe designer — her mother, Violetta, also of Highland Beach, designed the shoes Jackie Kennedy wore to her husband’s inauguration — Acocella grew up with sketches everywhere in her home.

“The first thing I ever drew was a shoe,” she said.

By the time she was 3 she was drawing women similar to those in the drawings her mother submitted with trend reports to manufacturers.

“I got bored because the women weren’t saying anything,” she said.

That changed when Acocella was 8 and the family went on a vacation to Bermuda. The resort where they stayed put them in a room that her mother

was unhappy with, so the staff put them in a “pink elephant” of a house on the edge of the property.

Gracing the walls were sketches and The New Yorker cartoons and Acocella soon learned that the house had belonged to James Thurber, a famous cartoonist and author for the magazine.

She stayed up to 3 a.m. reading Thurber’s books and studying the cartoons with captions, realizing she could make the people in her drawings talk.

Acocella awoke four hours later with the sensation that something was crawling on her, only to discover hundreds of red ants all over the bed.

“I tell people ‘That’s when I got bitten by the cartoonist

bug,’” she said.

During her career, Acocella worked on a twice-monthly reportage column for The New York Times — journalism in cartoon drawings — and had a monthly comic strip in Mirabella and later in Elle

Excerpts from the book Cancer Vixen appeared in Glamour magazine, with 72 panels on six pages.

Cancer Vixen, which chronicles her successful battle with breast cancer — even though she didn’t have health insurance — is being considered as the basis of a television show and a movie.

Her books are available at the Highland Beach Library.

While working on another book, Acocella is continuing to come up with ideas, some

If You Go

What: Art exhibit featuring works by Marisa Acocella, including 28 of her cartoons for The New Yorker, and underwater photography by Mark Kosarin

Where: Highland Beach Library, 3618 S. Ocean Blvd.

When: Through July 22; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Mon.-Thu., 104:30 Fri., 9-1:30 Sat.

Information: 561-278-5455 or https://highlandbeach. us/231/Library

of which manifest when she’s strolling through Highland Beach.

“I get my best ideas when I’m walking,” she said. P

www.palmbeachartspaper.com

Art

By Jan Engoren ArtsPaper Writer

After 15 years of concerts, rehearsals and performances enriching Palm Beach County’s music and choral scene, artistic director Ken Taylor took his final bow with the Masterworks Chorus of the Palm Beaches in May.

Blown

Museum of Art’s ‘Glasstress 2025’ shatters conventional wisdom

By Jan Engoren ArtsPaper Writer

Glass, that fragile but resilient material, has usually been relegated to the decorative arts; but recently, in conjunction with the Berengo Studio in Murano, Italy, contemporary artists have been using glass as their medium to create new works of art.

Introducing internationally renowned artists to the master glassmakers of Italy is an effort to push artistic boundaries and keep alive the tradition of glass art. Showcasing these works is Glasstress Boca Raton 2025, which opened in late April at the Boca Raton Museum of Art and runs through Oct. 12.

Two previous exhibits were offered in 2016 and 2021.

“‘Surprise’ is the word that best defines this exhibition,” says Ena Heller, executive director of the Boca

Theater Reviews

By Hap Erstein ArtsPaper Theater Writer

Here is a look at a handful of shows from my trip to New York for Broadway’s spring season. This is a runup to the June 8 Tony Awards.

Real Women Have Curves: Although based on Josefina Lopez’s 1990 play and the 2002 HBO movie starring America Ferrera, the newly arrived musical, Real Women Have Curves, seems extremely timely in the current days of immigrant peril. While this tale of an East L.A. dress factory, peopled mainly by undocumented Latinas, is ultimately upbeat with a message of female empowerment, getting there takes a journey of stress and peril.

Raton Museum of Art.

“Each iteration of Glasstress is a unique project, including different artists and new works,” she says. “The artists push the boundaries of materials and techniques, often surprising us with their scale, textures, unexpected iconography and expansive symbolism.”

Nearly 40 works by 24 artists from 20 countries are featured in the exhibition. Many of these artists, including Swedish artist Lap-See Lam, Austrian artist Erwin Wurm, and French artist Laure Prouvost, have represented their nations at the renowned Venice Biennale.

Prouvost, winner of the prestigious Turner Prize, has since collaborated regularly with Berengo’s artisans. Her installation of aquatic birds situated in a tropical landscape is her homage to our endangered natural environment.

Chinese dissident Ai Weiwei, Irish artist Sean Scully and Afro-Cuban artist María Magdalena Campos-Pons also have their works on display at the museum as part of the exhibit.

Heller notes that a distinctive feature of this edition is the integration of glass with other media such as marble, woven fabric, metal, etc., within the same work — redefining the possibilities of contemporary glass art and ensuring the art form remains relevant.

After decades of closures of centuries-old glass furnaces in Murano and competition from cheaper knockoffs, Glasstress launched in 2009 as a collateral event at the Venice Biennale. Glasstress invites artists to collaborate with master glassmakers in Venice, whose expertise has been honed over generations.

See GLASSTRESS on AT6

His farewell performance, An American Songbook Review, was a personal and heartfelt culmination of his tenure, marking the end of an era and the beginning of a new artistic journey for the chorus.

Over 46 seasons, Masterworks has presented more than 50 major concerts, as well as collaborations with organizations such as Palm Beach Opera, Ballet Florida, and the Masterworks Chamber Singers. Though the 2020-21 season was canceled due to the pandemic, the group has since rebounded.

Following An American Songbook Review, audience members came out to thank Taylor for his service and to see the passing of the baton (pun intended) to the chorus’s new artistic director, Bryan Ijames (pronounced EYE-ems).

“I’m very excited for this opportunity and to conduct extended choral works,” Ijames said. “This body of choral literature is at the heart of my passion and expertise. It’s my bread and butter.”

Ijames has performed and conducted many of these works since singing tenor solos in Messiah performances as an undergraduate at High Point University in North Carolina, so having the opportunity to revisit them in his new role is “super exciting,” he said.

Ijames is currently assistant professor of music education and associate professor of choral activities at Florida Gulf Coast University Bower School of Music and the Arts in Fort Myers. He has a doctor of musical arts in conducting from the University of Michigan, a master of music in choral education from

At the show’s center is a recent high school grad, Ana Garcia (Tatianna Córdoba), the only American citizen in her family, determined to escape the drudgery of the dressmaking shop run by her feisty mom, Carmen (Justina Machado), and her older sister, Estela (Florencia Cuenca). What Ana hasn’t told her family is that she has been accepted at Columbia University, with a full scholarship. But when the shop gets a large order — 200 dresses — with an all-too-brief deadline, it is all hands on sewing machines, including Ana’s.

Adapters Lisa Loomer and Nell Benjamin balance the drama and the comedy nicely, supporting the ethnically flavorful score by Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez; a bit of salsa, a bit of hip-hop and a bit of pure Broadway. The show-stopping number is the title

tune, in which the mostly full-figured cast strips to bras and panties in the oppressive heat of the factory — a celebration of positive body image.

The cast is certainly female-centric, but Mason Reeves is appealing in support as Ana’s endearingly awkward boyfriend and, late in the show, Mauricio Mendoza is touching as Ana’s dad, conflicted about her yearning to relocate across the country for school. There is nothing innovative about Real Women Have Curves, but in the steady hand of director-choreographer Sergio Trujillo, a conventional retro musical like this makes for satisfying entertainment.

James Earl Jones Theatre, 138 W. 48th St., $48-$299

Florencia Cuenca, Tatianna Córdoba and Justina Machado in Real Women Have Curves, now playing on Broadway.

Photo by Julieta Cervantes

Jasper is one of the tropical birds created in glass by artist Laure Prouvost Photo provided

Ijames

Northwood arts venue going all out for Flag Day celebration

By Bill Meredith ArtsPaper Music Writer

There are times when the effort of searching for the right destination pays off.

Artistically, such is the case with the Northwood Art & Music Warehouse. If you’re looking for a casual, comfortable venue with indoor and outdoor stages and a house PA system for live music; paintings, drawings and other crafts by local artists, and craft beers and imported wines, look no further.

Or, rather, look further — because it isn’t along the beaten path. Situated several blocks west of the restaurants, shops and cafés of Northwood Village in West Palm Beach, the Warehouse is in an industrial area filled with railroad tracks.

But for the uninitiated, the site’s forthcoming Flag Day

celebration June 14 could be a great icebreaker. Its centerpiece will involve children and grandchildren of veterans, ages 2-8, contributing their handprints as the stars for a 14-by-12-foot American flag design, with its stripes made of epoxy and textured materials, by local artist Ariel Basso.

This is one of multiple stops being filmed for Basso’s forthcoming documentary film We Are America to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday in 2026.

“I’ve been working on this project for a few months now,” Basso says. “We want veterans from all branches of military service in South Florida to join us. There will be live music and food.”

The music will be by Hot Toddy, a country music act led by singing guitarist Bethany Lynn and Low Ground bassist/

vocalist Amanda Accardi, from 4-5:30 p.m.; and the Adam Douglass Band, a jazz/fusion act led by its namesake guitarist, from 6:30-8 p.m.

Northwood Art & Music Warehouse owner Joe DeStephan is a New Jersey native who moved north from Miami Beach, where he saw the city’s Wynwood district transform into an arts hub. He was previously leasing his warehouse to a tenant for storage. When the tenant vacated, DeStephan, who’d moved to be closer to his aging, Stuart-based parents, obtained cheap bar equipment during the pandemic and turned the site into his personal man cave.

Since formally opening that cave to the public in 2022, he’s continued to foresee Northwood eventually becoming another Wynwood, which has seemed

GLASSTRESS

Continued from page 5

“Glasstress is a collaborative process that shatters the hierarchy between art, decoration and craft,” the museum says in its accompanying narrative.

The interchange between master glassmakers and contemporary artists allows the glassmakers to expand their craft by improvising new methods to help artists realize contemporary ideas. The artists benefit by expressing themselves in a new medium and creating innovative works in glass.

For the exhibit, curator Kathleen Goncharov and the museum commissioned a glass work by Fort Lauderdale-based artist Deyvi Orangel Peña Arteaga, who uses the moniker José Alvarez. That work, Echoes of Silence in the Galactic Garden, hangs in the museum lobby.

unlikely in recent years. Yet high-rise construction projects are now underway in the area.

Basso is a Miami native who moved to Brooklyn before the Wynwood renaissance, yet he saw the New York borough undergo a similar transformation.

“This area is on its way toward that,” he says. “It’s on an upward trajectory here.”

DeStephan’s venue truly is multipurpose.

Northwood Art & Music’s outdoor stage is a repurposed shipping container that can be opened up to face its spacious, fenced-off courtyard.

Inside the large, halfcircle-shaped warehouse are comfortable seating from couches to high-tops and a stage in the northeast corner. Its 20-foot ceiling, ventilation, fans and oversized doors offset

Butterflies, dedicated to the memory of Breonna Taylor and the Black Lives Matter movement.

If You Go

We Are America Flag Day celebration at Northwood Art & Music Warehouse, 933 28th St., West Palm Beach. When: 4-8 p.m. June 14

Admission: $10 donation Info: 561-425-9040, northwoodartandmusic. com

its lack of air conditioning. The cooling will be a plus for the indoor We Are America Flag Day festivities.

The live music went dark last summer, as it will again starting in July, but Basso and the other artists offer events and exhibitions throughout the year.

With such an emphasis on development in the Northwood area over the past year, 2025 could be the start of the space’s slow upward trend through both its music and visual art.

If You Go

Glasstress 2025 runs through Oct. 12 at the Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real, Boca Raton. Admission: $16; $12 seniors; free for students and ages 15 and under Hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. W, F, Sat, Sun; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Th Info: 561-392-2500; bocamuseum.org

A few large-scale pieces dominate the exhibit. Fiona Banner’s Work 2 is a glass scaffold resembling those used by construction workers. Mexican surrealist Pedro Friedeberg’s Tarot Kindergarten is an 8-by-8-foot mirrored glass mural featuring tarot card characters and occult symbols. Iranian artist Fariba Ferdosi’s Nido/Corona is a 59-inch glass crown of thorns.

The mural is a radiantly colored psychedelic feast in a complex floral pattern adorned with gold embellishments. It combines the artist’s love of astrophysics with his own personal garden.

Born in Venezuela, Alvarez is known for collage, performance, video works and paintings influenced by science, spirituality and mysticism. He collaborated remotely via Zoom with the artisans in Venice.

He sent his intricate design for them to translate into glass and says the artisans did a phenomenal job in following his specifications. “I flipped out,” he says. “It was so amazing.”

Visitors are greeted at the entry by another striking piece: Scully’s Venice Stack, an 8-foottall, multi-colored glass tower. Also on display is a selection of vividly colored urns by German artist Thomas Schütte, whose work was the subject of a 2024 retrospective at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

MacArthur fellow CamposPons created a 2021 mobile series titled The Rise of the

Collaborating with Berengo Studio, Campos-Pons used traditional mouth blown glassmaking techniques to craft each piece. The mobiles carry a variety of symbols, including butterflies, glass pieces shaped like tears and water drops, and blue and white evil eyes.

Another highlight in the exhibition is the 2021 White Chandelier, a monumental piece by Ai Weiwei, crafted in the style of an 18th-century Venetian Baroque chandelier, adorned with flowers, foliage and climbing vines.

Having spent 81 days in prison in 2011 for his antigovernment activities in China, the artist, who now lives in Europe, incorporates symbols from his protest works into his later works, including this chandelier. Among the ornate and curlicue tendrils are glass handcuffs representing his imprisonment, a fist with a raised middle finger and small crabs, symbolizing censorship by the Chinese government.

Also on display: Weiwei’s 2024 Vases in Five Colors, in which the artist comments on Western society’s infatuation with capitalism and consumerism, using embellishments such as the iconic Coca-Cola logo.

Belgian artist Laurent Reypens’s 2024 painting, Carta Mundi, depicting a series of vases, hangs besides “Dancing with the Light,” his inverted vase sculptures set on brass legs — giving the illusion of movement as if they are scurrying away.

As a metaphor for life, glass is both delicate and durable — evolving from a molten liquid state, existing in flux and tension and ultimately transforming itself into a new solid form.

“Unlike the past and the present, what comes next for our world presents itself as constant possibility, always transforming as we move forward in time,” says Adriano Berengo, founder of the Berengo Studio, in a prepared statement.

“This concept of transformation has always held an affinity with glass, a medium which — as the name Glasstress suggests — exists in a state of constant tension. Life needs tension, it needs energy, and a vibrant exchange of ideas,” he says.

A detail from White Chandelier by Ai Weiwei. Photo provided

BROADWAY

Continued from page 5

Gypsy: The much-revived Gypsy has one of the great roles of the musical theater: Rose Hovick, the obsessively driven stage mother of star stripper Gypsy Rose Lee. The part is a Tony Award magnet, as Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly and Patti LuPone can attest. Still, even if you feel you have seen this show often enough, you must see Audra McDonald’s Mama Rose — one of the most stunning performances I have encountered in my half-century of theatergoing.

McDonald is hardly a natural fit for the role, having more of a classically trained soprano voice than a belting boom, but she makes the iconic Jule Styne-Stephen Sondheim score her own, from her opening “want” song (“Some People”) to her thunderous finale, the emotional high wire act, “Rose’s Turn.” Of course the six-time Tony Award winner is a terrific singer, but she also has great acting chops, which she demonstrates throughout this marathon performance.

Rather than color-blind casting, director George C. Wolfe immerges us in the waning days of Black vaudeville, which gives the production an additional quality of uniqueness. He wants us to be aware of race in the case of Rose and her two daughters — June and Louise — but also ignore it, as when June’s backup farmhands grow up and change

CHORUS

Continued from page 5

Mississippi State University, and a master of music in choral conducting from Eastern Kentucky University.

Ijames, who will commute once a week from Fort Myers for his new role, has a connection to Palm Beach County.

He was a performing member and assistant conductor of the Ebony Chorale of the Palm Beaches under the artistic leadership of Orville Lawton, from 2017 to 2020.

He has held chorister positions at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Beach, St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church in Boca Raton and at Park Vista High School in Lake Worth Beach.

Ijames said he is excited to continue the strong tradition started by the late Jack Jones in 1979 and continued by Taylor

“At the end of the day we want choral orchestral music to continue and flourish,” he said.

His goals include strengthening the chorus’s ability to perform more complex masterpieces and reaching a larger audience. Ijames has longrange plans to establish a choral scholars program, enabling more vocal students to sing with Masterworks.

“We need to be encouraging young people to be a part of music and arts and to welcome back those who have stepped

from black to white. Don’t ask.

Even with a towering performance like McDonald’s, Gypsy allows room for others to stand out. As Herbie, the candy seller coerced into being the act’s agent, Danny Burstein makes a strong impression, romancing Rose until her ruthlessness on Louise’s behalf drives him away. Joy Woods, so touching in The Notebook, makes the crucial duckling-toswan transition as she takes on the mantle of Gypsy Rose.

Written in 1959, during what is now considered a golden age for musical theater, Gypsy is proof that “they don’t write ’em like they used to.”

This season has seen a profusion of new musicals, some of them quite entertaining, but none on the quality level of Gypsy. And certainly no performance as astonishing as

away,” he said.

Board President Katherine Combs said, “We couldn’t be more delighted to have found a person with exceptional training and a passion for conducting choral masterpieces.”

She also highlighted Ijames’s ability to refine the chorus’s sound. “What impressed us the most was his ability to get the chorus to adjust its tone using different techniques,” she said.

“This is a rare skill.”

In addition to Ijames, Masterworks Chorus has appointed organist Adam J. Brakel as its new accompanist. Brakel is the director of music and organist at Royal Poinciana Chapel in Palm Beach.

His repertoire spans the organ works of composers including Bach, Brahms, Liszt, Mozart and Mendelssohn.

“Having Brakel as organist is a game changer,” said Combs, a former attorney who sang with the chorus for five years before becoming board president last year.

With fresh leadership and renewed artistic vision, Masterworks Chorus hopes to elevate the level of choral music within Palm Beach County.

“We’re excited to see how far we can soar with the dual powerhouses of Dr. Ijames and Adam Brakel,” Combs said. “For Masterworks Chorus, the best is yet to come.”

home (artfully designed by Todd Rosenthal) and referee the family confrontations.

His older son, Solomon Jr. (Glenn Davis), was groomed to inherit his mantle in politics before a conviction for embezzlement. Younger son Naz (Jon Michael Hill), a nature photographer and the narrator of the play, is a character easy to relate to except for those he is related to. Unattached and self-described as asexual, Naz is a sperm donor for a lesbian friend, Aziza (Kara Young), the outsider who inevitably arrives and stirs up difficulties and discontent, particularly at a first act-ending dinner scene.

McDonald’s. Majestic Theatre, 245 W. 44th St. $46-$421

Purpose: Branden JacobsJenkins, Tony Award winner for last season’s best revival, Appropriate, is back with another guided tour of Dysfunctional Family Land, Purpose, which recently garnered a Pulitzer Prize for drama. He again reunites a clan and pits them against one another, with a script both articulate and incendiary. This time his focus is on the Jaspers, an African-American family headed by patriarch Solomon (Harry Lennix), a clergyman and activist in the civil rights movement. His wife, Claudine (LaTanya Richardson Jackson), a former lawyer, put her career on hold to support his legacy, run their sizable

Director Phylicia Rashad modulates the building storm with a knowing hand, but could have tightened the somewhat overwritten second act. Still, as the Pulitzer intends, Purpose sheds light on the American way of life.

Helen Hayes Theater, 240 W. 44th St. $69-$299

Dead Outlaw: Out to prove once more that anything can be a musical, the team that brought us The Band’s Visit — composer/lyricist David Yazbek, book writer Itamar Moses and director David Cromer — have their tongues planted firmly in cheek telling the tall tale, Dead Outlaw, about a robber and killer, Elmer McCurdy, who traveled the Old West once he was dead himself and embalmed.

Born in 1880, died in 1911, yet not buried until 1976, Elmer has a history so peculiar, it is

surely true. We first meet him as he is strumming his guitar, lying supine on the roof of Arnulfo Maldonado’s grunge unit set, before getting up and launching a brief life of crime and alcoholism.

As narrated by the onstage band leader Jeb Brown, we watch with incredulity as Elmer (deliciously deadpan Andrew Durand) gets snuffed out, then pickled and passed around, as a sideshow attraction, then an extra in a Hollywood movie and eventually the dissection corpse of none other than Thomas Noguchi, L.A.’s celebrity coroner.

Elmer’s biography is certainly morbid, yet the creators of Dead Outlaw metamorphose it into comedy, albeit very dark comedy.

As Elmer, Durand is quite compelling, even though the role calls for him to be stiff and mute for much of the show’s intermissionless hour and 40 minutes. The rest of the eightmember cast stays on the go, jumping from character to character, none more appealing than Julia Knitel as a Hollywood director’s quirky daughter.

Time will tell whether there is sufficient audience for this staunchly offbeat entertainment to justify its move to Broadway after near unanimous acclaim last season at Greenwich Village’s Minetta Lane Theatre. File Dead Outlaw under Guilty Pleasures — difficult to describe, but easy to enjoy.

Longacre Theatre, 220 W. 48th Street. $48-$321

Danny Burstein, Joy Woods and Audra McDonald perform a musical number in Gypsy Photo by Julieta Cervantes

Arts Calendar

Editor’s note: Events listed through July 3 were current as of May 22. Check with the presenting agency for any changes. Ticket prices are single sales unless otherwise specified.

ART

Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens: Through June: Alex Katz: Portraits and Landscapes Through the Seasons Jane Manus: Old Friends $15; $10 seniors. 253 Barcelona Road, West Palm Beach. 10 am-4 pm W-Sun. 561-832-5328. Info@ansg.org

Armory Art Center: Through July 11: Before I Forget 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. 27: Glasstress Boca Raton 2025. Through Oct. 12: 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: Through June 15: Icons of Art: Italian Mosaic Portraits. Through June 22: Mirror, Mirror: Celebrating Women in the Arts; Reflections; 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: Through June 20: Biennial 2025. Through June

27” Andrea Sarcos: Remember Me As a Place; Urban Sketchers of Palm Beach County. Free. 601 Lake Ave., Lake Worth Beach. Noon-5 pm T-F. 561-471-2901, 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: 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 June 29: Art of the Word: Calligraphy and Chinese Artists 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

Friday, June 13

South Florida Symphony: The orchestra’s summer chamber music series returns with a program of piano trios by Debussy and Schubert, and a work for violin and piano

by American composer Florence Price. With violinist Huifang Chen, 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 or 954-522-8445

Sunday, June 8

DANCE

Academy of Ballet Florida: The students of the West Palm Beach-based dance company showcase scenes from Coppélia (Délibes) and Wicked (Schwartz). Two performances, 1 pm and 4 pm at the Kravis Center’s Persson Hall. $35 and up. 561-832-7469 or kravis.org

Saturday, June 14

JAZZ

Jean Caze: The trumpeter and composer returns to the Arts Garage with a concert of Haitian jazz. 8 pm, Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave., Delray Beach. $45-$50. 561-450-6357 or artsgarage.org.

Saturday, June 28

Ella and the Bossa Beat Quartet: The heart of this Brazilian jazz quartet is the fatherdaughter team of drummer Magrus Borges and singer-pianist Ella Blu. 8 pm, Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave., Delray Beach. $45-$50. 561-450-6357 or artsgarage.org.

POPULAR MUSIC

Saturday, June 7

Dierks Bentley: The veteran country singer has 27 top-ranking singles to his credit. 7 pm, iThink Financial Amphitheatre, South Florida Fairgrounds, West Palm Beach. $53 to $270. livenation.com

Friday, June 20

Ringo Starr: The Beatles drummer, who turns 85 in July, brings his All Starr Band to South Florida. 8 pm, Hard Rock Live, 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood. $44 to $283. ticketmaster.com

Saturday, June 21

Avril Lavigne: The Canadian singer and songwriter (“Complicated,” “Sk8er Boi”) began her Greatest Hits Tour in 2024. 7:30 pm, Hard Rock Live. $121 to $529. ticketmaster.com

Saturday, June 28

Slightly Stoopid: The Southern California good-time rock-reggae sextet is on its Step Into the Sun Tour. 6:30 pm, iThink Financial Amphitheatre. $44 to $261. ivenation.com Heart: The iconic American band led by two Seattle sisters, Ann and Nancy Wilson. 8 pm, Hard Rock Live. $110 to $420; two sets are promised. ticketmaster.com.

THEATER

Through Thursday, June 5

Dangerous Instruments: In Miami playwright Gina Montet’s drama, a single mother finds herself navigating the mental health system when her brilliant son spirals into darkness. Palm Beach Dramaworks, 201 Clematis St., West Palm Beach. $72-107. 561-514-4042 or palmbeachdramaworks.org.

Saturday, June 21-Sunday, June 22

Legally Blonde: Nell Benjamin and Laurence O’Keefe’s 2007 musical based on the Reese Witherspoon movie and Amanda Brown novel. Performed by students at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre’s Goldner Conservatory. At the Island Theatre at the Maltz, 1001 E. Indiantown Road, Jupiter. Tickets on sale June 9. Visit jupitertheatre.org or call 561-575-2223.

Tuesday, June 24-Sunday, June 29

Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations: Kravis on Broadway closes its season with this Tony-winning jukebox musical. Dreyfoos Hall, Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach. $40.25-$104.75. 561-832-7469 or kravis.org.

Taking the month off

It’s almost summer and a couple of our columnists are taking the month off.

Jan Norris’ dining column will return in July.

Jan is a food writer who can be reached at nativefla@ gmail.com.

Outdoors writer Steve Waters’ column will also be back next month. Steve can be reached at steve33324@ aol.com.

Along the Coast

Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue features a landmark model — The Boca Raton

By Joe Capozzi

The swimsuit models get all the attention in the annual Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. But folks in south Palm Beach County are excited about a certain other model gracing the 2025 cover — The Boca Raton resort and spa.

The Boca Raton is one of five featured locations for the 61st swimsuit edition, released May 13. One of four sites that won cover spots, the resort served as the backdrop for shoots featuring mostly Olympic medal-winning athletes.

That’s gold-medal gymnast Jordan Chiles on the cover, lounging on the beach. Those are WNBA player Cameron Brink and gold-medal freestyle

skier Eileen Gu on the roof of the Cloister wearing bikinis that would make Addison Mizner, the hotel’s original designer, blush.

“Approaching its 100th birthday, The Boca Raton shows off plenty of Mizner’s signature Spanish Mediterranean, Moorish and Gothic influences,’’ the magazine says in its opening page, describing the resort as “a sanctuary that blends the laid-back luxury of beachfront living with the vibrancy and amenities of a world-class destination.’’

The release of the issue allows The Boca Raton to show off its all-new Beach Club hotel, which opened in January after an extensive $130 million redesign.

“SI has such a global reach.

It makes for great PR for both parties. We were really pleased to be selected,’’ said Daniel A. Hostettler, the resort’s president & CEO, who credited Laura Davidson Public Relations, the resort’s PR firm, for successfully pitching The Boca Raton to Sports Illustrated.

For 11 days last November, a “small army” of photographers and swimsuit models converged on The Boca Raton, “mostly out of view of guests,” he said.

Other Olympic medalists photographed at The Boca Raton include track and field’s Gabby Thomas, gymnast Sunisa Lee, golfer Nelly Korda, surfer Caroline Marks, and swimmer Ali Truwit, along with race-car driver Toni Breidinger.

“These are some phenomenal athletes so it’s really neat to see

them scattered about the resort.

There’s a lot of pride for us,’’

Hostettler said.

“They found some great locations here including the roof of the Cloister with some great architecture and the restaurant decks. When you see the magazine, you’ll recognize instantly that a good 50 percent of the photos were done here,’’ he said.

Other shooting locations were in Bermuda, Mexico, Switzerland and Fort Worth, Texas. The magazine’s three other covers feature resorts in Mexico and Bermuda.

Within days of the magazine’s release in May, Hostettler started hearing reaction.

“People were thrilled to see us and how we were on the cover and so prominent throughout the magazine,’’ he said. “We’ve had a lot of industry colleagues saying, ‘Wow, this is big!’’’

Since 1964, the annual Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue has featured shoots in exotic locations across the world. Florida has been featured several times, starting in 1981 when Christie Brinkley graced the cover on Captiva.

“It was an honor to collaborate with the Sports Illustrated team who captured our property’s energy and spirit of eternal summer permanently within its pages,” Hostettler said. P

Freestyle skier Eileen Gu strikes a pose at Cloister at The Boca Raton. Photo provided by Sports Illustrated

Paws Up for Pets

Boca Raton pet advocate’s new book showcases doggy glamour

It’s called the catwalk — the runway that supermodels strut upon at internationally acclaimed fashion shows. Jo Jo Harder of Boca Raton knows this world oh so well. She lived it.

She has also succeeded as a flight attendant, fashion designer, stylist, author and producer.

After living in New York City and Minneapolis, she spent time in an ocean vacation villa in Key Largo and fell in love with South Florida. She has resided in Boca Raton since 2003.

“I declared that when I moved to Florida, I went to the dogs!” she says with a laugh.

In the past two-plus decades, Jo Jo has boldly combined her love for fashion and for dogs. She created the annual America’s Top Dog Model contest, the annual Worth Avenue Pet Parade and the annual America’s Top Dog Model calendars. Her efforts garnered praise in leading pet and fashion publications, as well as from television and radio show hosts and even in an award-winning documentary. Simply put, she has been credited with developing doggie glamour now embraced worldwide.

Through it all, Jo Jo stays focused on her mission: “to celebrate dogs that make a difference in people’s lives.”

Recently, she unleashed her fourth book, called Vintage Tails: Featuring America’s Top Dog Models. On the cover striking the canine sweet pose is Romeo, her loyal and fashionable Italian greyhound who is now 17 years old.

“My Romeo inspired me to create this book,” say Jo Jo. “Romeo’s companionship and love are priceless to me. He brings out the best in me by being by my side.”

The 78 pages of this hardcover book feature bejeweled, feathered and decked-out America’s Top Dog Model canines in attire from the 1920s, ’30s, ’40s and ’50s.

“Each page is a tail-wagging tribute to the elegance and sophistication of yesteryears,” she says. “It’s been my dream to author a black-and-white coffee table book with Romeo on the cover.”

In her book’s introduction, Jo Jo inspires readers by writing, “Welcome to Vintage Tails, where you will find magical and captivating stories. Step back in time and imagine your dog’s

style in the ’20s, ’30s, ’40s and ’50s. Think black-and-white screen, smooth music and old Hollywood glamour.”

Among the canine models featured are:

• Daphne Simone, a dashing cocker spaniel model who traveled through Palm Beach County, New York City and the East Hamptons. She is shown wearing a tiara and proudly posed next to a stylish travel bag with a bow.

• Fabulous Lola channeled her inner canine Audrey Hepburn inside an open classic Mercedes Benz model from the 1950s.

• Babydoll is in a silky fulllength gown, captured doggy daydreaming of 1930s stars Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

I first learned about Jo Jo in 2011 and profiled her in my pet column for The Coastal Star She had just authored what is considered to be the first style book for dogs, aptly titled Diva Dogs: A Style Guide to Living the Fabulous Life

At the time, she shared the following timeless advice to ensure success at any canine party or event:

• Hone your doggy manners at home. Enroll your dog in an obedience class with a professional certified trainer who employs positive training techniques.

• Shop early. Don’t delay shopping for an outfit for your dog to attend a canine event.

• Clean up your act. “Party dogs should arrive groomed,

LEFT: Jo Jo Harder of Boca Raton with her cover dog Romeo and new book. Harder created the America’s Top Dog Model contest, an idea on which the book is based. ABOVE: Romeo is wearing a vintage 1950s silk chiffon scarf and 1930s rhinestone brooch. Photos provided by Jo Jo Harder

bathed and with their nails trimmed,” she says.

Jo Jo — when I caught up with her recently — acknowledged that not all dogs wish to be fashionistas.

“Not all dogs like wearing clothes and it’s important not to force it,” she says. “Their happiness is our No. 1 priority.”

Jo Jo also enjoys helping budding entrepreneurs in the pet world.

“Keep your eye on the goal,” she says. “Be persistent, engaging, supportive, collaborative and charitable. Connect with pet businesses locally and on social media. Work hard and never stop believing. Above all, be kind!”

With Romeo at her side, Jo Jo reflects on her life and then says, “I would like to be remembered as a helpful and honest person who was a good mother, a loyal friend and an animal lover. I would like to be remembered as being uniquely creative and for my love of animals.”

Vintage Tails earns plenty of praise

Sheila Firestone, a composer and president of the Boca Raton branch of the National League of American Pen Women, writes: “Delight in the elegance of those unforgettable decades with America’s Top Dog Models in Vintage Tails. Be charmed, just as I was!”

Pilley Bianchi, bestselling author of For the Love of Dog, writes: “In Vintage Tails, author/influencer Jo Jo Harder delivers a delightfully charming and clever book taking us on a historic and pictorial journey of stylist pups and their real-life stories.”

Learn more about Harder at americastopdogmodel. com.

Arden Moore is an author, speaker and master certified pet first aid instructor.

Learn more by visiting www. ardenmoore. com.

Religion Notes Longtime Boca rabbi receives Inspirational Leadership Award

Senior Rabbi David Steinhardt of B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton was honored with the 2025 Melanie Jacobson Inspirational Jewish Leadership Award during Shabbat services on May 3. The award, which recognizes individuals “who exemplify visionary Jewish leadership, spiritual integrity, and a deep commitment to community,” was first given in 2023.

B’nai Torah is the largest Conservative synagogue in Southeast Florida, and Rabbi Steinhardt has served it for more than three decades.

The congregation has grown to more than 1,400 families under his leadership. But Rabbi Steinhardt, who was honored by the city with a proclamation on May 27, plans to step down on June 30. Find out more in our interview in the July edition.

Former pastor of Ascension Catholic Church dies

Father Charles Hawkins, who served Ascension Catholic Church in Boca Raton as associate pastor from 1989 to 1991 and pastor from 2002 to 2014, died May 8. He was 77.

He was ordained a priest on June 10, 1978, and assigned to teach theology at the all-boys Cleveland Benedictine High School. On weekends, he served

parish liturgies, beginning a long career of pastoring that brought him to Florida in 1989. Father Charles was remembered at a funeral Mass led by Bishop Gerald Barbarito on May 16 and buried at Our Lady Queen of Peace Cemetery in Royal Palm Beach. Ascension Catholic Church is at 7250 N. Federal Highway. Call 561-997-5486 or visit ascensionboca.org.

Spanish River announces summer program schedule Through Aug. 3, Spanish

River Church will offer one worship service at 10 a.m. Sunday in the Worship Center followed by coffee hour in the Connect Center. Newborns through fifth graders are welcome to attend SRC Kids.

The church hosts an Adult Vacation Bible School, noon to 1 p.m. Wednesdays in June. It’s a study of Romans 8 led by Pastor David Cassidy.

Also, the church hosts the MammoVan, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. June 21. Schedule an appointment at spanishriver.com/connect or by calling 561-994-5000.

The church is at 2400 Yamato Road, Boca Raton.

Early morning beachside worship offered at park

The Christ-Consciousness

Study Circle meets at 7:30 a.m. Sundays at Ocean Ridge Hammock Park, 6620 N. Ocean Blvd. Open to all faiths, this group gathers on the beach “to reconnect, breathe and explore deeper meanings in sacred text.”

Acoustic music and worship are followed by a study of sacred sources including the Bible, the Kabbalah, gnostic gospels and Buddhist texts.

Free but RSVP at eventbrite. com/e/christ-consciousnessstudy-circle-tickets1103196112269?aff=ebdssbdest search

Evening Bible school needs volunteers

Volunteers are needed for SHINE from June 16-19 in the Ministry Center Chapel at Boca

Raton Community Church. The program — “a high-energy, faith-filled summer camp” for kindergarten through fifth graders — takes place 6-8 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Kids participate in crafts, code cracking, Bible study, snacking and building friendships. The cost is $30, or $75 per family.

The church is at 470 NW Fourth Ave. Contact Danielle Rosse at 561-395-2400 or visit bocacommunity.org.

Celebrate Juneteenth at St. Gregory’s Episcopal

“Celebrating Freedom,” a Juneteenth event hosted by St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church, is planned for 5-8 p.m. June 21 in Harris Hall. Festive music by the Resurrection Steel Pan Orchestra, storytelling, crafts, praise and a supper are planned. Bring a dish to share (sign up online).

This event is organized by the Becoming Beloved Community Ministry. Contributions to its Juneteenth/Beloved Community fund, which supports the ministry’s healing events, educational program and pursuit of racial justice, are welcomed.

To RSVP (required), visit stgregorysepiscopal.org/ juneteenth. For information about the Becoming Beloved Ministry, contact Cyndi Bloom at cyndibloom65@me.com or 617-461-3122

St. Gregory’s is at 100 NE Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton.

Church’s Yoga Mass combines prayer and poses

St. Gregory’s Episcopal offers the combination of prayer and yoga poses from 4 to 5 p.m. June 28 in St. Mary’s Chapel. The Rev. Elizabeth Pankey-Warren and Father Andrew Sherman lead the Mass. All levels are welcome. Bring your own yoga mat. Call 561-395-8285.

Cason opens registration for spiritual conference Registration is open for Cason United Methodist Church’s Worship Outside the Walls, a weekend of spiritual growth Aug. 1–3 at the Warren Willis Camp & Conference Center in Fruitland Park.

Guests from across the Florida Conference of United Methodist Churches will attend. Call the church in Delray Beach at 561-276-5302.

St. Lucy Catholic Church offering pilgrimage to Italy

Join Fathers Brian Horgan and Giuseppe Savaia of St. Lucy Catholic Church in Highland Beach on a pilgrimage to the shrines of Italy, Sept. 15-27.

The cost is $4,590 per person, which includes roundtrip air from Miami, double occupancy lodging, two meals a day, sightseeing with Englishspeaking guide, airport taxes

Continued on the next page

B’nai Torah Senior Rabbi David Steinhardt (second from right) poses with (l-r) President Scott Frank, Executive Director Leesa Parker and Executive Vice President Melanie Jacobson. Photo provided

Hawkins

Finding Faith

Boca Raton pastor leaves church for new calling: Feeding bodies

Andy Hagen, the senior pastor at Advent Life Ministries in Boca Raton, donned a new hat on June 1: “I’m moving from feeding souls to feeding bodies,” he said.

Hagen was named executive director of Boca Helping Hands, a nonprofit that provides food, medical and financial assistance to individuals and families, assisting nearly 35,000 people annually with its programs.

“This is truly God’s work,” Hagen said. “I’ve been involved in BHH for years and I got a lot of satisfaction from working there. What they do is really tangible. In my mind, I’d been feeding souls. Now I’m feeding people. It’s a calling that’s rewarding, but it’s also sad. There will always be poor and hungry.”

Hagen replaces Greg Hazle, who has stepped down.

During Hazle’s eight-year tenure, BHH experienced tremendous growth, matching its programs and services with the increasing needs of the community.

In his 20 years at Advent, Hagen led an $8 million organization with 90 employees across two church campuses, plus two schools and a senior living center, and still found time to volunteer each week at BHH’s Lake Worth Beach Pantry Bag distribution site.

“Most of the people BHH feeds are seniors and children, veterans and the homeless,” he said.

Experts report that, despite Palm Beach County’s wealth, more than 173,000 residents struggle with hunger and that 51,000 children do not have enough to eat on a daily basis. More than half the students enrolled in county schools qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

“We don’t have a food quantity problem in this country,” Hagen said. “We have a problem with accessibility and affordability. We grow an incredible amount of vegetables here but there’s a paucity of vegetables in some neighborhoods.”

Experts call these areas food deserts, where nutritious food is unavailable because stores stock products with long shelf lives instead of

and fuel surcharges (which are subject to change), and tips to drivers and guides. The priests will act as your spiritual hosts as you visit Milan, Venice, Assisi and Rome. This tour is arranged by Inspirational Tours Inc. A $300 deposit is required to hold your space. Contact Moses or Nicole at moses@inspirationaltoursinc. com or 800-231-6287. Find more information at stlucy. net/13-day-italian-pilgrimage

perishables.

“But Boca Helping Hands does a lot more than feed the hungry,” said Hagen, who for the past eight years has served on the board of directors. Though feeding the hungry is fundamental to its work, it’s not the sole focus.

“We are providing more than just a meal; we’re finding ways to help people become self-sufficient,” Hagen said.

Through its vocational training and ESOL programs, BHH is making a long-lasting impact, following the old “teach a man to fish” adage.

“We know there are times when people need a handout, but we want to provide a hand up to a better life,” Hagen said. “Where do kids who leave school prematurely to go to work find goodpaying jobs? Trucking and transportation jobs are hard jobs but they’re good jobs, and the CDL [commercial driver’s license] is something you can get without a diploma.

“We focus on two different areas, inspired by the goal that we’re trying to help

Church seeking donations to pay for packing meals

Ascension Catholic Church packed 61,144 meals for Cross Catholic Outreach during its food packing event in April, but the church is short of its goal to defray the $19,000 cost. Donations are welcomed. Mark your donation of any size “Feed 60,000.” Ascension Catholic Church is at 7250 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton. Call 561-997-5486 or visit ascensionboca.org —Janis Fontaine

About Boca Helping Hands

Boca Helping Hands was founded as a soup kitchen in 1998. It’s now one of the largest nonprofit service providers in South Florida with 23 staff members and more than 300 core volunteers assisting nearly 35,000 clients annually. Here are some of its recent statistics and efforts:

• Distributed 103,390 pantry bags from its five Palm Beach County locations in 2024, served 59,585 hot meals that same year, and sent weekend meals home with food-insecure elementary school students via the BHH Backpacks program.

• Helped hundreds of people access affordable medical, dental and behavioral care through its partnership with Genesis Community Health and Florida Atlantic University’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing Community Based Clinics.

• Provided emergency financial assistance to Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach residents in crisis to help with rent, overdue utility bills and the rising cost of child care through the Children’s Assistance Program.

• Gave free ESL classes and courses in health and wellness, financial management, and other life skills.

• Awarded scholarships for qualified candidates to attend accredited vocational training classes that prepare them for careers in the health care, information technology, construction and transportation industries.

“The biggest fallacy is that hard work will get you what you want. Hard work without opportunity is meaningless.”

— Andy Hagen, executive director of Boca Helping Hands

began serving the church.

them have a better life: CDL licenses and trade programs, programs that train technicians. We want to develop more opportunities in training. We’ve done certified nurse assistant and food service training, but those jobs don’t get you the income that brings self-reliance. We need to train for better paying jobs than those. A big focus for me will be to provide leadership in that area.”

For the first time in his career, Hagen isn’t ministering to people on a daily basis. “My gratitude toward Advent after 20 years is immeasurable. I’m so proud to be able to serve in a new way and I think my parishioners are proud too — many of them are volunteers.”

They still call him Pastor, “but I’m just Andy now,” he joked.

Born and raised in Michigan, Hagen earned his undergraduate degree from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. He got his master’s and doctorate from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago before he

Religion calendar

JUNE 8-14

Sunday - 6/8 - 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 - 6/9 - Women’s Bible Study via Zoom at First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach, 33 Gleason St. Every M 10 am. Free. 561276-6338; firstdelray.com 6/9- Rosary for Peace at St. Vincent Ferrer Family Life Center, 840 George Bush Blvd, Delray Beach. Every M 5:45-6:15 pm. Free. 561276-6892; stvincentferrer.com

Tuesday - 6/10- Tuesday Morning Prayer Service at Unity of Delray Beach

Hagen is adept at leading people and solving problems, but his new job comes with new challenges. Government cutbacks worry him, he said.

“We have one agency we work with, and we called, and our contact had been let go. We don’t have any idea what effect tariffs will have on the food distribution,” he said.

But the pastor has faith. “There’s always something we can do. We shouldn’t let our frustration paralyze us. It needs to lead to action, because we can make a difference, and not just in Boca. We should be confident that our organizations are going to come through,” Hagen said.

Doing God’s work is about finding a way, he said. “I’m working for an organization where federal funds are declining, and we’re still trying to figure out what the outcome is going to be. We know we’re getting less food from the food banks.”

So, Hagen looks to the community for help. “I was never able to turn five loaves and two fishes into a feast for

Church, 101 NW 22nd St. 10 am. Free. 561-2765796; unityofdelraybeach.org

Wednesday - 6/11 - 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

6/11  - Wednesday Evening Meditation Service at Unity of Delray Beach Church. 6:30 pm. Free; love offering. 561-276-5796; unityofdelraybeach.org

Thursday - 6/12 - Thursday Morning Telephone Prosperity Coffee presented by  Unity of Delray Beach. Phone meeting (605-475-6006, passcode 3031030). Free; love offering. 561-276-5796; unityofdelraybeach.org 6/12 - Men’s Fellowship at First Presbyterian

thousands, but maybe if we all pull together, we can.”

Bowling for Bread

Mark your calendars for Bowling for Bread, a fun fundraiser taking place from noon to 2:30 p.m. Aug. 24 at Bowlero, 21046 Commercial Trail, Boca Raton. This annual event benefits the BHH Backpacks program. During the 2023-24 school year, the BHH Backpacks program provided 30,227 weekend meal boxes to 1,374 children from 13 schools. Sponsorships are available beginning at $1,000.

Lane sponsorships are available for $500 and $100 to sponsor a child. For details, visit bocahelpinghands.org/ ty-for-attending-bowling-forbread or call 561-417-0913.

Janis Fontaine writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events. Contact her at fontaine423@ outlook.com

Church of Delray Beach Courtyard, 33 Gleason St. Every Th 8:30 am. Free. 561-276-6338; firstdelray.com

6/12  - Women’s Bible Study at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church Youth Room, 100 NE Mizner Blvd, Boca Raton. Every Th 1 pm. Free. 561-3958285; stgregorysepiscopal.org

Friday - 6/13 - Legion of Mary at St. Vincent Ferrer Family Life Center, 840 George Bush Blvd, Delray Beach. Every F 9:30-11 am. Free. 561276-6892; stvincentferrer.com 6/13 - Bible Study w/Dave Kirk at Advent Boca Raton Fellowship Hall, 300 E Yamato Rd. Every F 10-11:30 am. 561-395-3632; adventboca.org

6/13 - Virtual Shabbat Service at Temple Sinai of Palm Beach County, 2475 W Atlantic Ave, Delray Beach. Every F 7:30 pm. Free. 561276-6161; templesinaipbc.org

Andy Hagen is the new executive director of Boca Helping Hands after volunteering there for years. Photo provided

Note: Events are current as of 5/28. Please check with organizers for any changes.

JUNE 7

Saturday - 6/7 - 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-yoga-tickets-336433921917

6/7 - 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

6/7 - Zumba Class at South Beach Park Pavilion, 400 N State Rd A1A, Boca Raton. Every Sat 10 am. Free. 561-3937703; downtownboca.org

6/7  - Yoga Class at South Palm Beach Town Hall, 3577

S Ocean Blvd. Every Sat 9 am. Free. 561-588-8889; southpalmbeach.com

6/7 - 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 W 6:30 and 1st & 3rd Sat 10-11 am. $10-$12.50/class; 60-day membership $65/resident, $81.25/non-resident. 561-3937807; myboca.us

6/7  - 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

6/7  - AA Meeting at Unity of Delray Beach Fellowship Hall, 101 NW 22nd St. Every Sat 5:30 pm. Free. 561-2765796; unityofdelraybeach.org

JUNE 8-14

Sunday - 6/8 - Yoga at the Museum at Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real. 9:30-11 am. $15/member; $30/non-member. 561-392-2500; bocamuseum.org

6/8 - 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 Sun 4:30 pm. $10-$12.50/class; 60-day membership $65/resident, $81.25/non-resident. 561-393-7807; myboca.us

6/8 - 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 - 6/9 - 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. 561-742-6221; boynton-beach.org

6/9 - 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

6/9 - 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 - 6/10 - Chair Yoga at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Adults. Every T 10:30 am. Free. Registration: 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

6/10 - Slow Flow Yoga + Sound Bath at Arts & Wellness Space at the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County, 11

S L St, Lake Worth Beach. Every T & F 9-10 am. Donations accepted. Songofthesoulcollective.space

6/10 - Tai Chi Class at Boca Raton Community Center, 150 Crawford Blvd. Beginner through advanced. Age 16+. Every T 6-7 pm. $8-$10/class. 561-393-7807; myboca.us

6/10 - Al-Anon Meeting at Unity of Delray Beach Fellowship Hall, 101 NW 22nd St. Every T 7 pm. Free. 561276-5796; unityofdelraybeach.org

Wednesday - 6/11 - Tai Chi Class at South Palm Beach Town Hall, 3577 S Ocean Blvd. Every W 9 am. Free. 561588-8889; southpalmbeach.com

6/11 - 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

6/11  - 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

6/11-12 - 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: 561-654-2220; delrayoldschoolsquare.com/events

Thursday - 6/12 - Alateen Meeting at St. Mark’s Catholic Church, 643 NE 4th Ave, Boynton Beach. Every Th 7:30 pm. Free. 561-278-3481; southpalmbeachafg.org

6/12 - LGBTQ+ AA Meeting at Unity of Delray Beach Prayer Room, 101 NW 22nd St. Every Th 7 pm. Free. 561276-5796; unityofdelraybeach.org

JUNE 29-JULY 5

Tuesday - 7/1 - Tai Chi Class at Boca Raton Community Center, 150 Crawford Blvd. Beginner through advanced. Age 16+. Every T 6-7 pm. $8-$10/class. 561-393-7807; myboca.us

Wednesday - 7/2  - 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

Health Notes

Cardiologist joins physician group

Structural interventional cardiologist Brijeshwar Maini, MD, FACC, has joined the Palm Beach Health Network Physician Group, a division of Tenet Healthcare Corp. He is on staff at Delray Medical Center and Good Samaritan Medical Center, where he leads the Center for Preventive Cardiac Medicine. Both hospitals are part of Tenet Healthcare. Maini previously served as national and Florida medical director of cardiology for Tenet Healthcare. He helped start an advanced heart care program at Delray Medical Center and led research trials on heart treatments. As a clinical professor of medicine at Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Maini has trained future cardiologists. His office is at 1411 N. Flagler Drive, Suite 8000, West Palm Beach.

Delray Medical Center brings in minimally invasive system Delray Medical Center recently acquired the Intuitive da Vinci 5 surgical system, which can be used for minimally invasive urology, gynecology, thoracic and general surgeries. It uses less force on tissue, offers clearer images, better ergonomics for surgeons, and more computing power than the previous model.

Delray Medical’s improved cardiac survival rate recognized Delray Medical Center was recently named a Florida Resuscitation Center of Excellence, recognizing its role in a statewide effort to improve survival rates for cardiac arrests. The program equips hospitals with advanced tools, training and best practices.

Marcus Neuroscience Institute part of initiative on dementia

Marcus Neuroscience Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital is participating in the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience Model. It is a nationwide initiative designed to assist in the management of dementia care by improving the quality of life for patients as well as assisting their caregivers.

For more information, call 561-9554600 or search Marcus Neuroscience Institute/Boca Raton/Baptist Health.

JFK Hospital awarded Stroke Center certification

HCA Florida JFK Hospital has received the DNV Comprehensive Stroke Center certification. The certification can determine to which facility a patient should be taken for the most appropriate, reimbursable care.

Send health news to Christine Davis at cdavis9797@gmail.com.

Maini

WNew kosher pantry hits the spot; how Bethesda made it happen

hen Boynton Beach

resident Jennifer Abels, an account manager for an environmental lab service company, had outof-town visitors from Montreal recently, they headed to the beach.

Not accustomed to the Florida sun, Abels’ cousin began feeling ill from the heat.

After a call to 911, she was taken to Bethesda Hospital East and treated with IV fluids.

Once she felt better, the two, who keep kosher diets, thought about finding something to eat at the hospital.

Abels, who is in her 40s and the mother of three grown children, had read about the opening of the kosher pantry at Bethesda and asked a nurse about it.

“They were super-helpful,” Abels said. She found the pantry on the fourth floor and grabbed some soup and crackers to sustain them over the fourhour period they spent in the emergency room.

Having this service available is “priceless,” Abels said. “To have this kosher pantry available gives us peace of mind. If I ever have to go to the hospital again, just knowing this is available puts my mind at ease.”

Abels’ experience highlights the unmet need that had long been recognized by hospital staff and community volunteers, leading to the effort to bring the pantry to fruition.

After one year of planning, the pantry opened in mid-April during the Passover holiday to serve the dietary needs of Orthodox Jewish patients and their families.

Bethesda is at 2815 S. Seacrest Blvd., Boynton Beach.

The pantry is a joint effort between the hospital’s chaplain, the Rev. Kathleen Gannon, and her pastoral care team and volunteers Miriam Baum Benkoe and Jennie Yudin.

Benkoe is from the Annette Alter Behar Bikur Cholim of Boynton Beach and Yudin from the Florida Chesed Network.

Bikur Cholim, or “visiting the sick,” is a Jewish commandment to alleviate the suffering of people who are ill, and the Chesed Network is a social service agency.

“We’re committed to meeting our patients where they are,” said Gannon, an Episcopal priest who trained in interfaith disciplines. “We study, we learn and respond to the unique and sacred needs of our patients.”

A typical food pantry caters to a broader population experiencing food insecurity and may not offer food that complies with Jewish dietary laws or is readily accessible on the Sabbath.

The new pantry offers complimentary kosher sandwiches, salads, snacks, coffee and prepared foods that can be heated up in separate microwaves designated for dairy or meat.

The Bikur Cholim was started by Benkoe and named for her mother, who died seven years ago. Benkoe, a teacher from Oceanside, New York, began volunteering at Bethesda before the pandemic and envisioned the day when the hospital would have a

kosher pantry, as do many hospitals in areas of large Jewish populations.

“It’s a godsend for people,” Benkoe said. “It’s a big help and blessing to accommodate the needs of patients and their loved ones.”

Yudin, the liaison to the Florida Chesed Network, worked with Benkoe to realize their vision of the pantry.

Originally from Baltimore, Yudin worked as a critical care technician at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore and in its patient experience department, where she helped patients navigate the hospital system, a role that prepared her for her position at the Chesed Network.

With other kosher pantries at Delray Medical Center, Boca Raton Regional Hospital and at Baptist Main in Miami, Yudin

Barbara Weissman (l-r), Jerry Weissman, Miriam Baum Benkoe and Jeffrey Benkoe all had a hand in opening the kosher pantry at Bethesda Hospital East in Boynton Beach.

Photo provided

once a week thanking us for reaching out to our Jewish patients,” she said. “The response has been excellent.”

Jerry Weissman, part of the Florida Chesed Network and one of the inaugural donors to the program, moved to Florida from Brooklyn in 2019 just before the pandemic.

Weissman, who says he is “orthodox from birth,” worked in the health care industry for more than 50 years and saw a need for this service when he moved to Boynton Beach.

says the outcry for having this service in Boynton Beach has been growing for the past three years.

Part of that reason is the growth of the Orthodox Jewish population in Boynton Beach, especially since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, when many people left New York for Florida.

The Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County predicts that by 2026, the Palm Beaches will be home to 200,000 Jewish residents.

“The community is beyond excited and grateful,” Yudin said.

During Passover, the team put together a seder plate for patients and family members visiting during the holiday.

Gannon said the response has been positive.

“I get a phone call at least

“With more Orthodox Jewish families moving into the area, the need for this type of service is growing,” he said.

Because Orthodox Jews cannot travel by car on the Sabbath, they may be stuck in the hospital from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday, and need a room where they can eat a kosher meal or have a snack and relax.

“It’s a true mitzvah of the hospital and the larger Jewish community to take care of these patients and their families,” Weissman said. “This is a proud moment for us.”

Jan Engoren writes about health and healthy living. Send column ideas to jengoren@ hotmail.com.

Atlantic High valedictorian did a lot more than reinvent the wheel

By Faran Fagen

A water wheel generator, a mouse trap car and a water-bottle rocket are some of the mechanisms that highlight Steven Lin’s résumé as valedictorian of Atlantic High School in Delray Beach.

The generator from his senior year taught him the biggest lesson of all — teamwork.

“This was our first year designing a water wheel generator,” said Lin, 18. “None of my teammates had experience building one, so it wasn’t surprising that the prototype never performed as we expected. I believe the best thing we eventually came up with was to compartmentalize the tasks so that each of us specializes in certain components of the generator.”

Lin was responsible for designing the mechanical wheel. Eventually, the team’s collective effort contributed to a firstplace finish in the Palm Beach SECME Olympiad. The acronym stands for Science, Engineering, Communications, Mathematics Enrichment.

Lin, of Boca Raton, has been a huge cog in the wheel at Atlantic over the past four years. In addition to SECME, of which he was president junior and senior years, he tutored underclassmen in math and physics, assisted in donating canned goods and cereal to food banks as a National Honor Society member, and led a top-three Brain Bowl team.

He learned to juggle activities from the moment he started his freshman year.

“If there were one piece of advice I would give, it would be to go for balance

rather than striving for perfection,” said Lin, who notched a 3.97 unweighted grade point average to earn the valedictorian honor. “Apart from your academics and extracurriculars, you should give some time to yourself every day for leisure to avoid burnout.”

Lin filled his spare time outside of school with worthwhile activities. He was a volunteer at the Glades Road branch of the Palm Beach County library. In 10th grade, he amassed 60 volunteer hours in its summer lunch program, which provided free lunches to 100-plus kids.

In 11th grade, he earned 150 hours promoting literacy to younger kids, and organized and tidied up rows of bookshelves. He was involved in the entire book restructuring to fit with the needs of adolescents and young teens.

“My experience as a volunteer at the library during the summer was very rewarding,” Lin said. “Serving meals to children reminds me how much of a difference that comes from performing these small acts of kindness. The library doesn’t just serve as a place for literacy, but also offers support to those in the community.”

But the accomplishment of which Lin is most proud is the extended essay he wrote during the summer between junior and senior years, which was a requirement for the International Baccalaureate program at Atlantic.

He chose to write under the topic of physics, specifically methods to estimate the surface temperatures of selected exoplanets.

“This was my first exposure to writing

a research paper, and I enjoyed the overall process,” Lin said. “Although I mainly struggled with the data collection, it became satisfying in the end, especially when the data aligned with my predictions.”

Lin credits his success to the support of his family — his mom, Minlan Zheng, father, Mingqiang Lin, and brother, Jackie Lin.

Lin plans to major in mechanical engineering at the University of Florida. He hopes to work in the aerospace industry after graduation, preferably with NASA.

“Designing and innovating on cutting-edge technology is something I would dream of working with, and I believe these advancements will be beneficial in addressing the challenges and global issues happening on the ground,” he said.

Lin, also proficient in Java and Python, already has experience with coding at a college campus. The Atlantic High coding team finished in the top 25% at the University of Central Florida High School Programming Tournament. The competition consisted of 80 teams from across Florida.

“Although our team didn’t make it on the podium, the experience taught me how to think critically, and I was able to apply my knowledge of programming at the time to solve realistic scenarios,” Lin said. “It was also the same year I was first exposed to learning a programming language, so I had so much to learn and improve on.” P

Steven Lin, valedictorian at Atlantic High in Delray Beach, plans to major in mechanical engineering at the University of Florida. He would advise other high-achieving students to ’go for balance rather than striving for perfection’ and to ’give some time to yourself every day for leisure.’ Photo provided

Tots & Teens Calendar

Note: Events are current as of 5/28. Please check with organizers for any changes.

JUNE

7

Saturday - 6/7 - STREAM Into Summer Literacy Kickoff Event at Delray Beach Public Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. All ages. 10 am1:30 pm. Free. 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

6/7 - 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 5/3. 11:15 am-12:15 pm. $15/member; $25/non-member. Registration: 561-392-2500; bocamuseum.org

6/7 - Community Splash Day at Catherine Strong Splash Park, 1500 SW 6th St, Delray Beach. 1-4 pm. Free. Registration: 561-2437194; delraybeachfl.gov

6/7 - 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

JUNE 8-14

Sunday - 6/8-13 - 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/sw-cj/ sccj/cj-summer-camp/

Monday - 6/9 - 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-non-walkers. Every M 11-11:30 am. Free. Registration: 561-393-7968; bocalibrary.org

6/9 - 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. 561266-0197; delraylibrary.org

6/9 - 3D Printing 101 at Boynton Beach City Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. Ages 13-17. 2-3 pm. Free. 561-742-6393; boyntonlibrary.org

6/9 - Teen Career Workshop: Chiropractic at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. Ages 13-17. 5-6 pm. Free. Registration: 561742-6393; boyntonlibrary.org

6/9-13 - Leadership & Ethics Achievement Program (LEAP) Summer Camp at FAU Boca Raton Campus, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. Camp will emphasize leadership and ethics for the next generation. For high school students. Lunch & snacks will be provided. M-F 9 AM-3 PM. $450. Info: rlarson2@fau.edu; Registration: fau.edu/artsandletters/public-administration/ summer-camp

6/9-13 Vacation Bible School: True North at First United Methodist Church of Boca Raton, 625 NE Mizner Blvd. Ages 3 potty trained to 5th grade. 9 am-noon. $50/child. 561-395-1244; fumcbocaraton.org/vbs

6/9-13 - ARTnest Creative Summer Camp at The Studio at Mizner Park, 201 Plaza Real, Boca Raton. Snacks included, please pack a nut-free lunch. Extended care available. M-F 9 am-1 pm. $95/day. 561-203-3742; thestudioatmiznerpark. com

6/9-7/25 - Environmental Camp at Gumbo Limbo Environmental Complex, 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Grades 1-9. Campers learn the importance of conservation through outdoor activities, hands-on lessons. 8:30 am-2 pm: M-F 6/9-7/25 (closed 7/4). $200-$250/ week. 561-544-8605; bocasummercamps. my.canva.site/summercamps

6/9-8/1 - Boynton Beach Recreation & Parks Department Summer Camps: themed camps w/age-appropriate activities meet at various locations: Ezell Hester, Jr. Community Center, 1901 N Seacrest Blvd 561742-6000 & Carolyn Sims Center, 225 NW 12th Ave, 561-742-6000. $25/registration fee. 7:30 am-5:30 pm M-F 6/9-8/1. Ages 13-15: $525/ resident; $665/non-resident; Ages 5-12: $625/ resident; $775/non-resident. 561-742-6650; boynton-beach.org/camp

Tuesday - 6/10 - Toddler Tales at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Stories, music, movement. Ages walking to 23 mos. Every T 10-10:30 am. Free. Registration: 561-393-7968; bocalibrary.org

6/10 - Teen Yoga with Kerryann at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 13-17. 3-4 pm. Free. Registration: 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

6/10 - 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 - 6/11 - Bilingual Outdoor Storytime at Boynton Beach Library under the Banyan tree, 100 E Ocean Ave. Stories, rhymes,

more. Ages 5 & under. Held again 6/25 10-10:30 am. Free. 561-742-6390; boyntonlibrary.org

6/11 - 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 10-10:30 am. Free. Registration: 561-393-7968; bocalibrary.org

6/11 - 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

6/11 - Explore The Art of Painting at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Ages 9-12. Every W 5:30-6:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561393-7968; bocalibrary.org

6/11 - Family STREAM Nights at Delray Beach Public Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 5+. Held again 6/25 6-7 pm. Free. 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

Thursday - 6/12 - Tiny Splash Adventures at Delray Beach Public Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 3 mos.-3 yrs. Held again 6/26 1010:30 am. Free. 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

6/12 - 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 10-10:30 am. Free. Registration: 561-3937968; bocalibrary.org

6/12 - STREAM Showcase Weekly

Adventures Mermaid Molly at Delray Beach Public Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 0-17. 1-3 pm. Free. 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

6/12 - Make & Take: Superhero Capes at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. Ages 5-12. 3:30-4:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561-7426390; boyntonlibrary.org

6/12 - 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 4-4:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561-5448584; bocalibrary.org

Friday - 6/13 - 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 11-11:30 am. Free. Registration: 561-393-7852; bocalibrary.org

Saturday - 6/14 - Summer Bike Parade to Catherine Strong Splash Park at Delray Beach Public Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. All ages. All children must wear a helmet and be accompanied by a chaperone ages 14+. 9 am-noon. Free. Registration: 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

6/14 - Bones to Books at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 6-8. 11 amnoon. Free. 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

6/14 - 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

6/14 - 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/nonmember family. Registration: 561-392-2500; bocamuseum.org

6/14 - 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: 561-742-6390; boyntonlibrary.org

6/14 - Dungeons & Dragons for Teens at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Ages 13-17. Every Sat 1-3 pm. Free. Registration: 561-393-7968; bocalibrary.org

JUNE 15-21

Monday - 6/16 - STREAM on the Go Kinder! at Catherine Strong Splash Park, 1500 SW 6th St, Delray Beach. Ages 3-5. 9:30-10:30 am. Free. 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

6/16 - Fun w/Fernanda: Bilingual SpanishEnglish Story Time at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 0-4. 3:30-4 pm. Free. Registration: 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

6/16 - Quantum Readers Book Club at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 6-8. 3:30-4:30  pm. Free. Registration: 561-2660194; delraylibrary.org

6/16 - Afro-Caribbean Dance at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. Celebrate Juneteenth with rhythm and movement. Ages 13-17. 5-6 pm. Free. 561-742-6393; boyntonlibrary.org

6/16 - Sci-Fi Summer Movie Night: Catching Fire at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 13-17. 5-7:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

Tuesday - 6/17 - Family Night at Square Peg Pizzeria, 4957 W Atlantic Ave, Delray Beach. Join Children’s Librarians for stories, games and of course pizza. Dinner menu available for purchase with 20% of supporters’ food sales donated back to the library. All ages. 5-7 pm.

Free. 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

6/17 - Teen Book Club: The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 13-17. Held again 7/1 & 7/15. 5-6  pm. Free. Registration: 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

6/17 - Sustainability Skills for Tweens: Latch Hook at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Ages 9-12. Held again 7/1. 6-7 pm. Free. Registration: 561-393-7968; bocalibrary.org

Wednesday - 6/18 - Outdoor Storytime at Boynton Beach Library under the Banyan tree, 100 E Ocean Ave. Stories, rhymes, more. Ages 5 & under. 10-10:30 am. Free. 561-742-6390; boyntonlibrary.org

Thursday - 6/19 - Portuguese Bilingual Storytime at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Up to age 5. Every Th/Sat 10-10:30 am. Free. Registration: 561-393-7968; bocalibrary. org

Saturday - 6/21 - Aquatech Discovery Saturdays at Delray Beach Public Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 8-12. Held again 7/5 & 12. 10:30-11:45 am. Free. 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

6/21-22 - Creation Station at Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real. Limited seating. Noon-4 pm. Free w/admission. 561-392-2500; bocamuseum.org

JUNE 22-28

Monday - 6/23 - STREAM on the Go! at The Delray Beach Children’s Garden, 137 SW 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. Ages 3-10. 9:30-11 am. Free. 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

6/23 - Summer Cinema - Dog Man (2025) at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. All ages. 2-4 pm. Free. 561-742-6393; boyntonlibrary.org

6/23 - Sew Much Fun - Session 1 at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. Beginner sewing class. Ages 13-17. Session 2 held 6/30 5-7 pm. Free. 561-742-6393; boyntonlibrary.org

6/23 - TAB (Teen Advisory Board) Meeting at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 13-17. 5-6 pm. Free. Registration: 561266-0194; delraylibrary.org

Tuesday - 6/24 - Teen Tech Sandbox: Digital Illustration with Krita: Basics at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 13-17. 10-11:30 am. Free. Registration: 561-2660194; delraylibrary.org

6/24 - STREAM Titans Book Club at Barwick Park Pavilion, 735 Barwick Rd, Delray Beach. Ages 9-12. 2-3 pm. Free. 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

6/24 - STEM In Action: Blast Off! at Boca Raton Public Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Ages 6-8. 4-4:45 pm. Free. Registration: 561-5448584; bocalibrary.org Thursday - 6/26 - STREAM Showcase Weekly Adventures FAU Biomechanics Laboratory:  Discover the Wonders of the Deep at Delray Beach Public Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 0-17. 1-3 pm. Free. 561-2660194; delraylibrary.org

6/26 - Make & Take: Tie Dye Seashells at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. Ages 5-12. 3:30-4:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561-7426390; boyntonlibrary.org

Saturday - 6/28 - 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: 561544-8605; myboca.us/calendar.aspx?CID=47

6/28 - ART Tales at the Library at Boca Raton Public Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Presented by The Boca Raton Museum of Art. Ages 4-8 w/ guardian. 2-3 pm. Free. Registration: 561-5448584; bocalibrary.org

JUNE 29-JULY 5

Monday - 6/30 - Summer Cinema - The Wild Robot (2024) at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. All ages. 2-4 pm. Free. 561-7426393; boyntonlibrary.org

Wednesday - 7/2 - Special Storytime: Stargazia Blue at Boynton Beach Library under the banyan tree, 100 E Ocean Ave. Stories, rhymes, more. Ages 0-7. 10-10:30 am. Free. 561-742-6390; boyntonlibrary.org

7/2 - 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. 561-2660194; delraylibrary.org

Thursday - 7/3 - STREAM Showcase Weekly

Adventures Movie Matinee: The Wild Robot (PG - 2024) at Delray Beach Public Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Ages 0-17. 1-3 pm. Free. 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

7/3 - Colorful Creatures of Green Cay at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. Ages 5-12. 3:30-4:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561-7426390; boyntonlibrary.org

Lantana Fishing Derby

May 3

The 30th Annual Lantana Fishing Derby brought the community together for fun, food, music and, of course, fishing. The event also honored one of the Lantana Chamber of Commerce’s original board members, Lynn ’Doc’ Moorhouse, who was instrumental in transforming what had been a struggling golf tournament into a thriving fishing derby. While the anglers were out at sea, the kids had a derby of their own — with a record-breaking 72 participants at Bicentennial Park. The awards party on May 4 at the Lantana Recreation Center was a perfect close to the weekend. ABOVE: Sponsors of the kids derby are (top, l-r) Amy Kemp from FPL, David Lumbert from Ocean Bank and Keith Vukusich from AvMed, who is vice president of the Lantana Chamber.  The winners are (l-r) Sebastian, Noah and Melody.

Photo provided by Leonard Bryant Photography

Outdoors Calendar

Note: Events are current as of 5/28. Please check with organizers for any changes.

JUNE 7

Saturday - 6/7 - Coast Guard Auxiliary Boat America: A Boating Safety Course at Spanish River Park HQ Building, USCG Auxiliary Classroom, 3939 N Ocean Blvd, 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 6/7 - Intracoastal Adventures: Intro to Canoeing at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Age 12-adult; child under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. 9-10:30 am. $20/member; $25/ non-member. Advance reservation: 561-5448605; myboca.us/calendar.aspx?CID=47 6/7 - 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. 561-544-8605; myboca.us/ calendar.aspx?CID=47

JUNE 8-14

Tuesday - 6/10 - Island Treks at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Visitors 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 6/24. 10-10:30 am. Free. 561-544-8605; myboca. us/calendar.aspx?CID=47 Saturday - 6/14 - 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 snorkel, mask, water shoes (no fins allowed). Age 10-adult; child under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. 10-11:30 am. $15/ member; $19/non-member. Registration: 561-544-8605; myboca.us/calendar. aspx?CID=47

JUNE 15-21

Friday - 6/20 - After-Hours Guided Tours at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Guided tour through Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Facility, outdoor aquariums, open-air butterfly garden, nature trail; ends w/sunset views of the Intracoastal Waterway from the beach by the Seminole Chiki. Age 7-adult; child under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. 6:30-8 pm. $10/ resident & member; $13/non-resident. Register: 561-544-8605; myboca.us/ calendar.aspx?CID=47

Saturday - 6/21 - Seining the Lagoon at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Explore grasses/ flats of the Intracoastal Waterway behind Gumbo Limbo. Wear clothes that can get wet. Closed toed shoes required. Age 7-adult; child must be accompanied by an adult. 9-10:30 am. $15/member; $19/non-member. Reservations: 561-544-8605; myboca.us/ calendar.aspx?CID=47

JUNE 22-28

Sunday - 6/22 - Intracoastal Adventures: Intro to Kayaking at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 N Ocean Blvd, Boca Raton. Includes short talk about South Florida’s unique animals/ecosystems. Age 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

Saturday - 6/28 - 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. 561312-6439; birdlover5@bellsouth.net 6/28 - Beach Cleanup at The Coastal Stewards HQ, 5112 N Ocean Blvd, Ocean Ridge. Group will walk to Ocean Ridge beach to pick up plastics and other trash.Supplies provided. Water shoes, hats, sunscreen recommended. 9-11 am. Free. RSVP: thecoastalstewards.org/event

Note: Events are current as of 5/28. Please check with organizers for any changes.

JUNE 7

Saturday - 6/7 - Petals & Power Strokes: Express Yourself in the Landscape at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 10 am-1 pm. $76.54. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

6/7 - 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: 561-3937906; bocalibrary.org

6/7 - Rock the Marina at Boynton Harbor Marina, 735 Casa Loma Blvd, Boynton Beach. Live music, activities, food offerings from plaza restaurants. 2-7 pm. Free. 561-600-9097; boyntonbeachcra.com

6/7- Community Splash Day at Catherine Strong Park, 1500 SW 6th St.. 1-4 pm. Delrabeachfl.gov

6/7 - Breakdown: Tom Petty Tribute at The Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 NW 9th St. 8 pm. $45. 561-272-1281; delraybeachplayhouse.com

6/7 - The Rusty Wright Band at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. 8 pm. $35-$40. 561-450-6357; artsgarage.org

6/7 - Burlesque On The Ave at Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Ave. Ages 18+. 8 pm. $35$55. 561-586-6410; lakeworthplayhouse.org

JUNE 8-14

Monday - 6/9 - Pickleball at Hester Center, 1901 N Seacrest Blvd, Boynton Beach. Combines badminton & tennis. Adults. M-F 9 am-noon. $5-$7; $60-$85/15-visit pass; $250$375/annual pass. 561-742-6550; boyntonbeach.org

6/9 - 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

6/9 - Documentary: Stop Making Sense directed by Jonathan Demme at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Adults. 5:30-8 pm. Registration: 561-393-7906; bocalibrary. org

Tuesday - 6/10 - Secrets of the Shanghai Ghetto w/ Helene Herman  presented by Florida Atlantic University Lifelong Learning Institute at The Vintage Gym at Old School Square, 51 N Swinton Ave, Delray Beach. 10:30 am-noon. $30.40/member; $38/non-member & guest pass 561-297-3185; olliboca.fau.edu

6/10 – Socrates Café at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Philosophical discussions. Every T 1:30-3 pm. Free. 561-393-7852; bocalibrary.org

6/10 - The Women by Kristin Hannah part of Tuesday Book Group at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. 6 pm. Free. Registration: 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

6/10 - 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 - 6/11 - Seminar: Thinking Critically About American Founding Principles w/ Kristin Shockley at FAU Friedberg Auditorium, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. 10-11:30 am. $60/annual membership; $40/member; $50/non-member. 561-2973185; olli.fau.edu

6/11 - The Ottomans: Rise and Rule of the Eastern Mediterranean w/Daniel Rivera at FAU Friedberg Auditorium, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. 12:30-2 pm. $60/ annual membership; $30.40/member; $38/ non-member & at the door. 561-297-3185; olli. fau.edu

6/11 - Mozart’s Symphonies & Piano Sonatas at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Adults. 1:30-3 pm. Registration: 561-3937906; bocalibrary.org

6/11 - Marc Chagall, from La Ruche to the Paris Opera w/Armando Droulers at FAU Friedberg Auditorium, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. 3-4:30 pm. $60/annual membership; $30.40/member; $38/non-member. 561-2973185; olli.fau.edu

6/11 - Town Hall Talks: Double Take: Boca Raton Fire Engine No. 1 “Old Betsy” 1925 American Lafrance - The First 100 Years w/ Thomas R. Wood at The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum, 71 N Federal Hwy, Boca Raton. 6 pm check-in/refreshments; 6:30 pm lecture. Free/BRHS member; $10/guest. RSVP: 561-395-6766 x100; bocahistory.org

6/11 - Delray Beach Orchid Society Meeting at Veterans Park, 802 NE 1st St, Delray Beach. 2nd W 7 pm. Free. 561-573-2422; delraybeachorchidsociety.org

Thursday - 6/12 - Quilters meet at Boynton Beach Library, 100 E Ocean Ave. Limit 10. Every Th 9 am-noon. $1/lifetime membership. 561742-6886; boyntonlibrary.org

6/12 - Brush Boss: Master Bold Strokes + Texture at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 10 am-1 pm. $76.54. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

6/12 - Line Dancing at Boynton Beach Arts & Cultural Center, 125 E Ocean Ave. Western square dancing. All ages. Every Th 10:30-11:30 am. $6. 561-742-6221; boynton-beach.org

6/12 - 1945: A Year to Remember w/ Stephen Berk at FAU Friedberg Auditorium, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. 12:30-2 pm. $60/ annual membership; $10.40/member; $13/ non-member. 561-297-3185; olli.fau.edu

6/12 - Mystical Abstract Landscape in Mixed Media at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 2-4 pm. $65.87. 561330-9614; artswarehouse.org

6/12 - Film: Exhibition on Screen - Van Gogh: Poets & Lovers at Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real. Held again 6/19. 2-3:30 pm & 6-7:30 pm. $8/member; $18/nonmember. 561-392-2500; bocamuseum.org

6/12 - Summer Heritage Lecture: Flagler in Florida w/Kayleigh Howald at Delray Beach Historical Society, 3 NE 1st

Municipal Meetings

6/9 & 6/23 – Lantana Town Hall, 500 Greynolds Cir. 6 pm. Agenda: lantana.org

6/10 – South Palm Beach Town Hall, 3577 S Ocean Blvd. 2 pm. Agenda: southpalmbeach.com

6/10 – Boca Raton Auditorium, 6500 Congress Ave. 6 pm. Agenda: myboca.us

6/13 – Gulf Stream Town Hall, 100 Sea Rd. 9 am. Agenda: gulf-stream.org

6/17 – Delray Beach City Hall, 100 NW 1st Ave. 5 pm. Agenda: delraybeachfl.gov

6/17 – Highland Beach Town Hall, 3614 S Ocean Blvd. 1:30 pm. Agenda: highlandbeach.us

6/26 – Briny Breezes Town Hall, 4802 N Ocean Blvd. 4 pm. Agenda: townofbrinybreezes-fl.com

Green Markets

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/green-market

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

St. Annual fundraiser. 6 pm. $10/person; free/members. Registration: 561-274-9578; delraybeachhistory.org

Friday - 6/13 - Beginner Squares at Boynton Beach Arts & Cultural Center, 125 E Ocean Ave. All ages. Every F 6-7 pm. $6. 561-742-6221; boynton-beach.org

6/13 - Castoffs Square Dance at Boynton Beach Arts & Cultural Center, 125 E Ocean Ave. All ages. Every F 6-9 pm. $6. 561-742-6221; boynton-beach.org

6/13 - Fleetwood Mac Tribute Concert at Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton. Bring blankets/chairs; chairs for rent $5. 7-10 pm. Free. 561-393-7890; mizneramp.com

6/13 - The Boxers: Simon & Garfunkel Tribute at The Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 NW 9th St. 8 pm. $45. 561-272-1281; delraybeachplayhouse.com

6/13 - Peace of Woodstock at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. 8 pm. $50-$55. 561-450-6357; artsgarage.org

6/13-15 - Rumors at FAU Marleen Forkas Studio One Theatre, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. Runs through 6/28. F/Sat: 7 pm; Sat/Sun: 2 pm. $20-$30. 561-297-6124; fauevents.com

Saturday - 6/14 - George Snow Annual Scholarship Awards Ceremony at Lynn University’s Wold Performing Arts Center, 3601 N Military Tr, Boca Raton. 9 am. scholarship. org/events

6/14 - Calling All Serious Writers! Saturday Writers Studio at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. All other Sats. via Zoom. 10 am. Free. 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

6/14 - Abstract Painting with Watercolor at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 10:30 am-12:30 pm. $55.20. 561-330-

9614; artswarehouse.org

6/14 - Open Figure Studio w/Model at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Ages 18+. Held again 6-8 pm 6/26. 10:30 am-12:30 pm. $15. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

6/14 - Mixed Media Magic: Abstract the Human Figure at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 1:30-4 pm. $65.87. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

6/14 - 5th Annual Delray Beach Pride Fest & Concert starts on NE 2nd Ave with live entertainment & vendors at 4 pm and ends with a concert at the Amphitheatre at Old School Square at 7:30 pm. Free. 561-243-7250; downtowndelraybeach.com/events/delraybeach-pride-fest-concert

6/14 - Southern Cross: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Tribute at The Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 NW 9th St. 8 pm. $45. 561-2721281; delraybeachplayhouse.com

JUNE 15-21

Sunday - 6/15 - Father’s Day

6/15 - Story Central Storytelling Slam at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Adults. 3-4:30 pm. Free. 561-393-7906; bocalibrary.org Tuesday - 6/17 - Book Talks - Non-Fiction/ Biographies: Stranger Than Fiction: Lives of the Twentieth-Century Novel by Edwin Frank at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Adults. 2-3 pm. Registration: 561-393-7906; bocalibrary.org 6/17 - Scandals and Controversies in Rock and Pop Music w/Emanuel Abramovits at FAU Friedberg Auditorium, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. Every T through 7 /8 3-4:30 pm. $60/annual membership; $64/member; $80/ non-member; $30/at the door. 561-297-3185; olli.fau.edu

6/17 - Crazy Ladies in White Nighties:

Opera’s Greatest Mad Scenes at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. Adults. 3 pm. Free. Registration: 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

6/17 - A Juneteenth “Spady House Party” at 140 NE 1st St, Delray Beach. Hosted by Delray Beach Chamber. Featuring bites, drinks & music while celebrating 100 years of the Spady House. 5:30-7 pm. Free. Registration: 561-278-0424; delraybeach.com

6/17 - Movie Night at Highland Beach Library, 3618 Ocean Blvd. 5:30 pm. Free. 561278-5455; highlandbeach.us

6/17 - 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: 561-297-7827; physics. fau.edu/observatory/events/ 6/17 - 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 Wednesday - 6/18 - Seminar: Four Interpretations of the Genesis Creation Story w/Rabbi Michael Gold at FAU Friedberg Auditorium, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. 10-11:30 am. $60/annual membership; $40/member; $50/non-member. 561-2973185; olli.fau.edu

6/18 - 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

6/18 - The Lives of Dr. Ruth and Judge Judy: Two Media Personalities w/Rose Feinberg at FAU Friedberg Auditorium, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. 12:30-2 pm. $60/ annual membership; $30.40/member; $38/ non-member. 561-297-3185; olli.fau.edu

6/18 - Barbara Streisand, Part I: From a Funny Girl A Star is Born w/Robert Versteeg at FAU Friedberg Auditorium, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. 3-4:30 pm. $60/annual membership; $10.40/member; $13/nonmember. 561-297-3185; olli.fau.edu

6/18 - Botanical Painting in Sumi Ink at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 6-8 pm. $44.52. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org Thursday - 6/19 - Juneteenth

6/19 - Guided Discussion: The Art of the Essay 1729-2022 w/Caren Neile at FAU Friedberg Auditorium, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. Every Th through 7/31 (no class 7/3) 10-11:30 am. $60/annual membership; $150/ member; $200/non-member; $35/at the door. 561-297-3185; olli.fau.edu

6/19 - Mixed Media Magic: Underwater Art & Expressive Collages at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 10 am-12:30 pm. $65.87. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

6/19 - Seminar: The Science of Gratitude w/Cyndi Stein-Rubin at FAU Friedberg Auditorium, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. 12:302 pm. $60/annual membership; $40/member; $50/non-member. 561-297-3185; olli.fau.edu

Fourth of July

7/4 - Firecracker 5K Run/Walk at Florida A tlantic University, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. 7:15 am-8:30 am. Tickets start at $40. runsignup.com/Race/FL/BocaRaton/ Firecracker5KRunwalkCityofBocaRaton

7/4 - Red White & Blue with a Waterfront View at Intracoastal Park, 2240 N Federal Hwy, Boynton Beach. Live music, food trucks, fireworks display. Bring chairs/blankets. 4-9:30 pm. Free. 561-742-6010; boynton-beach.org/658/4thof-July-Celebration

7/4 - Delray Beach 4th of July Celebration at E Atlantic Ave & A1A. Flag-raising ceremony/honor guard/national anthem, contests, food trucks/vendors, entertainment, activities/games, more. Park west of the Intracoastal Bridge. Family fare. 6-9:30 pm. Free admission. 561-243-7250 x3; delraybeachfl.gov

7/4 - Annual Independence Day Celebration at Bicentennial Park, 321 E Ocean Ave, Lantana. Live concert, fireworks, food/craft vendors, most patriotic baby contest, more. Free parking/ shuttle buses 6-10:15 pm from Lantana Town Hall & Finland House. Family fare. 6:30-9:30 pm; 9:05 pm fireworks. Free admission. 561-540-5754; lantana.org

7/4 - Boca Raton Fabulous Finale Celebration at Countess de Hoernle Park/Spanish River Athletic Complex, 1000 NW Spanish River Blvd. Live music, food/beverage for purchase, more. Free shuttle from Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRiC). Blankets/chairs/reusable water bottles permitted. No pets, coolers, glass bottles, drones, sparklers/fireworks, or alcohol permitted on site. 6:30-9:30 pm. 561-367-7073; myboca.us/1456/Fourth-of-July

Friday - 6/20 - Sizzling Summer Mystery Movies for Grownups: Where the Crawdads Sing at Delray Beach Public Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. 2 pm. Free. Registration: 561-266-0194; delraylibrary.org

6/20 - Stevie Wonder/Lionel Richie Tribute Concert at Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton. Part of Summer in the City series. Bring blankets/chairs; chairs for rent $5. 7-10 pm. Free. 561-393-7890; mizneramp.com

6/20 - Commotion - Creedence Clearwater Revival Tribute at The Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 NW 9th St. 8 pm. $59. 561-2721281; delraybeachplayhouse.com

6/20 - Dirty Work: A Tribute to the Music of Steely Dan at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. 8 pm. $50-$55. 561-450-6357; artsgarage.org

6/20-21 - 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. 561-3309614; artswarehouse.org

Saturday - 6/21 - Still Life, Full Throttle: Acrylic Painting at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. 10 am-1 pm. $76.54. 561330-9614; artswarehouse.org

6/21 - Mixed Media Nature’s Mandala at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 2-4 pm. $71.21. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

6/21-22 - Playwrights Festival of Plays at The Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 NW 9th St. 2 pm. $520. 561-272-1281; delraybeachplayhouse.com

6/21-22 - Florida Wind Symphony Jazz Orchestra: Big Band Hits of the Golden Age at FAU University Theatre, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. Sat: 7 pm; Sun: 2 pm. $20-$30. 561-297-6124; fauevents.com

6/21-22 - The Eagles Revival at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. Sat: 8 pm; Sun: 7 pm. $50-$55. 561-450-6357; artsgarage.org

JUNE 22-28

Sunday - 6/22 - Music in the MuseumRoberta Rust - Harriet Cohen: “Beloved Piano-Witch” at Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real. 3-4 pm. $8/member; $18/nonmember. 561-392-2500; bocamuseum.org

Monday - 6/23 - Table for Two by Amor Towles part of Afternoon Book Group at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. 1 pm. Free. Registration: 561-266-0196; delraylibrary.org

6/23 - Monday Movies - Feature Film: Swan Song directed by Todd Stephens at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Adults. 5:30-8 pm. Registration: 561-393-7906; bocalibrary.org

Wednesday - 6/25 - Mixed Media Portraits Inspired by Street Art at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 10:30 am-2:30 pm. $129.89. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse.org

6/25 - Artists in the Magical Mediterranean w/Terryl Lawrence at FAU Friedberg Auditorium, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton. Every W through 7/30 12:30-2 pm. $60/ annual membership; $95.20/member; $119/ non-member; $30/at the door. 561-297-3185; olli.fau.edu

6/25 - Artistic Journeys Reception - Gregory Dirr: Hue, Shade & Tint at Delray Beach Library, 100 W Atlantic Ave. 5:30 pm. Free. Registration: 561-266-0196; delraylibrary.org

Thursday - 6/26 - Collage! at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 10:30 am-12:30 pm. $45. 561-3309614; artswarehouse.org

6/26 - The Great Comedy Teams w/Lenny Dave at FAU Friedberg Auditorium, 777 Glades

Adults. 10:30 am-12:30 pm. $55.20. 561-3309614; artswarehouse.org

6/28 - Billy Currington & Kip Moore in Concert presented by Live Nation at Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton. Doors open 6 pm; show 7 pm. Tickets start at $49.75. 561-393-7890; mizneramp.com

6/28-29 - At All Cost - A Play by Rashida Costa at Lake Worth Playhouse Stonzek Studio Theatre, 713 Lake Ave. Sat/Sun: 2 pm & 5 pm. $30. 561-586-6410; lakeworthplayhouse.org

JUNE 29-JULY 5

Sunday - 6/29 - Exhibit Opening Reception at Artist’s Eye Gallery Boutique, 604 Lucerne Ave, Lake Worth. Runs through 7/25. 2-4 pm. Free. 561-586-8666; lwartleague.org

6/29 - FAU Summer Concert Band at Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton. Part of Summer in the City series. Bring blankets/chairs; chairs for rent $5. 7-10 pm. Free. 561-393-7890; mizneramp.com

6/29 - Jason Ricci and The Bad Kind at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. 7 pm. $50-$55. 561-450-6357; artsgarage.org

Rd, Boca Raton. 12:30-2 pm. $60/annual membership; $10.40/member; $13/nonmember. 561-297-3185; olli.fau.edu

6/26 - Rock the Plaza at One Boynton, 1501 Federal Hwy, Boynton Beach. Live music, activities, food offerings from restaurants in the plaza. 5-9 pm. Free. 561-600-9097; boyntonbeachcra.com

6/26 - Friends Virtual Book Club: The Safekeep: A Novel by Yael van der Wouden presented by Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Adults. 6:30-7:30 pm. Free. 561-393-7968; bocalibrary.org

Friday - 6/27 - Sunset Concert Series: Rod Stewart Tribute at Old School Square Amphitheater, 51 N Swinton Ave, Delray Beach. 5 pm. $50/VIP; free/general admission. 561-243-1077; tickets.delrayoldschoolsquare. com

6/27 - Doctor My Eyes - Jackson Browne Tribute - at Arts Garage, 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. 8 pm. $30-$35. 561-450-6357; artsgarage.org

Saturday - 6/28 - Performance Workshop - Radical Play-Making at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach. Adults. 10 amnoon. $71.21. 561-330-9614; artswarehouse. org

6/28 - Playful Poppies in Watercolor at Arts Warehouse, 313 NE 3rd St, Delray Beach.

Tuesday - 7/1 - Book Talks - An Hour to Kill: Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez at Boca Raton Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave. Adults. 2-3 pm. Registration: 561-3937906; bocalibrary.org

7/1 - Comedy Open Mic at Arts Garage , 94 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach. Every 1st T 8-10:30 pm. $10-$15. 561-450-6357; artsgarage.org

Friday - 7/4 - Independence Day

7/4 - Liberty Cup Racquet Tournament at Patch Reef Park (2000 Yamato Rd) and The Racquet Center (21626 St. Andrews Blvd). Round-robin bracket style Pickleball and Tennis Tournament. Divisions are determined by skill level. 9 am. $20/residents; $25/non-residents. 561-367-7090; myboca.us

7/4 - Gourmet Picnic and Concert: Nicole Henry sings Whitney Houston at The Wick Theatre & Costume Museum, 7901 N Federal Hwy, Boca Raton. Gourmet picnic: 11 am, $75; concert: 2 pm, $85; Picnic & concert: $150/ person. Reservations: 561-995-2333; thewick. org Saturday - 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 seat; $27/general admission; free/kids 5 & under. 561-243-1077; events. delrayoldschoolsquare.com/event-details/ pop-2000