November 2025
Serving Hypoluxo Island, South Palm Beach, Manalapan, Ocean Ridge, Briny Breezes, Gulf Stream and Coastal Delray Beach
Along the Coast
Volume 18 Issue 11
State law on hurricane recovery hits home rule Local officials decry inability to tighten land-use rules when storms have missed their communities By Rich Pollack
Scenes from big surge
ABOVE: Visitors to the beach just south of the Boca Raton Inlet in October contend with a cliff of sand taller than they are, which was created by the pounding surf. Tim Stepien/ The Coastal Star
Seasonal high tides, compounded by distant storms, leave beaches scoured and stairs broken. November promises to bring another threat. By John Pacenti Christy Turnquist looked like she was walking on water at Sportsman’s Park Marina in Lantana. “So somehow I literally, by the grace of God, just ended up there. And it just happened to be my favorite time of year, which is king tide,” said the West Palm Beach woman who tries to go to a park or the beach daily to say her prayers. The Sportsman’s Park parking lot was flooded on Oct. 9, practically right up to the doors of Kona Bay Cafe alongside the Intracoastal
Waterway. The Bar Jack Fishing charter, The Lady K, was docked, unable to traverse under the Boynton Inlet’s fixed bridge. At Lantana Municipal Beach, the ocean came right up to the steps that usually lead to the sandy beach. The harvest moon put on quite a show, both day and night, but this king tide came on the tail of some rough surf churned up by the twin hurricanes of Imelda and Humberto in late September, causing severe beach erosion. Beach stairs off Anna Street and See KING TIDES on page 18
LEFT: Beach access stairs in Ocean Ridge were damaged by high waves and king tides in October. Mary Kate Leming/ The Coastal Star
Highland Beach commissioners agreed recently that having smaller commercial signs in town would be beneficial and had just started the ball rolling on passing new rules when the process hit a snag. Delray Beach officials had plans in the works for the development of an Atlantic Avenue conservation district that Mayor Tom Carney says would preserve the charm of the buildings there. It, too, was stopped in its tracks, at least for now. The roadblock in the way of both municipalities is a provision in a new state law, added to the bill in the waning days of this year’s legislative session, that prevents local governments from passing any land-use changes that are more restrictive than what currently is on the books. The legislation, known as See STATE LAW on page 36
South Palm Beach
Prefab is not-so-fab: Town Hall plans revert to traditional construction
Manufactured panels untested against storm surge, council hears By Jane Musgrave When South Palm Beach Town Council members began imagining what a new Town Hall would look like, they agreed they wanted an eyecatching building constructed
with energy-saving prefabricated panels. After spending more than three years hashing out various details of the estimated $6.5 million project, they learned last month that their two goals were incompatible thanks, in part, to rising sea levels. “It’s a beautiful building, but it doesn’t lend itself to typical SIPS construction,” architect Joe Barry told the council on
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID WEST PALM BCH FL PERMIT NO 4595
Oct. 14, using the acronym for structural insulated panels. Council members agreed with Barry’s assessment of the nearly 11,000-square-foot art-deco-style building that will feature large half-circle windows, curved corners and a flat roof. “The building is absolutely gorgeous,” Vice Mayor Monte Berendes said. They also agreed that neither money nor time would be
saved by using the panels. They opted instead to use traditional reinforced masonry and poured concrete for the building that could be completed in early 2028. That timeline could change if the council at its November meeting opts to send Barry and his team at the Fort Lauderdalebased CPZ Architects back to the drawing board to reduce the size of the building.
Echoing the sentiments of many town residents, Berendes again questioned whether the town really needs an 11,000-square-foot headquarters when its current building is just 7,000 square feet. “It’s very large and I would like to look at the costs,” Berendes said. “From 7 to 11 is an awful lot. I see us in the 9 to See TOWN HALL on page 16
Sweet treats for vets
Indigenous Canadian artist weaves her pieces using giant wood beads. Page AT17
Philanthropy Season Preview
Organizations focus on giving back. Page AT1
It doesn’t have to be Veterans Day to get this Marine widow baking. Page 2 Veterans Day events calendar Page AT28