Chris Felker's Blog (1,523)

By Dan Moffett



    Lawyers for the town of Gulf Stream and those representing Martin O’Boyle and Chris O’Hare continue to exchange jabs about who’s willing to make peace and who isn’t.

    O’Boyle and O’Hare have filed at least 40 lawsuits against the town over some 2,000 public records requests, claiming officials have violated the state’s Sunshine Law in one way or another.

    Robert Sweetapple, the Boca Raton attorney whom the town hired as its lead…

By Dan Moffett



    An important compromise in the Legislature appears to have allayed opposition to a controversial bill aimed at stopping people who exploit the state’s public records laws to shake down government entities for money.

    Under changes to the proposed legislation worked out in mid-February, judges still would be required to grant attorney fees to plaintiffs in lawsuits when governments are found to have violated public records laws. However,…

    Is Delray Beach sure it wants an “Urban Appalachian Trail”?

    If you have ever been on the actual Appalachian Trail, you would find that the users are hardy, backpacking, great folks who live in tents/sleeping bags, dig holes for latrines, eat prepared rations and really enjoy the outdoor life, some for a year at a time.

    Might the East Coast Greenway trail belong more in remote, unpopulated areas?

    Let the East Coast Greenway be directed to the beautiful scenery of…

By Jane Smith



    Three former Delray Beach employees were arrested recently, charged with using a company that billed the city for goods that were never delivered, according to the State’s Attorney Office.

    The three were longtime employees with the city before they resigned last year when their departments were under investigation. In mid-February, they were charged with an organized scheme to defraud Delray Beach of more than $50,000 and grand theft of…

By Jane Smith

    

    Delray Beach City Commissioner Al Jacquet has his eyes on the soon-to-be-vacated state House District 88 seat, currently held by Bobby Powell Jr.

    Powell has indicated he will run for the new state Senate District 25 that was created through court-ordered redistricting.

    If Powell makes that switch, that would…

By Jane Smith



    A Delray Beach agency scrapped responses from two potential partners and decided to go forward alone to turn its Arts Warehouse into an arts incubator.

    “My position is that we made a promise to the artists,” said Paul Zacks, a board member of the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency. He made those comments at the agency’s first February meeting when the board discussed the two responses received on its Arts Warehouse.

    Neither…

By Jane Smith



    The popular Arts Garage venue received reprieves recently from two Delray Beach agencies, but the nonprofit organization can no longer rely just on its programming.

    The organization needs a strategic plan, city commissioners and their Community Redevelopment Agency board members said.

    In its short history, the Arts Garage has developed a loyal base of fans who love the intimate setting of a small performing and visual arts space.…

By Jane Smith

    

    Delray Beach’s long-awaited property value analysis put numbers on what most people in the city already knew: The downtown core area saw the biggest gain in the past 30 years — at $649 million.…

    Delray Beach will hold a special election in conjunction with the presidential preference primary on March 15 to present two ballot questions to the city’s voters. One ballot question asks voters if they want to change the city charter and the other asks whether voters want to repeal the act that created the city’s civil service code.

 

Ballot Question #1:

Charter Amendment — Authority to appoint internal auditor

    The charter currently does not…

    The presidential preference primary will take place on March 15, and the towns of Ocean Ridge, South Palm Beach and Lantana will also hold their elections on that date.

    The municipal elections are nonpartisan, meaning voters of any party are eligible to vote in their city of residence. Polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

    Absentee ballots were mailed on Feb. 12, but people interested in voting absentee have until March 9 to request a ballot. The ballots…

    These candidates are competing for a three-year term on the Ocean Ridge Town Commission.

RESULTS (unofficial):

Allison: 44.44% | 356 votes

Coz: 55.56% | 445 votes…

    These candidates are competing for a three-year term on the Lantana Town Council. Lynn J. Moorhouse was re-elected unopposed to the Group 1 seat in December.

ELECTION RESULTS (unofficial)

Anthony Arsali: 31.29% | 506 votes

Malcolm Balfour: 68.71% | 1,111 votes…

By Willie Howard

    

    Lantana Councilman Malcolm Balfour and challenger Anthony Arsali shared their views on the state of the town, including plans to develop the former A.G. Holley hospital site, during a Feb. 18 candidate forum at the town recreation center.

    Arsali, a 29-year-old lawyer, said residents need a fresh voice on the council and more community involvement in planning the town’s future, while Balfour, a 78-year-old retired journalist, said…

By Jane Smith



    The City Commission agreed by a 3-2 vote to pull the latest Atlantic Crossing site plan from its March 1 agenda.

    Commissioners Shelly Petrolia and Mitch Katz voted no because they want to have a hearing on giving two alleys to the Atlantic Crossing project on which there are plans to build.

    The latest site plan will be sent to the city’s review board to discuss at a special meeting on March 7. Then the commission will take up the…

    These three candidates are competing for two seats on the South Palm Beach Town Council. Each seat carries a two-year term

ELECTION RESULTS (unofficial)

Robert Gottlieb: 43.41% | 336 votes

Stella Jordan: 36.56% | 283 votes

Robert Gargano: 20.03% | 155 votes…

By Dan Moffett



     South Palm Beach council members are preparing to boldly go where no town official has gone before: five years into the future.

    New Town Manager Bob Vitas is helping the council develop a long-term plan that tries to capture what life in the town might look  like in 2021. This is a major departure for a town that typically has run itself on a year-to-year basis.

    “It’s the first time any of us have ever seen this in the town,” said…

By Jane Smith

    

    Marine Way property owners are seeing the city’s efforts to cure problems caused by extreme high tides.

    The Delray Beach road, which has been restricted to residents’ vehicles since November, will get a new water main on the western edge, under an emergency order approved in mid-February by the City Commission.

    The existing water main along the eastern edge was only 24 inches below grade, though city standards call for at least…

By Jane Smith



    More barrier island property owners will be able to use reclaimed water next year for their sprinkler systems.

    In April, Delray Beach contractors will begin working in the area between Casuarina Road and Poinsettia Road, a roughly .7-mile stretch. The area north of Casuarina to George Bush Boulevard is finished, with customers already receiving service.

    The $2.2 million project involves tearing up the streets to install 5,300 linear…

By Jane Smith

    

    The owner of Riverwalk Plaza expected a quick approval of its redevelopment application in Boynton Beach, but it’s slogging through the process.

    City staff compiled 132 comments to Isram Realty’s December application. At the behest of Mayor Jerry Taylor, the two sides met on Feb. 11. Taylor…

Nearly 200 members of the Palm Beach County Classics Car Club brought their vintage treasures —

including the ’57 Chevy convertible below — to the Plaza del Mar shopping center in Manalapan

to help South Palm Beach celebrate its 60th anniversary. Here,…