Delray Beach will do what governments do when they can’t agree on a big issue: commission a study.
The subject is Old School Square, the cultural arts complex that remains partially closed four-plus years after a previous city commission evicted the complex’s founding organization. The study will present options for Old School Square’s future.
Studying the issue emerged as the only option after a Jan. 22 discussion between the city and the Downtown Development Agency. The DDA has a contract to operate the Cornell Museum and other parts of Old School Square apart from Crest Theater.
Though speakers and some commissioners praised the DDA’s work, Mayor Tom Carney has made clear that he wants another entity to take over and run the whole complex. He also has questioned DDA spending on Old School Square and overall, to the point of securing a state audit of the agency.
Commissioner Thomas Markert said the goal is “a transition plan.” The DDA was “never intended to be a long-term option.” Executive Director Laura Simon said the DDA has invested “blood, sweat and tears,” but added, “Old School Square needs to be thriving.”
What, then, does the DDA want? That’s hard to tell.
Clearly, DDA board members believe that Old School Square needs more money, whoever runs it. The annual contract that began in late 2022 at roughly $1 million is down to $700,000. In 2024, the DDA asked for $1.6 million. “Rocket fuel,” said board member Brian Rosen. “Not gas.”
Chairman Al Costillo, though, suggested that the DDA still might emerge as the best option—with enough financing. He noted that when the city sought a replacement for that founding group—Old School Center for the Arts—“You received none.” Board member Jule Guaglardi-Zelman said, “It sounds mad crazy to be giving it up.” Though Carney said the complex “has to go back” to the city, Costillo expressed doubt that the city has the money.
How much money would it take? Commissioners will get some early numbers at today’s meeting.
On the agenda is discussion of a consultant’s report that estimates the cost of fully renovating Crest Theatre. Part has reopened, with the city offering arts classes, but the venue still can’t stage performances.
According to the consultant, the city has three renovation options. The third and most basic option would cost $3.4 million, but it would just be enough to reopen the theater. Option 1 would cost $7.4 million and allow more varied programming. Option 2, which would allow even more variety, would cost $8.8 million. Final costs, the report said, “may vary.”
Then there’s the cost to operate all seven elements of Old School Square. Commissioner Juli Casale said, “I would be amenable to more money.” Casale cast the tie-breaking vote in 2021 to end the lease with that founding group—Old School Square Center for the Arts—after 35 years.
The item hadn’t been on the agenda, and the commission majority ignored pleas to resolve questions about the group’s budget. Just before that vote, Casale also helped to kill the plan to renovate the Crest with private money.
Previously, Old School Square Center for the Arts took care of the complex’s interior while the city was responsible for the exterior. The Community Redevelopment Agency also reimbursed the group nearly $1 million for programming.
Some participants took predictable shots at Old School Square Center for the Arts. Costillo said the group “destroyed” the Crest and Cornell by taking material for which the group had paid. But even after Carney piled on, he acknowledged that Old School Square “ran well for many years.”
Perhaps the city would have better luck this time finding a non-profit that could replicate Old School Square Center for the Arts. But the group would need expertise not just in programming but in fundraising and recruitment of volunteers.
Delray Beach is here because the commission acted hastily in 2021 with no backup. Everyone agrees on the importance of Old School Square. How much is that importance worth?
Delray Beach to begin issuing public safety bonds from 2023 vote
Speaking of money, City Manager Terrence Moore said Delray Beach soon will issue the $100 million worth of public safety bonds that voters approved in 2023.
In last week’s information letter to the commission, Moore said the police, fire and public works departments are “finalizing options” for a new police station and improvements to the city’s five fire stations. Delray Beach recently has issued revenue bonds for the new water plant and renovation of the golf course, but this will be financed with an increase in property taxes.
In a Jan. 7 email, Chief Financial Officer Henry Dachowitz said he hopes for commission approval “as quickly as possible” so the city “can go to market while the markets are relatively calm and favorable to an issuance such as ours.” Add the Pompey Park renovation to all those items, and a lot of big projects are and will be going on in Delray Beach.
Delray to name renovated fire station after former chief
Speaking of fire stations, also on the agenda for today’s meeting is a dedication of Delray Beach’s renovated Station 113 to the memory of former Chief Kerry Koen, who died in 2025.
Koen had the distinction of leading the departments in both Delray Beach and Boca Raton. In October, Boca Raton named Station 3 on the beach for Koen.
Fundraising for Marci Woodward’s PBC Commissioner seat race
Palm Beach County Commissioner Marci Woodward, who represents Boca Raton and Delray Beach, had a fundraising haul in the last three months of 2025 as she runs for a second term.
Woodward, a Republican, raised $105,000, bringing her overall total to $195,000. Her opponent, Democrat Curtis Calabrese, raised $4,800. His total is $69,000, which includes a $50,000 personal loan.
Individuals and entities with business before the commission dominated Woodward’s contributors, especially those in land development. Local contributors included land-use lawyer Bonnie Miskel, PEBB Enterprises and CP Group, which owns the Boca Raton Innovation Campus. Other donors included Jack Furnari, publisher of the right-wing website Florida Jolt, and fellow Republican Tracy Caruso, who is married to Clerk and Comptroller Michael Caruso.
Florida AG goes after DEI in Delray police advisory board
In 2005, after a white officer fatally shot a Black teenager, Delray Beach created a police advisory board. The ordinance stated that in making appointments to the panel, the city commission “shall endeavor to include as many racial and ethnic minority members as possible” while seeking “membership that represents a diverse cross-section of the community.”
For two decades, the language bothered no one. In November, though, someone complained to the Florida attorney general’s office about that “racial and ethnic” language. Attorney General James Uthmeier has scoured for defendants to sue in his campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
In a letter, Uthmeier’s office said that language “appears to suggest a racial or ethnic preference and that individuals who are not members of racial or ethnic minorities may be disadvantaged in the appointment process, regardless of their qualifications, experience, or commitment to serving their community.”
City Attorney Lynn Gelin responded that the board consistently has “represented a cross-section of the community, including non-minorities.” Still, Gelin said the city would “address your concerns” with a revised ordinance.
The update says the board shall be a cross-section of the community “representing a variety of perspectives and experiences across all demographic groups. The “racial and ethnic” portion is out. First reading before the commission is scheduled for today.
