FAU UPDATE:
Florida Atlantic University must restart its presidential search—but there’s no date for doing so.
The Board of Governors ordered the new search at a Thursday morning meeting. The search won’t start, however, until the board updates policies to prevent what it claims were problems with the search that produced three finalists five months ago.
The board’s next meeting is Jan. 24.
Anti-gay bigotry has arisen in the Delray Beach City Commission race that includes a gay candidate.
It stems from an audio recording of two volunteers in the Seat 3 campaign of Anneze Barthelemy. One of them, whom the campaign identified as Christopher Carl Ferris, refers to that candidate—Nicholas Coppola—with a homophobic slur.
Ferris goes on to say, “I don’t care if someone’s gay.” The other volunteer, identified as Josephine Dachoute, responds, “I care. I don’t want nobody gay.” I received a copy of the audio on Sunday. A report of it first appeared on the Florida Jolt website.
Though her voice is not on the recording, Barthelemy posted the audio on her campaign’s Facebook page before taking it down. She then issued a statement, saying, “I don’t agree with what they said, and I will not be using them anymore. What people do in their bedroom is not my business.”
Coppola sent me a statement. It reads:
“My opponent’s statement is offensive and shows a lack of accountability. More importantly, the fact that she allowed homophobic commentary like this on her official campaign page exemplifies her bad judgment.
“As long as my opponent stays in this race, she is going to have to answer to the voters. As your next city commissioner, I will ensure that all residents are treated with respect and are included in our city’s decision-making.”
I tried to speak with Barthelemy. Her cell phone voicemail was full. I emailed the address on her campaign paperwork but got no response by deadline for this post.
In addition to questions about the audio and her recording, I wanted to ask Barthelemy how she had been “using” Ferris and Dachoute. Ferris acknowledges on the recording that he does not live in Delray Beach but could “probably change my address before the election.”
According to court filings, Ferris has been arrested 32 times in Palm Beach County since 2010. In November 2022, he was arrested for throwing a glass cup at the front door of the Salt7 restaurant in Delray Beach. The probable cause affidavit calls Ferris “a homeless vagrant who has history for (sic) criminal mischief where he has thrown objects at business windows.”
Christina Romelus is a former Boynton Beach city commissioner who now is a political consultant. Barthelemy, Romelus told me, “hired my firm to manage her campaign in the month of November. In light of this situation, we opted to no longer represent her campaign.”
Delray makes progress in American Legion Post dispute
Delray Beach made progress Tuesday on resolving the dispute over American Legion Post 188.
City commissioners voted 4-1 to negotiate a lease with the Emanuel Jackson, Sr. (EJS) Project for the property on which the Post 188 building sits. The city ended the Post’s lease in 2019, after which the Post sued, claiming wrongful termination.
As became clear during Tuesday’s meeting, some Black residents still oppose anything that doesn’t restore the lease with the Post and return the building. Commissioners, though, have pointed out that the Post, which has only a few members, doesn’t have the money to make the renovations, without which the city won’t approve the lease.
EJS Founder and Executive Director Dupree Jackson, however, has secured pledges that would finance those renovations. Donors base those pledges on the group’s impressive record of helping Delray Beach’s youth.
If Jackson and the city agree on a lease, EJS would use the renovated building to expand its programs. EJS also would allow Post 188 to use the building for meetings. The city’s offer to settle the lawsuit includes deeding the building to the Post after five years if certain conditions were met.
Several students told commissioners how EJS had helped them get better grades and develop better outlooks on life. Jackson acknowledged the hostility that some residents hold toward the city, saying, “We’re not up against anything but feelings.” All commissioners except Angela Burns agreed and allowed the negotiations to begin.
Grades slip in some Boca and Delray schools
School grades in Boca Raton and Delray Beach reflected Palm Beach County’s drop from an A rating to a B.
For the most part, individual 2023 grades stayed the same. Boca Raton’s two high schools —Spanish River and Boca Raton—again got A’s. So did Olympic Heights and West Boca high schools, which are outside the city but draw students from within the city.
Elementary schools also scored well. Calusa got another A. So did Blue Lake, in its first year. Addison Mizner and Verde have added middle-school grades, but they also got A’s in the Combination category. Both had regularly been A-rated when the campuses had just elementary grades. Boca Elementary was the only one to score lower, staying at B.
Boca Raton Middle School, however, dropped from an A to a B. In the last 10 years, Boca Middle had received only one other grade lower than an A. Omni Middle kept its A.
The news was worse in Delray Beach—especially about Atlantic High School. It dropped from a B to a C.
Early in the last decade, Atlantic got an A four straight years. As the city’s only high school, Atlantic’s reputation—even considering the subjective nature of Florida’s school grading system—matters as the city tries to attract young families.
Grades for two of Delray Beach’s elementary schools also went down. Pine Grove went from B to C, and Banyan Creek dropped from A to B. Spady Elementary got another B. Orchard View stayed at C.
Plumosa School of the Arts, which also is a K-8 campus, stayed at C. Carver Middle got another C.
Development on Glades Road
One of Boca Raton’s largest private landowners wants to redevelop a portion of Glades Road west of Dixie Highway.
Investments Limited is proposing two, one-story buildings that the company calls Glades Station West and Glades Station East. Combined, they would total almost 30,000 square feet.
Each would have a fast-food restaurant. There also would be space for other restaurants, retail and offices. All uses are allowed in that area, but projects are subject to city review. The project would require technical deviations. City planners recommend approval with conditions. The project goes before the planning and zoning board at tonight’s meeting.
Expanded cruise ship operations in Key West?
A recent New York Times story reported on efforts by Mark Walsh, president of Delray Beach-based Ocean Properties, to expand cruise ship operations at the pier he owns in Key West.
The issue has been touchy in Margaritaville. Three years ago, residents limited the size of ships that call at Key West. Supporters of the referendum claimed, among other things, that large ships were damaging the local environment.
Tallahassee responded the next year by banning local governments from restricting cruise operations. According to The Miami Herald, Walsh-owned companies donated $1 million to the governor before he signed the legislation. Walsh also is a regular donor in city elections.
In response to the state law, Key West prohibited ships from city-owned docks but allowed them at the one Walsh controls. With fewer ships docking, some local merchants are pushing for the expanded operations. Gov. DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet will make the final decision.
Another seven-figure donation for Boca Regional
Donations keep rolling in for Boca Raton Regional Hospital’s Keeping the Promise campaign.
The latest is a $2.5 million gift from Joel Altman and Beverly Raphael-Altman. He founded the Altman Companies, a development firm. She is CEO of Deerfield Beach-based RCC Associates, a nationwide construction company.
