It often seems as if the priority for the current Delray Beach City Commission is this: If the previous commission did it, we will undo it.
Example: The commission majority’s decision last month to reject a proposal from the developer of Atlantic Crossing to improve Veterans Park in exchange for using part of the park during construction of Atlantic Crossing’s second phase.
The first phase of the mixed-use project covers the block north of East Atlantic Avenue between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. The second phase will cover the block to the east, which borders Veterans Park.
Columbus, Ohio-based Edwards Companies, which is developing Atlantic Crossing, last year offered Delray Beach a deal. The company would pay $1 million toward improving Veterans Park. Using a portion of the park to stage construction would get the second phase open two years earlier and get the property on the tax roll as soon as possible.
Former City Commissioner Ryan Boylston told me that the proposal aligned with the master plan for the park. There would be a new parking lot, with a southern entrance that now doesn’t exist. There would be a drop-off area, which now doesn’t exist. The new west side of the park would blend with the eastern side of Atlantic Crossing. An unsightly Dumpster would be moved.
“It was our idea,” Boylston said. Three department heads—development services, public works and parks and recreation—worked with Edwards. The park would be 25,000 square feet bigger, with 24,000 square feet of additional parking. Though the plan would leave the city’s lightly used lawn bowling court out of play for a year, Edwards would build a new court.
Then came the June 4 city commission meeting. Edwards’ plan was on the consent agenda. Mayor Tom Carney, who defeated Boylston in March, pulled it for discussion. Five speakers —all political allies of Carney and the others in the new majority (Commissioners Juli Casale and Thomas Markert)—opposed it. The plan died.
“We were taken aback,” said Edwards Vice President Don DeVere. “It doesn’t seem logical when you think about all the benefits to the city as a whole.”
To illustrate the importance of a faster construction schedule. DeVere said Edwards has a commitment from a corporate tenant to lease office space in Phase 2 and bring 300 “well-paying” jobs to the city. Delay, DeVere suggested, could jeopardize that prospect.
According to an Atlantic Crossing representative, office space in the first phase is “fully leased” and retail has only “a few small spaces” remaining. The first apartment building is “fully leased.” The second, which was done later, is leasing.
“We’re really happy with Phase 1,” DeVere said. “But it took way too long. We’d like to speed this up.”
Commissioner Rob Long, who was in the previous majority that supported the plan, blamed lingering resentment against Atlantic Crossing. The project was controversial when the commission approved it in 2012. Carney was on the commission at the time and dissented.
“But it’s there now,” Long said of Atlantic Crossing. In a newsletter, he called the rejection “the dumbest decision the commission has made this year.”
DeVere said Edwards will present “an alternate plan,” perhaps within a week. I emailed Carney to ask if he would consider it. He did not respond.
Delray’s very odd budget workshop meeting
If the Veterans Park decision was strange, the commission held an equally strange budget workshop meeting last week.
City Manager Terrence Moore already had proposed a slight decrease in the property tax rate. Carney, though, wanted more. He wanted a rate at which taxpayers would pay no more overall than they did this year. Carney fumed about big increases for property and car insurance. “We need to be cutting.”
For most of the nearly two-hour session, though, Carney, Casale and Markert asked not about the operating budget—where “cutting” could lower the tax rate—but about the capital budget—one-time construction projects that have almost nothing to do with the operating budget.
Carney showed the effects of being away from the commission for 11 years. He said of certain project costs, “That just seems high,” or “That seems low.” Department heads patiently explained each item. After one response, Carney said, “That’s a good explanation.”
Markert again reminded everyone, “I come out of the corporate world.” He went to state the obvious: Delray Beach needs a new water plant. The project got underway before Markert joined the commission.
After asking a series of questions about work on underground pipes, Carney made this astonishing comment: “Just because the pipes are old doesn’t mean they’re broken.” Well, yes, but pipes break because they are old. In Fort Lauderdale, that lack of concern for underground systems has led to sewage flowing in streets and big assessments to catch up on decades of delayed work.
Long finally spoke to rebut what he saw as the majority’s assumption that the city has “mismanaged funds” and to criticize what he called Carney’s push for “some arbitrary” tax rate. Moore at last stepped in to say that if delaying some projects in the capital budget might affect the operating budget, he would propose “a few potential tweaks” at today’s budget workshop.
Beyond that, cutting the operating budget likely would mean cutting police and fire services that make up roughly half the budget. I’ll have more after the meeting.
Benson makes another attempt at DDA board seat
At today’s regular commission meeting, Mavis Benson will try again to secure a seat on the board of the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority. It does not appear that her case has gotten any stronger.
Last week, the commission agreed to reconsider the appointment of Benson, which came last month. That move happened after Rick Burgess, whose seat Benson took, provided evidence that Benson does not own the business—Avalon Gallery—that she used to show that she has a business license within the DDA boundaries.
After reading Burgess’ email to her and the commission, City Attorney Lynn Gelin agreed that Benson is not qualified to serve. Long raised the issue at last week’s meeting. He got support from Carney, who cast the only vote against Benson, and Angela Burns.
Long argued that the issue with Benson was the same as it had been with Burgess: her initial application had been false, even though he came into compliance after his appointment. Markert, who appointed Benson, claimed that the cases are different. So did Casale.
In fact, Long is correct on his main point. The only difference is that the county ethics commission responded to a complaint that Benson filed against Burgess with a letter of reprimand that did not call for his removal. Long was the only one to vote against it.
State records confirm that there is no business called Avalon Gallery and that Benson is not listed as the owner of any business in Delray Beach. In a follow-up email last week, Burgess claimed—and state records confirm—that the business at Avalon’s address is called Arthund. The only listed agent for Arthund is John Terry, even though the gallery’s website lists Terry and Benson as “owners.”
The DDA’s website shows Jim Knight and Harold Van Arnem on the seven-member board. The commission appointed them last month, and neither has any issues. The website does not show Benson as being on the board.
For the longer term, the city should find out why, as Long put it, the clerk’s office “missed this” when reviewing Benson’s application. For now, there are 21 other applicants in addition to Benson. Absent any politics behind the push to appoint Benson—always a possibility in Delray Beach—it would seem easy to find a board member who qualifies. Naming Benson would amount to a double standard.
Rep. Gossett-Seidman comments on veto of beach safety bill
I wrote last week about Gov. Ron DeSantis’ veto of a bill that would have made it easier for Floridians to know about pollution problems in “public bathing spaces.” The bill had passed the House and Senate unanimously.
The House sponsor was Peggy Gossett-Seidman, the Republican who represents Boca Raton and Highland Beach. After the item ran, Gossett-Seidman texted to say that the bill involved “hundreds of hours of my research and work” and that she intends to file it again if re-elected.
Weirnroth’s rightward shift
Robert Weinroth has morphed from moderate Democrat to full-blown right-wing Republican as he runs for Congress after switching parties. The former Boca Raton city councilman and county commissioner’s campaign website claims that “the left has attempted to destroy our nation.” He offers no details.
As he seeks to represent Boca Raton and West Boca in Washington, however, Weinroth might want to watch the details. His website asks for donations to “Help Robert Kick Jared Moskowtiz out of Congress.” The Democratic incumbent is U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz.
