Florida Atlantic University’s former trustee chair made a deal last week. His colleagues liked it. Will the people who most need to like it feel the same way?
Brad Levine resigned as chair but not from the board of trustees. He did so after the Board of Governors (BOG), which supervises the university system, last month approved a vote of no confidence in Levine. One conclusion is that Levine finally took the hint: The BOG would not allow FAU’s presidential search to start over if Levine remained as chair. “Unfortunately,” Levine said, “I have personally become part of this narrative.”
The chair picks the search committee. BOG members still have not approved policy changes they claim are necessary to avoid repeating the mistakes Levine allegedly made with the first search. In December, the BOG nullified that search, based on an investigation by the university system’s inspector general. As they chose Piero Bussani to be chair, trustees praised Levine and expressed hope that the new search could start soon. Stacy Volnick has been interim president since January 2023.
One proposed change would prevent Bussani from naming himself to chair the search committee, as Levine did. The chair picks all committee members. Levine gave trustee vice chair Barbara Feingold the same role on the 16-member search committee, which also included four other trustees. In that role, Bussani would have to ensure as much as possible that no committee members have hidden agendas. Politics were too much a part of the first search. Example: Feingold’s push for FAU’s proposed dental school, which would be named for Feingold’s late husband, Jeffrey Feingold. Barbara Feingold had been prepared to donate $30 million toward the school. She backed off that commitment after expressing dissatisfaction with the three finalists that the committee chose last July.
Levine chose Jose Mellado, a Miami dentist, to serve on the search committee. As the Florida Bulldog website reported, Mellado and his wife were involved in litigation after being fired by the firm that bought their dental practice. In 2022, Feingold donated $50,000 to the committee supporting Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis. Mellado donated $2,000. Patronis’ office arrested five members of the firm. Their attorneys charged that the action was politically motivated.
According to Florida Bulldog, Feingold lobbied to get Mellado on the search committee. A Republican fundraiser told the Bulldog that Mellado then acted as Feingold’s “wingman” to secure the presidential appointment for State Rep. Randy Fine, who had been Gov. DeSantis’ pick. The governor and Fine have said that Fine is no longer a candidate.
As president of the faculty senate, Kim Dunn serves on the board of trustees. She also served on the search committee. The faculty, Dunn said, would like more representation on the next committee, more input into the presidential profile and a pledge that finalists will visit the campus during the fall or spring semesters, not over the summer.
Bussani can’t make any decisions about appointments to the committee until the BOG updates those policies and allows the new search to start. After Levine’s action, perhaps that can happen at the board’s Feb. 21 meeting. Otherwise, FAU will be lucky to have a permanent president before Volnick’s extended contract expires at the end of the year.
FAU’s Funds Wish List
A year ago, the Legislature appropriated $30 million toward construction of FAU’s proposed dental school and other one-time costs to build the $85 million campus. FAU also got $10 million toward operating expenses.
Prospects for even more money this year look less hopeful.
According to its list of legislative priorities, FAU wants more than $100 million toward construction and operations. In addition, FAU seeks $37 million to expand its medical school. According to a Florida Senate spokeswoman, none of those requests are in that chamber’s proposed $115.9 billion budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The Senate’s proposal is $400 million higher than the House version, mostly because the Senate includes more money for teacher raises.
The requests acknowledge that the dental school project is not “shovel-ready.” Legislative leaders have warned about the end of federal pandemic relief money that has lifted recent budgets. The session ends on March 8, but the budget must be finalized at least 72 hours in advance.
Person Arrested in Pride Intersection Defacing
Delray Beach police made an arrest Monday in the second defacing of the city’s LGBTQ Pride intersection. According to a statement from the city, 19-year-old Dylan Brewer of Clearwater faces charges of felony criminal mischief over $1,000 and reckless driving. Brewer turned himself in Monday and made no statement. The incident happened Feb. 4. According to the city, a witness saw Brewer “intentionally performing multiple burnouts” with his vehicle at the intersection in Pineapple Grove. Several people took videos with their phones. Brewer caused “significant damage” to the streetscape.
In 2021, two days after the city dedicated the streetscape, a man burned his truck tires over it during a birthday parade for Donald Trump. Alexander Jerich got probation. County prosecutors determined that he could not be charged with a hate crime because the city owns the intersection, and hate-crime laws apply to offenses against people.
The Palm Beach County Human Rights Council praised the quick police work. No court date for Brewer has been set. I’ll have more when the probable cause affidavit becomes public.
State Ends Delray’s Consent Order
I wrote last week that Delray Beach had asked the Florida Department of Health to end the consent order that had required the city to submit regular reports on water quality. The state has done so. In a Feb. 8 letter to Utilities Director Hassan Hadjimiry, Environmental Health Director Rafael Reyes said the state is “closing the enforcement action” that stemmed from cross-contamination problems in the reclaimed water system. “We appreciate the effort,” Reyes said, “you have extended to resolve this matter.” Hadjimiry praised the staff’s “unwavering efforts to uphold the highest standards. . .”
New Entities Step Up To Run The Crest
Old School Square Center for the Arts has competition to operate Crest Theater.
With the Crest closed and a reopening likely at least more than two years out, Delray Beach sought proposals for programming and running one of Old School Square’s most important elements. Though the Downtown Development Authority is running the Cornell Museum and other parts of the complex under a contract that ends Sept. 30, operating the Crest would be a much bigger reach for an organization that specializes in marketing.
The Crest is closed because a previous city commission in August 2021 ended the lease under which Old School Square Center for the Arts had created and run the complex for more than three decades. The city estimates that it will take $5 million to finish the interior renovation project that began with private money and to purchase additional equipment.
Because the current commission wants Old School Square Center for the Arts to have a role, it seemed likely that the group would be the only applicant. The city then would write an agreement to specify that role. But three other entities also applied to run the Crest: 27 Productions, an independent music company; Upperh, LLC; and Windmill Theater. The fifth applicant is a city resident.
I couldn’t find out much about those other entities by deadline for this post. Because of them, however, it appears that the city won’t determine Crest Theater’s future for some time.
