Stet NewsGood morning. We are checking reports that Thanksgiving is this week. For you today, fear and loathing in Juno Beach, municipal election update, blame the iguanas, Stet weather and Palm Beach souvenirs.
🚫 Nazi talk rocks Juno Beach
A Juno Beach council member resigned last week after a debate with a fellow council member about free speech imploded into a public confrontation over personal memories about Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, raising accusations of antisemitism.
Why it matters: At a time when America grapples with bullying and decorum in the public arena, Juno Beach is a window into how a lack of respect and civility can influence deliberations on a local level.
Catch up quick: The town of about 3,800 residents between North Palm Beach and Jupiter is known for its idyllic beaches, artsy festivals and occasional speed traps.
- But since two council members ran for mayor in March, the first time the town has put the mayor’s selection in the hands of voters, the town essentially has been riven in two.
The rise of newsletters: Most council members communicate their thoughts on town actions directly to residents via emailed newsletters. But no newsletter has been as confrontational as the one published for years by Council Member Marianne Hosta.
- In response, a newsletter critical of her and other town council decisions has arisen but no one can say for certainty who are the “Concerned Citizens of Juno Beach” behind it.
Hosta, recently put on probation after a jury found her guilty of misdemeanor battery against the then-mayor’s wife, says she learned early in life, growing up in post-World War II Germany, that she must speak out when she sees injustice.
She balked at Council Member Jacob Rosengarten’s suggestion that the town needed a code of conduct to block Hosta from insulting and demeaning residents in her newsletters.
What he’s saying: “There’s something to be gained sometimes by actually agreeing to limit your freedoms, if you will, because if we don’t do that it could affect the reputation of our organization. … Why would citizens think it’s OK for members of council to have weaker standards of behavior than would be tolerated or allowed in the companies they work for?” Rosengarten asked.
When Hosta responded by discussing her upbringing in Germany, saying to him that people who upbraid her don’t know what they’re talking about and “should have gone through the experiences I went through,” it caused an uproar.
Rosengarten’s wife, Nancy Wolf, exclaimed from the audience “you’re talking to a child of Holocaust survivors” and called Hosta “garbage.”
A week later, before a special council meeting began, Rosengarten delivered a lengthy response, describing his experiences and those of his parents — both Polish Jews who survived the rise of Naziism. Then he resigned from the council.
Click here to read what he said and see the rest of Joel’s story on the conflict.
Click here for a transcript of Rosengarten’s comments and to read Hosta’s recent newsletter.
— Joel Engelhardt
🇺🇸 No votes necessary
Qualifying for municipal elections continues today, with several cities poised to select representatives without voters casting a ballot.
North Palm Beach and Jupiter Inlet Colony as of Monday are positioned to join West Palm Beach and several other cities in having no opponents challenge incumbents seeking reelection.
Why it’s important: Residents who complain about local officials have this opportunity to challenge them or support someone who will. While the election isn’t until March 11, qualifying for office ends in most cities in November.
In Lake Worth Beach, with candidates still able to sign up until noon today, two competitive races are assured. In District 2, incumbent Christopher McVoy would face Carla Blockson. In District 4, incumbent Reinaldo Diaz would face Greg Richter and Anthony Segrich.
- Lake Worth Beach would join Jupiter, Royal Palm Beach, Lantana, Riviera Beach and Lake Park with contested races.
Two cities will know later today if they will have to print ballots: North Palm Beach and Jupiter Inlet Colony had no contested races as of Monday. Qualifying ends at noon.
In North Palm Beach, incumbents Susan Bickel and Kristin Garrison would go unchallenged.
In Jupiter Inlet Colony, incumbents Mark Ciarfella in Group 3 and Bill Muir in Group 5 and newcomer David Shula in Group 1 have yet to draw an opponent.
Boynton Beach and Palm Springs have three seats open but the city clerks could not be reached Monday to disclose if anyone had qualified.
Other contests are set:
Royal Palm Beach
- Mayor: Incumbent Jeff Hmara against Council Member Selena Samios and Justin Plaza.
- Group 3: Steve Avila, Donielle Pinto and Sylvia Sharps.
- No opponent filed to challenge incumbents Richard Valuntas in Group 2 and Jan Rodusky in Group 4. Plus newcomer Adam Miller wins the Group 1 seat.
In Lantana, Group 2 incumbent Kern Mason won without a vote. Group 1 incumbent Lynn Moorhouse will face Jesse Rivero.
Qualifying continues until Dec. 2 in Palm Beach Gardens, where incumbent Marcie Tinsley is running in Group 2 and Charles Millar is running for the seat vacated by term-limited Carl Woods in Group 4.
Some of the county’s biggest cities — Greenacres, Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Wellington — have no expiring seats to be decided next year.
In West Palm Beach, Juno Beach, Tequesta and Palm Beach Shores, as Stet reported last week, no one filed challenges, so incumbents will return to office without going before voters.
The winners are:
- West Palm Beach: Shalonda Warren and Joe Peduzzi.
- Juno Beach: Diana Davis.
- Tequesta: Molly Young and Patrick Painter.
- Palm Beach Shores: Roby DeReuil and Tracy Larcher.
— Joel Engelhardt
🦎 Lake Worth Beach has two public pools. Both are closed
The Palm Beach County School District has indefinitely closed the Lake Worth High swimming pool, and iguanas are sharing the blame, ByJoeCapozzi reports.
Context: The closing comes as Lake Worth Beach city commissioners are scheduled Dec. 3 to consider hiring another consultant to offer ideas on reopening the public oceanfront pool at the Lake Worth Beach Casino complex. When that pool closed in 2017, many swimming teachers and activity groups headed to the pool at Lake Worth High.
Flashback: Opened in 1962, after a 12-year campaign raised $30,000 for its construction, the pool made an instant splash, giving Lake Worth Community High School prestige as one of the few public high schools in Palm Beach County with a pool.
Lake Worth High’s aquatic program has produced some of the fastest student swimmers in Florida. They honed their skills in the 25-yard pool’s six lanes flanked by bleachers.
In a response to a question from Joe, the school district said that outdated equipment and contamination “related to iguanas” drove the decision to close.
At least one former coach would like to see the school district spend money to repair the pool and make it available again to students and the community.
What he’s saying: “Closing it would be a mistake, because it could serve the community in so many ways with the right person in charge of it,’’ said Glenn Stubbs, a Lake Worth High history teacher who coached the swim team from 2014 to 2018.
Stubbs said he thinks the pool was last used by students around or just after the pandemic.
“The shell is good, but the pipes and everything (else) is like living in 1955,” he said. “Right now, it’s a pond for the iguanas. It has so much more potential.’’
– Reported by Joe Capozzi
Read about the pool’s storied past at ByJoeCapozzi.
☀️ Stet weather: Warmer, drier winter on tap
Palm Beach County winters have grown milder since 1970, and the increase in temperatures here is in line with most of the country, according to a new study.
Why it matters: Meteorological winter, which starts Dec. 1, is the fastest-warming season for most of the United States, experts at the nonprofit Climate Central report.
- Winters have warmed in 235 locations including West Palm Beach from 1970 to 2024 — by an average of 4°F.
- The top winter warming locations were: Burlington, Vt. (8.2°F); Milwaukee, Wis. (7.4°F); Concord, N.H. (7°F); and Green Bay, Wis. (7°F). So much for the frozen tundra at Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers.
What’s ahead: The National Weather Service’s long-range forecast for South Florida calls for a warmer and drier winter than average.
- Forecasters expect a weak La Nina to develop in December and affect our weather through March.
- The phenomenon is typically accompanied by a jet stream that shifts farther north, according to the Weather Service. That drives most winter and spring storms well north of Florida.
This week looks crystal clear and gorgeous with sunny skies and highs in the low 80s in our forecast through Thanksgiving Day. Now that’s something to be thankful for.
— Carolyn DiPaolo
🍊 The Juice
The third of three Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputies struck by a car Nov. 21 on Southern Boulevard west of Seminole Pratt Whitney Road has died. A memorial service for Corp. Luis Paez and deputies Ignacio “Dan” Diaz and Ralph “Butch” Waller is planned for 11 am Dec. 3 at the South Florida Fairgrounds. (WPTV)
A political committee with money from Minto Communities got involved in the recent Indian Trail Improvement District election, creating a website and mailing out thousands of flyers attacking incumbents Betty Argue, who won, and Keith Jordano, who lost. Minto, which is developing Westlake, recently lost a court fight with Indian Trails over road connections in the semi-rural area west of Royal Palm Beach. (The Palm Beach Post $$$)
Inside Tommy and Dee Hilfiger’s Palm Beach home. Coral House, built in 1972, was designed by John Volk, one of the Big Five architects who created the Palm Beach look. (Town & Country)
An up-to-date list of holiday boat parades around the state. (The Florida Rambler)
🌴 56INSIDER: The birth of Florida
The story of the Palm Beaches is the story of tourism.
It began before Henry Flagler arrived in 1893. Rugged northerners in the 1880s came south to fish and hunt.
- It took off when Flagler completed the railroad that brought New York high society.
At the kickoff Nov. 14 of a Historical Society of Palm Beach County exhibition devoted to tourism, society CEO and President Jeremy Johnson put it this way: “Tourism birthed Florida.”
Catch up quick: More than 400 people got a first peek at the $150,000 exhibition “Wish You Were Here: Tourism in the Palm Beaches.” It will be on display through June 28 at the society’s downtown museum, 300 N. Dixie Hwy., West Palm Beach.
For Chief Curator Debi Murray, the exhibition is a dream come true, taking advantage of the area’s rich history and the museum’s vast collection. But it also touches a universal chord.
What she’s saying: “Everybody goes on vacation,” Murray said. “Everybody brings something back from vacation — besides memories.”
- Some of those keepsakes are on display, she said, pointing to a case of silver spoons and a wall-hanging of a silk scarf.
Other highlights:
- A 140-year-old diary that visitors can read on their phone.
- Jazz music from the historic Sunset Lounge in West Palm Beach.
- Designer Lilly Pulitzer describing her love for the area.
- Never-before-exhibited paintings by the Highwaymen.
- A video narrated by golf great and county resident Jack Nicklaus.
- The Palm Beach County-centered celebrity art of Kyle Lucks.
Of note: For an exhibition dedicated to tourism in Palm Beach, it’s not surprising that the largest sponsor, at $25,000, is the county’s tourism agency, Discover The Palm Beaches.
What they’re saying: “The growth of tourism for the last 125+ years has had a positive impact on the quality of place and quality of life for Palm Beach County residents,” Discover President and CEO Milton Segarra said in a statement. “This exhibit not only celebrates our past but also will hopefully inspire future generations to continue the legacy of making The Palm Beaches a premier destination for travelers from around the world.”
Admission: $12, free for members and those 18 and younger.
Read more: Jan Tuckwood’s deep dive into how tourism shaped the Palm Beaches in Sunday’s Palm Beach Post here.
– Joel Engelhardt
We wish you a Thanksgiving full of happiness and the company of loved ones. We are grateful for your readership, financial support and loyalty.
