Stet News🐊 Here’s to the Florida Gators! For you today, the protest scene Saturday in Palm Beach Gardens, would-be mayors, faith leaders, 50,000 books and a life-changing road trip.
🪧 North county turns out
While President Donald Trump played golf off of Donald Ross Road in Jupiter Saturday morning, residents flocked to PGA Boulevard just 2.5 miles away to protest his policies.
A line of protesters extended for a quarter of a mile along the south side of PGA across from the Gardens Mall, in some places five or 10 deep.
- So many came to the northernmost of three Palm Beach County Hands Off! rallies that they spilled over to the other side of PGA and filled all four corners at an entry to the mall.
Why it’s important: North county is a Republican stronghold. The rally drew a high number of senior citizens, many saying they were fed up with the president’s actions and didn’t want to keep quiet anymore.
Catch up quick: Organizers from Speaking Up for America/Indivisible, Pop up Protest South Florida and Palm Beach Indivisibles, along with the national group 50501, organized the “Hands Off” day of protest nationwide, with other Palm Beach County rallies in Boca Raton and downtown West Palm Beach.
Zoom in: Palm Beach Gardens resident Joan Lev, 87, said it was her first protest. Why did she come?
- “Chaos in the country,” she said. With threats to vaccines, health care and Social Security, “It’s very frightening to seniors.”
Of note: As protesters departed at noon, they found the southbound entrance to Interstate 95 blocked. Trump was on his way back to Mar-a-Lago after golfing at his Jupiter club.
- A White House statement said: “The President won his second round matchup of the Senior Club Championship today in Jupiter, FL, and advances to the Championship Round tomorrow.”
Keep reading: Stet offers more from the rally here.
— Joel Engelhardt
🔢 A dozen would-be mayors
Twelve people have applied to become mayor of Riviera Beach after filing mistakes disqualified three potential candidates from running in last month’s election.
The hopefuls include former two-term Mayor Ronnie Felder, one of three candidates who sued to keep the others off the ballot.
Also applying: Doug Lawson, a council member thrown off the March ballot because of the lawsuit, and Kendrick Wyly and Kendra Spence-Wester, who both sought to run against Felder for mayor.
Why it’s important: While a ceremonial position, the mayor has long been the face of the turbulent city that is wrestling with massive redevelopment efforts and a crumbling water system embarking on a $400 million upgrade.
Of note: The eight other candidates are well known among city residents. Six have either held or sought office before.
Zoom in: Derrick McCray Sr., owner of the popular McCray’s Backyard Bar-B-Q, and Rose Anne Brown, a former longtime city spokesperson, could be wild cards in the selection that will be made by the City Council.
As could Billie Brooks, a former council member, mayoral candidate and wife of the late Bobbie Brooks, the city’s first Black mayor.
What to watch:
- Applicant Cedrick Thomas, a former council member, was the main source for state investigators when they charged Council Member Bruce Guyton in 2016 with violating the state’s Sunshine Law. Guyton is now back on the council.
- Council Member Fercella Davis Panier joined Felder in the lawsuit that led to the disqualification of her opponent, Lawson, who now is seeking her support for mayor.
- Wyly was charged two weeks ago with drunken driving. He denies the charge. “Besides, my personal life doesn’t have anything to do with my ability to run the city,” he said.
Other applicants: Shandra Stringer, Terence Davis, Cory Blackwell and Horace Towns.
What’s next: The applications are handed to council members tonight. They have 10 days to make a selection. A special council meeting is scheduled for April 14.
Read more here about the candidates and what they hope to offer the city.
— Jane Musgrave
🧊 More mayoral intrigue
After three years, Chelsea Reed is no longer mayor of Palm Beach Gardens.
Why it’s important: The traditionally collegial council turned icy Thursday as Reed pleaded with her colleagues to let her complete her final year on the council as mayor. The decision augurs a new tone in city government with the election last month of John Kemp, who did not have Reed’s endorsement.
The council voted 3-2 against Reed’s nomination. It also rejected her nomination of Vice Mayor Dana Middleton.
- Instead, the council voted 3-2 to make Marcie Tinsley mayor. Kemp joined Tinsley and Bert Premuroso in casting the deciding vote.
Zoom in: Reed cited her involvement with countywide and statewide planning bodies to argue in favor of serving one more year. She said Tinsley is not as involved.
- “And because of that, I do not support Marcie coming in as mayor,” she said. “She has not come to D.C. She has not come to Tallahassee. She’s the representative for the Palm Beach County League of Cities and I don’t think I’ve seen her at the monthly meetings held in different locations.”
And Reed chastised the new council majority.
- “I have a feeling someone has been talking about things and planning,” Reed said. “So why don’t you go ahead and share with us, Bert?”
- “There’s no planning going on, mayor,” Premuroso replied.
Click here to read more on what Reed told the council and the machinations behind its decision.
— Joel Engelhardt
🙏 A faith-based strategy for housing
Many Palm Beach County churches came out of the COVID pandemic with diminished attendance that left them cash poor and land rich.
Why it matters: In that challenge could be an opportunity for them to develop affordable housing to strengthen the community and their congregation.
Driving the news: County Community Services Director James Green and his team gathered faith leaders and developers Friday in Boynton Beach to explore transforming property into hope.
The workshop showcased projects planned on church land including:
Seventh at Haverhill, a five-story building with 101 affordable studio, one- and two-bedroom units at West Palm Beach 7th Day Baptist Church.
- Church members will meet on the ground floor of the complex at 1473 Haverhill Road near Military Trail and Belvedere Road.
- The congregation is working with South Florida developer Tré Bél Housing, which is led by former New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma.
One motivator: The Rev. Garfield Miller said he was losing members who moved to Port St. Lucie because of Palm Beach County’s high cost of living.
What he’s saying: “Initially, we thought this was way bigger than us,” Miller said. “We are 330 members so we thought it was impossible. But we realized, nothing is impossible.”
What’s next: Green’s team is recruiting 10 to 12 churches to spend six to nine months exploring housing options. They range from one or more tiny houses on property to multifamily developments.
Keep reading to learn the details of two more church-driven projects.
— Carolyn DiPaolo
👶🏼 Feeding hungry minds: A book for every baby
Second of five
“That literacy and one’s economic future are connected surprises no one.” — Kristin Calder, CEO of the Literacy Coalition
In 1989, community leaders launched the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County because they recognized the adult literacy problem that was holding people back from good-paying jobs. Today, the coalition focuses on reading for all ages.
Why it matters: Last year, the Literacy Coalition provided services to nearly 56,000 adults, children and families through nine programs in 173 sites from Jupiter to Boca Raton to Belle Glade.
By giving away books the Literacy Coalition is getting to one root of the literacy problem: access.
How it works: Every child born in Palm Beach County goes home from the hospital with a book, and at more than 40 local pediatric clinics kids get a book at every doctor visit.
- Dozens of other groups from the mighty (the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties) to the humble (the Christ Child Society of Boca Raton) put books in the hands of low-income readers.
“We gave away 50,000 books last year,” Literacy Coalition CEO Kristin Calder said.
What’s next: Every spring Calder welcomes supporters to the Love of Literacy Luncheon, the coalition’s annual fundraiser. She will greet new and longtime volunteers Thursday at the 34th annual luncheon. For information and tickets, visit here.
To find out why Calder believes Palm Beach County has so many volunteer tutors, keep reading.
This is the second of five Stet News snapshots of Palm Beach County organizations devoted to childhood literacy. Last week: the Edna W. Runner Educational Center.
Next week: Root & Wings.
— Janis Fontaine
🍊 The Juice
🏢 The Trump administration will resume housing detained immigrants in Glades County Detention Center, three years after the facility’s use was limited for what the federal government said were “persistent and ongoing concerns” with detainees’ well-being. (Miami Herald $$$)
🎓 Vanderbilt University has raised $77 million toward its $300 million goal to build a West Palm Beach campus. (The Palm Beach Post $$$)
💸 The Federal Election Commission last week dismissed its case against Miami billionaire Stuart Miller, longtime boss of Lennar Corp., over $125,000 in contributions to two Republican super PACs. Instead, the FEC ruled that the PACs and the entity used to funnel the contributions likely violated federal reporting requirements by failing to identify Miller as the donor. Those entities promised not to do it again and faced no penalty. (Florida Bulldog)
👮🏼♀️ West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James and Police Chief Tony Araujo invite residents to a series of public safety community meetings. The first will be at 5:30 pm Wednesday at the Gaines Park Community Center, 1501 N. Australian Ave. (Register here)
💰 At least 68 Forbes billionaires have residential ties to Palm Beach, with a combined wealth topping $620 billion. The majority saw their fortunes soar over the past year, including President Donald Trump, whose estimated net worth climbed from $2.3 billion last year to $5.1 billion on March 7. (Palm Beach Daily News $$$ and Forbes)
👎🏼 A Palm Beach County sheriff’s investigation found no evidence to charge seven West Palm Beach police officers the city placed on leave.
- Despite the decision, the report raised red flags about internal controls and city oversight.
- An internal affairs investigation will follow now that the criminal case is closed. (WPBF-Channel 25)
561NSIDER: 🚐 The unsinkable Fawn Germer
Fawn Germer has a message for all of us: Don’t wait.
What’s happening: The Florida-based writer has a new book that traces her 10,000-mile van trip with her dog, Sonny.
- Germer is speaking this week at the Palm Beach County library west of Boynton Beach.
“I was having a hard time getting out of middle age,” said Germer, who is 63. “And it was partly because I was confronted with so much loss.”
Back story: Eight of Germer’s friends in their 50s and 60s died in 2023. “There was not one person in that group who thought they were going to die that year,” she said.
- And Germer wasn’t ready to be “old.”
Friction point: After months of meticulous planning for her road trip, Germer said, the hardest thing was to pull out of the driveway.
- “We can talk ourselves out of anything,” she said.
Yes, but: Germer is no shrinking violet. She was a reporter in The Miami Herald’s former West Palm Beach bureau before she became a professional speaker and the author of 10 books.
“Here Comes the Sun” is the story of Germer finding an optimistic path forward.
- “I want to die with my hiking boots on,” she writes. “I want to live and live and live.”
If you go: Germer’s appearance is part of the library’s Storytellers Collective series. She speaks at 1:30 pm Wednesday at the West Boynton Branch at 9451 Jog Road. The talk is free. Register here.
– Carolyn DiPaolo
Three things that make us happy:
🎨 One last chance to see the Norton Museum of Art’s joyful “Sorolla and the Sea” and its larger-than-life “Beaching the Boat” before the exhibition closes Sunday.
💐 The free and over-the-top Garden Club of Palm Beach Flower Show on Saturday and Sunday at the Society of the Four Arts.
🍾 Friend of Stet Joe Capozzi’s photo report from last weekend’s 30th annual Palm Beach County Historical Society Evening on Antique Row here.
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