Stet NewsWelcome back, Stet Nation. For you today, a piece of history at risk, why the governor decided to push property tax cuts, Riviera Beach wants more time to make a key decision, a birds-eye view of the weekend protests, 50 years since an iconic Sports Illustrated cover and the state of Florida’s girls.
🔎 Finding out who is buried at West Palm’s Black, segregation-era cemetery
West Palm Beach hired a consultant to find out who is buried in the city’s segregation-era, Black cemetery and where they lie.
- The city wants to hear from descendants and other community members for their stories.
Why it matters: A piece of West Palm Beach history is at risk from the decaying of the city’s historic Black cemetery, home to pioneers from the Northwest and Pleasant City neighborhoods. Not all the graves are marked and there’s no accurate inventory of who is buried there but the city is trying to fix that.
Catch up quick: Evergreen fell into disrepair in the 1960s and 1970s as the pioneers who owned it could not afford upkeep. Starting in the late 1970s, the group tried more than once to get the city to take over until it did in 1987.
What they’re saying: “Although the people who are there are dead and gone, the cemetery reflects the history and an important part of the fabric of the city,” said Circuit Judge Bradley Harper, a descendant of one of the cemetery’s founders.
Zoom in: Community Planning Collaborative of Jacksonville, which specializes in historic preservation and African-American cemeteries, working with Terracon engineers, will be paid $137,700 over 12 to 15 months to research who is buried there.
Zoom out: Many graves are unidentified. Gravestones have broken and sunk into the ground, and some crypts are crumbling. West Palm has repaired graves, installed lights and erected an entrance sign over the years, but this is the first push to preserve the history.
What’s next? The consultant will begin researching documents and reaching out to community members to gather stories and ideas for long-term plans for the cemetery.
Read more: On the cemetery’s history and pioneers buried there at StetNews.org.
— Holly Baltz
🔥 5 hot topics from Gov. DeSantis in West Palm
Gov. Ron DeSantis explained how he decided to slash local property taxes while tackling other hot-button topics in hourlong remarks Wednesday at the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach.
Why it matters: The governor made his remarks a day before a House committee released eight tax-cutting proposals, all taking aim at local property taxes, which generate $55 billion a year.
Zoom in: The governor, who is term-limited next year, honed in on relief for homesteaded properties, saying cities and counties can still collect full taxes on rental units, seasonal homes and commercial properties.
What he’s saying: “So people say, ‘Well, where are you going to get the money?’ Well, how come nobody asks, ‘Why can’t government spend less money?’”
Yes, but: While he said about 70% of property taxes come from non-homesteaded properties, in Palm Beach County, non-homesteaded properties account for 59% of the tax base.
Other topics touched on by the governor:
Open carry of guns: “There’s nothing new under the sun here. … You do have the right in Florida to conceal carry, even before this (recent) court decision. If I’m there and I’m in a restaurant, I take off my jacket or something is showing, all of a sudden, I’ve committed a felony offense. It just doesn’t seem right to them (gun owners). And I get that. So I don’t think you’re going to see very much difference.”
Antisemitism on college campuses: “Some people have told me, ‘Man, you’re really lucky that didn’t happen in Florida.’ And I tell them, ‘Luck don’t have nothing to do with it. Any university president in the state of Florida knows that if they were to allow their campuses to descend into Columbia-style anarchy, they would find themselves no longer being presidents of a university in the state of Florida.’”
Turning purple Florida red: “We knew about a month out (in 2022), ‘Yeah, we’re gonna win Miami-Dade. That’s not a problem.’ We ended up winning that by double digits. So then the question is, you know, ‘Can you do Palm Beach?’ And probably about 10 days before the election? Like, ‘Yep, we’ve got Palm Beach.’ We did Osceola, and then Orange with Orlando. ‘Can we get Orange?’ And we’re just like, ‘I don’t know that we can do that. It’s a little too liberal for us.’ We did good, but not good enough to win (Orange County).”
Banning cellphones in the classroom: “I literally had one of these leftist columnists compare me to Hitler for doing that, and I’m just thinking to myself, like, now, everyone is doing it, Republican, Democrat governors. They’re all doing it because the results are what they are. First of all, who would want to teach with everyone just buried on their phones?”
Read more of what the governor told a sold-out audience at the Kravis Center’s Cohen Pavilion at StetNews.org.
— Joel Engelhardt
📣 Riviera Beach Council wants to hear pitches
Riviera Beach City Council members decided Wednesday that they needed to hear from both closely ranked finalists before choosing a private partner to help rebuild their city.
Why it matters: “This particular project is the largest development activity that the city will do for the next 100 years,” City Manager Jonathan Evans said, a sentiment echoed by council members.
Catch up quick: A selection committee had recommended Riviera Beach work with Sonnenblick Development on the city’s ambitious plan to build a new city hall, create an athletic center and construct housing on 80 acres of public property along Blue Heron Boulevard.
- The Los Angeles-based developer edged out a competing proposal from Forest Development when the committee evaluated them last month.
In the room: Sonnenblick Development Riviera Beach LLC Manager Bob Sonnenblick watched from the front row as the mayor and council debated whether to accept the committee’s recommendation.
The developers were not invited to speak during the meeting.
Sonnenblick shook his head as the council bypassed the committee, with Mayor Douglas Lawson urging delay and Council Member Glen Spiritis urging them to vote.
Members voted 4-0, with Council Member Bruce Guyton absent, to hear presentations from the two developers next month before deciding whether to negotiate with one or both of them.
What they’re saying: “They just essentially decided they are going to ignore their own process,” Sonnenblick told Stet News after the meeting. He said his team will discuss whether they will continue to pursue the deal. “I’m not sure we will proceed,” he added.
The company is an established developer of government office buildings and waterfront hotels. The Sonnenblick family is credited with developing more than $1 billion in South Florida real estate transactions.
What’s next: The City Council will meet Nov. 17 to hear from Forest and Sonnenblick — if the developer decides to continue.
— Carolyn DiPaolo
🪧 PGA Boulevard protest from above
Thousands gathered Saturday to protest President Donald Trump and his policies at “No Kings” rallies in Palm Beach County from Boca Raton to Palm Beach Gardens. Sign-waving protesters lined PGA Boulevard near The Gardens Mall and Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard outside Target and more gathered in downtown Lake Worth Beach. Police reported no incidents.
— Joel Engelhardt and Liz Capozzi
⚾ 50 years since Big Red Machine’s big win
Long before moving to Palm Beach Gardens, Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench led the Cincinnati Reds to back-to-back World Series championships.
Future Royal Palm Beach resident Will McEnaney, an unflappable left-handed relief pitcher, played a key role on those 1975-76 teams, throwing the pitches that induced the final outs in both World Series wins.
Why it matters: The two players are immortalized in an iconic 1975 Sports Illustrated magazine cover captured by photographer John Iacono: McEnaney, his face contorted in joy, jumping into Bench’s arms the moment Cincinnati got the final out in the dramatic seven-game classic over the Boston Red Sox.
- Now, in retirement, they’re Palm Beach County neighbors with a unique World Series connection.
What they’re saying: “It was the most unbelievable feeling,” McEnaney, 73, recalled. “Here I am, 23 years old. It’s almost indescribable, and this is 50 years ago. I still remember the feeling. Incredible.”
Zoom in: The series had been full of drama. Five games were decided by one run. The night before, Carlton Fisk’s home run off the foul pole in the 12th inning ended Game 6, keeping alive Boston’s dream for the team’s first championship since 1918.
In Game 7, with the Reds trailing 3-0 after five innings, McEnaney remembers thinking Cincinnati would lose. But the team rallied, taking the lead in the top of the ninth inning.
And in came McEnaney.
- “Here I am thinking about ‘how in the hell are we going to do it?’ We can’t let this slip away now,” Bench, 77, said. “And Will just walked in, easy breezy, ‘here I am,’ unfazed, and did the job.”
Then came the photo.
“As soon as (center fielder Cesar Geronimo) camped up under it, I turned around to John. John’s coming out to me saying, ‘What do we do? What do we do?’ So I just jumped in his arms. And it was over. Just like that,” he said.
Read more about the ballplayers reliving the experience of a lifetime at StetNews.org.
— Joe Capozzi
🍊 The Juice
⚖️ A Palm Beach County jury on Monday awarded golf legend Jack Nicklaus $50 million in a defamation lawsuit against his former company. The Nicklaus Cos. actively participated in the false publishing of facts that damaged Nicklaus’ reputation and exposed him to “ridicule, hatred, mistrust, distrust or contempt,” the jury determined. (The Palm Beach Post $$$)
💼 Billionaire developer Stephen Ross could be buying two more properties as he continues to scarf up real estate in downtown West Palm Beach: The Ben Hotel on the east side and the Clearlake office building on the west. The Ben is a popular spot when President Donald Trump is in town during the winter season. (The Palm Beach Post, $$$)
💵 The Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties announced a $10.3 million gift Monday from business leader George Elmore. Each of 26 local nonprofit organizations he chose will receive a six-figure contribution, foundation leaders said. (News release)
⛳ Seven of the 10 biggest country clubs in South Florida, by assets, are in Palm Beach County: Boca West Country Club, $197.7 million; The Everglades Club in Palm Beach, $65.3 million; Palm Beach Country Club, $45.4 million; Bear Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach, $31.8 million; The Loxahatchee Club in Jupiter, $30.5 million; Pine Tree Golf Club in Boynton Beach, $23.1 million; and St. Andrews Club in Delray Beach, $20 million. (South Florida Business Journal $$$)
🇵🇭 President Donald Trump selected Lee Lipton, the owner of Benny’s on the Beach in Lake Worth Beach, to be the next U.S. ambassador to the Philippines. Lipton, 67, is a Mar-a-Lago Club member and a long-time Trump golfing buddy with no experience in Asia. (Lake Worth Beach Independent $$$)
🗳️ The race between U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who represents portions of Palm Beach County in Congress, and her Democratic primary opponent, 26-year-old Elijah Manley, is getting chippy, with a public exchange at the Broward Young Democrats’ Oct. 6 meeting. (Florida Politics)
🦀 Got a hankering for the succulent meat of Florida stone crabs? The first hauls of the season landed at restaurants, seafood markets and wholesalers last week. And there’s good news on the price front, with costs to consumers matching last year’s. (Sun-Sentinel, $$$)
🦩 Flamingos are making a comeback. We know that. An ecologist explains why. (The Conversation via WLRN)
🏒 🎻 Florida Panthers goal song: The Palm Beach Symphony has produced an orchestral version of “Panthers Pulse.” (YouTube)
🎧 The “Top of Mind Florida” podcast features hosts Michael Williams and Brian Crowley discussing the Sunshine State’s struggles to get mass transit right, the 2026 governor’s race and the AI revolution. (Listen here; watch after 4pm Wednesday)
561NSIDER: 🔬 What we learned about Florida’s girls
👋🏼 Holly, here. So how are Florida girls doing these days?
With social media, body image, tough times at home, we probably suspect that they’re not doing too well.
I had the honor to moderate a panel last week that explored answers to the tough problems presented in a new report commissioned by the Girl Scouts of Florida Association. The Palm Beach County League of Women Voters put on the event, attended by about 100 people.
The report found bright spots despite some distressing news.
Here are three key takeaways
1. Emotional wellness: Half of high school girls are clinically depressed, meaning they have felt constantly sad and/or hopeless for two weeks or more. One-quarter considered suicide and 10% tried. In the past decade, the number of girls contemplating suicide has increased by 60%.
The good news: Though Florida school districts don’t have enough counselors and nurses, Palm Beach County is making great strides, said panelist Elle Harrigan, chief advancement officer for the Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida.
2. Physical health: Distorted body views keep plaguing middle and high school girls. Fewer fit the medical definition of obesity, but more describe themselves as overweight. This was the opposite of boys. Encouraging weight loss, however, could be risky because deprivation of food can lead to eating disorders. Healthy eating, exercise and sleep habits are key.
The good news: The number of uninsured girls decreased over the past decade by 3%.
3. Academic performance: Two in 5 girls tested below grade level in reading and math. And test results have been slipping: 13% fewer met the standard in the year after the pandemic.
The good news: 90% of girls and 85% of boys graduated from high school that year.
Keep reading for more takeaways and a small thing and a big thing you can do to help girls and boys in our community at StetNews.org.
📽️ All you newspaper readers may like this: A free screening at 6 pm Friday of “His Girl Friday,” the Roaring ‘20s screwball newspaper comedy starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell, kicks off a four-film celebration of the cinematic roots of the old Lake Theatre in downtown Lake Worth Beach. A post-film discussion will feature former Palm Beach Post reporter Scott Eyman, a film historian and author of “Cary Grant: A Brilliant Disguise.” Learn more at Lake Worth Beach Independent.
