Stet NewsGreetings, Stetters, and welcome back. For you today, the YMCA has cooked up a wellness hub in the heart of the county; who’s who in the race to represent the western communities on the School Board; Lake Worth Beach wins a court battle; elk meat and Iberico pork chops on the menu; and plunge into Palm Beach County’s newest attraction, a surf museum.
🌊 YMCA, county prep for a big splash
Two flagship projects are on track to open side by side in January in central Palm Beach County: The YMCA of the Palm Beaches $43 million Community Center and Skate Park and Palm Beach County’s $36 million Lake Lytal Park Aquatic Center.
Why it matters: This almost $80 million joint venture between the YMCA and Palm Beach County will turn the 55-year-old park into a modern destination for health, wellness and recreation.
The big picture: The partnership is notable for its size and scope, said Tim Coffield, president and CEO of the YMCA of the Palm Beaches. Each entity will finance and construct its own buildings, with the Y leasing about 5 acres for $10 a year under a 50-year, renewable agreement. The Y will manage the aquatic center.
- “The county has given land leases to other nonprofits,” Coffield said, “but not with the intent of working together long-term to provide programs and services.”
- The project will triple the size of the Y and serve four times as many people — an estimated 18,000 members.
The plan includes:
- The Y’s new center, which will be a 55,000-square-foot, two-story community center with job training and other services for teens. A fitness center will be on the second floor.
- A nearly 30,000-square-foot Olympic-style skate park the Y is planning in the northwest corner of the park once a majority of the community center is completed.
- The new county aquatic center, which will have a 72-meter pool, a 13-foot, deep-dive well with at least three springboards and a 6,200-square-foot aquatic play zone.
What they’re saying: “It’s a drastic improvement on what was currently there,” Jimmy Davis, director of aquatics for the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department, told Stet News.
What’s next: After the center and skate park open, work on Phase 2 of the community center will begin. Plans call for a gymnatorium (a basketball gymnasium that can be converted into meeting space) and an indoor track on the second floor. The building will also include a 200-seat child care center.
Keep reading to find out more about former Palm Beach County Commissioner Lake Lytal, the park’s namesake, at StetNews.org.
— Janis Fontaine
📚 3 candidates, 1 open School Board seat
The race for an open seat on the Palm Beach County School Board has attracted two former educators and a longtime Wellington Village Council member who has built a well-financed campaign.
John McGovern, 52, is an attorney who has been on the Wellington Village Council since 2015. He served as vice mayor and left this year because of term limits.
He is running against Wanda Rosario-Schoenfeld, 71, a retired teacher and school administrator, and Widline Pierre, 42, a mental health therapist.
The seat represents the western communities including Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, Loxahatchee, The Acreage and the Glades and is decided by voters in District 6.
Why it matters: Seven School Board members oversee the 10th-largest school district in the nation with a $6.25 billion budget.
- The School District is the largest employer in the county with about 23,000 employees of which 13,000 are teachers.
- It educates about 158,000 students.
The candidates’ experience:
McGovern, 52, served on the Wellington Village Council for 11 years. He graduated in Wellington High School’s first four-year class in 1994.
Rosario-Schoenfeld, 71, has the most schools experience, having served as a teacher, principal and administrator in the Buffalo, N.Y., school district. She was named New York State Bilingual Teacher of the Year in 1998.
Widline Pierre, 42, worked as a school counselor in the district for 10 years. She graduated from Lake Worth High.
To learn about where they stand on issues such as declining enrollment, concerns about library books and cellphone use in the classroom, go to StetNews.org.
This story is part of a statewide partnership of 27 nonpartisan newsrooms and universities working to help Florida voters make informed decisions in the 2026 School Board elections. Learn more about the Florida Election Reporting Partnership at floridaelections.org.
— Carolyn DiPaolo and Holly Baltz
⚖️ Lake Worth Beach off the hook
Lake Worth Beach taxpayers avoided a $9.9 million bill Wednesday when an appellate court overturned a 2023 jury verdict in a former city police officer’s decadeslong insurance fight against the city.
Joseph Viera accused Lake Worth Beach of cheating him out of benefits he said he deserved after being seriously injured while chasing a suspect in May 2000.
- A jury ruled in his favor in August 2023 and awarded him $7.1 million, an amount that has climbed with prejudgment interest to $9.9 million.
- Lake Worth Beach appealed.
Why it matters: The city has no insurance to cover the cost of the verdict, meaning taxpayers would have been on the hook for the award.
Zoom in: In reversing the verdict, the 4th District Court of Appeal ruled “the trial court erred” by sending the case to a jury and “failing to grant summary judgment in favor of the city.”
What they’re saying: “The court agreed that the city always fulfilled its obligations of the agreement,” City Attorney Glen Torcivia said in an interview. “We agreed to provide health insurance and to this day we still provide health insurance for him. We have never breached the agreement.”
What’s next: Daniel Lustig, Viera’s attorney, said his client will appeal. “The Vieras are disappointed with the opinion and plan to exhaust the appellate remedies they have,” he said.
Read more about Viera’s injuries, which the city disputed, at StetNews.org.
— Joe Capozzi
🧑🍳👨🍳 ‘Culinary anarchy’ in Lake Park
Two partners with a combined 57 years in the hospitality business plan to open The CulinArchy Project, a chophouse, in downtown Lake Park in early August.
Chef Jamie Steinbrecher and front-end manager Christina Wishart spent many of those years at Okeechobee Steakhouse.
The restaurant, however, won’t be a Porterhouse-steak-and-baked-potato place, Steinbrecher said.
What they’re saying: “It’s a play on words: ‘culinary anarchy.’ Where tradition meets rebellion. Kind of a nod to where we’ve been and where we’re going,” said Steinbrecher.
Eclectic food: Steinbrecher brings a menu that’s “eclectic but not weird.”
- Elk meat and Iberico pork chops.
- Pork belly served pastrami-style, with grain mustard for an appetizer.
- Beet-cured salmon is another starter, served with boursin, herbs, chive oil and a crostini.
- Fish and chips — made from grouper cheek meat.
Hospitality-driven: “We’re going to give the guest an experience of a home away from home,” Wishart said.
- Diners can order a few apps and one or two entrees to share and still get out for $30 or $40 each depending on their drinks.
A special feature: Girl Dinner — a “girls night out” meal of a Caesar salad, black truffle fries, and a martini or glass of Prosecco.
Price breaks: “We really are going to offer the details of a $150 steak dinner for a $60 to $80 check,” Steinbrecher said.
- A “solid” happy hour is part of the plan, daily. “We’ll have half off wine and spirits, except top-tier alcohol, at the bar and outside patio,” he added.
How, when to go: The CulinArchy Project at 748 Park Ave. in the same strip as the Brewhouse Gallery will be open 4-10 pm daily.
- Reservations are being handled online through Resy.
- Check the website for opening day updates.
— Jan Norris
🍊 The Juice
🤖Data center supporters have spent more than $22 million on campaign contributions in Florida ahead of the 2026 elections. Much of it is coming from Palm Beach County entities related to Project Tango, including Florida Power & Light. (Seeking Rents)
- NextEra Energy, FPL’s parent, said in an earnings call Friday that it is in discussions to bring 30 data center electricity supply hubs to market and is in advanced discussions to supply 12 gigawatts — enough to power millions of homes — to large data center customers in Florida. But FPL Chief Executive Scott Bores said the goal is to find “the right locations” and that Project Tango in Palm Beach County was “never part of our development expectations.” (South Florida Business Journal $$$)
📺 An hourlong local TV special featuring in-depth interviews with two survivors of child predator Jeffrey Epstein and a therapist who worked with survivors during Epstein’s first prosecution also features Stet’s Holly Baltz, the former investigative editor at The Palm Beach Post. (WPTV)
- See the full interview with Baltz talking about her experience covering the Epstein case. (Full WPTV interview)
🐢 Florida’s gopher tortoise has been moved on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List from “vulnerable” to “critically endangered.” The group estimated in 2024 that the tortoise population had decreased by 80% over the past three generations. Loss of habitat to development is the biggest reason cited. (Sun-Sentinel $$$)
📈 Home sales in Palm Beach County jumped a whopping 22% since June 2025. Single-family home sales rose 25% and condo sales 19%. Luxury home sales above $1 million climbed 57%. (Miami Realtors + RWorld June 2026 report)
🏫 Moms for Liberty, a conservative grassroots organization focused on promoting parental rights in public education, has not made any contributions to local school board candidates across Florida and is poised to be just a minor player in this election cycle. (Florida Trib)
🚊 The board that runs Tri-Rail selected as its new executive director Dave Kubicek, executive vice president of capital construction engineering design at CapMetro, the regional public transportation provider in Austin, Texas. CapMetro is where past Tri-Rail Executive Director Dave Dech worked before coming to South Florida in 2022. (Sun-Sentinel $$$)
⛳️ The Panther National golf course in Palm Beach Garden’s Avenir community, along with about 150 unsold home lots, sold for $191.2 million to a Texas-based firm. The buyer is PN Owner LLC, part of Austin, Texas-based Ohana Real Estate Investors. The Jack Nicklaus- and Justin Thomas-designed course opened in 2023. (South Florida Business Journal $$$)
⌚️ Former Lake Worth Beach City Commissioner Andy Amoroso suffered a stroke and lay paralyzed on his bathroom floor for hours before getting help. Now, he’s issuing a public plea: Invest in wearable medical technology before it is too late. (Lake Worth Beach Independent)
🏗️ Related Ross, led by billionaire and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, has boosted the size of its proposed affordable apartment complex just north of Banyan Boulevard in downtown West Palm Beach by tapping the state’s Live Local Act. The developer initially sought 164 units in seven stories at 209 N. Sapodilla Ave., but by applying the state’s Live Local Act to seek greater density while committing to income restrictions, is seeking 191 affordable housing units in eight stories. (South Florida Business Journal $$$)
🚉 The city of Cocoa has received a $2 million state grant to build a Brightline station as the rail service borrows to offset critical cash flow issues. (Fox 35 Orlando and The Palm Beach Post $$$)
👒 A photo tour of a 15,000-square-foot 1930s house designed by one of Palm Beach’s most sought-after architects, Marion Sims Wyeth. Inside: a 17th-century Flemish tapestry, a pajama lounge and an egg-yolk-hued butler’s pantry. (Architectural Digest)
🎧 “Top of Mind Florida,” the podcast by Michael Williams and Brian Crowley, focuses on the congressional races on the midterm ballot. How U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz landed in a new district, why County Commissioner Sara Baxter’s congressional bid came to a halt and how a progressive primary challenge is complicating Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s path to reelection. (Listen now; watch after 4 pm today.)
561NSIDER: 🏄🏽♀️ Cowabunga! Surfing history finds its break
Behind the unassuming glass doors of a strip-mall storefront on South Dixie Highway south of Forest Hill Boulevard, things start to get sick.
Why it matters: Visitors can experience a groundswell of memorabilia, film reels and Kodachrome slides at the Surfing Florida Museum’s new home. Organizers say it’s the world’s largest surfing history museum.
- A balsa-wood twin fin measuring 10-feet-6-inches long hits visitors first. Designed by legendary shaper Bob Simmons in 1947, the “Spoon” is believed to be the oldest surfboard in Palm Beach County.
- A quiver of 128 surfboards lines the perimeter, and a mind-blowing maze of weathered pallets weaves through 8,000 square feet, showcasing more than 80 storyboards that celebrate the sport.
What they’re saying: “Surfing history is still being made,” said Tom Warnke, executive director of the museum, pointing to a framed blow-up of the February 2013 issue of Surfer magazine. “It’s not just about the old stuff.”
State of play: At every turn, there is something to make someone exclaim “cowabunga,” such as the largest assemblage of Bill “Holmesy” Holmes surfboards in the country.
- The originator of a radical hull called the “Sidewinder,” Holmes found waves of success with the innovation, and many a big kahuna barreled the creations to contest-winning victories.
Jimmy Buffett claims a section of the museum that fittingly faces the entertainment stage. Buffett, a seasoned surfer frequently seen waiting in the lineup at Reef Road in Palm Beach, donated a board before he died in 2023 bearing his unmistakable cursive chop.
Don’t miss: The museum has an impressive gift shop, which sells everything from hats and T-shirts to jewelry and purses to artwork and books. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit entity that evolved from the Palm Beach County Surfing History Project.
If you go:
Surfing Florida Museum, 7623 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach
When: Volunteers staff the museum from noon to 4 pm Fridays through Sundays
Cost: Free with a $5 suggested donation
Information: www.surfingfloridamuseum.org
🌈 Did you know Palm Beach once banned surfing? Keep reading to find out more at StetNews.org.
– Amy Woods
🍽️ Stet dishes out award-winning food coverage
For the second straight year, Stet News is an award-winner in a celebrated regional journalism contest.
State of play: Judges in the Society of Professional Journalists’ Green Eyeshade Awards have named Stet News writer Jan Norris and co-founder Joel Engelhardt third-place winners in the food and dining reporting category.
- The award honors coverage of food trends, culinary culture and restaurant reviews.
Zoom in: Stet’s winning entry highlighted an exhaustive survey of grocery prices led by Norris and Engelhardt. It also included Norris’ story about Chhauka, eight-time Michelin chef Hemant Mathur’s Indian restaurant in downtown West Palm Beach.
The grocery story ran under the headline “Let’s talk Turkey: Publix has cheaper birds, but other items gobble up savings.” It is the product of reporting on a single day by Stet writers who checked prices on more than 40 food items at 19 store locations from Lake Worth Beach to Jupiter on Oct. 28.
The latest: The Stet team followed it up in January, with “What’s in a name? Store brands save shoppers cash,” a broader comparison of grocery prices that didn’t qualify for the Green Eyeshade, which was limited to stories published during 2025.
Norris and Engelhardt were joined in the supermarket aisles by Holly Baltz, Liz Capozzi, Donna Engelhardt, Carolyn and Bill DiPaolo, Janis Fontaine, Lou Ann Frala and Jane Musgrave.
Congratulations to the first-place winner in the food and dining category, Phillip Valys of the Sun-Sentinel, and the second-place winner, Helen Freund of the Tampa Bay Times!
Flashback: Last year, Stet’s local elections coverage ranked second, and its newsletter ranked third in the contest once known as the Pulitzers of the South.
