Stet NewsA sunny good morning to everyone who slept in all summer and now has rejoined the Early Risers Club!
🇺🇸 Know your candidates: We’ve got a cornucopia of campaign profiles to help you feel prepared at the polls.
There’s more: Riviera Beach hands the reins of power to a 79-year-old veteran city manager; and community leaders pursue heat relief. Plus, meet Stet’s newest star.
📁 Exclusive: Mayor Sara Baxter’s trips to The Breakers
Palm Beach County Mayor Sara Baxter has spent $10,700 in campaign cash on at least eight stays over the past two years at The Breakers in Palm Beach and the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, state records show.
The money for the resorts, along with $3,450 spent on trips to Washington, D.C., came from her state political committee, Friends of Sara Baxter.
Why it matters: Baxter, who lives 17 miles from The Breakers, wouldn’t explain the expenses, making it impossible to know if she had important campaign meetings that required overnight stays or she merely took advantage of a $362,980 war chest to get some time off.
Catch up quick: Baxter, 42, took office in 2022 riding a Republican wave to represent the county’s western communities in District 6. She faces an Aug. 18 primary challenge from Elizabeth Accomando, 59, president of the Indian Trail Improvement District board.
- Three Democrats are in a primary to face off with the winner in November.
Zoom in: Baxter has raised $513,780 from two fundraising accounts, more than eight times Accomando’s $60,973.
- Among Baxter’s biggest backers: Related Ross developer Stephen Ross ($32,500) and Oracle founder Larry Ellison ($50,000).
In early June, Friends of Sara Baxter doled out $1,688 for airfare to Washington, D.C., along with hotel and restaurant tabs. The trip came days before Baxter announced she would run for Congress and then reversed course a few days later. That raises questions about whether she used state PAC money on her short-lived federal campaign, a violation of campaign finance laws.
What they’re saying: “There’s a lot of self-aggrandizing in all of this. That she’s in it for herself,” said Bob Guzzardi, a local GOP activist. “She has been puffed up by the fact that she has all this power. The whole narrative has been her self-absorption, her self-aggrandizing, her self-promotion.”
Read more about the finances behind the two District 6 Republican candidates for County Commission in StetNews.org.
— Jane Musgrave
🍿 3 Democrats for Baxter’s seat
The Democratic Party primary for the seat held by Republican Sara Baxter on the Palm Beach County Commission pits a veteran elected official against two newcomers.
First-time candidate Rudolph Tinker, 47, a general contractor and Palm Beach State College instructor, is stirring up the race with a lawsuit against the campaign treasurer for one of his opponents, Katherine Waldron. He claims her treasurer defamed him by pointing to numerous cases in his civil court file.
Waldron, 66, a former state House member and Port of Palm Beach commissioner, said the allegations are untrue but has not attacked Tinker concerning the cases, which include petitions for protective orders and citations for animal-related infractions.
- Waldron has dismissed Tinker’s concerns about her residency in the western county District 6, saying she lives in a recently rented Wellington apartment even though she owns a home out of the district in West Palm Beach.
The third candidate, Guzman, 48, worked as a public works and fleet management director in West Palm Beach and Boynton Beach as well as 12 years with Palm Beach County as an equipment analyst. He now works in the private sector for AssetWorks, which sells technology to help governments track public works costs.
Why it matters: The winner will be on the November ballot to face the winner of the Baxter-Elizabeth Accomando Republican primary. The four-year term pays $127,320 a year.
Zoom in: Tinker has the most campaign money to spend, $85,000, including loans totaling $55,600 from himself.
- Waldron has raised nearly $63,000, including $20,500 in personal loans.
- Guzman has just under $10,000.
Read more about Tinker’s court file and the candidates’ positions on the issues at StetNews.org.
— Joel Engelhardt
⚡ Game on for a central County Commission seat
A School Board member and a county employee are competing for the open District 2 seat on the Palm Beach County Commission.
Why it matters: The Aug. 18 primary will decide which one replaces Commissioner Gregg Weiss, who is term-limited. The district reaches from Northlake Boulevard to Boynton Beach Boulevard and covers parts of West Palm Beach, Lake Worth Beach, Haverhill, Palm Springs and Greenacres.
The office pays $127,320 annually, and commissioners are elected to four-year terms.
The candidates:
Teresa Johnson is an organizational development manager at PalmTran.
- Being a county employee is an important distinction, she told Stet News. “Folks are working for the county but are living in cars,” she said. ”I can bring that perspective to the dais.”
- She is in her third term on the Haverhill Town Council, a town of about 2,800, where she said new development and fiscal discipline has allowed council members to cut the property tax rate for the past four years.
Erica Whitfield is a member of the Palm Beach County School Board with a background in public health.
- She won election to the Palm Beach County School Board in 2014. In her 12 years on the board, she helped guide a $6.25 billion annual budget for the 10th-largest school district in the nation. She served during the devastating and divisive COVID pandemic.
- “I want people to understand that I’m in it for the right reasons, and that I want to make a positive difference,” Whitfield said.
What to know about the election: Johnson and Whitfield, both Democrats, are the only candidates in District 2. Because of that, all voters in the district can vote in this race and the winner will assume the seat.
Read about their stand on the issues at StetNews.org.
— Carolyn DiPaolo
🫏 The Democrats taking on Brian Mast
The Democratic primary to face Republican U.S. Rep. Brian Mast in District 21 features two political newcomers: Bernard Taylor, a Palm Beach County firefighter, and James Martin, a Coast Guard officer.
They go into detail on health care, clean water, jobs, affordability, immigration, war and trust in politics in our deep dive at StetNews.org.
Why it matters: They explain why they can do something no other Democrat has been able to do since 2016 — win the seat.
Martin’s card: military background. “National security professionals, particularly those with military backgrounds, are able to win independent voters at rates up to six points higher than generic Democrats,” Martin said.
Taylor’s card: authenticity. “I want people to know you are not getting a politician. You are getting a representative. I think people are looking for a real, authentic candidate that they believe will look out for their best interests,” Taylor said.
Zoom in: They’ve both raised nearly $600,000, far less than Mast’s $4 million. And Mast does not have a primary opponent.
The district: It includes all of St. Lucie and Martin counties and portions of northern Palm Beach County including Tequesta, Jupiter, Juno Beach, North Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Beach Shores, and parts of Riviera Beach and West Palm Beach.
Read more about where the two Democrats stand on the issues at StetNews.org.
— Valerie Staggs
Catch up on all of our election coverage:
📚Four vie for District 4 School Board seat
✏️ Three pursue western communities post on School Board
🛳️ Port of Palm Beach candidates go head-to-head
🏁 Who’s who in all of the contested elections in Palm Beach County
🎬 Bill Wilkins, Take 3
Riviera Beach City Council members put aside a national search last week to install as city manager a 79-year-old retiree who has led the city twice before and been fired once.
Why it matters: Bill Wilkins will guide Riviera Beach through key decisions in its massive redevelopment and what he described as a challenging budget year.
Driving the news: At a meeting Wednesday, Council Members Shirley Lanier and KaShamba Miller-Anderson voted against the one-year contract for Wilkins, saying the city is paying him too much.
By the numbers: Miller-Anderson told Stet News that she calculated Wilkins’ total compensation at $429,682. The city did not provide documentation of the total.
- Wilkins’ pay includes a $265,668 annual salary. An additional $86,000 in lieu of a pension contribution and $22,145 that would have gone to health insurance he doesn’t need will be paid directly to him.
- He will also have 30 vacation days and 20 sick days, which can be cashed out, and the use of a city vehicle.
Council Chair Bruce Guyton, who said he helped negotiate the contract, defended Wilkins’ value as someone who has been tried and tested. Wilkins has twice as much experience as former manager Jonathan Evans, Guyton said.
What they’re saying: “Mr. Wilkins doesn’t come with any division. He’s not dividing our community,” Guyton said. “That’s a big issue. Previously, our community was divided.”
Flashback: Wilkins served as Riviera Beach city manager from 1979 until a newly elected City Council fired him in 1987. He returned to the job in 1999 and retired in 2008.
What’s next: Wilkins said his priority is the city budget, which must be completed by Oct. 1. The first budget workshop is tonight.
Keep reading to learn what members of the public said about the new city manager at StetNews.org.
— Carolyn DiPaolo
🍊 The Juice
🕯️ Alfonso “Alfy” Fanjul Jr., the Cuban-born billionaire who fled Fidel Castro’s revolution, rebuilt his family’s sugar fortune in Florida and helped transform Florida Crystals into one of the nation’s most powerful agribusiness empires, died last week in Palm Beach at age 89. (Miami Herald $$$)
- An interesting quick take on Alfy Fanjul, starting with “the day his world crumbled.” (Translating Cuba)
⚖️ Palm Beach County and developers led by BH Group of Miami settled a lawsuit last week over the value of county land at the Transit Village site at Banyan Boulevard and Tamarind Avenue in downtown West Palm Beach. The settlement clears the way for nearly 1,000 apartments in three towers plus a fourth tower with hotel and office space. (The Palm Beach Post $$$)
🚫 Ronald Lauder, the cosmetics scion who maintains a compound in Palm Beach and was once a major backer of the Republican Party, has quit giving campaign donations. In Florida, Lauder contributed hundreds of thousands to Empower Parents PAC, a committee run by now-Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia that transferred more than $80 million in 2023 to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign. Election complaints followed. (The New York Times)
⚽️ Years after losing a lawsuit to block Dick’s Sporting Goods from moving into The Gardens Mall, the Palm Beach Gardens City Council last week unanimously approved Dick’s House of Sport, complete with outdoor athletic field, to take over the vacant Sears space in the mall. (The Palm Beach Post $$$)
🎁 An anonymous donor gave $1 million to the Lake Worth Playhouse for the continued care of the playhouse’s 102-year-old building and to ensure the organization’s financial stability, said Shoshana Davidowitz, the playhouse’s executive director. (Lake Worth Beach Independent)
🌿To raise money for conservation programs and education, the Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resources Management is holding Night for the Natural Areas from 2 to 7 pm Saturday at Tequesta Brewing Co., 287 U.S. 1, Tequesta. A $30 donation is requested. (Facebook post)
🔧 Desperate to boost Lake Worth Beach’s economy, city commissioners asked the Business Development Board’s Kelly Smallridge for advice. She offered a blunt assessment. (Lake Worth Beach Independent)
🖼️ As it prepares for a major expansion, how the Norton Museum of Art reached into its archives to appeal to its affluent base and attract new fans. (The Brand Identity)
🛍️ Tips for thrifting like a pro from Palm Beach Thrifters’ Ambie Hay. (Jupiter Magazine)
🎧 “Top of Mind Florida,” the podcast by Michael Williams and Brian Crowley, hosts Isadora Rangel, the Miami Herald’s senior Editorial Board member, for a wide-ranging conversation on the governor’s race, the Amendment 3 property tax fight and Florida’s redrawn congressional maps. (Listen now; watch after 4 pm today.)
561NSIDER: 🌻 County explores a hot-weather safety net
Community leaders are working on a plan to provide emergency services to unhoused people in Palm Beach County during extreme temperatures, a shelter system similar to the protocol used when hurricanes approach.
Driving the news: The plan would take effect during cold and extremely hot weather. It would direct when shelters would open, transportation of people to shelters and a public communication system.
Why it matters: The county’s emergency services and partners have long opened shelters during cold weather. Now, advocates say that a key need is a cooling-center network to protect vulnerable people.
It’s a community issue that will take coordination of public and private organizations’ assets to solve, said Ezra Krieg, a homeless advocate in Delray Beach and the chair of the Coalition for Affordable Housing.
The latest: The Homeless and Housing Alliance and Faith in Action cohosted a meeting in June to get the ball rolling. Community leaders, government agencies, faith-based organizations, emergency management professionals and local advocates mapped out strategies.
A report from the meeting recommends creating seven to 10 cooling stations at fire stations and PalmTran locations.
Krieg called the meeting “step one of an arduous process of getting this up and running.”
Yes but: Without a mandate to provide protection from harsh weather, it’s unknown how helpful the county can be, so raising awareness and gaining community support is critical, he said.
What’s next: Audrey Ades, a member of Faith in Action, is optimistic the members can complete a plan by this winter. “If not a ‘forever plan,’ we can coordinate some kind of plan. People are very committed, and they’re showing up. It feels like being part of a really good team.”
— Janis Fontaine
👩🏻💻 Say hello to Stet’s newest reporter, Anne Geggis
Please welcome Anne Geggis, who joins Stet News this week. She is a seasoned reporter who will focus on West Palm Beach.
Anne appeared destined for a life as an ink-stained wretch when, upon receiving her first novel for her eighth birthday, she asking the gift-giver, her grandmother, how she could earn money if she liked to read books.
“You could be a journalist,” replied Grandma Kit. To which Anne had another question, “What’s a journalist?”
The ink is drying up, but the power of stories to bind people together remains all the more compelling and critical today, she says.
Anne comes to Stet News with nearly 40 years of experience in reporting on public affairs. Some of it has won awards, and most of it has been in South Florida with stops at The Palm Beach Post, The Coastal Star, the Sun Sentinel and Florida Politics. Her most recent job: covering health for a Gannett statewide team.
She is also the president of the Florida Press Club.
It’s hard for Anne to imagine a better reason to get both feet running out of bed in the morning than pursuing stories that could encourage readers to ask more of their elected officials and other leaders, she said.
Watch for her reports in our weekly newsletter and at StetNews.org. You can reach her at anne@stetnews.org.
