Stet News🕯️ 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)
🏗️ A critical look at Florida’s Live Local Act, which lets builders bypass local zoning restrictions for residential projects in exchange for setting aside 40% of the units to households earning no more than 120% of the area’s median income. “Live Local is just a way for big builders to get in and once they’re in, they know they can’t be stopped,” said Anna Fusco, president of the 10,000-member Broward Teachers Union. (Florida Bulldog)
🌿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.)
