Stet NewsWelcome back, Stetters. For you today, a former West Palm Beach mayor’s downtown house will soon be on the move; two County Commission candidates open up; brain researchers go to the source; a chance to support your neighbors; and a new luxury brand in town.
🏠 Related clears another path
A century-old bungalow that former West Palm Beach Mayor Joel Daves called home sits loaded onto a moving platform, ready to make way next month for more downtown development.
Related Ross is paying $3 million to move the 1,030-square-foot home built in the early 1900s and another on the same block in October so the property can be used for a parking lot for five years and ultimately something bigger.
Daves paid $26,000 for the home in the 1970s, and Stephen Ross’ company paid him $2.85 million for it in 2006.
Why it matters: Moving the homes to the Historic Northwest neighborhood is part of an unprecedented downtown growth spurt while opening up another downtown block for redevelopment.
- The plan is to fix up the two homes and sell them as affordable housing.
What they’re saying: “I think it’s a very impactful, powerful moment for that house to continue on its legacy there,” Posey Kettler Daves said. “My dad would be very happy with that because … it’s a neighborhood that needs help, and it’s a neighborhood that he loved dearly and wanted to succeed and change.”
- Daves, who served two years in the Florida Legislature, five years as what is now known as state attorney, seven years as a city commissioner and one term as mayor, died in 2021 at age 93.
Catch up quick: Downtown West Palm Beach was a blighted core in the 1970s replete with sex workers and drug dealers when Daves bought in.
- In 1986, Henry Rolfs Jr. and David Paladino began buying land for what they called Downtown/Uptown, but Daves wouldn’t sell. A recession in the 1990s scuttled the project.
- Along came billionaire Ross, who opened CityPlace in 2000. With Daves’ house, he was looking north for expansion. It took 20 years.
- Now, Publix plans to tear down the current store and build a larger grocery on Banyan Boulevard, clearing an entire city block. Daves’ home stands in the path of a planned parking lot during that transition.
Learn more about downtown issues at StetNews.org.
— Anne Geggis
🗳️ 2026 midterms: Woodward vs. Calabrese
Marci Woodward was the unknown newcomer four years ago. She defeated an incumbent for a seat on the Palm Beach County Commission.
Today she has a full war chest as she faces an unknown newcomer, jet pilot Curtis Calabrese.
Catch up quick: In lengthy interviews with Stet News, both candidates opened up about their lives.
- Calabrese, 36, a pilot for United Airlines, is the first openly gay man in recent memory to represent a major party in a County Commission race.
- Woodward, 49, spoke about her difficulty having children and how that motivates her to leave a legacy through public involvement.
Why it matters: The race could be a bellwether. Woodward, a Republican, beat Democrat Bob Weinroth in 2022 on the coattails of Ron DeSantis’ historic reelection as governor. The little-known Calabrese will be depending on a backlash against Republicans as he seeks to turn a Republican-leaning district.
While the election is open only to registered voters in District 4, the winner will be one of seven commissioners who oversee taxing, spending and development countywide. District 4 includes parts of Boynton Beach, Delray Beach and Boca Raton and the barrier islands from South Palm Beach to Highland Beach.
- The four-year term pays $127,320 a year.
Zoom in: Calabrese has gained adherents with his opposition to county plans to build the long-awaited Milani Park on the ocean in Highland Beach. Woodward has withstood local criticism as she pushed the project forward.
Common ground: Both back the Ag Reserve and oppose the Project Tango AI data center at 20-Mile Bend.
- Woodward voted against Tango even though she took contributions from the landowners.
- She was also in the 4-3 majority that rejected an Ag Reserve land swap that would have allowed more development.
Where they split:
- Amendment 3: Calabrese opposes it. Woodward is torn: “I know we can do better but we won’t unless we are forced,” she said. “But who should force them (commissioners)?”
Read more about the race for the south county District 4 seat on the Palm Beach County Commission at StetNews.org.
– Joel Engelhardt
🧐 Brain researchers tap residents
It takes about 17 years for brain science discoveries to become cures.
A new Palm Beach County program puts residents in the room from day one.
Catch up quick: The Dana Foundation gave the West Palm Beach-based Palm Health Foundation $150,000 for “Civic Neuroscience in Action.” The 15-month grant targets the “know-do gap.” That’s the 17-year lag between a lab discovery and its use in doctors’ offices and hospitals.
- The program builds on the Brain Coast brand, an effort to connect the region’s brain science institutions with the communities they serve. That includes three Jupiter-based institutions, the Wertheim UF Scripps Institute, FAU’s Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute and the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience.
- Participation is open to all residents of Palm Beach County. This includes those with diagnoses and healthy adults who want to keep their brains active.
Why it matters: The World Health Organization expects dementia rates to triple by 2050.
- That makes the 17-year wait costly. The program aims to shorten it by involving residents from the start of a study.
Zoom in: At the center is Project Circle, a series of sessions that put residents and researchers together. Residents help decide what gets studied and how. They also shape how results come back to the community.
- “What we’re looking to do is better coordinate and accelerate that translation loop,” Palm Health Foundation CEO and President Patrick McNamara said.
Of note: Organizers say the need is urgent in Riviera Beach, Delray Beach and the Glades.
- University of Miami researcher Amie Rosenfeld said scientists often hold information too tightly. That can keep the public from understanding the findings.
What’s next: The grant includes a design and discovery phase. Within a year, organizers want an active nationwide brain health network to connect residents and communities. They also want residents and researchers to write a set of simple brain health rules together.
Read more about how Palm Beach County residents are helping shape brain research at StetNews.org.
— Jessica Abramsky
💚 Walk with NAMI and us
At Stet News, we believe in mental health for all.
Driving the news: For the fourth year, we’ve formed a caring and competitive Stet News team to participate in NAMIWalks.
We invite you to lift us up again at NAMIWalks 2026 on Oct. 10.
Why it matters: The National Alliance on Mental Illness is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization. It is dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness.
What they’re saying: NAMI Palm Beach County relies on the walk, CEO Katherine Murphy told Stet News. It’s one of the biggest fundraisers of the year.
- “Grants are getting more competitive,” she said, “and NAMIWalks ensures there will be unrestricted funding for our programs, which are all free.”
By the numbers: The walk raised more than $200,000 in 2025, and the money stays here in Palm Beach County. Last year, you helped Team Stet raise more than $7,600, making us a top five team.
We can do better this year!
Thanks to a generous sponsor, NAMI PBC past board president and Advisory Council Member Cheryl Checkers, your Stet News team will again be one of the more than 30 organizations with a table at NAMIWalks.
- Stop by, say hello and pick up a Stet News sticker!
We’re proud to say Stet co-founder and team captain Joel Engelhardt serves on the NAMI PBC board.
Details: You can join Team Stet or sponsor a Stet team member here. Or you can register, starting at 7 am on the day of the walk.
NAMIWalks begins at 8:30 am, Saturday, Oct. 10, at the Eric Call Pavilion in John Prince Park west of Lake Worth Beach.
– Carolyn DiPaolo
🍊The Juice
🐘 Byron Donalds on making Florida more affordable and Amendment 3. (WLRN)
🫏 David Jolly on making Florida more affordable and Amendment 3. (WLRN)
🚔 Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and his top executives are in their sixth year leasing space in a luxury office complex in Palm Beach Gardens, an arrangement costing taxpayers at least $420,000 per year. (The Palm Beach Post $$$)
💵 As expected, Brightline passenger rail’s parent company filed for Chapter 11 reorganization last week and announced it reached a deal to significantly reduce its debt.
– The Miami-based company said its Florida service will not be affected. (Railway News)
⬆️ Tri-Rail’s 10% fare increase kicks in Thursday.
– The first increase since 2019 will also round up fares to the next dollar.
– Under the rail’s six-zone fare system, one-way weekday trips of $5 to $17.50 will increase to $6 to $20. (Sun-Sentinel $$$)
🚫 Two edgy marketing slogans were rejected by the Lake Worth Beach Community Redevelopment Agency this month. The Miami Beach-based agency Jacober Creative recommended the slogans under a $260,000 contract. One was “Lake Worth Beach: It’s Not for Everyone.” (Lake Worth Beach Independent)
✈️ As the FAA considers making the current flight restrictions over Mar-a-Lago permanent, the Citizens’ Committee on Airport Noise is requesting that the agency extend a public comment period by 60 days. (Palm Beach Civic Association)
👮🏾 A dozen new state laws take effect Thursday. Here’s what they do. (WUSF)
🗓️ Monday is the deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 3 election. Check your voting status on the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections site.
🐟 An ode to Palm Beach County’s 160 dive sites. (Travel and Leisure)
🎧 “Top of Mind Florida,” the podcast by Michael Williams and Brian Crowley, explores the key issues as voters prepare to go to the polls. Could Amendment 3 get voters off the couch? Will Florida’s nearly 30% of independent voters show up or stay home? (Listen now; watch after 4 pm today.)
561NSIDER: 🎹 Grand pianos in West Palm Beach
Steinway & Sons has opened a showroom on South Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach that is a prototype for the company’s expansion.
Driving the news: The new Steinway Piano Gallery, a factory-owned showroom, is on the corner of Dixie and Dyer Road, just a block south of Belvedere Road. It’s one of about 20 company-owned retail locations in the United States.
Why it matters: The gallery also features a 60-seat recital hall that piano teachers can book for free.
What they’re saying: “About 20 years ago, Steinway made a decision that they wanted to create factory-owned stores,” said Joseph Toscano, manager of the West Palm showroom. “They looked for areas that would be a good investment and that would be good for the community.” West Palm was a good fit.
Another advantage is that John Paulson, the founder of the private equity firm that acquired Steinway & Sons in 2013, lives and works in Palm Beach.
State of play: The 4,700-square-foot showroom showcases Steinway pianos from concert grands to uprights. Steinway doesn’t publish its prices, but the models are estimated to start at $90,000.
What’s inside: Shoppers can check out the game-changing Spirio player piano.
- It comes loaded with about 5,000 performances by some of the world’s most accomplished pianists, from Yuja Wang to Glenn Gould to Duke Ellington to Sergei Rachmaninoff. Or you can record yourself.
- Spirio captures a performer’s hammer velocity and pedal position, replicating the nuances.
By the numbers: The company is privately held so its value can only be estimated, but according to RocketReach.co, a sales intelligence platform, the annual revenue of Steinway & Sons was estimated at $538.4 million in 2026.
Keep reading about the new store at StetNews.org.
– Janis Fontaine
