THIS WEEK IN PALM BEACH
January 4, 2019 Edition - The News Palm Beachers Need to Know 
THIS WEEK IN PALM BEACH
CIVIC ASSOCIATION VIDEO
This Week in Palm Beach 1-4-2019
CIVIC ASSOCIATION

Annual Awards Luncheon

 
The Palm Beach Civic Association is delighted to bring cardiothoracic surgeon and television personality, Dr. Mehmet Oz to The Breakers for an inspiring program filled with wellness advice and encouragement for a fit lifestyle.

The event is our only fundraiser for the season, and supports programs and education initiatives throughout the year. Individual tickets, VIP packages, and table sponsorship are available.

This year the award winners are the Town of Palm Beach Police Department and Fire-Rescue Department.

Civic Association Annual Awards Luncheon

Monday, January 21, 2019

The Breakers
WEST PALM DEVELOPS
A Florida Judge rules in 
Favor of Creating 
Okeechobee Business District
Okeechobee Corridor
A Florida judge has ruled in favor of creating the controversial Okeechobee Business District, also now as O-B-D, in West Palm Beach. City officials believe the new district and a 25-story Class A office building will attract new business.
CIVIC ASSOCIATION
History: 1944 - 2018
History Minute, 1948: Palm Beach Civic Association
Reach 2 1948
1948 was a notable year for the Civic Association. Growth, zoning, beach erosion, and gambling were the big issues.

First up was growth.  Civic Association members were concerned with the explosive growth that post-war America was bringing to Palm Beach County.
NEWS AROUND TOWN
Town Caucus
to Elect Town Council Members on Tuesday, Jan. 8
Araskog and Silvin
Incumbent Julie Araskog and Candidate Rene Silvin
The town's political season formally begins with the Jan. 8 Town Caucus, when candidates are officially nominated by town voters for specific seats. Julie Araskog, Council President Danielle Moore, and Mayor Gail Congilio all reach the end of their two-year terms in March.  So far only one challenger has emerged for the three seats and that is Rene Silvin running against Councilwoman Julie Araskog. The Caucus starts at 7 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers. 
Temporary Cell Tower Could Mean Better Service for Palm Beach
temporary cell tower
Prompted by residents' complaints, AT&T began installing a temporary cellular tower this week that officials hope will improve cell phone service on the North End. The tower is being erected in Palmo Way Park, on the northeast corner of Palmo Way and North Lake Way, and is expected to be put into service next week, town officials said in a news release.
Read More (Palm Beach Daily News)
Palm Beach Officials: Lake Trail Becomes 'Speedway' for Bicycles, Jeopardizing Walkers
lake trail
Police are stepping up enforcement of safety rules on the Lake Trail after reports of conflict between pedestrians and speeding bicyclists. "It has become a speedway," Mayor Gail Coniglio said at the Dec. 11 Town Council meeting. "The bike clubs are using the trail to the point it has become a danger to pedestrians and small dogs."
The Breakers' Renovated Golf Course Open in Palm Beach
breakers golf course
The Breakers' newly renovated, 80-acre Ocean Course opens for golf play today after about eight months of construction.
Among the improvements made by renowned golf course architect Rees Jones are new salt-tolerant grass for tees, fairways and roughs; fairway contours, contemporary wooden bulkheads, as well as an improved reverse osmosis irrigation system, which will help conserve water, according to Breakers officials.
Read More (Palm Beach Daily News)
Debate Sprouts Over Landscaping Practices in Palm Beach
Yard Maintenance
How far should Palm Beach go in banning or regulating what owners or landscape designers do with plants and trees on private property? That question loomed over a lengthy discussion in early December when a Town Council committee considered regulating some practices that have been left in the hands of owners, landscape designers or arborists.
Breakers Affiliate Pays $20 Million for Its Portion of Palm Beach Development, Deed Shows
Testas construction 12-13-18
A company affiliated with The Breakers has paid a recorded $20 million for its portion of the mixed-use redevelopment project rising at the Testa family's former property on Royal Poinciana Way in Palm Beach. The Breakers' affiliate bought the ground floor areas of the two-story Royal Poinciana Palm Beach development from a company controlled by the project's original developer, Palm Beach-based Frisbie Group.
Read More (Palm Beach Daily News)
Palm Beach Landmarks Board Members Want to Lower Hedge 
Near Town Fountain
Mizner Memorial Park
Some landmarks commissioners say the hedge on the east and west sides of the reflecting pool at Mizner Memorial Park is so tall it obscures the pool from the view of drivers passing by on South County Road. Earlier this month, the commission asked if Jorge Sanchez, who led the landscape design team when the fountain and park were restored in 2016, would appear before the commission to discuss reducing the hedge height.
Read More (Palm Beach Daily News)
Historic Ficus Canopy in Palm Beach 'Not Terribly Healthy' Thanks to Hurricanes, Whitefly
tree canopy north island
For decades, the ficus trees flanking North County Road between Wells Road and Phipps Estates Road have formed an inviting arboreal gateway to the North End. In 2014, the Town Council granted landmark protection to the canopy, now nearly 90 years old, with the hope it would be there for future generations to enjoy.
Read More (Palm Beach Daily News)
Keith Williams Talks Through His Award-Winning Landscaping at the Royal Poinciana Plaza
Royal Poinciana Plaza
It really was a revitalization project," says Keith Williams of the Royal Poinciana Plaza, a John Volk-designed retail destination in Palm Beach, Florida, that has, in the span of a few years, gone from run-down ex-mall to bustling destination with offerings like beloved the French café Sant Ambroeus and chic bookseller Assouline.
Read More (Architectural Digest)
WORTH AVE
Palm Beach Parking: Worth Avenue Valet Stand Off to Strong Start, Officials Say
worth Ave Valet
Meghan McCarthy/palmbeachdailynews.com
About one month into Worth Avenue's experimental valet parking program, the stand seems to be working successfully. The number of cars using the service is rising as more residents learn about it, officials said, and feedback from customers has been positive.
Read More (Palm Beach Daily News)
MAR-A-LAGO
Landmarks Board OKs Dock at 
Mar-a-Lago
Mar-a-Lago from Bingham Island
Plan will now go before Town Council; lawyer for neighbor calls it a 'nightmare'. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Wednesday unanimously approved the design for a dock at President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago, but not before some pushback from a neighbor's attorney.
Read More (Palm Beach Daily News)

MEETINGS & EVENTS

Monday, January 7, 8:00 AM - 8:30 AM
Coffee with The Crew: 
North Undergrounding Utilities Update Meeting
Palmo Way Park: Near the Pump Station

Monday, January 7, 9:00 AM
Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting
Town Council Chambers
 
Tuesday, January 8, 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Town Council Meeting-Regular Business
Town Council Chambers
 
Tuesday, January 8, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Town Caucus
Town Council Chambers

Wednesday, January 9, 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Town Council Meeting
Development Review Matters
Town Council Chambers
 
Thursday, January 10, 9:30 AM
Public Works Committee Meeting
Town Council Chambers
 
Friday, January 11, 9:30 AM
Special Town Council Meeting
Town Council Chambers

Friday, January 11, 9:30 AM
Civic Association 75th Anniversary Speaker Series Luncheon with James Patterson
BY INVITATION ONLY

Wednesday, January 16, 9:30 AM
Civic Association Executive Committee
PBCA Community Room

Wednesday, January 21, Noon
Civic Association Annual Awards Luncheon with Keynote Speaker Dr. Oz
The Breakers Click Here for Tickets
CIVIC ASSOCIATION
LONG RANGE PLANNING
Harvey L. Poppel to Present to Town Council Tuesday
Harvey L. Poppel
Civic Association Director
Harvey L. Poppel, Civic Association Director and Long Range Planning Committee Chairman, will present the work of the committee to the Town Council during their monthly meeting on Tuesday, January 8. The public is invited to attend the meeting that starts at 9:30 a.m. The work includes  identifying, defining and prioritizing potentially transformative issues which may impact Palm Beach over the next 10-20 years. Technologies like autonomous vehicles, drones, cyber-security, and more have been researched.
WEATHER
Big Temperature Changes This Weekend with
Cold Front
An approaching cold front will drop South Florida temperatures back to normal Saturday after more than a week of above average heat and humidity. The front, which is attached to an area of low pressure that will move into the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday, is expected to push through Palm Beach County on Saturday morning.
Read More (Palm Beach Daily News)
FLORIDA LEGISLATION
New Laws to Look for in the New Year
Florida Capital
New laws will immediately go into effect at the stroke of midnight in 2019. Here's a preview with how those laws may affect you in the new year.
Read More (CBS 12)
Lawmaker Wants to Make it Illegal to Smoke on Public Beaches
No smoking sign
A Senate Republican on Wednesday filed a proposal that would make it illegal for people to smoke on public beaches. Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, filed the measure (SB 218) for consideration during the legislative session that starts March 5.
Read More (Sun Sentinel)
VIDEO VERSIONS
THIS WEEK IN
PALM BEACH
This Week in Palm Beach 20181019
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PUBLIC SAFETY
Man Drove Ferrari off Palm Beach Dock on Purpose, Police Say
Meghan McCarthy palmbeachdailynews.com
Meghan McCarthy / palmbeachdailynews.com
Damage to car estimated at $50,000. The Broward County man who drove his 2000 blue Ferrari coupe off a Palm Beach dock last week did so on purpose, a police crash report shows.
Read More (Palm Beach Daily News)
Palm Beach Fire-Rescue: Weekend Boat Crash Sends Two to Hospital
Ambulance
A boat crashed into a jetty wall near Palm Beach's North End on Saturday night, Palm Beach Fire-Rescue said, sending two people to the hospital. The boat crashed near the Lake Worth inlet dock at 1650 N. Ocean Blvd. at about 8 p.m., Fire-Rescue Division Chief Sean Baker said. Two people were transported to Good Samaritan Medical Center, Baker said. The extent of their injuries and the reason for the crash is unknown.
Read More (Palm Beach Daily News)
TAX & FINANCE
Update on Penny Sales Tax in Palm Beach
The winter break for students in Palm Beach County is prime time for construction crews to work on school building improvements districtwide. The multimillion-dollar renovations districtwide are part of the voter-approved penny tax that passed in 2016.
Read More (WPBF-ABC25)
HURRICANES
Are you Ready for This?
Experts Issue (Very) Early Forecast for 2019 Hurricane Season
Hurricane Season
It's very early and things could change, but storm experts at Colorado State University are already looking ahead to the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season. In a report issued earlier this month, they're tentatively anticipating a lower probability of the heavy storm activity that characterized the past three years.
Read More (Sun Sentinel)
MEDICAL MARIJUANA
Medical Marijuana Use in Florida Continues to Grow
Medical Marijuana
Despite a bumpy rollout that has drawn lawsuits and criticism from legislators, a new report shows the number of Floridians using medical marijuana continues to grow. In the first nine months of 2018, more than 136,000 patients across the state received certifications from 1,070 physicians to receive medical marijuana.
Read More (Tampa Bay Times)
BRIGHTLINE
Passenger Counts Grow, Losses Mount
brightline station
Brightline attracted more paying passengers in the third quarter, but its red ink continues to grow, the private rail service told bondholders Friday. Brightline said passenger counts totaled 159,586 in July, August and September, well above the 106,090 passengers the rail line reported for the second quarter.
Read More (Palm Beach Post)
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