On “Lake Worth Beach”: Why didn’t Frank Cerabino give any credit to Commissioner Scott Maxwell?

Or give any credit to former Post reporter Willie Howard?

Both of these gentlemen were and are major players in the story about “Lake Worth Beach”. Read all about that a little later in this blog post.

And at the very end of this blog post is a YouTube video from a City Commission Work Session this week. And in that video each of our elected officials, in their own words, explain why they support rebranding our City by adding the “Beach”.

The name change to “Lake Worth Beach” highlights the generational digital divide in a major way. Many in the older generations will get the news about “Lake Worth Beach” from a dinosaur, a printed newspaper. Younger generations will get this news on social media. To their credit, many from older generations don’t understand social media but they do understand its power.

Harry’s Banana Farm on N. Dixie Hwy. in Lake Worth Beach is getting in the spirit.

From Harry’s on Dixie Hwy. in Lake Worth to the Post building on Dixie Hwy. in West Palm Beach is just 3½ miles. But West Palm does not have a “Beach”. Our City does have a “BEACH”.

Now that Cerabino has finally chimed in about the “Beach”, the Post editorial board will not be far behind. And the editor(s) will have to explain why they failed this City of Lake Worth to both the older generations and the younger generations. When the Post was put up For-Sale in November 2017 the publisher, Tim Burke wrote:


You know us. My face is on this column on this page, and I live in this community. Several of our reporters and editors grew up in Palm Beach County.


Then how does the publisher, the editor(s) and so many reporters at the Post explain why so many in the public don’t know where the City of Lake Worth is?

Yes. The public in ‘Lake Worth’ knows the Post. But the problem was you didn’t know us.

It’s worth noting this is a very serious public policy debate and to confuse the public the critics have taken a two-pronged approach: First, that renaming this City ‘is just silly’ and secondly that renaming this City will be too expensive. Consider first that due to terrible and irresponsible news reporting in The Palm Beach Post and other news outlets that a municipality in Palm Beach County would even have to consider changing its name in the first place.

And also consider how many reporters and editors employed at the Post both live in and nearby the City of Lake Worth and have done little or nothing to help our City’s image. In fact, many of them have done the opposite and perpetuating the confusion about ‘Lake Worth’.

On how expensive a name change to “Lake Worth Beach” would cost, the hard costs like signage and print material would change over time. In some cases, many years. There is no rush. The immediate effect of “Lake Worth Beach” would be on social media, marketing and branding. And the effect would be almost immediate.

Whilst on the topic of cost, do you receive the Sunday and daily print edition of the Post with digital access? That costs $683.79 annually. A subscription to the weekly Lake Worth Herald print edition with digital access is just $45 for the entire year.

And it’s worth noting the entire Lake Worth City Commission supports renaming this City to become “Lake Worth Beach”. And there are two very important public meetings coming up at City Hall: First Reading next week on Tuesday at 6:00 and Second Reading on Thursday, Nov. 13th to send this referendum question to the PBC Supervisor of Elections.

You’ll find this news and much more in this week’s Lake Worth Herald.

Now back to Cerabino, “Lake Worth Beach” and comparing apples to sour grapes.

Ever since NBC5 reporter Andrew Lofholm broke this story The Palm Beach Post has been scrambling to catch up. Three days after Lofholm’s report the Post beat reporter put together something and then Cerabino got into the act. The story in the online edition is headlined,

Name change worth the trouble in Lake Worth

And then in today’s print edition Cerabino’s headline is,

‘Lake Worth Beach’ wasn’t quite
what I had in mind

So according to Cerabino on one day it’s “worth the trouble” and then a little later it’s not “quite what I had in mind”? Just curious. Does anyone remember asking Cerabino what he thought or thinks?

And then following the usual ramblings from Cerabino are the obligatory quotes from patrons at Harry’s Banana Farm which explains why Cerabino never quite makes it to City Hall.

About the referendum on March 12th, 2019 to rename this City of Lake Worth to “Lake Worth Beach” Cerabino opens up his missive with these two lines:


Oh, no. Lake Worth’s thinking about changing its name again.

This happens every so often. The last time was about six years ago.


Here is what Cerabino left out: This was a big news story by former Post reporter Willie Howard in 2012 (see below). Howard interviewed Commissioner Scott Maxwell about his proposal to rename this City. The City’s Millennial year was in 2013 and most everyone agreed that the timing was bad as was recently stated by Vice Mayor Andy Amoroso. But then and now most everyone agrees that renaming this City was and is a very good idea or at least give the public the opportunity to decide.

From 2012 to the present the idea of renaming this City never went away. Interest in pushing this forward would go up and then other things would take priority and interest would go down. But the idea of renaming this City as “Lake Worth Beach” never went away.

So the suggestion by Cerabino that the idea of renaming this City, ‘happens every so often’ is ludicrous and petty.

And then there is this from Cerabino:


Lake Worth city leaders think by adding “beach” [sic; s/b “Beach”] to its name, Lake Worth will distinguish itself as both a coastal community and one that is distinct from the larger Lake Worth postal region to the west, which has a higher crime rate.

“That doesn’t give us the ability to say our crime is down double digits,” Mayor Pam Triolo explained. “When people are looking to invest or purchase a new home to bring their family here, I’d like them to be comparing apples to apples, not apples to cucumbers.” [emphasis added]


But instead of cucumbers, let’s talk about sour grapes.

The Palm Beach Post did not endorse Scott Maxwell in his re-election bid this year. The Post endorsed his challenger, Sarah Malega. But it didn’t matter. Maxwell won anyway.

A bite of cucumber will help after sour grapes.

FYI: Maxwell first served on the City Commission from 2001–2003. Then Maxwell got re-elected in 2009 and has been re-elected another four times. So when Cerabino posits that renaming this City to “Lake Worth Beach” happened ‘about six years ago’ not citing Maxwell’s role in this effort is short-sighted at best.

And then Cerabino goes on to say. . .


Lake Worth is the undisputed offbeat capital of Palm Beach County. It’s a cultural hub for both Finnish tourists and anarchists . . . Just sticking the word “beach” [sic] at the end of Lake Worth doesn’t do justice to the city’s singular charms.


The ‘anarchists’ in this City are not even worthy of mention any more. They have been largely replaced by the Apatharchists, former Anarchists who gave up on politics and are much more interested is the latest delivery of items to Worth Thrift, and who are much more concerned that this little six square mile City continues to be maligned by news stories like this still circulating on the Internet.

For more information about “Making the case for changing the name of our City to Lake Worth Beach” and why it’s time to finally have the voters decide this question once and for all click on this link.

And also making the case is this excerpt from a Willy Howard article published in The Palm Beach Post in 2012:


“Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell is suggesting changing the city’s name to Lake Worth Beach to help distinguish Lake Worth from parts of unincorporated Palm Beach County that have Lake Worth mailing addresses. According to postal officials, places as far west as Wellington can use Lake Worth mailing addresses. [emphasis added]
     In a memo to the commission about the name change, Maxwell notes that crimes committed west of the city in unincorporated parts of Palm Beach County are sometimes reported by the media as happening in Lake Worth. Residents with Lake Worth mailing addresses who live west of the city mistakenly come to city hall seeking solutions to their problems.
     Maxwell said Lake Worth is distinctive, with its walkable downtown and beach, and that the new name would create an ‘instantly recognizable brand for the city.’
     With the 100-year anniversary of the city next year and the opening of the renovated beach site and casino scheduled for this fall, he said, this is a good time to change the city’s name.
     ‘The timing is just about right,’ Maxwell said. ‘It kind of gives us a renewed since of pride for the next 100 years.’ ”


Causing so much confusion for so many years is this oft-asked question:

“Where exactly is Lake Worth?” 

Click on this link to learn why changing the name of our City to “Lake Worth Beach” would clear up so much of the confusion for investors, Realtors, and the press and news media too.

And in conclusion, listen to Mayor Pam Triolo and each of the four City Commissioners explain why they support renaming this City of Lake Worth with a spectacular BEACH!

The discussion lasts about fifteen minutes and ends with public comment by well-known City resident AnnaMaria: