Welcome all visitors and tourists to Lake Worth Beach for PrideFest!

A must-see event is the PrideFest Parade tomorrow, an annual parade you have to see at least one time. For example, to watch the PrideFest Parade in 2015 click on this link: Incredible horses, yes real horses, were brought in from Wellington, marching bands from all over South Florida and lots of motorcycles and classic cars too.

That parade in 2015 occurred in the City of Lake Worth.

The parade tomorrow will happen in Lake Worth Beach.

PLEASE NOTE: For regular readers of this blog please scroll down to the next blog post following this one because what you will read about in this post today are things you have read about many times before.


This blog post today is for visitors, tourists and for everyone else thinking to themselves, “Hmmm. This might be a great place to buy a home or start a new business!”

And this blog post today will explain in detail why this municipality in Palm Beach County changed its name recently. And this post will also help editors and reporters at The Palm Beach Post and others in the press and news media adjust to the name change — and also how and why the most improbable of developments happened at all — that this very unique and special place actually became Lake Worth Beach.

And this blog post today is a rather long one, what some might call rambling, but worth noting this blog is not required reading.

Lake Worth Beach is well-known for its

famly-friendly events and festivals!

Save the date. The famalie-friendly annual July 4th Raft Race is just over three months away. Has your famalie and friends begun working on costumes yet? A famly and neighborhood theme?

Without further ado, moving on to how and why
Lake Worth Beach came to be.


Let us begin with a true statement. 

Lake Worth Christian High School is located in the City of Boynton Beach.

You’re wondering,

“Huh? What’s this statement have to do with Lake Worth Beach?”

A whole lot more than you think.

By the way Lake Worth Beach also has a public high school, a public middle school and four public elementary schools. This City has a charter school, several private schools, one Catholic school, and several other schools that focus on faith.

The statement above is both true and accurate. And why that is that Lake Worth Christian High School is in the fine municipality of Boynton Beach is explained in detail below.

Note there is nothing at all improper or misleading about where this school is located. And from all reports this school is an excellent one. And anyone seeking an alternative to a public school education should learn more about this school. And of note in Lake Worth Beach is a Christian elementary school. Learn more about these two schools later in this blog post and what all this has to do with Lake Worth Beach.

The process called annexation is a very slow and very significant one. The government of Palm Beach County doesn’t particularly like many places in unincorporated Palm Beach County. They would rather municipalities gobble up as many unincorporated areas as possible whilst keeping their very special places and areas in the County for themselves like John Prince Park and nearby Palm Beach State College west of Lake Worth Beach. Pretty much everything else in unincorporated PBC is up for grabs if a neighboring municipality wants it. But municipalities don’t much like mobile home parks or crime-ridden areas. Too many cities have enough of those already.

Lake Worth Beach is approximately six square miles in land area with vast areas of unincorporated County to the west. One of those areas used to be called the Lake Worth Corridor but we’ll save that for another time. That Lake Worth Beach is ≈6 sq. mi. is true and accurate because one can be true but not accurate at the same time.

For example, the South Florida National Cemetery is located in Lake Worth. It has a Lake Worth zip code and a Lake Worth street address but this national cemetery is actually located south of Wellington just east of the Florida Everglades; many miles from Lake Worth Beach.

What’s happened is a shift of major proportions occurred recently. By changing its name to Lake Worth Beach what has also occurred is acknowledging for the first time the region called Lake Worth. For example, the South Florida National Cemetery honoring fallen veterans is located in the region called Lake Worth and another cemetery called Pinecrest Cemetery is located in Lake Worth Beach, also a place honoring the fallen.

It is incalculable how many times the press and news media have confused these two cemeteries just like so many other places in unincorporated PBC which can also be called suburban Lake Worth.

One could truly and accurately say Lake Worth Beach is the most notable place in the region called Lake Worth. One could, if one wishes, call Lake Worth Beach City Hall the capitol of Lake Worth or Lake Worth Beach the capital of the region called Lake Worth. The beginning of Lake Worth the region began with the Town of Lake Worth one hundred and six years ago following the arrival of Henry Flagler and a train station he built. Ever since then Lake Worth marched west draining the Florida Everglades as they went.

Oddly enough the editor(s) at The Palm Beach Post continue to struggle with “Lake Worth Beach”. Lake Worth Beach became official on March 19th when the election results on March 12th were ratified by the City Commission. And must admit it is quite amusing reading the paper every day and find out the latest way an editor has come up with to avoid using the word “Beach” in Lake Worth Beach. One reporter yesterday just eliminated the word “Beach” entirely. One could assume he just ran out of any other clever ideas.

One day envision The Palm Beach Post becoming a chapter in a future book by Dave Barry, the many clever and not-so-clever ways the editors have tried to avoid mentioning Lake Worth Beach when their very own beat reporter in this City began using the dateline “LAKE WORTH BEACH” on March 13th, the day after Election Day. Hard to believe but it’s true.

Apparently the editorial department and the news department are not exactly on the same page.

Now back to Lake Worth Christian High School.

Interestingly, it was the ‘venerable’ Palm Beach Post that educated the public about Lake Worth Christian High School in the first place and just weeks later they were confusing the public once again about Lake Worth the region. Learn more about a tragedy later in this blog post that puts this in perspective.

When you read or see news reports know that there is no such thing as ‘the Lake Worth-area’ or anything ‘near Lake Worth’. One could accurately call The Bahamas in the ‘area of Lake Worth’ and one could say the same of the Village of Wellington. Without reporting a nearby landmark, like a city or a school or a large public facility saying something happened in the ‘Lake Worth area’ is completely meaningless.

For example, yesterday was a terrible tragedy in a mobile home park. The Post reported the accurate location. And so did WPTV (NBC5). But once again CBS12 (WPEC) is back to their old ways once again reporting this terrible incident occurred “near Lake Worth”. This particular mobile home park is often in the news and not in a positive way. The Mar Mak Mobile Home Park is bordered on three sides by the Village of Palm Springs, to the north, west and east. To the south is unincorporated Palm Beach County. But CBS12 reported to the public this tragedy happened near Lake Worth which explains why WPTV is the one you should turn to for accurate news and tune out CBS12.

Now back to Lake Worth Christian High School.

Once again to be perfectly clear there is nothing at all improper for Lake Worth Christian High School to be located in Boynton Beach. This school is a private school and they can be located wherever they want if it is permitted by local zoning regulations. They can call themselves whatever they want too.

Have yet to hear one single negative thing about this school. They have a fine reputation and they are filling a public need, offering adults an alternative to public school for their children. And on that topic the truth is there is no debate about prayer in schools. Prayer in school has always been an option in Florida. But it takes a lot more time, effort and money.

So you are wondering where is this leading?

On Saturday, February 23rd there was a very short story in The Palm Beach Post on p. B3 in the ‘LOCAL’ section but by the following Monday it had become a very big topic on this blog. The news in the Post was completely accurate in every way, all five sentences of it published in the “In Brief ” section.

But soon thereafter one of the senior editors at the Post got involved and so did the community editor. They were not happy that very short story in the paper became a huge issue on this blog. And five weeks later that blog post is still the most-viewed on this blog.

Just by coincidence that weekend came the news Sarah Peters had left the Post. Peters was truly one of their finest reporters in recent memory. The front page news that weekend was all about Robert Kraft and still is front page news and probably will take up the front page for the rest of 2019 unless the public gets fed up with it all in the meantime. And that weekend was the 25th annual Street Painting Festival but it was that Christian school in Boynton Beach that caught the eye of a lot of people.

If you wish, after reading this blog post today scroll back up and read that blog post from Monday, February 25th.

That this happened just about two weeks prior to Election Day on March 12th was most fortunate because it demonstrated that when the Post puts the effort into being accurate they can be like when reporting the actual location of Lake Worth Christian High School.

But just five days after Election Day the editors at the Post were back at work once again confusing the public misreporting about a terrible crime in the ‘Lake Worth-area’. This crime happened right outside the municipal border of the City of Greenacres. Misreporting such as this is all too typical. Later that news was updated and corrected and we learned a woman had died. Another tragedy.

Since that homicide there have been three more tragedies according to the Post’s Homicides Tracker database. That makes for twenty-three tragedies so far in 2019; one of those 23 tragedies in Palm Beach County occurred in the City of Lake Worth and as reported by Olivia Hitchcock at the Post the suspect was quickly captured by PBSO.


Moving on.


Whether or not the news about Lake Worth Christian High School had anything to do with the election results on March 12th is anyone’s guess. But on Election Day the most improbable of things happened; the electorate approved renaming the City of Lake Worth to become Lake Worth Beach.

As explained many times before on this blog the name ‘Lake Worth’ had become a meaningless place in Central Palm Beach County. It could not be defined any more. History has turned ‘Lake Worth’ into a disjointed collection of places that stretches all the way to the Florida Everglades and over time the City of Lake Worth became unrecognizable.

To intentionally confuse the public or just because they don’t care some reporters and editors still refer to places “in the Lake Worth-area” or “near Lake Worth” typically referring to places near the Village of Palm Springs or further west near the City of Greenacres. Some stories take massive amounts of hours and technology to report but taking one or two minutes to report where something actually happened is an afterthought. And these same people in the news media wonder why their reputations are lower than used care salesmen which is unfair to salesmen and saleswomen who sell pre-owned cars.

Maybe some time in the future the Christian high school in Boynton Beach will opt to change its name to Boynton Beach Christian High School. Or maybe they will keep the name as it is. However, Lake Worth Beach and Boynton Beach are each very unique and special places in their own right.

Lake Worth Beach and Boynton Beach are both true to history and both are very unique and very special.

However, some in the press and news media keep on harping about crime being THE REASON for renaming this City but the reasoning goes far beyond that. What began as a unique place one hundred and six years ago had ceased to be unique any more as over the generations former City residents, businesses and even schools packed up and left the City limits taking their version of ‘Lake Worth’ with them.

According to the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser the Lake Worth Christian High School has a ‘Lake Worth’ mailing address. You have to dig deeper to find out the facts and learn more about what is actually another municipality, what is suburban Lake Worth and what is not Lake Worth Beach.

Another example is over and over again it’s reported the well-known Palm Beach Habilitation Center is ‘in Lake Worth’. It’s not. It is located in the Village of Palm Springs.

Once again, in the City of Boynton Beach is a school in a formerly unincorporated area in suburban Lake Worth called the Lake Worth Christian High School. It’s unclear when this property was annexed by Boynton Beach but will find out some time soon.

Click on map to enlarge.

See a red box? That is where the Lake Worth Christian High School is located — in Boynton Beach south of Town of Lantana (shaded Verdenia Lantana)  — unshaded areas are unincorporated PBC, also called suburban Lake Worth.

Keep in mind the effort to rename this City to become Lake Worth Beach was oft-lampooned by many, including the local press, and it’s very possible that effort had unintended consequences and actually drew even more attention to this important topic.

The effort to become Lake Worth Beach was and is overwhelming popular with our elected leaders but what went largely unnoticed was how popular it had become with the public as well.

And over time what will happen is businesses, organizations and even schools may add the “Beach” to their name when doing a renovation or a public relations effort like maybe even a Catholic elementary school in Lake Worth Beach.

Did you know there is a well-respected and productive Catholic elementary school in this City?

It’s called the Sacred Heart School located at 410 North M Street, click on this link.

Mission Statement

“As a faith community enthroned in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, our mission is to provide all our students, of diverse cultures and abilities, an education of excellence, in a Christ-centered environment, encourage them to live the gospel values of love, peace, justice, respect, and service, and prepare them for success in higher education and life, and to be productive, responsible, and effective members of society.” 


Thank You for visiting today and hope you found this information helpful.

And there are a lot of very knowledgeable Realtors right here in Lake Worth Beach. So if you decide to go looking around this City please pick a Realtor from Lake Worth Beach.

“A real patriot is the fellow who gets a parking ticket and rejoices that the system works.”

—Quote. William (“Bill”) Vaughan, American columnist and author, 1915–1977.

However, when it comes to unpaid parking tickets and ‘the boot’ here in Lake Worth Beach. . .

Don’t think there will be much rejoicing at all from anyone when they walk up to their vehicle one day in this City and see a boot on the front tire. Not even a “real patriot” would be very amused.


William E. (“Bill”) Vaughan was an American columnist and author. Born in Saint Louis, Missouri, he wrote a syndicated column for the Kansas City Star from 1946 until his death in 1977. He was published in Reader’s Digest and Better Homes and Gardens under the pseudonym Burton Hillis.


Now let’s find out more about LOCAL issues like parking enforcement and why LOCAL newspapers matter:


“We don’t want your money. We want your compliance.”

—Lake Worth Beach Commissioner Scott Maxwell quoted in The Lake Worth Herald, news datelined June 14th, 2017.


Here is an excerpt from an article in the The Lake Worth Herald last year:


“There are vehicles in Lake Worth that have more than three unpaid parking violations and this ordinance gives the authority to ‘boot’ a vehicle if it is improperly parked and an enforcement officer is writing a fourth or greater ticket. Enforcement officers, when entering information on a vehicle, will be flagged if there are three outstanding tickets on the vehicle and the officer will be authorized to immobilize the vehicle with a ‘boot’.”

Press release from the City of Lake Worth’s PIO:

Lake Worth, Florida — The City of Lake Worth will begin the immobilizing (commonly called “booting”) of vehicles that have acquired three (3) or more citations.

and. . .

     Once all citations are paid the boot will be released, if citations are not paid within 24 hours then the vehicle will be towed at the owner’s expense.

In conclusion, are there any questions about ‘the boot’? If so, then please click on this link.

And once you have that boot removed, after
paying those parking tickets, take a long ride
around the L-Dub!

Four years ago the City of Lake Worth was national news.

The City of Lake Worth Beach
is very big news too.

But what happened four years ago was very different than what is happening now. Four years ago was change but it was very tumultuous and very unexpected. It was a true public relations crisis in every way. It was not very pleasant being a resident of this City at the time.

At one point City Manager Michael Bornstein warned everyone to prepare for another “firestorm” and Commissioner Andy Amoroso became the convenient target for the far-right and others on the City Commission became the target of the far-left.

And all this happened during the 2014–2015 Christmas and Holiday Season.

This City did not go looking for trouble.
It came to us.

This City in 2014 had suddenly became ground zero in the national debate on prayer at public meetings.

The media spotlight was intense and through it all the administration and the majority on the City Commission stayed calm and focused and after many months of hard work everything returned to normal, or as normal as things could have been four years ago. And in retrospect a big lesson was learned as well: why having a public information officer is so important. This City did not have a PIO back in 2014. But imagine if we did?

For some perspective just recently the electorate by a majority has decided to rename this City to Lake Worth Beach. This has been an orderly process all along despite some fuss and polemics that followed Election Day..

But compared to what happened four years ago
Lake Worth Beach is barely making waves.

For example, when you go and visit “Wes Blackman’s Lake Worth YouTube Channel” the most-viewed video is of School Board member Erica Whitfield at City Hall in December 2015; that video after 3½ years is now up 11,725 views. Back in 2014 at the City Commission took a video of an atheist doing an ‘invocation’ at City Hall and within days that video received over 10,000 views.

Then a little later it was 75,000 and then 100,000 and no end in sight. The video had gone viral. Not long afterwards took the video down.

That video had become not the center of public debate; it had become the center of a huge fight between atheists, satanists, agnostics, and Christians and everyone else who felt like joining the fight for whatever reason or just an axe to grind.

And all this was about prayer at public meetings.

Up until late 2014 nearly every Commission meeting began with a prayer. And almost every one was a Christian prayer. Having a Christian prayer at the start of each Commission meeting was a long-held tradition.

But then that tradition ended. But it was the way it ended that caused so much havoc and upheaval in the community.

No doubt had a person or group come to City Hall with an issue of prayer at public meetings things would have certainly changed.

For example, next Tuesday at City Hall will be two public meetings. One will be the swearing-in of Commissioner Herman Robinson to a second term. The event will take about one-half hour. That public meeting will end and the Commission will reconvene at 6:00 for the regularly scheduled City Commission meeting.

At both meetings next Tuesday will be a prayer, some brief words, or a moment of silence.

For those of you who attend Commission meetings this is all mundane now. For those of you who were around in December 2014 you well recall when a particularly insulting atheist came to town. Each year some portend this particular atheist will come back for an encore at City Hall. But he never did.

That atheist could have accomplished a lot. He could have educated the public about atheism and gone about changing the way our City Commission meetings began. But he chose another approach. He chose to insult everyone of faith. 

It took many public meetings, a lot of public debate, and City Attorney Glen Torcivia was kept very busy and so was City Manager Michael Bornstein too, but in the end the process was tweaked and our elected leaders were given another option instead of a prayer in early 2015.

It was a grueling process. But it didn’t have to be.

How and why this happened and also explained later is why some City Commission meetings begin with a prayer or moment of silence and others don’t.

Generally an invocation is a:

“[F]orm of prayer invoking God’s presence, especially one said at the beginning of a religious service or public ceremony.”

A “moment of silence” is just that. A moment of silence.

A prayer or moment of silence only occurs at regular City Commission meetings. There is no prayer or moment of silence at Commission workshops or at any meetings of volunteer advisory boards. In other words at City workshops and volunteer boards the meeting begins following the Pledge of Allegiance.


If the topic of prayer — or topic of no prayer at public meetings — is of special interest to you after reading the blog post below please scroll back up and click on this link for: “Prayer at Local Government Meetings: An Evolving Jurisprudence”.


For many many decades in this City — for as long as anyone can remember prior to 2015 — each and every regularly scheduled meeting of the City Commission began with a prayer. A local pastor or priest of one religious denomination or another would come before the electeds, say a few words and then either stay for a while or leave.

The process now is each one of the electeds — the mayor and commissioners in order — has a choice of options. An elected can give a prayer or choose someone from the community. For example, someone from the Jewish or Guatemalan community or even a Wiccan if they want.

How this all began.

It all started because of one atheist and his very brief visit to our City. The Insulting Atheist Preston Smith (see below) took advantage of the City process for giving invocations and hijacked the stage. He was given his few minutes to speak and his ‘invocation’ was quite insulting to many, especially for those in attendance that day, including myself. Except for a few people it was a lost opportunity.

Mr. Smith had the option of educating the public about atheism that day and explaining what it is and what it is not. But he chose another option and a lot of you here at the time remember that.

It’s interesting to note that since Mr. Smith’s insulting show not a single Atheist from Lake Worth has stepped up to the plate to represent their beliefs, or lack thereof. Why would that be? Possibly some day an Atheist here in the City will take the opportunity to change that image of atheism some still have after Mr. Smith packed up and left town after insulting all of us.

Mr. Smith came to town for an hour or so. Then he left. But things have changed since then and we’re a better City for it.

“He’s coming back for the New Year”, hailed
The Obtuse Blogger (TOB) during our Christmas
holiday season in 2015.

Some were quite thrilled the Insulting Atheist would return to Lake Worth for an encore. He never has. Would it be the shock/surprise factor has worn off?

In conclusion. . .

You see, a problem was created for this City by Mr. Smith, the Insulting Atheist, and the City began the process of fixing it as best they can. The ‘fix’ is not perfect and not everyone is happy about it.

There were and maybe still are a few malcontents in the religious community who are still quite upset about the prospect watching a moment of silence instead of a prayer. But ever since December 2014 they’ve gone completely silent on the issue.


And so it goes in Lake Worth Beach. . .

Tomorrow morning: Come out and join the Whispering Palms Neighborhood in Lake Worth Beach.

And then following the neighborhood clean up do some exploring. Did you know there is a historic cemetery in Whispering Palms? Learn more about that and much more below.

Neighborhood Clean Up from
8:00 a.m.–10:00.

Location in Whispering Palms where to meet up is 1301 12th Ave. South (see neighborhood map below).

This cleanup is being sponsored by the Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County and Palm Health Foundation in partnership with the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church.

Coffee and snacks will be provided. 

The Whispering Palms Neighborhood is shaded teal in the map below. Following the map and caption are other areas and places of interest to see.

Meet up tomorrow morning at the corner of
12th Ave. South and South E Street.
Area is circled with red marker.

Click on map to enlarge:

Following the neighborhood clean up tomorrow morning stop by and check out the Norman J. Wimbley Gym and Osborne Center at 1515 Wingfield St. Also worth noting is north of Whispering Palms is Memorial Park neighborhood (shaded orchid) and to the west of I-95 is the urbanized built-out Lake Osborne neighborhood (shaded drab moss).

Other places of note in Whispering Palms
is a historic cemetery.

I. A. Banks Memorial Park, the former Osborne Municipal Cemetery, is a 1½-acre cemetery located in what was called the “Osborne Addition” which was for African Americans during segregation. This cemetery is located at the northwest corner of Washington Ave. and Wingfield St. In 1983 the City was petitioned to rename this cemetery in honor of Rev. Ira A. Banks, the founder of New Hope Baptist Church located diagonally southeast across Washington Ave.*


Other places worth noting:

• Very likely you have heard of the organization called For The Children, Inc. They are located at 1718 Douglas St., east of Howard Park and west of Florida East Coast (FEC) railroad tracks.
• Note Barton Elementary School in the southwest area of Whispering Palms.
• The large open area in Whispering Palms is the City’s former landfill and one can see the solar field west of Howard Park.
• The eastern border of Whispering Palms is US1 (Dixie Hwy.).
• The body of water to the west is Lake Osborne within the County’s John Prince Park.
• The un-shaded areas are the Town of Lantana to the south of Whispering Palms and suburban (unincorporated) Lake Worth south and west of Lake Osborne neighborhood.

Would you like to learn more about Whispering Palms?

Then please contact the Neighborhood Assoc. Presidents’ Council (NAPC): The new incoming president is Mr. Craig Frost; for the list of 2019 NAPC officers click on this link.

For more information send an email to: napcinfo@gmail.com


*A truly fascinating read is one by Lori J. Durante from the Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History in 2012 titled, “Black Bahamian descendants from Miami tour historic Lake Worth, Florida”.

Many of you presently will know Lori Durante as the tour operator of the popular Taste History Culinary Tours featuring foodcentric history in Lake Worth Beach, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Town of Lantana and West Palm.

Noticia importante de seguridad.

Los trenes no soplan cuernos
en Lantana, Playa Lake Worth
y West Palm.

Manténgase fuera de las vías, excepto en los cruces designados y nunca pase por alrededor de las
cercas cerrados cuando un tren este acercandose.

¿Ves Rieles? ¡PIENSA TREN!

¿Qué es Operation Lifesaver? Operation Lifesaver que empezó en 1972 para poner fin a las colisiones, muertes y lesiones en lugares donde los caminos cruzan las vías férreas, y en las vías férreas mismas.

Nuestra Misión: Operation Lifesaver es un programa internacional educativo, de concientización y sin ánimo de lucro, dedicado a poner fin a las colisiones trágicas, a las víctimas mortales y a las lesiones que ocurren en los pasos a nivel y en las vías férreas.

Very sad news to report: The popular St. Vincent de Paul thrift store in Greenacres has closed permanently.

This will be unwelcome news for many supporters and customers: St. Vincent’s moved to the Town of Jupiter in the developing fashion district.

Learn more about this below; however, there is another thrift store you may be interested in visiting in the City of Lake Worth.

St. Vincent’s was a very small but top-notch thrift store serving the community here in Central Palm Beach County (CPBC) between Lake Worth Beach and the Village of Wellington. They will be missed for providing aid to the homeless in John Prince Park, a County-owned park near Palm Beach State College.

The new location for St. Vincent’s is in the Town of Jupiter on W. Indiantown Rd. at the corner of N. Hepburn Ave. Before you head out please call 561-401-9585 for information about parking and hours. In the very same strip mall as St. Vincent’s is the Old Florida Bar and Grill which always gets rave reviews.

Worth noting in Coastal CPBC and areas west.

If you are a LOCAL or regional fan of thrift stores please visit the famously popular World Thrift in Lake Worth Beach at 2425 N. Dixie Hwy. and note that every Wednesday is Senior Citizen Day at Worth Thrift. World Thrift is closed Sundays and open Monday–Saturday from 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Monday is another big day at World Thrift when all the new stuff comes out.

Nearby World Thrift is Tacos al Carbon which undeniably serves the best and most-authentic Mexican food in all of Palm Beach County.

And if you just happen to be an investor or a developer whilst you are in the area please check out these three empty lots across from World Thrift that are just waiting for you to see their incredible potential.

It you wish to learn more please contact the professionals at the Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), visit the CRA offices at 1121 Lucerne Ave. or call 561-493-2550.

Lake Worth’s “Lolly the Trolley” and West Palm ferry to Town of Palm Beach.

Does history about the cities of Lake Worth Beach and West Palm interest you? If you are on Facebook highly recommend joining a group called “Palm Beaches Remembered.” Yes. There used to be a ferry in operation from West Palm ‘Beach’ to the Town of Palm Beach. Learn more about that below. And there also used to be a City structure that blocked the view of the Intracoastal in West Palm. A lot of people complained about that saying it was constructed in the wrong place. That public building was later torn down.

Of course by now most everyone is aware that West Palm does not have a beach.

Information is posted on Palm Beaches Remembered from collections of Palm Beach County memories in the form of photos and other memorabilia. You never know what is going to appear and it’s interesting to read the recollections of others in the comments that follow.

There are many Lake Worth memories. These are
passes that were issued when the City
had its own trolley system.

Passes used in the days of Lolly the Trolley.

The City of Lake Worth, now Lake Worth Beach once operated its own local transit operation. Actually it consisted of two trolleys that ran from the beach, through the Downtown, past Lake Worth Towers, the High School, to the Tri-Rail station and the former Publix on Lake Worth Road. I believe the trolley also went north on Dixie Hwy. into West Palm to the Winn-Dixie at Palm Coast Plaza. It cost about $1 to ride and was subsidized and operated by the City. The dates on the passes above are 1996 and 1997.

Operations stopped sometime in the early-2000s. The excuse given was the cost was too-heavily subsidized by the City. Fare revenue made up only a very small portion of the cost to operate the trolleys. They were also said to be difficult to maintain as each was made by a different manufacturer and they didn’t share parts. The trolleys were in the shop and out of service many times which did not help the image of reliability. Regardless, they were a mainstay of Lake Worth for many years and provided a needed service.

Transit between our beach and points further west including unincorporated County (e.g., Palm Beach State College), has been identified as a recurring need: linking these destinations that are not adequately served by mass transit. I recall hearing the City had grant money available to operate such a system but didn’t have the money to buy the equipment.

Talk of running a trolley service once again became a serious policy discussion for a time after January 2016 when the public was excited about the Gulfstream Hotel re-opening and a new hotel expansion on the block’s western half. Demand for such a service made perfect sense. If something does begin to happen with the Gulfstream property it might be a good idea to get a trolley system up and running to the beach and points Downtown and then on to the Tri-Rail station and points west in suburban Lake Worth.

But moving forward, as exciting as a new trolley service would be, it would be very expensive for the City. Besides the vehicles there would be other added costs such as drivers, fuel and maintenance. The other consideration is adding a Palm Tran bus stop at the beach in Lake Worth Beach.

This was a topic of discussion in August–September last year and could have made for a splendid and illuminating editorial by the editor(s) at The Palm Beach Post but that never happened.

A simpler time in West Palm Beach history.

Remember the ferry?

View of the downtown West Palm Beach waterfront with former library in background.

For many of you new to the area the picture above will look like one from a foreign land. The West Palm Beach City Library, the one built in 1962, used to sit at the east end of Clematis Street. It was a Mid-Century Moderne in some peoples’ eyes and an eyesore to others. I actually think the first years of the building, with the artwork suspended around it and fountains surrounding it, was quite attractive. Later years saw those features either removed or not maintained. Most people, including myself, agree the building was put in the wrong place. It blocked the view of the water from those using Clematis Street.

According to people commenting on Facebook, a ferry operated between downtown West Palm and the Town of Palm Beach during the 1960s. With all the talk in May 2017 during the “Point A to Point B” discussions about traffic in downtown West Palm  and the bridges to the barrier island, maybe resurrecting a ferry for people to cross over into Palm Beach is something whose time has come again.

Possibly instead of a traditional boat, such as the one pictured, it could be a hydrofoil or a hovercraft of some sort. Both would be faster and have a 21st century vibe. To use this method one would have to leave the car in West Palm in one of the many downtown parking garages and then walk on foot to the water transport. There are already day-docks functioning along the current waterfront.

Just a few ideas from the past that could make everyone’s lives simpler to get around in the present day.

“I have a question. I’m new to Lake Worth Beach. Can you please explain what ‘L-Dub’ means?”

You came to the right place today.

Everything you need to know about the term “L-Dub” is examined in detail later in this blog post following the heading, “Now to the slang ‘L-Dub’ explained”.

Of note other variations of L-Dub are LDub (no hyphen), Elle-Dub and El-Dub (Spanish), LéDûb (French/EU) and what is referred to as the Twiddle-Dee, a local variant. Learn how these terms are used in a sentence later on as well to become proficient in L-Dubianese.

About the slang L-Dub you may have seen a story about the L-Dub Film Festival in Lake Worth Beach this weekend. And one story about this festival in The Palm Beach Post misreports this event as happening ‘in Lake Worth’. The actual location is Lake Worth Beach. Some reporters are having a tougher time than others adjusting to the recent name change.


Let’s pause briefly: About Lake Worth Beach worth noting are reporters Andrew Lofholm and Andrea Marvin. These two exceptional reporters from WPTV (NBC5) and WPEC (CBS12) respectively both picked up this story last year well before anyone else in the press or news media did and they both deserve much credit.


Whilst on that topic some reporters are up to speed with Lake Worth Beach and others are not. So in the next week or two will come up with a style guide for reporters in the press and news media on when and how to use the description ‘Lake Worth’ in historic and news context vs. the new and proper designation Lake Worth Beach. So stay tuned for that compellation.

And please note the false term ‘Lake Worth-area’ should never be used by the press and news media.

So please stay tuned for the Lake Worth Beach Style Guide, helpful criteria for marketing and branding professionals, the business and real estate community, the press and news media and other interested parties such as local and County government officials and elected leaders as well.


Fun Fact: It was a reporter at The Palm Beach Post who first coined the term L-Dub!


First a short recap.


How did Lake Worth Beach come to be?


The region called ‘Lake Worth’ had become meaningless many decades ago and for many decades many have tried many different ways and ideas to differentiate the municipality of ‘Lake Worth’ vs. the unincorporated areas that go west as far as the Florida Everglades. That is why a Post reporter began calling this 6 sq. mile municipality “L-Dub” in the first place, to help educate the public.

But ‘L-Dub’ drove the tourists, Snowbirds and elderly residents completely nuts. Imagine a Canadian tourist trying to find L-Dub on the map. And purportedly on hearing the term ‘L-Dub’ for the first time a former mayor packed up and moved west to the City of Atlantis.

But then came along a better idea.

Worth noting is what was formerly called the City of Lake Worth is now Lake Worth Beach, a name change which was approved by the voters on March 12th, Election Day. That vote was ratified by the City Commission on Tuesday, March 19th.

What makes this City actually special, more so than all those cookie-cutter communities out west? We have a Beach, ergo “Lake Worth Beach” and a long-time elected leader also noted last year about renaming this City:

“I think it’s time for us to turn a page in the history and move forward.”

Then on March 14th this year journalist Linda Trischitta at the Sun Sentinel penned an excellent news story headlined,

‘We are unique’: How this city’s new name, Lake Worth Beach, is making waves

Once again, for some in the press and news media the transition to Lake Worth Beach will be a difficult one and the run-off election on March 26th demonstrated that quite well. For example, a Millennial WPTV news reporter embraced the “Beach” and from an older generation a Post reporter could not even bring himself to do so even one time just like the recent story about the L-Dub Film Festival making the case once again why the newspaper industry is failing so badly.

Now to the slang “L-Dub” explained.

Being “Quirky” with a capital ‘Q’ was popular
for quite some time.

But not so much as headlined in the Post,

“WELCOME TO THE L-DUB”!

Another very important date is August 9th, 2018. That was when suburban (unincorporated) Palm Beach County was officially recognized by The Palm Beach Post, e.g., as in “suburban Lake Worth”.

About L-Dub. . .

You may have overheard a young person or teenager saying, “I’m so happy L-Dub has a new bookstore.” This is referring to The Book Cellar, a popular bookstore that opened in the Downtown or maybe there was a conversation nearby and overheard, “Where did you get that cool blouse?” And the hushed response, “I found it at World Thrift. Isn’t it soooo L-Dub!”


“L-Dub” defined. And an everyday example:

• The L is short for “Lake”.
• DUB is short for double-“u” as in the letter “w”.
• Hence the term L-Dub.

An example in speech, and note the variants, explained in another bullet list below:


“Welcome to LDub! Have you been to World Thrift yet? It is soooooo cool and prices you won’t believe. And there’s a new Tacos Al Carbon L-DUB location right across the street. You made the right choice moving to LéDûb. Nobody cares about Delray any more. ElleDub is where it’s at.”


Other variations:

• The Hipster feminine and formal Spanish variant, “Elle-Dub” [informal; Hipster male, “El-Dub”].
• “LDub”, sans the hyphen, a British (199-) variant [informal, familiar].
• The French/European Union variant [formal, proper], “LéDûb”; used in a sentence, “C′est si bon, Mademoiselle, Monsieur en charmant LéDûb.”

So. When was the last time you visited our little, vibrant, and exciting City of Lake Worth Beach?

Hope you found this information helpful today.


In conclusion.


On March 26th, 2016 is when editor Jan Tuckwood at The Palm Beach Post heralded this little City as the most special place in Central Palm Beach County:

Click on “SPECIAL KEEPSAKE” to enlarge.

Also in that first-ever Special Keepsake Series was, “A love letter to Lake Worth” from Rena Blades, the former director of the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County located in Lake Worth Beach.

Library Board quarterly meeting tonight in Lake Worth Beach.

This volunteer board will meet at 6:00 in the City Hall Annex building at 414 Lake Ave. in the first floor meeting room. The City Annex is across the Cultural Plaza from the City’s public library.

This is a public meeting open to the public.

The Library Board meets on the 4th Thursday in January, March, June, and September.

There are no minutes available for any Library Board meeting in 2018 or for January of this year either. Which begs the question: Does there even need to be a Library Board? Or have the City’s library director report directly to the City Commission four times per year? This will be up to the City Commission to decide when the volunteer board system is examined later this year.

From the City website here is the role of the board:

Board members are responsible for recommending expenditures from the Library Trust Fund and the Simpkin Trust Fund [donations to library]. They also advise the Library Director on policy and service issues. Board members serve five-year terms.


The City liaison to the board is Library Director Vickie Joslin, MLS.

Interested in attending this meeting and learning more about this volunteer board? Here is the agenda:


Library Advisory Board Meeting.
City Hall Annex Building, 6:00.
414 Lake Ave.

• Roll call.
• Approval of minutes.
• Discussion: Librarian report with budget updates.
• Public participation on non-agendaed items and Consent Agenda.
• New business: Elect chair, vice chair and secretary per City ordinance.
• Board comment.
• Adjurn [sic]

To learn more about the Lake Worth Public Library which can also be called the Lake Worth Beach Public Library if you wish click on this link.

First, there was “BEST. STATE. EVER.” by Florida’s renowned and Pulitzer Prize winning author Dave Barry.

Dave Barry, also a New York Times–bestselling author, has gracefully divined his own vision for the six square mile City of Lake Worth Beach.

The voices in this video are not actors!

They are actual elected officials and city manager speaking about “The Best City in Florida!”:

Click on “BEST. MUNICIPALITY. EVER.” to enlarge.

Author Dave Barry teamed up with the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County and awarded Lake Worth City Manager Michael Bornstein for the BEST essay submitted.

A public meeting on Friday night, March 17th, 2017 in the City of Pahokee.

The next day everyone stopped
and took notice.

It was that night two years ago, when the news got out, shocked all of South Florida and Tallahassee and then shortly thereafter got attention in the halls of the U.S. Congress.

The public in the Glades Region here in Palm Beach County had had enough. No one was talking to them. Public officials and the press and the news media were all focused on the Treasure Coast.

But then after what happened in Pahokee two years ago the public began to re-examine a lot of things like a report issue by Lloyd’s of London from years back and a mostly-forgotten mass grave in West Palm Beach began to get a lot more attention and then there was that article in a magazine by a reporter named Dan Reynolds which is not for the faint of heart. . .

You’ve been warned.

So let’s start this story with some backup information and then to what happened in the Glades Region two years ago and then to the nightmare scenario: the Herbert Hoover Dike failing.

Few want to even think about this possibility just because it is so horrifying. Critics of sending water to the east say there should be a reservoir south of the lake to store water in emergencies. The shoulda coulda woulda scenario.

But there are cities and communities south of the lake too. And any future reservoir capable of storing so much water is far off from being operational and will cost at a minimum $1.5B. That’s ‘B’ as in billion. And that’s just an educated guess.

Everyone knows Rainy Season begins May 15th and Hurricane Season begins on June 1st and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Jacksonville District) will very well have to order water releases again this year east of Lake Okeechobee. And just a few hours later with encouragement from the press and news media the protests will begin east of the lake in Martin and St. Lucie counties to end those water releases and “Send The Water South!”.

However, there are limits to how much water can be sent south. The Corps of Engineers needs to anticipate future water levels in the lake. The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) needs to anticipate future water levels in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami Dade counties druing Hurricane Season. And don’t forget the massive rain events in May 2018. The Rainy Season that year began just on time and the rains were record-breaking. All that water had to make its way south into Lake Okeechobee via the Kissimmee River and other waterways. Massive amounts of water.

There was major front page news in The Palm Beach Post in May 2018 headlined, “Report: Money for flood controls short” by reporter Kimberly Miller. The news was about the shortage of funds “set aside for repairs to levees, canals and water control structures” but one essential part of water control here in Palm Beach County was absent in this article: the Herbert Hoover Dike. The dike, which actually serves as a dam, was not mentioned one single time. This was not the fault of the reporter. There are a lot of ‘moving parts’ in this story. Not even a large sized 500-page book in 9′ type could explain it all.

However, water control structures here in South Florida will most certainly be an issue if the Herbert Hoover Dike should ever collapse because every levee and canal here in Palm Beach County will be wiped out following the floods to follow. The flood waters will then continue further south with nothing in its way to stop it or slow it down.

Further down below in this blog post, following the “Emerging Risks Team Report” from Lloyd’s of London, is a fictional story about a hurricane named “Otto” that struck Lake Okeechobee. Although the story is fictional, it’s not for the faint of heart, especially if you live in low-lying Palm Beach County. And following that fictional story about a hurricane, at the very end of this blog post, is a story about a mass grave in West Palm Beach. That story is not fiction.

Why the public in Palm Beach County became so concerned last year.

To set things up here are the opening two paragraphs from an article published in February 2018 in the Post by County government reporter Wayne Washington, prior to the General Election that year:


U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson met with Glades officials Friday in West Palm Beach to tout the passage of a budget deal with additional funding that could be used to expedite repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike at Lake Okeechobee.
     Hurricane Irma’s push through Florida last year renewed long-standing fears of what a rupture would mean for Glades residents protected by the dike, [emphasis added] whose construction dates back to the 1930s. For decades, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has worked to upgrade portions of the dike, but the project has been massively expensive and time-consuming.


And about a recently passed Federal budget,
Senator Bill Nelson said,


     “I’m so glad to meet with the elected officials and the residents out by Lake Okeechobee because they’ve been been fearful that a big storm’s gonna come along and it’s going to breach that dike,” Nelson said during a meeting with Glades officials at the Historical Society of Palm Beach County’s building in West Palm Beach. “This is a real win, especially for the folks out at Lake Okeechobee.”

How did we get here? Let’s go back to March 2017.

Click on this link to read about a community meeting that year in the Glades region as reported by Post reporter Susan Salisbury. Here is the opening paragraph:


“PAHOKEE — In a face-off Friday night at Pahokee High School, hundreds of Glades area residents came out in force to tell Florida Senate President Joe Negron his proposal to build a 60,000-acre reservoir on farmland south of Lake Okeechobee would kill jobs and economically devastate their rural communities.”

The public spoke in the Glades region and they spoke in large numbers: Fix the Herbert Hoover Dike!

From Post reporter Susan Salisbury: “The auditorium was filled to its capacity of 400, and several hundred people who quietly waited outside were turned away. Police estimated the total number of people who turned out at 1,000.”

Have you ever read the Lloyd’s of London
“Emerging Risks Team Report”?

“The current condition of Herbert Hoover poses a grave and imminent danger… … [The dyke] needs to be fixed. We can only add that it needs to be fixed now, and it needs to be fixed right. We firmly believe that the region’s future depends on it.”

Warning.
Prepare yourself.

Below is a fictional story.
Not for the faint of heart.
You’ve been warned.

There was a real Hurricane Otto in 2016. But the story below is from August 2013 about a fictional hurricane named “Otto” and what’s called a “Black Swan event”.

“The Day the Dike Breaks” by Dan Reynolds in Risk & Insurance.

“A Cat 5 hurricane strike of Lake Okeechobee
would inundate much of South Florida.”

Use this link to read the entire “Black Swan” story by Dan Reynolds. Here are the opening paragraphs:


Hurricane Otto, a Category 5 hurricane, makes landfall at 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2014, just north of Fort Lauderdale. The storm travels northwestward across the state, maintaining Category 4 strength as it touches the southwest reaches of Lake Okeechobee, the 10th largest lake in the United States and the largest lake in the South. The driving rains cause the water levels on the lake to rise, which creates a breach in the lake’s protective barrier, the Herbert Hoover Dike, in the vicinity of Clewiston. Tornados spawned by the hurricane also touch down on the dike, causing two more breaches, near the towns of Pahokee and Belle Glade.
     The lake, at 730 square miles and an average depth of only 10 feet, begins to flood the surrounding communities.
     Eventually, much of South Florida will be inundated.
     U.S. highways 441 and 98, and state roads 715 and 80 are destroyed by the slow-moving water.
     Geographically, there is nothing to stop the wall of water as it spreads out from Lake Okeechobee toward the Atlantic Ocean. It will be weeks before the flood waters recede.
     Evacuations began in heavily populated Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties when the hurricane’s landfall became a certainty.
     But there wasn’t much time.
     Once the dike is breached, the more than 640,000 evacuees in Broward have less than 14 hours to move. Miami-Dade’s more than 936,000 evacuees have less than 13 hours to get out. In Palm Beach County, the window is less than 16 hours and more than 448,000 people need to leave.

What do you think?

Should the focus be on fortifying the Herbert Hoover Dike or spending $1.5B± on a new reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee?

The “Black Swan” story above is not a theory and it’s not “part science” either. It’s historical record. It happened before.

Did you know there is a mass grave

in West Palm Beach?

Learn more about a man named Robert Hazard and about a storm on September 16th, 1928: “He has made it his life’s purpose to tell the story.”

On elections and change and narrow vote margins in City of Lake Worth, a place now called Lake Worth Beach.

In March 2007 Jeff Clemens narrowly defeated incumbent Lake Worth Mayor Marc Drautz in a run-off election.

The major issue that year was crime. It was out of control. Of then-Mayor Drautz the challenger Jeff Clemens said,


Usually an incumbent spends his time talking about the positive things he has accomplished, but in the absence of accomplishments the only recourse is to use negative attacks.


The pull quote in the mailer below is from The Palm Beach Post in December 2006:


Gang violence. Murders. Drive-by shootings. For the roughly 35,000 people that call [Lake Worth] home, the most horrific crimes have become a way of life.



Forced to make a hard decision, Mayor Clemens made one. He signed the paperwork merging the Lake Worth PD with PBSO and then crime began falling and continued to fall each and every year.

October 2018 marked the ten-year anniversary of PBSO in Lake Worth, now called Lake Worth Beach. Another change by a narrow margin.

But imagine if Jeff Clemens did not become the mayor back in 2007?

And this is why saving political mailers
is always a good idea.

Just as a reminder of when in Lake Worth, “[T]he most horrific crimes have become a way of life”.

Click on mailer to enlarge:

Two of the bullet points on the opposite side of the mailer are, “Pass ordinances that prevent gang members from congregating” and “Triple fines on slumlords that contribute to our dangerous overcrowding problem”.

Tomorrow evening: Public event in Town of Lantana exploring Seminole Indian history.

The item below was published in last week’s Lake Worth Herald from the listings on page 2 announcing club meetings and other events of LOCAL interest in Lake Worth Beach, suburban Lake Worth, Town of Lantana, and other nearby municipalities.

About this event open to the public:

The public is invited to the March 28, 7 p.m. meeting of the Friends of the Lantana Public Library, [emphasis added] located at 205 West Ocean Avenue (next to the U.S. Post Office). The presenter is Carol Hansen. She will speak about the history of the Seminole Indians and show a portion of her extensive collection of authentic hand-made articles. Meeting takes place in the library.


Directions to the Lantana Public Library from Lake Worth Beach: Take Dixie Hwy. south past Lantana Rd. and turn right on W. Ocean Ave. Over the FEC railroad tracks the library will be on your right. There is parking along N. 3rd St and the library parking lot is off 3rd St. as well.

Please note the Lantana Public Library
is in the Town of Lantana.

The Lantana Road Branch Library at 4020 Lantana Rd. is part of the County library system in unincorporated Palm Beach County across from the City of Atlantis.

The Lantana Public Library calls itself,
“A place for serious readers”.

And the staff is truly remarkable. Recommend everyone stop by and take a look around. Click on this link for more information including the hours or call 561-540-5740.

It was an event at the Lantana Public Library in March 2017 that the Cottages of Lake Worth received a huge boost in publicity. The public from all over Palm Beach County was in attendance, a packed house that night. Following that event another “Cottages” presentation was then scheduled in Boynton Beach, Briny Breezes, Delray Beach, Palm Beach and at many other venues.

In other words, small town public libraries are still very significant and they do matter.

Noon to 2:00 tomorrow: Tour, ribbon cutting and leisurely lunch in Lake Worth Beach.

Tour the modern office suites of EMERGE LW in the Downtown at 631 Lucerne Ave.,

“Fully furnished, fully wired, fully serviced.”

Please RSVP to Pam Triolo today at 561-585-8668 between 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. and provide your name and number of guests.

Feature news story published
in The Lake Worth Herald headlined,

“New Luxury Office Spaces Emerge from Historic Hotel Renovation in Downtown Lake Worth Beach”:

To learn more about EMERGE LW office space visit their website to look over all the amenities provided.

Following are two excerpts from this week’s Lake Worth Herald:


Lake Worth Beach, FL — Ninety-eight years ago the building at 631 Lucerne Avenue in trendy downtown Lake Worth Beach was known as the McCarty Hotel, yet locals know it by the name it was given during its 1995 rebirth as the Hummingbird Hotel. If these walls could talk we’d ask if the stories about it being a boarding home during the Great Depression or even a brothel are true!

Today, under the care of co-owners Ray Maranges and Richard Cruz of Hummingbird Partners, LLC, this classic beauty has been transformed into Emerge LW Modern Office Suites, created for designers, small businesses, entrepreneurs, and legal, real estate and insurance professionals looking for an office away from home.

and. . .

This extensive renovation included a massive overhaul and preservation of the structure’s historic integrity on the outside, while creating a sleek, modern, open concept on the inside. The transformation mirrors Europe’s most impressive preservation practices, making old new again and viable for today’s professional needs.


Once again, for the tour and ribbon cutting for EMERGE LW please RSVP by calling Pam Triolo at 561-585-8668.

Support LOCAL newspapers and LOCAL journalism.

The Lake Worth Herald Press, Inc. is located at 1313 Central Terrace in Lake Worth Beach. To contact the editor call 561-585-9387 or by email: Editor@lwherald.com

Run-off election today: News by WPTV reporter Andrew Lofholm and today’s daily spin in The Palm Beach Post.

The never-‘Beach’ers in Lake Worth Beach got some good news in the Post today.

Before we get to the news from WPTV let’s get to the “Beach” spun out of The Palm Beach Post today.

Apparently those ‘Lake Worth’ residents who will never accept Lake Worth Beach have an ally in West Palm.

Tony Doris is the beat reporter for the Post in West Palm Beach which is a municipality without a beach. And in today’s print edition, news on p. B2 ‘LOCAL’ about the run-off election Doris takes special care not to mention “Beach” even one single time referring to the run-off in Lake Worth Beach.

Why not accurately cite Lake Worth Beach in
the LOCAL news today?

Some reporters in the press and news media have fully embraced the “Beach” and others are trying to ignore it or spin it out.

The owner and publisher of The Palm Beach Post is Gatehouse Media and makes one wonder what the editors at Gatehouse think about the ‘Beach’ being spun out of the paper today.

On May 1st will be the one-year anniversary of Gatehouse Media running the Post. Maybe by then the editor(s) will fully embrace the “Beach”. Their beat reporter has ever since March 13th. So what is the holdup?

However, Andrew Lofholm at WPTV has no such qualms reporting about the run-off election today in Lake Worth Beach and even smooths over the feelings of those who disagree with renaming this City as well referring to the close margin of the vote on March 12th. But if the margin was ten times as wide they would still complain anyhow just with a different argument. And who remembers the score a few weeks after Election Day anyhow?

The fact that Mr. Omari Hardy avoided a run-off election in March 2017 by just eighteen (18) votes was big news two years ago. Some people were upset. But if it was by just one vote it wouldn’t have made a difference. And who remembers Commissioner Hardy’s ‘close vote’ any more? What the public remembers is the result. Not the score.


Moving on.


Here is the headline in today’s online edition of the Post and note the two beaches and the missing “Beach”:

Tuesday is voting day for Riviera Beach, Lake Worth and West Palm Beach runoff elections

And two short excerpts starting with the opening paragraph with emphasis added:


Runoff elections Tuesday in West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach and Lake Worth will decide the makeup of those cities’ ruling boards.

and. . .

In Lake Worth city council’s District 4 race, Tom Copeland, though he already conceded the election, is on the ballot against incumbent Herman Robinson.


Why no beach?

Now to reporter Andrew Lofholm at WPTV (NBC5) who embraces the “Beach”.

The news by Lofholm is very good and thorough and the fact the contentious and politically divisive condemned pool at the beach was cited by both Commissioner Herman Robinson and challenger Tom Copeland was unfortunate but really does show how Copeland will remain a force in this City for a very long time.

Very early on Copeland took a very strong position against constructing a new pool at the beach and Robinson supports a new pool at the beach. And sadly, this issue will continue to be a highly divisive one for quite some time.

Here is the WPTV headline today:

Runoff Tuesday in Lake Worth Beach
despite concession

Here is the opening paragraph from Lofholm’s story and another very informative excerpt for the public:


LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — If you live in Lake Worth Beach, don’t forget: there is a run-off election Tuesday [TODAY]. Nobody in one of the commissioner races earned more than 50 percent of the vote on Election Day.

and. . .

Needing 50 percent plus one vote, Robinson earned 49 percent. Copeland was next with 27 percent.

The next day Copeland at conceded, or so he thought.

“It was a smart political decision on his part. It was a litigious decision on the city’s part,” Robinson said.

“The reason I did so was because I thought it could bring our city together and I thought we could save the city $25,000. Turns out the runoff has to happen anyway,” Copeland said.

The city’s charter doesn’t recognize concessions, and had they not done a runoff, the city was fearful of potentially costly lawsuits.

It’s the incumbent versus the newcomer: Robinson versus Copeland.

Robinson is pressing forward actively campaigning. Copeland said he is running Facebook ads telling people to get out to vote Tuesday.

“What I’m really getting excited about is the opportunity to use what we got up to this point to continue to build influence and continue to capture the imagination and input and the interest of the rest of our citizens, especially some of our newer citizens,” Copeland said.

“I am Lake Worth (Beach) as much as anyone and I felt good about it but I felt good about the campaign of my opponents. It’s Lake Worth (Beach),” Robinson said.

Voting is open to all residents in Lake Worth Beach, not just District 4. Polls run 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.

City leaders are looking to adjust the charter to allow concessions, but in order to do that, it would require voters to approve it at the next election in 2020, which would then change for the election after that.

Once again, a very good news report
from Andrew Lofholm.

And very important to remember that Lofholm was ahead of everyone in the press and news media reporting the news about Lake Worth Beach going to ballot in late November last year:


LAKE WORTH, Fla. — After more than 100 years, the city of Lake Worth is considering changing its name to the city of Lake Worth Beach. Ultimately, voters will have the final say.

and. . .

The city commission will vote on this twice in December [2018]. If it passes, it has no opposition on the commission currently, it’ll be up to Lake Worth voters if they want to become Lake Worth Beach once and for all on March 12.


Following that news from WPTV four months ago the Post had to quickly scramble and catch up.

And apparently for some reporters at the Post they are still scrambling to catch up just like the never-‘Beach’ers still left in Lake Worth Beach.