Page Two; Barrys Buzz – June 4, 2014

BOCA RATON RESIDENT STILL FIGHTING FOR HIS FREEDOM

Boca Raton resident and philanthropist, Ross Mandell, is still fighting for his freedom in a historic landmark case that is winding its way through the court system. His friends are all hoping that he is allowed to remain home with his family until the case is decided and it could be headed to the United States Supreme Court!  See: http://www.forbes.com/sites/walterpavlo/2014/05/29/federal-judge-orders-ross-mandell-to-prison-but-hold-on/.

PALM BEACH COUNTY HOME SALES INCREASE

Palm Beach County home sales showed a healthy jump of more than 5% compared to the same month last year. Closed sales hit 1,478 for the month with 50% paid in cash. A little over 2,400 new listings were posted for April, up 18% from a year ago.

OTHER BARRYS BUZZ:

•     On The Money’s Steve Pomerantz will be the guest speaker at the www.goldcoasttigerbayclub.com lunch 11: 30 am June 10 at City Fish Market, 7940 Glades Road, Boca Raton. (Glades and the turnpike). Register on the site.
•     Thrill Me: the Leopold and Loeb Story runs through June 8 at the Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center, 201 Plaza Real (2cnd floor) in Boca Raton. Get tickets at www.outretheatrecompany.com or call 954.300.2149.
•      The Delray Beach Playhouse at 950 NW 9th St. in Lake Ida Park, off Swinton Ave. Delray Beach presents: Doubt to June 8, Visit www.delraybeachplayhouse.com or call 561.272.1281 x 4 for more information and reservations.
•      Cougar The Musical runs through June 29, 2014 at the Plaza Theatre, 262. S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan. Get tickets at www.theplazatheatre.net or call 561.588.1820.
•      Boca Raton lawyer Stu Rosenfeldt, formerly a name partner in the notorious now defunct law firm of Rothstein, Rosenfeldt and Adler, plans to plead guilty on charges of bank fraud and conspiracy. The plea deal involves Rosenfeldt’s role in Rothstein’s massive Ponzi scheme run out of the law firm’s offices. Other name partner Russ Adler has pleaded guilty for his part in the scandal while Rothstein is currently serving 50 years in jail.
•      Ensuring that South Florida remains the con capital of the civilized world, Boca Raton stock brokers Kevin McKnight and Steve Bauer were nailed by federal prosecutors for a kickback scheme involving a shady penny stock scam and face five years in prison.
•     The cost of settling a fired employee’s lawsuit against the city of Boca Raton was released Tuesday, showing the ex-employee will get $322,500 in a lump sum and her lawyers will get $215,000, for a total of $537,500 to be paid in the case. Christine Ferrigan, a 23-year employee of the city, was fired from the Water Department in 2008. She filed suit soon after, claiming that she was fired from her position as the utilities program coordinator in retaliation for pointing out threats to public safety of Boca’s water system.
•     Boca may provide Fire and Rescue services to Highland Beach as they currently use Delray Beach.
•    St. Andrews Country Club in Boca spent $17 million on facility improvements to attract younger home buyers.
•    Boca Raton soft porn king pin Marc Bell put his huge mansion on the sales block for a jaw dropping $35 million, the highest asking price ever in the city.
•   Allen Edmonds, selling premium men’s footwear, leather belts, wallets and briefcases opened at the Shops of Boca Center, 5050 Town Center Road.
•    Tri-County Animal Rescue, the region’s largest 100% no-kill 501(c) 3 animal rescue nonprofit, is teaming up with California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) at Town Center at Boca Raton to co-host six weekly “Tri-County Thursdays” at the eatery beginning June 5th to raise much-needed funds to support the mission of TCAR that operates 100% on donations. TCAR supporters and patrons of CPK need only to print out and bring in a “Tri-County Thursdays” flyer (available from the TCAR website at www.tricountyanimalrescue.com, show the flyer on their mobile device, or mention to their server that they wish to participate in the CPK program to donate 20% of purchases to the rescue center, including dine-in, take-out, catering and all beverages.
•    Palm Beach County commissioners approved a contract with John A. Carey to become Palm Beach County’s Inspector General at a starting annual salary of $175,000. The four-year contract takes effect June 23, 2014.
•      While South Florida single family home sales showed a healthy increase, condo sales for the six month period, November through April posted the worst winter buying season in the past four years, as Palm Beach County revealed a 5% fall off with a little over 7,200 deals.
•     The average April Palm Beach County home sale price was $447,465, 7,326 home sales were listed in April and 730 April home sales were cash buys.
•     For more information on Real Estate, contact Joanne Epstein at www.joanneepstein.com or call 561. 945.0000.
•     The White house has quietly adjusted the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare to provide insurers with a taxpayer bailout if they lose money writing coverage for the new law. The bailout was buried in hundreds of pages of regulations issued last week, despite the White House spending months denying any bailout was in the works. The deal means insurers will keep premiums low for political reasons and taxpayers will get nailed for covering any shortfall, according to Obamacare critics.
•     Okeechobee cattle ranchers are pumping up their bank accounts on the soaring cost of beef. Huge beef consumers like McDonalds, fast food chains and major grocers are shelling out major money to insure supply and forcing higher prices. Beef prices at major South Florida supermarkets are up 20% and restaurants are cutting back on portions, rather than raising prices. The trend is expected to continue throughout this year.
•    The Boca Museum of Art will offer free access to the general public every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during June, July, and August.
•     Cafe Cinematheque Foreign Films with Shelly Isaacs is every Thursday at 10:30 a.m.at Movies of Delray 561-638-0020 and Friday at 1:00 p.m. at Movies of Lake Worth 561-968-4545. Visit www.moviesofdelray.com for more information.
•      Watch Movie Talk with Morrie Zryl on www.wrpbitv.com Thursdays at 6 p.m. and Fridays at 6 a.m.
•     Watch Barry Epstein live at 10 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. Friday on www.wrpbitv.com with Delivery Now president Scott Trachtenberg, Bauman Medical Group hair transplant specialist Dr. Alan Bauman, Rand Marketing Guru Seth Rand and Task Me Anything founders Harriett Lewkowitz and Lauren Donahue to win free tickets to the Cinemark Theatres. You can be on too to promote your business. Call 561.852.0000 for details.
•    Edge of Tomorrow and The Fault in Our Stars opens Friday at the Cinemark Palace and Premiere theatres. Bicycling with Moliere opens at the FAU Living Room Theatres and Movies of Delray, which also brings back Walking with the Enemy. Chef opens at the Movies of Lake Worth.  Railway Man and the Other Woman opens at the Last Picture Show in Tamarac.
•      On the Radio: Sounds of the 70s will be June 6-July 27 at the Broward Stage Door theatre, 8036 W Sample Rd. Coral Springs. Call 954.344.7765 or visit www.stagedoortheatre.com for more information and to purchase tickets.
•      A combined East and West Boca Relay for Life starts 6 p.m. June 6 at St. Jude Catholic Church, 21689 Toledo Road, Boca Raton with continuous music by three bands, demonstrations, pizza and a survivors catered dinner by Olive Garden.  Contact Jennifer.DeGruccio@cancer.org or call 561.394.7751. Visit www.relayforlife.org for more information.
•     South Florida Parenting’s second annual Baby Fair is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 7 in the Pavilion Grille, 301 Yamato Road. General admission is $10 per person in advance at www.southfloridaparenting.com or 415 at the door. Children are admitted free, but the event is geared for parents. First 500 attendees get free goodie bags.
•     Larry Ferber has a movie club 10 a.m. every Sunday at the FAU Living Room theatres, followed by discussion. Call 757.617.1936 for more information.
•    Every Sunday at AMF bowling, 1190 Boynton Beach Blvd. and Congress Ave. Brain Bowlers sponsors a bowling league for families and children with disabilities to raise funds and awareness for agencies and children who are void of social interaction.  Cost is only $1.38 per game and families can bowl one or two games.  There is also entertainment and prizes. For further information, call Robert Gottesman at 561-676-2075.
•     Florida will offer a 15-day sales tax holiday for hurricane preparedness supplies from June 1-14. During that time period, Floridians can purchase flashlights, batteries, weather radios and other basic hurricane supply items, all tax-free. Hurricane season lasts from June 1 to Nov. 30.
•      The “J Street Challenge” will be shown 6 pm June 12 at Wings Plus, 9880 W. Sample Road, Coral Springs, west of University Drive, south side, between 99^th Way and 96^th Avenue, followed by discussion led by Alan Bergstein for the Jewish Republican Club of Broward County. Call 954.718.1308 or email Irma.gordon@comcast.net for reservations.
•      A rabbi, a social worker and a suicide-prevention expert will offer perspectives on suicide and how to cope with the death at a June 10 seminar in Boca Raton. The free session, which begins at 7:30 p.m., is sponsored by B’nai Torah Congregation and the Ruth and Norman Rules Jewish Family Services. It will address awareness, prevention and how to handle the loss of life. Call Shlomit Karasik, the family service’s community outreach coordinator, at 561-852-3326.
•      Avenue Q runs June 19^th to June 29^th, at the Delray Beach Center for the Arts Crest Theater at Old School Square, 51 North Swinton Avenue, Delray Beach.  Tickets are available at: http://delraycenterforthearts.org or by calling 561-243-7922 ext. 1. (Not suitable for children under the age of 15).
•       A never-before-seen collection of works by Michael Godard, the Rockstar of the Art World, will be on exhibition and available for acquisition at an exhibition presentation 6 to 9 pm June 28 at the Wentworth Gallery, Boca Town Center, 6000 Glades Road in Boca Raton. Call 561.338.0804 or Email to towncenter@wentworthgallery.com for more info and to RSVP.
•      Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy is at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Avenue, Fort Lauderdale July 22-27. Call 954.462.0222 or visit www.browardcenter.org for tickets or more information.
•      The National Walk to End Alzheimer’s will be in Boca Raton for the first time on Oct. 11 at the Mizner Park Amphitheater. The kickoff for the Alzheimer’s Association fundraiser is 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Thursday, May 29 at JAZZIZ Nightlife, 201 Plaza Real in Mizner Park. The event will include cocktails and appetizers, a silent auction, photo booth and a deejay. Tickets are $25 per person in advance or $30 at the door at http://goo.gl/wq17A5. Registration for the walk is free at www.alz.org/walk. Volunteers are also needed. Contact Pamela Polani at polani@bellsouth.net or call 561-496-4222.
•       The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) walk for mental health is 8 am. Nov. 8, at Tradewinds Park, 3600 W. Sample Road, Coconut Creek. Register at namibroward@gmail.com. For more information, call 954.316.9907 or visit www.namibroward.org.
•     The 2014-15 Broadway series season at the Kravis Center includes Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella Nov. 11-16; The Book of Mormon, Dec. 16-21; Flashdance – the Musical, Jan. 27-Feb. 1, 2015; Anything Goes, March 10-15, 2015; Memphis, April 7-12, 2015 and Pippin, April 28-May 3, 2015. Subscribers will get renewals in April. General public tickets will go on sale midsummer. To order go to www.kravis.org/broadway or call 561.832.7469.
•      www.westbocaleaders.com  is the best networking group in the area and meets at Hurricane Grill & Wings in the Mission Bay Shopping Center, next to Office Max, 10125 Glades Road, 33498 on alternate Wednesdays from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Cost is $60 per quarter. Check out the website for openings in some categories. Call 561.852.0000 for further information.

Thanks to David Weir’s South Florida Business Report for contributing to the column.

Barry Epstein, APR, is a noted public relations, marketing and political consultant based in Boca Raton, president of the www.goldcoasttigerbayclub.com, the www.luxurychamber.com, the www.westbocaleaders.com and the founder and former president of the West Boca Chamber of Commerce; with a weekly internet television show on www.vimeo.com, www.youtube.com and www.publicrelations.nu. His motto is: Public Relations is the enemy of anonymity. email: pr@publicrelations.nu, or fax column items to 561.451.0000.  His blog is on www.bocatribune.com, www.facebook.com/BarryEpstein as well as on the Sun-Sentinel/Jewish Journal website at www.floridajewishjournal.com – www.http://barrys-journal.blogspot.com  and on his website: www.publicrelations.nu.