Barry’s Buzz – May 18, 2016
4th Generation is opening today in the Glades/Lyons shopping center on the SW corner.
Join the Boca Raton Public Library as they welcome journalist Guillermo Martinez as he talks about the impact Hispanic voters will have on the 2016 presidential election. Martinez will be talking from 7PM to 8PM this Wednesday, May 18, and registration for the event can be done through the Boca Raton Public Library website.
Jan McArt and Lynn University present Karen Mason Live at Lynn, 7:30 p.m. May 18 in the Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall at the Count and Countess de Hoernle International Center. To reserve tickets and a listing of upcoming performances visit lynn.edu/events.
Boca City Council is considering annexing 449 acres north of Clint Moore Road and west of Military Trail with 763 residents and 435 homes into the city, Including Boniello Acres, Fieldbrook Estates, Le Lac, Newport Bay and Azura/Oxley N.
Boca Raton City Council and staff don’t call their annual planning meetings “goal setting” anymore. Now the five-year plan and priorities are dubbed “strategic planning.” Top priorities will have a familiar ring. The city campus master plan includes City Hall, the Boca Raton Community Center and Police Headquarters. Mayor Susan Haynie said she anticipates they would all have to be replaced at some point. That would also include the old downtown library, which is now used for permits and other in-and-out business matters. Also on the six-point priority list for 2016 is a comprehensive waterfront plan, which means what the city intends to do with any waterfront property it owns or is privately owned and for sale.
Organizers of a petition drive aimed at putting limits on control the city of Boca Raton has over public land at the Intracoastal Waterway have until June 24 to get a proposed amendment on the ballot for the Aug. 30 Primary Election. The group wants to ensure land, including the old Wildflower property on Palmetto Park Road, won’t be leased by the city for a restaurant or any commercial use, and will remain public park land.
John Caple and David Block formed Hidden Harbor Capital Partners a private equity firm specializing in control investments in lower middle market companies. Hidden Harbor will seek investment opportunities in U.S. based companies with revenues between $50 million and $500 million.
New York Grilled Cheese Co opened at 493 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, 561-277-0777. This ooey-gooey eatery has expanded from Wilton Manors to Palm Beach County, across the street from Mizner Park.
The 394,248 Deerfield Mall at the SW corner of Powerline Rd. and Hillsboro Blvd. was sold for $92.75 million to Weingarten Realty Investors. Tenants include an eight screen movie theatre, Publix, T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and Chick-Fil-A.
Palm Beach county commissioners gave final approval to placing a sales tax increase to improve roads and schools on the Nov. 8 ballot. But the county’s efforts are far from over. It must win the support of a majority of voters to succeed. The proposal would raise the sales tax from 6 cents per dollars to 7 cents, generating $2.7 billion in revenue. The tax increase would sunset in 10 years or earlier if the amount is reached before then. Half of that new revenue would go to the school system, 30 percent to the county and 20 percent to cities.
Travelers just can’t get enough Florida sunshine. After celebrating one tourism milestone – Florida welcomed more than 105 million visitors in 2015 – the state has smashed another record. In the first three months of 2016, a record 29.8 million tourists flocked to Florida, up 6.6 percent from the prior year. Tourism jobs also grew compared to a year ago. That keeps our economy growing.
Legislation could create small-business voice at SEC. The SEC Small Business Advocate Act of 2015 passed in the U.S. House and now sits in a Senate committee. If passed, the legislation would create the Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation at the Securities and Exchange Commission. The advocate would be an independent voice working for small business interests when new regulations are proposed.
West Boca Leaders is the best networking group in the area. One of a kind networking group. First and Third Thursdays. Next meeting is May 19, 2016, 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Tulipe Café, Boca Grove Shopping Center on Powerline Road between Glades and Palmetto Park Roads. $60 per quarter. Fill out form on site if you qualify and bring $60 for fourth quarter. For more information or questions, call 561.852.0000.
The Republican Jewish Coalition has a couple of events in May. For more information and to RSVP, please reply to this email, or contact us at 561-995-9445. Please remember to let us know the names of everyone in your party, your phone number and which events you will be joining us for! Thursday, May 19, 2016, Gary Kenzer, North American Executive Director, Honest Reporting, Boca Raton Community Center, 150 Crawford Blvd. Check-In: 6:00pm / Program: 6:30 pm Light Kosher Refreshments will be served. May 25 will be phone banking at the South County Civic Center and a talk by Carlos Beruff, Candidate for the U.S. Senate.
Beautiful The Carole King Musical is at the Broward Center of the Performing Arts to May 22. Call the box office for tickets.
Starring Avery Sommers, “The Devil’s Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith” – A Play with Music – BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! MAY 5-29, THURSDAYS and SATURDAYS – 7pm | SUNDAYS – 2pm (no show on SAT. May 28). Tickets are $30-$45. Call 561-571-8510
New Art Gallery Exhibit at the Spanish River Library through June 25. Well-known local artist, Jim Campbell, will be showing his oil paintings and acrylic paintings in the Friends Art Gallery. This collection will include favorites from his travels abroad and some still-life compositions done in his studio. The Library is located at 1501 NW Spanish River Blvd.
Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, The Nice Guys and The Angry Birds opens at the Boca Cinemark on Airport Road and Boynton Cinemark on Congress Ave. Hockney opens at the FAU Living Room Theatre on the FAU campus. Miles Ahead opens at the Movies of Delray on Atlantic and Hagen Ranch Road and the Movies of Lake Worth, on Lake Worth Road, east of the Turnpike, which also opens Nice Guys. Bigger Splash opens at the Classic Gateway on Sunrise Blvd. and U.S. 1 in Ft. Lauderdale. The Man who Knew Infinity, Mother’s Day, Zootopia and the Huntsman opens at the Last Picture Show in Tamarac.
Technology Business 3Cinteractive, a mobile marketing company with 100 employees was named Business of the Year, Jim Dunn,JM Lexus general manager was named Business Leader of the Year and Rose and Joe Martin, owners of Allegiance Home Health was named Small Business Leaders of the Year by the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce, to be honored May 20 at the Chamber’s annual luncheon May 20 at the Boca Raton Resort & Club’s Mizner Center, 501 E. Camino Real, which is open to the public and Chamber members. Tickets are $75. Call 561.395.4433 or visit bocachamber.com/BAL.
The Delray Beach Playhouse is concluding its season with a Golden Age Murder Mystery by Agatha Christie, the most successful mystery writer of all time. The play is called BLACK COFFEE and it is the only play Christie ever wrote featuring her most famous character, the brilliant Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. The Show runs from May 21 – June 5, 2016. Tickets are available on-line at delraybeachplayhouse or by calling the box office at 561-272-1281 Ext. 4. Tickets are $30.00. [Student tickets are half-priced.]
Putting It Together will run to June 19 at Stage Door Theatre, 8036 Sample Road, Margate. Tickets for Putting It Together are $38 – $42; $16 student tickets are also available at the Broward Stage Door Theatre box office at 954-344-7765 or on line at stagedoortheatre.com.
Same Time Next Year will run to May 22 at Stage Door Theatre, 8036 Sample Road, Margate. Tickets are $38 – $42; $16 student tickets are also available. Tickets may be purchased at the Broward Stage Door Theatre box office at 954-344-7765 or on line at stagedoortheatre.com.
David P. Samson, president of the Miami Marlins will be the speaker at the B & P networking breakfast, 8 a.m. May 24 at Zinman Hall on the Federation Campus, 9901 Donna Klein Blvd. To register visit: jewishboca.org/bpnetworking. For more information, contact Sonni Simon at 561.852.3128 or Sonnis@bocafed.org.
Mark Memorial Day on May 30 with free events hosted by the city of Boca Raton. The day’s observances will begin at 9 a.m. with a commemorative ceremony to honor those who have served in the United States military. Local veterans and members of the public are invited to join city officials at the Boca Raton Cemetery, located at 449 SW Fourth Ave. The Fort Lauderdale Highlanders and the Boca Raton Community High School Band will perform. Boca High’s Navy Junior ROTC and the Boca Raton Police & Fire Honor Guard also will participate. Then at 7 p.m., the city will host a free concert at the Mizner Park Amphitheater, located at 590 Plaza Real. Indian River Pops Orchestra will perform patriotic music directed by Dwight Robert Roadman. Also, The Little Chalet wants to honor veterans on this very special day (5/30). Treat your hero to a meal at The Little Chalet and they will receive a complimentary White Sangria. The red, white and blue refreshment is a small token of appreciation for the bravery and patriotism of our veterans.
The Gold Coast Tiger Bay Club will feature Donald Trump’s former butler, Anthony “Tony” Senecal, 11;30 a.m. June 8 at City Fish Market, 7940 Glades Road across from Turnpike exit. RSVP at GoldCoastTigerBayClub.Com now. Limited seating.
Local estate professionals are invited to a special opportunity on June 9, 2016 at 5:00 pm to learn from two national and international experts and earn Continuing Education Units amid premium networking and a cocktail reception. The Jacobson Jewish Community Foundation Professional Advisory Committee (PAC) anticipates about 150 guests at its 32nd Annual Seminar for Professionals at The Polo Club, 5400 Champion Blvd. in Boca Raton. The seminar, featuring guest speakers David Cooney, Partner at Ogier, Cayman Islands; and Al W. King III, Co-Founder, Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer, South Dakota Planning Company (speaker bios below). Registration will begin at 5:00 pm, the seminar will begin at 5:30, and the cocktail reception will follow, with dietary laws observed. The couvert for the program and reception is $75 for PAC members and $90 for non-members. For more information, please contact Lisbeth Rock Cauff at 561.852.3188 or lisbethc@bocafed.org. To register, visit jewishboca.org/pacseminar.
Christina Applegate will be the keynote speaker at the 13th annual Go Pink luncheon to benefit the Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation in the fight against breast cancer. Save the date: October 21, 2016.
The 2016/2017 Broadway series at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts include Cinderella, Cabaret, The Little Mermaid, Something Rotten!, Matilda and Finding Neverland. More info at browardcenter.org.
The Marmot Boca Raton Bowl date has been set. The bowl game will take place at 7 p.m. on Dec. 20 at the Florida Atlantic University Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN. It will be the third annual bowl game for FAU.
Sun-Sentinel, South Florida Business Journal, Boca Life Magazine and Palm Beach Post contributed to this column.
Barry Epstein, APR, is a noted public relations, marketing and political consultant based in Boca Raton, president of the goldcoasttigerbayclub.com, the luxurychamber.com, the westbocaleaders.com and the founder and former president of the West Boca Chamber of Commerce; His motto is: Public Relations is the enemy of anonymity. Email: pr@publicrelations.nu, or fax column items to 561.451.0000. Read his blog on www.barry’s.buzz. His blog is also on bocatribune.com, facebook.com/BarryEpstein and on his website: publicrelations.nu.
