Delray Beach and Boca Raton News and Insight

We've got our fingers firmly on the pulse of everything that is Delray-Boca.

And while we're not out to replace the local news media, we think you'll agree we have a very unique perspective to offer on some of the most important stories that affect current and future local residents.

Subscribe to our updates so you never miss a thing in Delray-Boca. Have a tip? Send it to us here.

12 May, 2014 0 Comments

We’re #2: CEO’s Like Florida

May 12, 2014 By Jeff Perlman Leave a Comment

Florida trails only Texas in business climate according to new survey.

CEO magazine has named Florida the second best state in America to do business.

The Sunshine State trailed only Texas according to the magazine’s rankings which took into consideration: tax and regulatory climate, the quality of the workforce and the quality of the living environment. Texas has been atop the rankings since the survey began 10 years ago. The ranking are derived from surveys of 500 CEOs.

Michigan, New Jersey and New York all fall in the category of the worst states for business, according to the survey. California ranks last in the study getting low marks for taxes and regulations.

Florida scored high in most categories and beat Texas in quality of life rankings.

Says the magazine: “California, Illinois, New York, Oregon and others do not have a viable long term strategy for achieving economic balance and therefore will only get worse. Other states such as Texas Florida and Arizona have a growing economy and reasonable rules and regulations and a positive attitude towards business. The former states are steadily declining into disaster territory such as Detroit. The other states will continue to become stronger and stronger. The difference will ultimately be similar to a productive and industrious northern Italy and a lazy unproductive southern Italy. Any attempt to force the productive states to subsidize the unproductive states will result in civil unrest.”

Strong words indeed.

The rest of the top ten were Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Indiana, Arizona, Nevada, Louisiana and Georgia.

In the midst of a hot gubernatorial race, Florida Gov. Rick Scott applauded the rankings.

“We’ve learned from Texas how to tell our story better and it helps that we’ve cut taxes 25 times—about $400 million,” Scott told Chief Executive. Scott points to what he calls the Jim Collins “flywheel effect” where momentum is generated as more big name companies invest in his state. “When companies like Hertz, Amazon, Deutsche Bank and Verizon add jobs here, it causes more people to look at us. Business is comfortable that we’ll keep the tax base low and improve our workforce.”

Here’s a look at some key metrics for Florida:

State GDP

•% Growth ’11-’12: 2.4

•% Growth ’11-’12 v. Nat’l Avg. (2.5%): -0.1

Unemployment

•Unemployment Rate Dec. 2013 %: 6.2

•Comparison with Nat’l Rate (6.70%): -0.5

Domestic Migration

•Domestic Net Migration 2013: 91,484

•Rank: 2

State Government

•State Debt per Capita Fiscal Year ’13 ($): 2,381

•State & Local Gov’t Employees per 10k Residents: 489.5

State-Local Tax Burden

•Rate (%): 9.3%

•Compared to Nat’l Avg. (9.9%): -0.55%

7 May, 2014 1 Comment

Water Color Wednesday: Education

May 7, 2014 By Jeff Perlman 1 Comment

A deep dive into local education

Have you seen the brand new education website, www.pbcedu.org?

If you haven’t , click on the above link and take a tour of education in Palm Beach County.

The website is the result of a herculean effort by the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County to present a more comprehensive look at education in our community and to overcome old perceptions with a more balanced look at the state of schools pre-K through post graduate.

The idea sprang from a goal setting workshop the BDB board held a few years back in Palm Beach. I was on the board at that time and one of the laments was that perception was lagging reality when it came to Palm Beach schools.

None of the business leaders gathered in the room that day had their heads in the sand—they understood that while progress was being made there were real issues and challenges still to be overcome.

But there was also a strong sentiment that education had evolved in Palm Beach County and that the whole picture was not being captured by either the media or companies looking to locate here.

So over the course of several months, a 40 member BDB committee that included a cross section of business leaders and educators from both public, private and parochial schools began meeting to discuss how to better market and present the true state of education in Palm Beach County.

The public/private partnership resulted in PBCedu.org, an attractive site that enables visitors to see the whole range of educational options and programs available.

The website marks the beginning of the task force’s effort to market and communicate the quality educational opportunities that exist in the county. Additional initiatives include integrating positive educational messages in all economic development marketing materials, creating a system for matching student interns with employers, ensuring that high schools have employers at job fairs from the industry clusters prevalent in Palm Beach County and continuing to collaborate with CareerSource Palm Beach County and the Education Commission.

“When it comes to education, perception is not reality. A strong educational system is critical to economic development,” said Kelly Smallridge, President and CEO of the BDB.

The site features mapping capabilities allowing visitors to look at educational options in different parts of the county and videos that bring the programs to life.

People familiar with the history of education in Boca and Delray know that city support for local schools has been very strong.

Delray Beach was one of the first cities to form an Education Board and hire a full time education coordinator.

The city has also spent millions of dollars assisting the district with programs, facilities and the like.

The Boca Chamber’s Golden Bell Foundation is renowned for raising substantial funds to support local schools and its economic development strategies tout higher education and the city’s A-rated public schools.

We urge readers of YourDelrayBoca.com to visit www.PBCedu.org and take a tour. The site is a monumental achievement.

5 May, 2014 1 Comment

Real Estate Monday: The Cost of Paradise

May 5, 2014 By Jeff Perlman 1 Comment

Still a value, but rising in cost.

Paradise comes with a price.
After years of being known as a relatively inexpensive place to live, Florida is beginning to gain ground on feeder states like New York, but still has a long to go before it’s as expensive as California, the D.C. area, Hawaii and the Empire State.
Overall, it costs less to live in 33 states other than in Florida based on the latest analysis from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Snowbird states like Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania all rank as more affordable.
Florida tied with Oregon as 16th on the department’s affordability index, released Thursday in tandem with new personal income data. The new comparison tool, dubbed Regional Price Parities, measure the state-by-state differences in the price levels in a given year for goods and services such as food, energy and housing.
“For the first time, Americans looking to move or take a job anywhere in the country can compare inflation-adjusted incomes across states and metropolitan areas to better understand how their personal income may be affected by a job change or move,” U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker said in a statement. “Businesses considering relocating or establishing new plants also now have a comprehensive and consistent measure of differences in the cost of living and the purchasing power of consumers nationwide.”
The index expresses costs in an area as a percentage of the overall national price level for each year, which is set at 100.
The most expensive locale, Washington, D.C., had an index rating of 118.2; the least expensive state, Mississippi, stood at 86.4. Florida came in just under the national baseline at 98.8.
Hawaii was second most expensive state followed by New York. The bottom three were Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama, a popular retirement spot for Florida public pensioners.
Other high cost states were New Jersey, California, Maryland, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Just below Florida in cost of living are a few states that compete with the Sunshine State for retirees, second home buyers and others: they are Arizona (98.1), Texas (96.5), Georgia (92) and North Carolina (91.6).
“People are beginning to recognize that Florida has the best weather in the country, an improving school system and top flight universities,” says one local realtor. “There’s also lots of culture and great health care and that adds up to rising cost of living. It’s not politically correct to say it, but clients who think that we are going back to the old bargain Florida are just fantasizing. This is now a world class destination and the price tags are going to reflect that.”

23 April, 2014 0 Comments

Lynn Students Make The Pitch: Budding Entrepreneurs Seek Investment

April 23, 2014 By Jeff Perlman Leave a Comment

Delray entrepreneur and Lynn alum Jeremy Office is investing in the local entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Could the next Uber, Coin or Tesla Motors be incubating in South Florida?

Local business leaders will find out when Lynn University students pitch their best new product or business ideas during the finals of the second annual Howard Isaacson Innovation Challenge tomorrow, April 24. The winner of the contest, which was founded by Delray Beach entrepreneur Jeremy S. Office, will receive seed capital to further develop their concept.

“When you’re starting a business, knowing how to effectively present and sell your concept is often just as important a factor in your success as having a detailed business plan and financial projections,” said Office, the founder and Principal of Maclendon Wealth Management and managing partner at SJO Worldwide, a venture capital company that specializes in investing in small to medium-sized businesses like the ones students will be pitching. “Students who participate in the Howard Isaacson Innovation Challenge will learn by doing, as they develop, research and pitch a unique business or product to a group of successful area entrepreneurs.”

During the pitch session, teams of up to five graduate and undergraduate students will have 30 minutes to present their business plan to a panel of judges. The judging panel will consist of entrepreneurially minded members of the local business community who will evaluate each pitch based on its creativity and innovation, financial viability, market research and verification, and other factors.

“The Howard Isaacson Innovation Challenge is an important learning opportunity for our students, helping to prepare them for the next step in their lives and their careers,” said Thomas Kruczek, Dean of the College of Business and Management at Lynn University. “This partnership between the university and one of our successful alumni also allows us to build bridges between the academic world and local business leaders, which further helps position our graduates for success.”

Participants in the April 24 event, which is open to the public, had to clear several hurdles, including submitting a written synopsis of their business idea and making a 20-minute oral presentation of their business plan, before being selected to advance to the final round of the competition. All students participating in the competition will learn to identify new and feasible business ideas, research how those ideas can be brought to the marketplace, evaluate an idea’s financial viability, and develop a workable business model.

“The U.S. was built by innovators who weren’t afraid to take risks. This contest offers students an opportunity to develop challenging ideas and take their own risks,” said Office. “One of our country’s great competitive advantages is our entrepreneurial spirit, and my hope is that this competition will nurture that spirit and help it thrive.”

Office, who earned his Ph.D. in global leadership from Lynn University’s College of Business and Management, established the Howard Isaacson Innovation Challenge in 2013 in honor of his late grandfather and their mutual love of entrepreneurship

21 April, 2014 0 Comments

Real Estate Monday: Westard Ho, Villagio Continues Trend

April 21, 2014 By Jeff Perlman Leave a Comment

Elevations at Villagio Reserve are Spanish-Italian influenced.

Grand openings are a sign of good times at Villaggio Reserve as the local real estate market continues to impress.

While coastal neighborhoods remain hot, western communities are also racking up sales as the Boca-Delray real estate market continues its strong run.

The western trend continues to be 55+ communities with prices ranging from the mid $200s to over $1 million. Developers are touting proximity to downtown Delray Beach and local cultural amenities such as the Morikami Museum and shopping at the Delray Marketplace.

Villagio Reserve, built by Ansca Homes, celebrated the grand opening last weekend of its third neighborhood since construction on the 55+ community began in January. Ansca has positioned the neighborhood as an elegant community in “America’s Most Fun Small Town”, a testament to the continuing value created by Delray’s downtown entertainment and cultural district.

Villagio Reserve is located on Hagen Ranch Road and Atlantic Avenue, west of Delray Beach.

Each “grand opening” event has marked a milestone. A soft grand opening gave an insider’s first glance at plans for the new community of 598 homes. A formal grand opening was held in December and last weekend’s event marked the opening of a new enclave of 83 homes. Residences are priced from $270,000 to $400,000.

“We’ve had tremendous sales and unbelievable construction starts,” said Ron Yuter, senior vice president with Ansca Homes. “Six months ago, we had nothing but streets and an entrance. By our grand opening weekend (April 19-20), visitors will see 60 homes under construction. That is a true testament to how excited the Delray Beach community has been about Villaggio Reserve.”

Already Villaggio Reserve has hit the “Century Mark,” selling more than 100 residences since sales began in January.

Every residence will deliver architectural designs and amenities that elevate “standard” to new heights, says Yuter. Homes feature spacious rooms designed with elegance and style in mind. Design touches and amenities include coffered ceilings, granite counter tops and Kitchen Craft Cabinetry® in kitchens and baths.

Outside, Spanish-Italian designed exteriors, decorative stone driveways and walkways and lush landscaping highlight each home’s place in a development that exudes European styling. Impact-resistant windows and doors provide a measure of safety and peace of mind,

The new neighborhood also will be the closest yet to the Cabana Club – putting residents a short walk to Villaggio Reserve’s lifestyle destination and fitness facility. This 38,000-square-foot town square will serve up a multitude of activities designed to enrich daily life. Residents will enjoy dining indoors or on the covered patio. There will be activities like cards and games, to community or private events in the Grand Ballroom, to surfing free wi-fi on personal tablets or laptop computers.

For the fitness minded, a fully equipped and staffed Fitness Center will come complete with men’s and women’s locker rooms, massage tables, showers and sauna. Yoga, Zumba and other classes will be offered by on-site trainers skilled at customizing work-out routines. Outside, lighted tennis and “pickle ball” courts will be available for day or night play. Nearby, enjoy a game of Bocce ball, or take a dip in one of four pools – all surrounded by an expansive, resort-style pool deck.

For more information please visit https://villaggioreserve.com/ The Sales Center is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Sunday.

9 April, 2014 1 Comment

Searching For The Next Big Thing: FAU Hosts Business Plan Competition

April 9, 2014 By David Reeves 1 Comment

Outback founder Tim Gannon will speak at FAU’s business plan competition. He was Inc. magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year in 1994

We live in the age of entrepreneurship and FAU will showcase hundreds of aspiring minds this week.

Florida Atlantic University’s 2014 Business Plan Competition will take place from Wednesday, April 9 through Friday, April 11 at the College of Business, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton campus. The competition provides participants the opportunity to vet their business idea before a panel of successful entrepreneurs, early stage investors and venture capital principals. More than 250 teams have registered to compete with 16 teams advancing to the final round.

Final round teams in the FAU student track and entrepreneur track will compete for a share of more than $225,000 in cash and prizes to launch their business. The Research Park at Florida Atlantic University is the event’s presenting sponsor.

The event commences with the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce’s Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) Investor Panel on Wednesday, April 9, from 4 to 8 p.m. in FAU’s Student Union, Live Oak Pavilion. The Investor Panel is the culmination of a 30-week program where students’ grades seven to 12 develop legitimate businesses and pitch to investors for seed-funding.

The Kick Off Reception and Elevator Pitch Event takes place on Thursday, April 10 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. in FAU Stadium. The 16 final round teams each will present their 90-second elevator pitch. Reception guests have the opportunity to cast their vote for their favorite pitch. The winner will receive the $5,000 People’s Choice award sponsored by Office Depot.

Day three of the competition is Friday, April 11, and features business plan presentations from the FAU student and entrepreneur tracks from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in room BU 120 in the College of Business and room OD 101 in FAU’s Office Depot Center for Executive Education.

The three-day event culminates with keynote speaker Tim Gannon, co-founder of Outback Steakhouse, Inc. and chief executive officer of Palm Beach PDQ, on April 11 from 2 to 3 p.m. in room BU 120 in FAU’s College of Business. Gannon is the creator of the popular Bloomin’ Onion and owner of the Outback Polo team, the only team to win three consecutive U.S. Open championships and five championships overall. The competition awards ceremony will immediately follow Gannon’s keynote address. All events are open to FAU students, alumni, faculty, staff and the community.

7 April, 2014 0 Comments

Newly Rebranded Delray Beach Open an International Tennis Destination Promoting Local Business Growth

April 7, 2014 By Jeff Perlman Leave a Comment

From the ticket to the posters, the Delray Open was completely rebranded this year.

Editor’s note: Before it fades into history, we wanted to revisit the rebranding of the Delray Beach Open to give readers insight into the thinking behind the effort and what the future holds for Delray’s ATP event. Guest blogger Natalie Mikolich gives us some insight.

By: Natalie Mikolich, Sports Publicist for NPM | PR (@npmikolich)

Now known as one of the top tennis towns in the U.S., Delray Beach and the

Delray Beach Tennis Center have been the hometown courts to many local tennis players along with hosting some of the most prestigious tennis events in the world such as the U.S. Davis and Fed Cup ties. Also showcasing the future generation of American tennis stars during the national junior tournaments put on every summer at their public facility, the most well-known event of all to take place at the Delray Beach Tennis Center is the annually held ATP World Tour event – the Delray Beach Open.

Going on its 15th year of bringing out some of the hottest ATP World Tour tennis superstars and serving-up full court entertainment for local tennis fans, 2014 turned out to be one of the best years yet for the newly re-branded Delray Beach Open. Undergoing a complete marketing and branding overhaul in 2013, it was local WOO Creative (www.woo-creative.com) of Delray Beach that the event turned to in order to guide them through the process.

“In 2013, we started working with WOO Creative in Delray Beach on re-developing our brand identity and ad campaign,” said John Butler, Executive Director of the Delray Beach Open. “We are very into working with local talent for public relations and marketing of the event.”

One of the biggest changes to take place this year was renaming the ATP World Tour Event to the Delray Beach Open from the International Tennis Championships of Delray Beach.

“We wanted to be careful about using the word ‘open’ which means anyone can enter to play, but we truly are ‘open’ to anyone,” added Butler. “We had two pre-qualifying events this year with more than 200 players including juniors, college players and pros. We even have one player in his 70s who gives it a go every year.”

“Last year, after our first year handling the marketing materials for, at the time, the ‘International Tennis Championship of Delray Beach,’ my business partner and I were sitting in the stands asking ourselves ‘Why isn’t this tournament called the Delray Beach Open?’,” said Ryan Boylston, President and Founder of WOO Creative. “From there, we pitched the new name and a proper logo to the event’s Executive Director, John Butler, because we wanted to help put them on the same level as any other ATP tournament.”

Along with the new name for this year’s event, WOO Creative also worked closely with the Delray Beach Open team to refocus their brand messaging so that they were targeting true tennis fans with their marketing materials this year – which even included some special edition Dunkin Donuts just for the event.

“The main initiative was to launch the new name and logo,” Boylston added. “Although the marketing materials grew evolutionary from last year’s, we ensured to keep a lot of elements so that the consumer could still make the connection. We wanted people to know that this wasn’t a new event, just a better one.”

“Working with WOO, we took the ATP World Tour’s campaign graphics for the players and logos and toned them down for the tournament so that the players (the product) were even more easily recognizable in the marketing materials, especially because they had to work with both the ATP Champions Tour and the ATP World Tour logos and other mandatory inclusions,” Butler elaborated on. “We went through several revisions with the ATP before there was a consensus on our final campaign, including tweaking the player photos so they had less flourishes and using a darkened version of the ATP logos so they supported the ads rather than being a focal point.”

And with that, there also came a mock-up design of a tennis ball in the shape of a heart along with the tagline “I Heart Tennis” by WOO Creative. Once approved by the event, the local Dunkin Donuts next door to the Delray Beach Tennis Center on Atlantic Avenue began serving-up specialty yellow tennis ball, heart-shaped designed donuts in the week leading up to the start of the Delray Beach Open.

“As soon as we mocked up our first heart-shaped tennis ball, we knew we had something,” Boylston mentioned. “The donuts were just a nice little coincidence. It helps when your tournament kicks-off on Valentine’s Day and Dunkin Donuts is already serving heart-shaped donuts.”

On-site at the event this year, it was local Delray Beach Polaroid Fotobar (www.polaroidfotobar.com/) who did all of the images of the players that filled the backdrops on stadium court.

“We wanted to have to have a ‘wall of family photos’ featuring the players in the tournament as a backdrop to the stadium action, and partnering with Polaroid Fotobar on the project, it enabled us to use the tournament’s tv visibility to expose a homegrown brand,” said Butler.

But, of all the new changes to take place this year for the Delray Beach Open, perhaps the one that “wooed” spectators the most was the new WOO Lounge skybox setup on the East side of the stadium in the middle of the stands. While some of today’s hottest tennis stars like John Isner were popping big serves on the court, in the WOO Lounge they were popping bottles of bubbly for their VIP guests who got some much needed reprieve from the sun at times during the day, or a place to lounge and socialize at night after work.

“We want tennis people to be proud of the way the event is promoted and want to make it just as exciting for fans who attend NBA Heat Games. We want the Delray Beach Open to be more than tennis with its entertainment, so you will see things out of the norm like the Volley Girls dancing on changeovers, in-stadium hosts engaging fans with contests and games, and the new WOO Lounge skybox area in the middle of the east stands,” Butler explained. “We try to take the event to the next level and want fans to appreciate the great spectator sport that tennis is, but also enjoy everything that is here so they walk away saying ‘that was not what they were expecting’.”

And to that extent, the Delray Beach Open and WOO Creative covered every inch of the court and town when it came to this year’s event so that not only were billboards and large cutouts of the top players seen throughout Delray Beach and neighboring cities, but they even reached residents in their homes by partnering with local businesses who also benefited from this year’s event.

“This year, we partnered with Delivery Dudes who included our brochures with all of their food deliveries in the weeks leading up to the event, and then during the tournament at the end of every session, we would do a cool promo on stadium court encouraging everyone to call Delivery Dudes on their way home so dinner was ready and waiting when they got home,” said Butler.

Delivering from most of the local area’s favorite restaurant locations, the

Delivery Dudes (www.deliverydudes.com) pride themselves on their “hilarious and friendly staff” racing around town (including in other near-by locations like Boca Raton and Boynton Beach) to pick-up and deliver food orders faster than most deliveries are even possible.

“When I got the voicemail John Butler left me about wanting to work with us, I told everyone I knew how incredible it was that an event like the Delray Beach Open wanted to partner with us,” said Jayson Koss, Founder of Delivery Dudes created in Delray Beach about two years ago. “I was taken back to be on the event’s radar with the others like WOO Creative and Polaroid Fotobar who are doing really great things, but it was really fun to be apart of the event and we are very appreciative to have partnered with them.”

But, even with all the new branding, cross promotion and enhancements done for this year’s Delray Beach Open, there is still work to be done for next year’s event.

“My favorite aspects were the little ideas that infiltrated our downtown,” said Bolyston. “From the beginning, we have always felt that during the nine days of the tournament downtown Delray Beach should drip tennis. This year, we had cutouts of Andy Roddick around town as well as over 10,000 tennis ball coasters at all the bars. Next year, we hope to take that to another level.”

31 March, 2014 1 Comment

Thanks Florida Travel +Life But You Missed Boca

March 31, 2014 By Jeff Perlman 1 Comment

Delray’s public beach has been named tops in the southeast.

Florida Travel + Life Magazine is out with their list of best places to live in Florida.

Delray Beach made the cut, but Boca didn’t.

Here’s the magazine’s tally:

Clearwater
Panama City Beach
West Palm Beach
Fort Lauderdale
Naples
Sarasota
Sanibel
Vero Beach
Upper Keys
Jacksonville Beach
Gainesville
Coral Gables

We love the list but find it hard to fathom that Boca wouldn’t be among the top dozen.

A rated schools, top-notch restaurants, incredible parks, beautiful neighborhoods, several universities and a booming economy would seem to favor Boca.

Here’s what Florida Travel had to say about Delray.

“As the silver Mercedes crawls to a stop at Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach, the bearded chin of a wheaten terrier pokes through the open window. The sight of other canines lazing under sidewalk cafe tables piques his curiosity. Atlantic Avenue is Delray’s energy epicenter. The pedestrian traffic and overflowing alfresco cafes, where Fido and Rover are right at home, are what residents — full-time and seasonal — love about this city nestled between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach on the Atlantic Ocean.

Sure, other Florida towns have both urban centers and beaches, but Delray, a city of 60,500, possesses a magnetic quality all its own. It is in part the result of progressive thinking decades ago, when the construction of view-blocking high-rises along the oceanfront was prevented. Commerce was channeled to Atlantic Avenue, a beach-to-business sweep that crosses the Intracoastal Waterway and pushes a dozen blocks westward. During the past 10 years or so, a living, breathing downtown has emerged, and people have followed, trying to live as close as possible to the city’s heart.

“The first thing people ask when they walk into my office is where can they live and walk to Atlantic [Avenue],” says Ted Brown, the managing broker for Prudential Florida Realty’s Delray office. “Delray is a walking town. People from other cities come here to walk, shop, eat or go to the beach.”

Delray’s dynamic downtown has helped soften the impact of the real-estate fallout. Although home prices in some neighborhoods have dropped 35 percent, the rate of foreclosure is lower here than in other parts of Florida. Buyers have returned, and they represent a microcosm of an affluent and upwardly mobile society of young professionals, investors cashing in on a hot rental market (single-family homes fetch up to $4,000 a month), and those like Chicagoans Kim and Kevin Radisewitz, who moved down here to escape the Midwest cold and plan ahead for retirement.

The Radisewitzes purchased a three-bedroom townhome last fall in Latitude, a relatively new condominium and townhome development. It cost them a fraction of the original $500,000 asking price. Since they both work from home, being five blocks from Atlantic Avenue wasn’t as important to them as the two extra bedrooms, which they’ve converted to offices. “We’re big runners and bikers and compete in triathlons,” Kim says. “Delray is a good area for us to spend the winter, and we’re only a mile and a half from the ocean.”

Besides the Atlantic, there’s the Intracoastal Waterway that separates Delray into beachfront and mainland. The beach side falls into a late-night lull, but come morning, power walkers, pedestrians and dogs return to the sidewalks, and bicycle racks fill quickly. However, on the mainland, the hum of Atlantic Avenue’s nightlife, west of the Intracoastal, continues into the early morning hours. The open-air restaurants and bars that cater to night owls attract a wide range of ages. Vic & Angelo’s is a favorite for crisp, charred-crust pizzas, and Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine Lobster Cafe scores for its lobster rolls.

The variety of properties is staggering. Delray Beach has multi- million-dollar waterfront estates, well-preserved 1950s bungalows and Intracoastal condos tucked into neighborhoods on each side of Atlantic Avenue. Inventory south of the avenue is limited, due to residents’ desire to be near both the ocean and the pedestrian hub. Currently, listings show condos in older mid-rise buildings, including the Venetian Village, where the occasional two-bedroom, 1,200-square-foot property runs around $250,000.

Hip Pineapple Grove is an area whose artsy cachet is pro- claimed by a wall mural at Northeast Second and Atlantic avenues. The neighborhood features two- and three-bedroom condos and townhomes adjacent to and above restaurants and boutiques. The 1,200- to 2,400-square-foot homes are just a walk from the new DU20 holistic spa, the home-furnishings store Beached Boat Co. and Max’s Harvest, chef Dennis Max’s farm-to-fork venture.

“Pineapple Grove is an ideal location for everyone who wants to be downtown,” Brown says. “New or relatively new homes with stainless-steel appliances and granite countertops, once priced at $400,000 to $500,000, are selling at $300,000.”

Nearby neighborhoods, such as Banker’s Row, have a mix of architectural styles, from pastel-colored early-1900s-era cottages to Mediterranean Revival mansions. Lake Ida, 10 blocks north of Atlantic Avenue, is a sought-after neighborhood with cul-de-sacs, canals and lakefront single-family homes. Prices range from around $300,000 to $1 million, depending on the age of the home and its proximity to the lake. “Lake Ida is one of the most active markets in the community,” Brown points out. “It has the charm of Old Florida. Buyers are making major improvements to older homes.”

Delray clearly buzzes with an urban energy, but for the Radisewitzes, the beach is still the hands-down winner. “One of our favorite things is spending time at the ocean, just sitting and relaxing in the sun,” Kim says. No doubt, other residents agree.

24 March, 2014 0 Comments

Real Estate Monday: Florida Market Strong; Myeloma Awareness Month

March 24, 2014 By Jeff Perlman Leave a Comment

Florida Real Estate Continues to Show Strength

It is a recipe for a great market: higher median prices, more new listings, fewer days on the market and a stable level of inventory— that’s what happening right now in Florida, according to stats released last week.

The statewide median sales price for single-family existing homes was $165,000 in February, up 10 percent from the year-ago period. And townhouse-condo properties in February had a statewide median sales price of $132,500, up 15.2 percent from a year-ago.

Compared to the rest of the nation, Florida prices seem a relative bargain.

The national median sales price for existing single-family homes in January, the most recent data available, was $188,900, up 10.4 percent from the previous year, and the national median existing condo price was $188,700, according to the National Association of Realtors.

There were 15,826 single-family home sales closed statewide last month, up 1.5 percent from the year-ago period. And new listings for single-family homes in the Sunshine State in February rose 11.6 percent year-over-year, while new townhouse-condo listings rose 4.2 percent.

Florida’s statewide townhome-condo sales totaled 7,578 last month, down 6.8 percent from February 2013. The closed sales data reflected fewer short sales last month: Short sales for condo-townhome properties fell 59.6 percent while short sales for single-family homes declined 51.9 percent, according to the Florida Association of Realtors

Inventory was at a 5.7-months’ supply last month for single-family homes and at a 6.1-months’ supply for townhouse-condo properties, according to the Florida Realtors.

“The majority of results for the residential market paint a picture of a normal growing market,” said Florida Realtors Chief Economist John Tuccillo. “The weaker results in sales for both single-family homes and townhouses and condos are solely the result of plummeting short sales. This is actually a good sign since short sales are falling because prices are rising, reducing the number of homes that fall into the potential short sales category.”

Myeloma Awareness Month

Last month, we ran into our good friend Ken Zeno.

Ken is a certified health and wellness coach and a volunteer for the International Myeloma Foundation. He was also recently diagnosed with this blood cancer.

Ken asked us to raise awareness of this disease and remind people that March “Myeloma Awareness Month.”

Myeloma is the second most common blood cancer affecting 750,000 people worldwide, 100,000 in the United States and 20,000 newly diagnosed cases annually. The majority of patients have never heard of it. Multiple Myeloma is a type of cancer that is caused by malignant plasma cells that proliferate in the bone marrow and can lead to anemia, infections, bone lesions and fractures, vertebral compressions, osteoporosis, severe pain and kidney dysfunction. Since the news reports that Tom Brokaw has Myeloma, there is increasing interest about the disease.

When Ken first heard he had multiple myeloma, in October 2013, he was shocked. He had never heard of Myeloma nor did family or friends. He notes that he has always tried to live a life-long healthy lifestyle, especially since he opened one of the first natural foods markets in Massachusetts in 1970. Myeloma symptoms can be easily dismissed or confused with other medical conditions and overlooked. In Ken’s case, he experienced extreme fatigue, kidney problems and arthritic-like pain in his joints. After three months of experiencing these symptoms, he saw a Nephrologist due to persistent increasing elevated creatinine levels in his blood. Ken underwent a Kidney biopsy and a subsequent Bone biopsy. The diagnosis of multiple myeloma was confirmed. Increased awareness about myeloma will help our local citizens and medical community recognize the symptoms sooner, leading to quicker diagnosis and treatment.

While there is no cure for multiple myeloma, there are many treatment options, including chemotherapy, radiation, stem cell transplantation and some novel and emerging therapies. Myeloma patients have a greater chance of survival today than years past due to increasing research in the efficacy of new drugs. For information on myeloma clinical trials see https://www.clinicaltrials.gov and type in “myeloma” in the search box. Ken is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment to bring the disease into remission. He is also researching evidence-based complementary treatment modalities with a goal to integrate them into his current treatment plan with hopes of guidance from knowledgeable professional healthcare providers. An integrative approach to recovery exemplifies Ken’s perspective towards health & wellness as well as prevention and rehabilitation.

With the support of the International Myeloma Foundation, Ken is an active member of the Boca Raton/Delray Beach, FL Multiple Myeloma Support Group. The group brings together myeloma patients, caregivers and family members to share their experiences and success with treatments and outcomes, as well as coping with side effects and general Myeloma information and resources. Notable Myeloma specialists have been invited to present the latest evidence-based therapeutic approaches to successful remission. The group meets the first Monday of the month at the Patch Reef Park Community Center. 2000 West Yamato Rd. in Boca Raton, FL (561-367-7035).

Because of the need to increase awareness, The International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) is designating “March as Myeloma Awareness Month”. The IMF fosters collaborative research, empowers people through education, provides support for patients and families and advocates for the healthcare needs of Myeloma patients. For information on the IMF call 1-800-452-2873 or www.myeloma.org

We wish Ken well and thank him for his advocacy and support.

17 March, 2014 0 Comments

Monday Odds & Ends: Mickey Mantle Edition

March 17, 2014 By Jeff Perlman Leave a Comment

The Mick

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to All

This weekend’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival in Delray seemed to go off without a hitch.

Congratulations to John Fischer and his team, FMG, the City of Delray Beach and others for continuing the tradition started by Maury Powers all those years ago.

Mickey Mantle Watch Donated to Library

A rare Mickey Mantle watch, signed and worn by the Yankee slugger, will now be on display at the Delray Beach Public Library thanks to a donation by local restaurant owner Fran Marincola, who has previously donated several other baseball memorabilia items to the library.

“What makes this watch special is that it’s part of a limited edition and it was one of only two actually worn by Mickey Mantle,” says Marincola, founder/partner of Caffè Luna Rosa in Delray Beach. “It has his picture on the face and it’s signed by Mantle on the back.”

The watch is the latest addition to the library’s baseball memorabilia collection, which includes autographed photographs, books and an original 1954 Mickey Mantle contract – all donated by Marincola.

“What’s different about this collection is that it’s fun, it’s unique and it adds value to our community library,” says Delray Beach Public Library Director Alan Kornblau. “It’s an extension of what we have in the library but in a less traditional form.”

“Housed on the library’s second floor not far from the top of the staircase, the collection has become a popular display, drawing visitors from throughout South Florida.

“This is a big part of Americana,” Kornblau said. “It brings back good feelings and brings out the kid in all of us.”

The contract, which shows that Mantle was paid $21,000 in 1954, is the crown jewel in the collection that also includes a framed replica of a couple of Life Magazine covers featuring the Yankee Hall of Fame member, as well as close to 20 autographed photos of players from years gone, such as Yogi Berra, Sandy Kofax, Warren Spahn and Carl Hubbell, a left-handed screwball pitcher with the New York Giants. There is also an autographed photo of Don Larsen, who pitched the sixth perfect game in baseball history in game five of the 1956 World Series.

“He autographed it on the day of his perfect game,” Marincola said

The collection also includes a rare book, The New York Yankees: An Illustrated History by Donald Honig, which includes 30 signed photos of Yankees, as well as other Hall of Fame players.

The bulk of the items on display, Marincola said, were sold to him at a discounted price by Delray Beach residents Jim and Jodi Murray who knew the memorabilia would be donated to the library.

Marincola said he decided to donate his personal collection of Yankee and baseball memorabilia to the library because he thought it was important to share the pieces of baseball history with other people who appreciate their significance.

“I figured, Why not let everyone enjoy these things?” he said.

Another weekend another event

Locals may want to prepare for this weekend’s Twilight Festival, March 22-23 in downtown Delray. The fest features bikes, pro races, kids races, BMX etc. etc.

It’s a hoot. But it will also create some logistical issues this weekend. Here’s our guide to help you navigate.

The following road closures, paid parking facilities and modified trolley service will be in effect on Saturday, March 22, 2014, during the Delray Beach Twilight Festival: For complete information visit www.delraybeachtwilight.com

Road Closures

On Saturday, March 22nd, from 4:00 pm to 11:00 pm:

Atlantic Avenue will be closed from Swinton Avenue to Railroad Avenue
Railroad Avenue will be closed from Atlantic Avenue to NE 1st Street
NE 1st Street will be closed from Railroad Avenue to Swinton Avenue
Swinton Avenue will be closed from NE 1st Street to Atlantic Avenue
SE 2nd Avenue will be closed from Atlantic Avenue to the alleyway south of Atlantic Avenue
Vehicle crossings will be maintained on NE 1st Street at NE 1st & 2nd Avenues but may temporarily be closed during the races
Road closures will not be in effect on Friday, March 21st

NOTE: Intersections on NE 1st Street at NE 1st Avenue and NE 2nd Avenue will be manned by police officers to allow access to the Old School Square Garage and businesses on NE 2nd Avenue.

Parking Facilities

On Saturday, March 22nd, paid parking ($5 per vehicle) will be in effect during the following hours:

– Old School Square Garage, 95 NE 1st Avenue, 12:00 pm (noon) – 12:00 am (midnight)

– Robert Federspiel Garage, 22 SE 1st Avenue, 10:00 am – 12:00 am (midnight)

– South County Courthouse Garage, 65 SW 2nd Avenue, 12:00 pm (noon) – 11:00 pm

– City Hall North Lot, 100 NW 1st Avenue, 12:00 pm (noon) – 10:00 pm

Parking attendants accept cash only, upon entry, and will monitor the parking facilities until the posted closing times.

Downtown Roundabout Modified Trolley Service

On Saturday, March 22nd, the Downtown Roundabout will operate its regular weekend schedule (ROUTE 1, 8am-6pm; ROUTE 2, noon-11pm), providing free roundtrip service along Atlantic Avenue between the Tri-Rail Station on South Congress Avenue to Ocean Blvd/SR A1A. While road closures are in effect, trolley service will detour to NE/SE 2nd Streets to bypass Atlantic Avenue in the core areas. Regular service will resume subsequent to roadways opening. Please expect delays due to additional traffic generated by this event.