đȘ§ No sale
Hello, Tuesday. For you today, when buying land is a crime, West Palm Beach's library draws a line, a double shot of barbecue news and VIPs get on the bus.
New challenge to ban on Chinese land buys
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The Fair Housing Center of the Greater Palm Beaches is one of five national and state housing groups that is suing to throw out a nearly year-old state law that makes it a crime for people from seven countries to buy land in Florida.
As head of one of two nonprofits in the state dedicated solely to combatting housing discrimination, Director Vince Larkins said the law strikes at the heart of his Lake Worth Beach-based agencyâs mission.
âThe people of Florida deserve better than a government that says âyou are not welcomeâ to large groups of people just because they were born in a particular country,â Larkins said. âWe cannot sit idly by while housing discrimination is now the official policy of the state of Florida.â
The measure, which Gov. Ron DeSantis spearheaded and signed into law weeks before embarking on a failed presidential run, bars residents of China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela and Syria from buying property in Florida even if they are in the country legally to work, study or are seeking asylum.
Is it an outright ban? While the law offers exceptions for home ownership, they are mirages, says the 67-page lawsuit filed last week in U.S. District Court in Miami.
Because the measure carves out a 10-mile swath around military installations and so-called âcritical infrastructure facilities,â such as airports and power plants, 99% of residential land is off-limits, wrote Miami attorney J. Courtney Cunningham, joined by lawyers from Washington, D.C.
Why was it passed? Republican lawmakers insisted the measure was about protecting national security, but little evidence was presented to back up that claim, Cunningham wrote.
Instead, he said, DeSantis used âpernicious stereotypesâ to justify the need for the law. It would prevent the Chinese from âwormingâ their way into American society, he said.Â
Bill sponsor, state Sen. Jay Collins, R-Tampa, said the ban was needed to block ownership by âforeign agentsâ who âdonât stand with U.S. thought process, how we live our life, how we do things.âÂ
Back story: So-called âalien land lawsâ were common in the 1900s, when states followed the lead of California, which in 1913 barred Japanese â and later all Asians â from owning land. Florida in 2018 became the last state to repeal its ban when voters removed it from the state Constitution.
Other lawsuits: Four Chinese nationals, including a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautics University in Daytona Beach, filed suit in May 2023 to overturn the new law. They claim it derailed their plans to buy homes or would force them to register their ownership with state officials. An appellate court in February blocked enforcement of the law against homebuyers. Additional rulings are expected.Â
Also, two doctoral students at Florida International University and a professor at the University of Florida in March filed suit. They too claim the measure violates federal law.
So why another lawsuit? The suit joined by the countyâs fair housing agency is much broader than the others. It addresses not just the ban on property ownership by Chinese people, but on those from the other six countries as well. Â
Related reading: Is China really buying up U.S. farmland?
â Jane Musgrave
𧳠For homeless, sign of the times
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Homeless people in West Palm Beach received yet another sign last week that city officials donât want them around.
The sign â this one literal â was posted on the door of the Mandel Public Library. The three-paragraph missive outlined ânew safety protocolsâ that prohibit certain items from being brought into the downtown library.
Whatâs prohibited: Backpacks with frames, suitcases or bags that measure more than 3-feet in width or length and things on wheels, such as shopping carts and bicycles â âspecifically (those) being used to carry or store baggage.â
The directive is signed âLibrary Administration.â
What prompted the action? City spokesperson Diane Papadakos didnât respond to an email seeking comment before publication. On Tuesday, she wrote "These limits are in place in order to maintain clear and usable walkways, reduce theft of personal items and ensure safety during emergency evacuation situations.â She did not reference homeless library patrons.
Of note: Mayor Keith James ducked WPEC-TV reporter Al Pefleyâs questions last week about the cityâs homeless problems. Papadakos had Pefley thrown out of a Kravis Center luncheon where the mayor received a âHousing Heroâ award for supporting affordable housing.
More of the same? The city has a long history of villainizing the homeless, said Joey Nieves, director of homeless outreach for The Lordâs Place, which helps feed and house the homeless. The new library restrictions are just part of those efforts, he said.Â
âIt doesnât surprise me,â he said.
Despite vocal and emotional opposition, the city last year passed a law forcing those who want to feed the homeless to get permits imposing severe limits. After a judge declared the measure unconstitutional, the city tweaked it.
In 2020, the city tried to pass a law making it a crime to sleep on city streets. Instead, it enacted a measure limiting the prohibition to downtown and Northwood. On Oct. 1, as a result of a new state law, sleeping in public will be banned throughout the state.
The library is one of the only places homeless people can go to have some semblance of a normal life, Nieves said. While some just want to watch videos, others use the public computers to write resumes or find out about job openings or places to live.
The reason for the restriction is obvious and, sadly, likely to be effective, he said.
âIt will make the homeless not want to go there and thatâs what theyâre trying to do.âÂ
â Jane Musgrave
See Janeâs full story here.
This story was updated after publication to include a comment from city spokesperson Diane Papadakos.
đšđŸâđł McCrayâs to open West Palm Beach barbecue
Two longtime Palm Beach County restaurateurs are joining forces to sustain a 90-year-old family tradition.
Whatâs happening: Derrick McCray, owner of McCrayâs Backyard Bar-B-Q, told Stet News he is working with restaurant owner Rodney Mayo to open a location in West Palm Beach.
McCray operated the popular barbecue on 45th Street in Mangonia Park until March.Â
He reached out to Mayo, who he considers a mentor, to help re-establish McCrayâs.
Mayoâs Subculture Group operates bars and restaurants including Kapow, Howleyâs and Respectable Street in West Palm Beach, Dada in Delray Beach and five Subculture coffee shops.Â
What he said: About Mayo, âI love his eclectic vibe, and I am in awe of his long history of success,â said McCray, whose family has been in the barbecue business since 1934. âI am confident we will make a perfect match.â
Mayo confirmed the men are planning to rebuild the business starting with a food truck on property Subculture recently bought at Roseland Drive and Henry Avenue.
It is just a few blocks north of The Peach, Mayoâs art collective on Georgia Avenue south of the Southern Boulevard overpass.
Of note: McCrayâs has helped cater 18 Super Bowls.
The goal is to open in June, the 90th anniversary month of the founding of the McCray family business.
âI would like to see him get to 100 years,â Mayo said.
â Carolyn DiPaolo
đ Eli Manning tackles barbecue
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NFL great Eli Manning came to West Palm Beach last week, not to promote the fourth season of his co-called ManningCast, where he and his brother, Peyton, chat with guests and make fun of one another during âMonday Night Football.â
Rather he came to draw attention to the opening of a BBQGuys Backyard Design Center, the third in the nation after Baton Rouge, La., and Alpharetta, Ga.
A little background: Manning is a partner in Brand Velocity Group, which owns the high-end outdoor kitchen and barbecue distributor. The store opened with Teak + Table, an outdoor furniture business out of Charleston, S.C., in an 8,000-square-foot space in an industrial section of Flamingo Park at 500 Palm St.
The center is so close to the FEC Railway tracks a freight train passing by seems to be part of the storeâs offerings.Â
Why itâs important: The retailers spent about $300,000 transforming the 1920s-era building into a sales center for barbecues and outdoor kitchens, with costs up to $40,000, from manufacturers Blaze, Lynx, DCS, Kalamazoo, Urban Bonfire, Kamado Joe and more.
As he does on âMNF with Peyton and Eli,â Manning comes across as unassuming. For the most part, he stayed in the background, despite his 6-foot, 5-inch frame.
To a TV reporter, Manning introduces himself as âEli Manning, brand ambassador of BBQGuys,â and turns to CEO Russ Wheeler. âIs that accurate?â
âAnd boss,â Wheeler adds.
Manning took no credit for barbecue exploits.
Speaking of the Blaze brand barbecue the company installed at his New Jersey home, Manning said, âIt made me a better griller. I need all the help I can get.â
Later he gave credit to his mother.
âMy dad (NFL quarterback Archie Manning) was not a griller. My mom (Olivia) was the one on the grill. So I learned from my mom,â he said. âWhen she comes to visit ⊠she usually takes over and says âLet me handle this, I know what Iâm doing.ââ
Asked why he wasnât wearing his trademark quarter-zip but instead a short-sleeved New York Giants-blue collared shirt, he said, âToo hot.âÂ
He spoke briefly about the Miami Dolphins, who recently added his former New York Giants teammate, wide receiver Odell Beckham. âFun to watch,â he said.
â Joel Engelhardt
âïž The juice
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âȘïž In case you missed it: Stet News reported Friday that the CityPlace developers have proposed removing the stairway from the Harriet Himmel Theater, a move that preservationists say would forever damage the 1926 buildingâs historic integrity. Downtown Neighborhood Association Vice President Rick Rose urged city commissioners Monday night to stop all permits for the building until its future is resolved. To respond to a DNA survey about the building, click here. (Stet News)
âđŒ Another icon departs: The farewell column from Palm Beach Post food writer Liz Balmaseda touches on some of her favorite moments since the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer moved here from the Miami Herald 18 years ago. (Spoiler alert: She doesnât mention the Pulitzer.) (The Palm Beach Post $$$)
đ Martina Tate Walker gave up a run for West Palm Beach City Commission to work on homelessness issues, as Stet reported in January. Her Omnipotent Ministry is hosting a panel on homelessness with County Commissioner Mack Bernard, state Sen. Bobby Powell and others at 6 p.m. May 21 at the offices of Extraordinary Charities, 2635 Old Okeechobee Road, West Palm Beach.
đïž Housing bonds first pitch: The Palm Beach County Commission gave its first closeup look last week at how some of the money from the voter-approved $200 million affordable housing bond issue should be spent. Some commissioners balked over spending too much to get too little. (WLRN)
Susan Backlinie, who was the first victim in âJawsâ and grew up swimming in West Palm Beach, has died at 77. (The New York Times - gift link)
đïž 561 insider: A showcase for mass transit
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Community leaders are riding the bus this month to promote Palm Tran.
Why itâs important: Palm Beach Countyâs public bus routes connect riders to nearly 3,000 stops including the airport, hospitals and all Tri-Rail stations.
2023 ridership was up 17% over the previous year, according to the transit serviceâs annual report.
An upgraded Palm Tran system could ease the impact of the countyâs booming population on traffic.
Whatâs happening: Palm Tranâs Letâs Get on the Bus challenge recruits include County Commissioners Mack Bernard, Marci Woodward and Gregg Weiss, School Board member Marcia Andrews and Palm Beach Gardens Mayor Chelsea Reed.
Each Transit Champion chose a favorite destination and invited a team to join them on Palm Tran.Â
The VIPs have visited the beach, the Gardens Mall and the Palm Beach Zoo.
Of note: Palm Tran accepts digital payments such as ApplePay and Google Pay, debit and credit cards, cash and payment through the Paradise app and traditional bus pass.
On Friday, we joined Downtown Development Authority Executive Director Raphael Clemente, and City Commissioners Christy Fox and Christina Lambert on a Palm Tram excursion to Havana Restaurant in West Palm Beach.
The clean, air-conditioned Palm Tran bus took about 20 minutes to travel along the most popular route, U.S. Route 1, to get to the 24-hour service window.
Clemente passed out gift cards to morning commuters on the bus.
What theyâre saying: âWe canât fund the system unless we have riders,â Lambert said.
Whatâs next: More rides are planned: They include Wednesday with One Parking CEO Kirsten Dolan to Drive Shack, Friday with Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency Executive Director Valerie Neilson to Okeeheelee Park, May 24 with Kim Delaney of the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council to the Peanut Island shuttle boat and May 29 with WPBgo Executive Director Jonathan Hopkins to the Norton Museum of Art.
Sign up here to hop aboard.
â Carolyn DiPaolo
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