Home Care In Palm Beach, FL

Guess who’s coming to lunch in Palm Beach? A more diverse crowd, say island restaurants that launched lunch service this season.

The much-appreciated ladies who lunch are still out in force, although they’re not the army they once were, observers say.

And it’s rare to see the midday martini-maulers of yesterday.

But as Palm Beach continues to reign as an “it” place, there are more vacationers, businesspeople, stay-at-home parents and late-lunchers skipping dinner as part of recently popular nighttime fasting regimes.

P.B Catch

251 Sunrise Ave.

To fulfill all of their needs and wants, “we’ve found out how important it is to have variety,” said PB Catch managing partner Thierry Beaud.

Since PB Catch launched lunch service in December after having been a dinner-only restaurant for a dozen years, the Sunrise Avenue seafood restaurant and raw bar has aimed to please everyone from “guests enjoying a leisurely lunch experience similar to what we offer at dinner” to “busy guests who want to be in and out quickly,” veteran restaurateur Beaud told the Daily News.

Popular items so far on the new lunch menu by chef de cuisine Kevin Sawyer have included raw-bar fare; New England clam chowder ($15); a lobster roll ($38) on a butter-toasted bun with a side of cole slaw; and grilled branzino ($33) with tomato confit and lemon-artichoke sauce.

Another popular lunch dish at PB Catch: a spicy tuna stack ($21) with Ahi tuna, avocado, mango, sambal, sweet soy, toasted sesame seeds and crispy wontons.

Acqua Cafe?

2875 S. Ocean Blvd.

Acqua Cafe?, formerly dinner-only, also launched lunch in December.

The South Ocean Boulevard restaurant in the South End is known for its “Mediterranean coastal cuisine”— including Italian specialties by Italy-native executive chef Pierangelo Badioli — but at lunch, American favorites also shine.

Think Cobb salad ($24); crispy corn “ribs” with paprika cre?me fraiche ($12); and an eight-ounce burger ($25) made with beef brisket, short rib and Angus topped with Gruyere, crispy shallots, mushrooms and more.

Other popular lunch items at Acqua: chicken “lollipops” with spicy buffalo or teriyaki sauce ($15); pan-roasted salmon ($32); and a lobster roll ($30) piled with avocado and salad greens.

“It’s an interesting time to serve lunch in Palm Beach,” Acqua’s managing partner Jose Duran told the Daily News. “There are now many different people who enjoy lunch out and the important thing is to be there for all of them.

“The demographic (in the South End) includes retired people and nearby hotel guests, but these days also stay-at-home moms,” he noted. “We’ve been really pleasantly surprised by the appreciation (to Acqua’s lunch offerings).”

Lola 41

290 Sunset Ave.

Elsewhere, LoLa 41, the Midtown restaurant known for its cuisine influenced by countries on the 41st parallel, is placing a renewed emphasis on lunch.

While it has served lunch since 2020, it debuted a new lunch menu in January.

With about 40% new items, lunch at LoLa 41 now offers such dishes as Korean beef buns ($24) with gochujang beef, kimchi pickles, yuzu kewpie, crispy garlic and scallions; and wild mushroom fried rice ($24) with chili-mango sauce, egg, carrot, snow peas, crispy chili, scallion, lime, mint and cilantro.

A new Bento box ($30) is a multi-course meal-in-one presentation with miso soup; jasmine rice or fried rice; edamame or kimchi pickles; a half sushi roll (shrimp tempura, beet maki, California, spicy tuna or salmon) and two pieces of sashimi or nigiri (salmon, tuna or yellowtail).

“Lunch has been really busy for us this season,” general manager Anthony Budd told the Daily News. “As the signature hotel of the White Elephant, we enjoy a lot of hotel guests, but beyond that we see businesspeople, locals and then others celebrating events like birthday and weddings and baby showers.

“Part of the reason why we enhanced the de?cor on our outdoor patio this season is because we noticed a big response with lunch. We couldn’t be more pleased.”

Savor

100 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan

Meanwhile, patrons also are diverse at Eau Palm Beach Resort’s new al fresco restaurant, Savor, but they all have one thing in common: Endeavoring to eat more healthfully — at least while lunching at this daytime terrace eatery in Manalapan.

With trickling Zen-like water-de?cor features, it serves Eau hotel and spa guests, plus members of the general public looking for a tasty bite, Eau officials noted.

Savor offers such menu items as avocado toast ($20), edamame hummus ($18) and an artisanal cheese-and-fruit plate ($24).

A chicken pesto sandwich ($22) with basil pesto, tomato, mozzarella and arugula are among hand-held items. “Bowl” dishes also are featured, such as the toasted chickpea Mediterranean bowl ($26) with quinoa or mixed greens, cucumber, tomato, olives, red onion, and tzatziki sauce.

Assisting Hands Home Care - Palm Beach County ("Assisting Hands® Palm Beach") announced today that it received the distinguished 2024 Best of Home Care –Leader in Experience Award from HCP. The Leader in Experience Award is the highest recognition awarded by HCP and is given to select home care businesses that consistently rank among the very highest in 10 or more quality metrics.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Feb. 28, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Assisting Hands Home Care - Palm Beach County ("Assisting Hands® Palm Beach") announced today that it received the distinguished 2024 Best of Home Care –Leader in Experience Award from HCP, the leading firm in experience management for post-acute care. The Leader in Experience Award is the highest recognition awarded by HCP and is given to select home care businesses that consistently rank among the very highest in 10 or more quality metrics. As a Leader in Experience, Assisting Hands® Palm Beach is now recognized among the top 10% of home care providers participating in the nationwide HCP Experience Management Program.

This accomplishment demonstrates Assisting Hands® Palm Beach's long-term dedication to excellent care and quality improvement. To qualify for this award, 10% of Assisting Hands® Palm Beach's clients and caregivers were interviewed each month by HCP. Over a 12-month period, Assisting Hands® Palm Beach received high client and caregiver satisfaction ratings in areas such as caregiver training, compassion of caregivers, communication, scheduling, client/caregiver compatibility, and more. Using feedback from clients and employees, as well as quality benchmarks from HCP, the Assisting Hands® Palm Beach management team set goals to reach the highest level of Experience possible.

"For us, this award isn't just a recognition; it shows the genuine care and compassion we bring to every client we serve. It reminds us of the real impact we have on people's lives, right in the comfort of their own homes." says Marina Ramírez-Pesquera, President of Assisting Hands® Palm Beach.

The Best of Home Care – Leader in Experience Award highlights the top-performing home care businesses in the nation. HCP believes that by honoring these providers, families looking for in-home care for a loved one will be able to recognize and choose a trusted home care provider.

"At HCP, our mission is to help post-acute care businesses create an experience that goes beyond client and caregiver expectations; ultimately improving outcomes for all stakeholders in the care continuum," says Todd Austin, President of HCP. "When we see agencies like Assisting Hands® Palm Beach that have so effectively provided outstanding care and employment experiences, we know we're on the right track. Assisting Hands® Palm Beach has worked extremely hard to prioritize high-quality care and employment, and their work hasn't gone unnoticed. This award allows them to show proof of quality to potential clients and caregivers."

To find out more about Assisting Hands® Palm Beach's commitment to experience, please visit https://assistinghands.com/34/florida/palmbeach/ or call (561) 829-3080.

About Assisting Hands® Palm Beach Assisting Hands® Palm Beach was founded in 2012 and its mission is to offer clients personalized non-medical home care and support services, assisting the elderly, disabled and others needing assistance to maintain quality of life.

About HCP HCP's vision is to partner with the long-term and post-acute care industry, providing mission-critical applications to improve outcomes for all stakeholders in the care continuum, enabling the delivery of exceptional experiences. HCP offers RN-developed training, satisfaction surveys, hiring and reputation management tools designed to help you become the best employer and provider in your area—and make sure everyone knows about it. Known industry-wide for its Benchmarking Report and Best of Home Care awards, HCP is redefining the future of post-acute care. For more information, visit https://www.homecarepulse.com/.

Media Contact

Marina Ramírez-Pesquera, Assisting Hands® Palm Beach, (561) 829-3080, mramirez@assistinghands.com, https://assistinghands.com/34/florida/palmbeach/

SOURCE Assisting Hands® Palm Beach

The Florida Supreme Court recently disciplined seven attorneys — disbarring one, revoking the licenses of three, suspending two and reprimanding one. Court orders are not final until time expires for the disciplined attorney to file a rehearing motion.

The attorneys represent law practices from across the state. Disbarred lawyers may not reapply for admission for five years and are required to undergo a rigorous background check, as well as retake the Bar exam. Attorneys suspended for 91 days and longer must demonstrate rehabilitation in order to regain their law licenses.

Disciplinary revocation is tantamount to disbarment.

Palm Beach

Guillermo Jose Farinas, suspended for 91 days. Admitted to practice in 1979, Farinas filed a frivolous appeal. As a sanction, the appellate court awarded the attorney’s fees and costs to the opposing party.

Lakeland

Curtis Barryl Lee, public reprimand and ordered to attend Ethics School. Admitted to practice in 1991, Lee was ordered by a senior district judge to show cause for failing to comply with Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11(b). The court entered an order on March 3 stating that Lee failed to be reasonably diligent when making representations to the court that were not supported by the evidence in the record regarding a motion for a new trial. Lee was sanctioned by receiving a written admonishment posted on the website of the Middle District of Florida.

Jacksonville

Reginald Luster, disbarred. Admitted to practice in 1988, Luster was accused of practicing law while suspended in several complaints. He was contacting insurance companies to settle claims for “clients.” Luster’s bank records also indicated he was receiving settlement monies while suspended.

St. Petersburg

Joshua Theodore Mosley, suspended for 10 days. Admitted to practice in 2012, Mosley pled nolo contendere to reckless driving (reduced from DUI first offense). The court withheld adjudication and placed Mosley on probation for 364 days and fined him $1,551. Mosley successfully completed all conditions of his probation.

Later, Mosley pled nolo contendere to driving under the influence with property damage, a first-degree misdemeanor; refusal to submit to DUI test after license suspension, a first-degree misdemeanor; and violation of driver’s license restrictions, a second-degree misdemeanor. Mosley was adjudicated guilty on the three counts, and the state dismissed the remaining counts.

Mosley was sentenced to a total of 30 days in jail, with credit for time served in the rehabilitation program he completed and was placed on probation for 364 days with special conditions.

Palm Harbor

Michael Gary Stepakoff, disciplinary revocation with leave to seek readmission after five years. Admitted to practice in 1990, Stepakoff plead guilty to a misdemeanor offense for participating in the demonstration and entry into the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021. On Jan. 20, 2023, he was sentenced to probation for a term of 12 months and ordered to pay fines and restitution.

Tampa

Dennis Joseph Szafran, disciplinary revocation with leave to seek readmission after five years. Admitted to practice in 2015, Szafran abruptly closed his law firm, DJS Law Group, in October. At the time of closure, Szafran had about 800 clients. The way he closed his firm resulted in him abandoning both his practice and his clients.

Szafran failed to take reasonable steps to communicate with his clients or take proper steps to ensure their interests were protected. After the closure of his firm and prior to filing the petition for disciplinary revocation, Szafran had over 60 pending disciplinary matters involving various allegations, including failure to communicate with clients, excessive fees and failure to represent clients diligently and competently.

Ocala

Jason Dale Volkman, permanent disciplinary revocation. Admitted to practice in 2000, Volkman pled nolo contendere to one count of sexual battery on a person 12-18 years by a person in familial custodial authority, a first-degree felony; 20 counts of promoting a sexual performance by a child, second-degree felonies; 20 counts of possession of child pornography (10 or more Images), second-degree felonies; one count of delivery of opiates, a second-degree felony; two counts of video voyeurism, third-degree felonies; and one count of contributing to the delinquency or dependency of a minor, a first-degree misdemeanor.

The court sentenced Volkman to 30 years in the Florida Department of Corrections followed by five years of sex offender probation on count 1; 15 years in the Florida Department of Corrections on counts 2-42; five years in the Florida Department of Corrections on counts 43-44; and 364 days in the Marion County Jail in count 45.

The sentences are to run concurrently.

The petitioner was credited with 496 days of time served. He was further designated a sexual predator pursuant to Florida Statute 775.21. The court ordered that he shall have no victim contact, submit a DNA sample, pay a $100 fine, mandatory court costs, and $150 to the Office of the State Attorney for the cost of the prosecution.

The Florida Supreme Court, The Florida Bar and its Department of Lawyer Regulation administer a statewide disciplinary system to enforce Supreme Court rules of professional conduct for the more than 110,000 members of The Florida Bar.

Key discipline case files that are public record are posted to attorneys’ individual online Florida Bar profiles. To view discipline documents, follow these steps. Information on the discipline system and how to file a complaint are available at www.floridabar.org/attorneydiscipline.

Darrell Hofheinz

Hollywood icon Sylvester Stallone and his wife have decided the next chapter of their lives will be spent in Florida rather than California, the “Rocky” star announced last week during an episode of “The Family Stallone” reality television series.

Stallone and his wife, former model Jennifer Flavin Stallone, have owned a vacation home in Palm Beach since December 2020, when they bought their estate through a trust for a recorded $35.38 million. They have since remodeled the gated lakefront property , which has a main residence and two outbuildings, at 1480 N. Lake Way on the North End.

Sylvester Stallone told his daughters — Scarlet, Sistine and Sophia — about the decision to relocate “permanently” to Florida on a Feb. 21 episode of the television series. The episode kicked off the show’s second season.

“After long, hard consideration, your mother and I have decided (it’s) time to move on and leave the state of California permanently,” he said. “And, we're going to Florida.”

He added: “We already have a place (in Florida). It's a done deal.”

Stallone also said he and his wife were going to sell their California house.

The Stallones are now empty-nesters, and that apparently influenced their decision to make Florida their permanent home. Two of their daughters are living in New York City, and the other is enrolled at the University of Miami.

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“I raised all three of our daughters in California,” Jennifer Stallone said during the Feb. 21 episode. "Everything's a memory to me, memories of them not being there anymore. So, I needed a big change, and Sly went along with it.”

On Friday, Florida first lady Casey DeSantis — in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter — expressed her pleasure that the Stallones would be permanent residents of the Sunshine State.

"Welcome to the Free State of Florida," DeSantis wrote.

The decision to relocate from Los Angeles was difficult, Sylvester Stallone said during the television episode. “We have a lot of roots in California, so it's not an easy transition to Florida," he said. "But Jennifer really had her heart set on it. I gave in.”

Born in New York, Stallone built his career in California, where he and his family have lived for many years. He also once owned a vacation home in Miami.

“The Family Stallone” premiered on Paramount+ in May 2023 and was then renewed for a second season.

The Stallones’ Carribean-style estate in Palm Beach encompasses 1½-acres with otudoor loggias, a swimming pool, a whirlpool spa and a sandy beach, all facing 254 feet of frontage on the Intracoastal Waterway.

Sylvester Stallone had already declared himself a resident of Palm Beach County via a courthouse document recorded in January 2021. He also has had his Palm Beach home designated as his primary residence in the county's property tax rolls since 2021.

In 2022, the Palm Beach estate made headlines when Jennifer Stallone filed for divorce. But the couple soon reconciled and ended the divorce action.

The Oscar-nominated star of the “Rocky” and “Rambo” movie franchises has strong ties to Florida.

Sly Stallone is a University of Miami Hurricane, with a BFA

During his student years, Stallone took classes at Miami Dade College before enrolling in the University of Miami’s acting school, where he received his bachelor of fine arts degree.

The celebrity’s Miami connection

In the 1990s, Sylvester Stallone owned a waterfront home on Miami’s Biscayne Bay, joining the likes, at the time, of pop superstar Madonna, singer Julio Iglesias, the Bee Gees’ Barry Gibb and Oprah Winfrey. Stallone sold the estate near Coconut Grove for a recorded $16.2 million in 1999.

Stallone's family ties to Palm Beach County

His late father and polo enthusiast, Frank Stallone Sr., had a longtime home in the equestrian village of Wellington, about 30 miles west of Palm Beach.

Who are Stallone's celebrity neighbors in Palm Beach?

Stallone is only one of a constellation of celebrities who own homes in Palm Beach. That list includes rockers Jon Bon Jovi and Rod Stewart, television host and radio shock jock Howard Stern; celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz; and conservative firebrand Sean Hannity.

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This story has been updated from a previous version to correct the address on North Lake Way. Portions of this story previous appeared on PalmBeachDailyNews.com.

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Darrell Hofheinz is a USA TODAY Network of Florida journalist who writes about Palm Beach real estate in his weekly “Beyond the Hedges” column. He welcomes tips about real estate news on the island. Email[email protected], call 561-820-3831 or tweet @PBDN_Hofheinz.

Palm Beach County’s penny tax, levied through sales tax on every dollar spent in the county, will end next year after county leaders agreed to let it lapse.

Commissioners and members of the Palm Beach County League of Cities in a joint meeting this week declined to bring to voters the prospect of renewing the tax, which funded infrastructure projects. They favored instead investment in transportation — potentially via another surtax.

The one-cent sales tax, approved by county voters eight years ago, brought in nearly $2.7 billion dollars. It will be allowed to expire in December 2025, as originally planned.

Commissioner Mack Bernard says the measure — combined with rising property taxes and insurance premiums — is not sustainable, saying “there's no real plan in regards to how we're going to use these dollars,” he said.

“A break to our constituents is what we need to do,” county commissioner Maria Marino added.

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Bernard, who is among county commissioners who supports the school district asking voters for a half penny surtax to pay for their infrastructure needs, said the county wants to give taxpayers a break from this specific sunsetting surtax.

“You can’t continue with taxes, and taxes, and taxes,” said Bernard, during an emotional exchange with Belle Glade Mayor Steve Wilson, who among smaller cities showed some support for surtax renewal.

A tax on every dollar spent

The local discretionary sales surtax was levied for a maximum of ten years and raised $400 million last year. It’s a regressive tax on county taxpayers, regardless of income. With a few exemptions, for every dollar spent on taxable items, one cent is added in sales tax. From the total collected, 50% of the surtax was allocated to the school district, 30% to the county and 20% to municipalities.

“At some point, if you say it’s going to be for 10 years, it’s gotta be for 10 years,” Bernard said.

Commissioner Sara Baxter said about 128 [infrastructure] projects out of more than 400 were currently completed. "We are eight years in. I can't see going to the voters really and being able to justify asking them to pay for another penny,” she said.

According to a provision in the current ordinance, the surtax is set to end early if $2.7 billion is collected prior to the 10-year sunset date.

Focus on a transportation surtax

While the consensus at the meeting was to not move forward with the discretionary sales tax, League officials, who represent 39 municipalities in Palm Beach County, underlined that a more comprehensive plan in the future to fund infrastructure projects is needed.

But county leaders expressed a desire to bring in a separate transportation surtax. Broward County voters approved a transportation surtax in 2018.

Commissioner Gregg Weiss, for example, wants to invest more on transportation projects to “absorb the [population] growth” and “economic development that we'd like to continue to have.”

Marci Woodward, who serves on the Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency and Tri-Rail board, said the county needs to develop efficient ways to get people around. “We're talking about micro-mobility, bike lanes, and a number of different opportunities that this gives us flexibility to pursue,” Woodward said.

Todd Bonlarron, the assistant county administrator, said a transportation surtax would provide more opportunities for extra funding and resources, such as grants.

“Transportation surtaxes, when they're in place, are considered 'dedicated funding sources' for transportation purposes,” Bonlarron said. “Those are recognized by the state and the federal government.”

Leaders in smaller cities feel left out

Meanwhile, Mayor Chelsea Reed of Palm Beach Gardens pleaded with League officials to find ways to help smaller municipalities who often feel left out of infrastructure investment discussions.

"I would task our Palm Beach County League of Cities with making sure we take the time to reach out to the municipalities that are deeply affected by this to assure that we give you the support and information you need to go after grants for septic to sewer [systems] if it was on your list,” Reed said.

County commissioner Marci Woodward said League officials should work on a new comprehensive plan and information campaign in 2026 that addresses roads, bridges, centralized sewer systems as well as other projects for both smaller and large municipalities.

“They [residents] don’t care if it’s a city, county or state road,” Woodward said. "They want it to function. They want it to work. And that’s our responsibility together, to come together to make sure that happens," she said.