Home Care In Palm Beach, FL

LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — A collision claimed the life of a toddler Tuesday evening after he was struck by a pickup truck while crossing an intersection in Lake Worth Beach.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) said that the collision happened at around 7:26 p.m. on November 18 at the intersection of South A Street and 10th Avenue South. Investigators say a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500, driven by a 43-year-old man from Greenacres, was turning eastbound onto 10th Avenue South when the child ran into the roadway.

The victim, identified as Cristian Felipe Andres, just 2 years old, reportedly darted out from in front of a parked vehicle on the south side of the street and into the path of the truck, according to the news release. The driver’s side front of the pickup struck the child, throwing him to the ground.

"The mother was getting out of the house with the child, ready to go to church. There was a van that was picking them up for church. And then she said, go to the van. Get inside. She let go the child so he can go to the van, inside the van, and then he got hit by the truck," said Juana Andres, the victim's aunt.

"It's very deeply sad, losing child. He was still a baby, and to the mother, it was like her very precious child, her baby. It was her child, her young child, losing him. She didn't expect losing him that soon," Andres said.

Andres says the spot where the boy was hit is very dark. There's a street light at that intersection at South A Street and 10th Avenue South but Andres says it's not working, and it sometimes flickers. "We have asked them multiple times to fix this street light, but they never come and fix it. Like the city, like we have asked them multiple times," she said.

We called the City of Lake Worth Utilities Electric Department, seeking comment. We also went there in person. Mike Jenkins, Energy Delivery Manager, City of Lake Worth Beach Utilities Electric Department, said he would look into the situation.

Rebecca Seelig, Public Information Officer, City of Lake Worth Beach, said in an email Wednesday afternoon: "I checked with Utilities Customer Service and there is no log of any requests coming in for the light at 10th Ave South and A Street." Seelig says after CBS12 News inquired about the street light, the city inspected it and she believes it is working properly.

Emergency responders transported Cristian to St. Mary's Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead from his injuries. PBSO confirmed that the child’s next of kin was present at the scene and has been notified.

See also: Teacher Feature: PBC elementary educator shaping future leaders with personalized approach

The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators. No injuries were reported for the driver, who was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. Alcohol or drug involvement has not been indicated.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Division is handling the case.

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The Florida Panthers broke news with more than just a first look at their Winter Classic uniforms. They also added to the eternal list of strange sports injuries.

Panthers coach Paul Maurice told reporters Nov. 19 that center Eetu Luostarinen was week-to-week with burns. The 27-year-old was injured at what Maurice called "a barbecue accident," adding that the burns did not require an overnight hospital stay.

It's not the only injury the Panthers are dealing with as they seek their third straight Stanley Cup championship. Maurice also said Wednesday that forward Cole Schwindt would be out two to three months with a broken arm. Florida is also playing without captain Aleksander Barkov, expected to miss the rest of the season after knee surgery in September, and star forward Matthew Tkachuk, who had surgery to repair a torn adductor muscle and sports hernia.

Luostarinen missed the Panthers' game Nov. 17 against Vancouver with what was classified as a lower-body injury. The Finnish forward has 10 points this season on three goals and seven assists in 18 games, and he was a key piece to their title run last year, scoring five goals with 14 assists in the playoffs.

Eetu Luostarinen adds to list of weird sports injuries

Luostarinen's barbecue burns brings to mind another recent injury with a South Florida connection. On Oct. 1, 2023, Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku showed up to a game with a mask over his face to conceal the extent of the burns he suffered while trying to light a fire pit at his house. The former Miami Hurricane played the game with serious burns to his face and arms, making sure to keep them covered throughout the game.

Sports is rife with similar bizarre injuries. Dustin Penner of the Los Angeles Kings missed a game in 2012 by eating a stack of pancakes. In 2003, Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio brought an axe into the locker room as a motivational tool. It was unceremoniously removed after it wound up in the leg of punter Chris Hanson. And of course, there was kicker Bill Gramatica's infamous celebration in 2001 that caused him to tear his ACL.

Baseball especially is jam-packed with strange injuries. Pitcher Trevor Bauer, who would win the Cy Young Award in 2020, sliced his finger open in 2016 while fixing a drone. Slugger Sammy Sosa, he of the famous home run chase of 1998, strained his back by sneezing in 2004. And who can forget when Kendrys Morales celebrated a walk-off grand slam in 2010 by jumping onto home plate ... and breaking his leg.

Be careful, Florida. At the rate you're going, you too will be like Boynton Beach, an aging, congested community showing more than suburban sprawl.

Boynton Beach has a coyote problem.

Be careful, Florida. At the rate you're going, you too will be like Boynton Beach, an aging, congested community whose abundant housing, crowded roadways and underutilized shopping plazas show more than suburban sprawl. The city, like many communities in Florida, illustrates what happens when natural habitat gives way to rampant development.

A recent fatal coyote attack on a dog, along with increased sightings of these wild animals by residents, prompted city officials and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to address growing concerns. Coyotes, like bears, deer, racoons, opossums and other animals, are losing their unspoiled natural habitat. So, they are adjusting to city life.

Boynton Beach isn't the only community trying to figure out how its citizens should adapt to its new four-legged neighbors. City and county officials are now left with a problem that state leaders let fester for years — the erosion of growth management policies that has encouraged rampant development and the loss of natural wildlife habitat.

Truth is the encroachment, as humans and wild animals compete for space, has been an ongoing problem that hasn't drawn much concern from state government. Back in 2006, the FWC released a report that predicted what would happen if the state's population doubled within the next 50 years. The forecast? Roughly 7 million acres of rural and natural habitat would be converted to urban use. That's equivalent to the state of Vermont, according to the Florida 2060: A Population Distribution Scenario for the State of Florida report.

That's a whole lot of Boynton Beaches.

The state can do more to better manage growth. It's just hasn't been willing to do so, and the future outlook isn't all that encouraging. The trend coming out of Tallahassee calls for an even greater relaxation of what's left of growth management and more legislation that will further cripple what local communities can do to address development.

Florida used to care about unfettered growth

Remember when Florida was known for its clear springs, pristine beaches, majestic forests and vast open spaces? A time when agriculture was the state's largest industry with a growing competitor called tourism? Well, population growth changed all that. In 1970, according to U.S. Census data, Florida had 6.7 million residents, about the population of today's Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties combined. Today, almost 24 million people now call Florida home.

The state's laissez-faire approach to development hasn't helped either. There's money to be had in population growth, and state leaders were all too willing to comply to the demands of builders and financiers who saw big bucks in Florida's undeveloped farmland and forests.

Florida once had a growth management law that required local communities to create comprehensive plans for future development. But, state lawmakers and then-Gov. Rick Scott repealed it in 2011. At the time, creating jobs — an ongoing mantra for Scott — was the given rationale, but unchecked development became the harsh reality.

Without strong state mandates to manage urban growth and protect environmentally sensitive lands, the burden fell to local communities, which embraced the challenge of land use planning. Those efforts irked developers who used their influence to get help from a proven ally — the governor's office and the Florida Legislature. Over time, cities and counties saw new state laws that pre-empted their efforts to address and manage growth within their communities.

In June, SB 180, a controversial bill that freezes local land-development regulations and comprehensive plans through October 2027, became state law. The law, which restricts cities and counties from adopting measures that are more restrictive than what existed before the 2024 hurricane season, effectively ties the hands of local communities from adopting and enforcing any significant ordinances that might rein in developers or build climate change resilience.

Several communities, along with 1000 Friends of Florida, have gone to court challenging the new law. It remains to be seen how the lawsuit will turn out but one thing is becoming clear. Local communities, like the coyotes of Boynton Beach, had better adjust to a challenging landscape that allows unfettered development over growth management.

Douglas C. Lyons is an editorial writer and columnist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network-Florida. He can be reached at [email protected].

PALM BEACH COUNTY, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2025) — A man federal prosecutors say helped run a forced labor scheme that exploited Mexican farmworkers across the Southeast is now back in Florida to face charges, after being extradited from Mexico in a case built by a Palm Beach County-based trafficking task force.

Alexander Villatoro Moreno, also known as “Quichi,” 53, made his first appearance in federal court after Mexican authorities apprehended and extradited him to the United States, according to a Justice Department news release. Villatoro Moreno is charged with conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, conspiracy to commit forced labor, conspiracy to obstruct proceedings before federal agencies, and one count of forced labor. The conduct is alleged to have occurred between September 2015 and December 2017.

Prosecutors say Villatoro Moreno and his co-defendants fraudulently recruited Mexican nationals to lawfully enter the United States on H-2A seasonal agricultural visas. According to the indictment, they lied to workers about how much they would be paid, the number of hours they would work, the conditions they would face in the fields, and whether they would be reimbursed for recruitment fees and other expenses tied to getting the jobs. They then misled U.S. authorities to secure valid H-2A visas for those workers under false pretenses, the Justice Department said in its announcement.

Once the workers arrived in the United States, Villatoro Moreno and his co-defendants allegedly compelled their labor and services at farms across the southeastern United States. The indictment describes long hours of physically demanding agricultural work while the workers were paid far less than what they were legally owed.

The scheme went further than underpaying workers, according to federal officials. Villatoro Moreno and his co-defendants are accused of taking the workers’ passports to keep them from leaving, warning that family members back in Mexico could be harmed if they did not comply, and threatening them with arrest and deportation if they resisted.

When officials began digging into the case, Villatoro Moreno allegedly tried to cover the operation’s tracks. Prosecutors say he distributed fake reimbursement receipts to workers to make it appear that Los Villatoros Harvesting (LVH) — the farm labor contractor he helped manage — had reimbursed them for travel-related expenses, even when it had not.

The investigation was led by the Palm Beach County Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, according to the Justice Department. The task force received support from the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, and several legal services and worker-advocacy groups that assist farmworkers.

Villatoro Moreno is the fifth person tied to the case. Four co-defendants have already admitted their roles and were sentenced in 2022, underscoring how long this Palm Beach County-centered investigation has stretched across multiple administrations, from the first alleged offenses to the latest extradition.

According to federal prosecutors, Villatoro Moreno’s brother, Bladimir Moreno, owned LVH and pleaded guilty in 2022 to conspiracy to violate the RICO Act and conspiracy to commit forced labor. He was sentenced to 118 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $175,000 in restitution to the victims.

Three LVH supervisors also pleaded guilty. Efrain Cabrera Rodas and Christina Gamez admitted to conspiracy to violate the RICO Act and were sentenced to 41 months and 37 months in prison, respectively, the Justice Department said in its release. Another supervisor, Guadalupe Mendes Mendoza, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct a federal investigation and was sentenced to eight months of home detention and a $5,500 fine, to be paid over 24 months of supervised release.

The Government of Mexico, including the Fiscalía General de la República (FGR), provided significant assistance in the extradition, working with the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure Villatoro Moreno’s arrest and transfer to the United States, according to the same federal summary.

If convicted on the current charges, Villatoro Moreno faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He remains presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

Federal authorities are using the case to remind the public that help is available for potential trafficking victims and those with information about similar schemes. Anyone with information about human trafficking is asked to contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. The hotline operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. More information is available at www.humantraffickinghotline.org, and details on the Justice Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.

I’ve been coming to Florida on a very regular basis my whole life—for family holidays, Space Shuttle launches, spring training baseball, or just for a cheeky dose of sunshine. I still know the state’s highways and byways better than those of my native New Jersey. Even though Palm Beach—the most gilded of Florida’s Gold Coast towns—is going through seismic change due to the influx of younger, Northern wealth, it always manages to be its opulent, cloistered self.

For a quick weekend getaway, it’s hard to do better than The Breakers, the resort that started it all for Palm Beach. I had last visited the hotel in the ‘90s and remembered it chiefly for its stateliness (and a few hotly contested tennis games). On my approach on a recent trip, I quickly recognized that the hotel’s renowned grandeur was still very much intact.

The resort was founded in 1896 when the industrialist, oil tycoon, and namesake of many Florida roads, Henry Morrison Flagler, built The Palm Beach Inn on the site. Many guests preferred the rooms facing the sea, “down by the breakers," to the ones in the main hotel building, so when Flagler rebuilt the hotel after a 1903 fire, he changed the name. The Breakers, the new four-story, colonial-style, 425-guest-room hotel, reopened for the season the following year, and its guest register read like a roll call of the famous—and infamous—surnames of the Gilded Age. Following another tragic fire—and this time with Flagler’s heirs at the helm—the hotel underwent another expansion and welcomed back guests for the 1926-27 season as the finest resort in America.

That striking, seven-story Italianate behemoth, the focal point of 140 seafront acres, is what I saw when I drove up for a stay earlier this year. Designed by the architecture firm of Schultze & Weaver—which went on to design the Waldorf Astoria New York—The Breakers was inspired by Italy’s Villa Medici and all things Italian Renaissance, with its loggias, twin Belvedere towers, and Florentine fountain modeled on the Boboli Gardens.

Though on the surface the resort was as it ever was, a lot has changed—and is changing—thanks to a yearly budget of $30 million for upkeep, renovation, and innovation that help the hotel maintain the high standard it sets for itself. The grounds are impeccably landscaped with cacti, fruit trees, flowering pearlberry, marlberry bushes, and royal palms.

Here’s what else I found on my return to The Breakers.

The Rooms

The Breakers has 534 guest rooms, including 72 suites, some facing the sea, others with views of the resort’s lush grounds. My 460-square-foot room overlooked the breakers, and it was nice to keep the door to the small balcony cracked so I could be lulled to sleep by the sounds of the sea. (I was unable to quickly wake up, however, due to the lack of a coffee maker in my room.) The bathroom was large and well-appointed, with the decor reminiscent of grand European hotels.

Atop The Breakers sits The Flagler Club, an exclusive 21-room boutique hotel with its own dedicated staff and a rooftop club lounge. Booking a stay there includes perks such as chauffeur service in the house Mercedes-Maybach electric SUV and pre-arrival concierge assistance.

Also on site is One North Breakers Row, a cluster of 79 seafront apartments available for residential lease.

Food and Drink

The Breakers has six on-site restaurants, not including poolside dining options and in-room offerings. Breakfast is served in The Circle, a stunning space with 30-foot-high ceilings and frescoes depicting Renaissance scenes. The Italian Restaurant is the best option for picky eaters and for families, as it is practically connected to the kids’ club.

I had my first dinner at the resort on the veranda of the Flagler Steakhouse, located in the golf and tennis clubhouse. My filet was cooked to my exact specifications, and the blue crab dumplings, a specialty, lived up to the hype. An exhaustive selection of classic steakhouse sides ensured that I would overorder, and a robust list of signature cocktails helped me poke it all down. I was so full that I had to take a slice of key lime pie back to my room for midnight consumption. (My waiter advertised it as the world’s best, and it just might be.)

The following evening, I chose the Seafood Bar, where the vibe blends Italian Riviera aesthetics with a splash of South Florida kitsch. The tuna tartare tostadas and epic crab nachos—ingeniously topped with cheddar cheese grits—came highly recommended and didn’t disappoint. I also ordered a pecan-crusted grouper filet for my entrée, followed by another slice of the hotel’s terrific key lime pie.

After dinner, I stopped for drinks in HMF, the sprawling midcentury cocktail lounge adjacent to the hotel’s lobby. From my velvet armchair, I could see the wine fridges that held just some of The Breakers’ 23,000 bottles, including their signature blend, bottled exclusively in France each year. (The Breakers boasts two master sommeliers, including just the 11th woman to hold that title.) However, I went for a classic cocktail, a Manhattan, mixed expertly.

Activities and Experiences

There is plenty to do at The Breakers. The resort's new tennis center was inaugurated earlier this year. In addition to padel and the ubiquitous pickleball, it has two cushioned hard courts and six semi-covered Har-Tru clay courts, making afternoon play in the Florida heat, as well as light rain, way more appealing. But the real treat here is the four new hydroponic grass courts by Capillary Flow, whose technology has long been employed on golf courses. The courts are watered and oxygenated from below, which can generate water savings of up to 85 percent, along with superior drainage.

I was fortunate to play a game against former ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) world No. 23 John Lloyd. Despite overnight rain, the courts were dry and remarkably level for an organic surface.

Golf has long been celebrated at the hotel, too. The Breakers has two 18-hole courses—the Ocean Course and another off-site course, recently renovated and designed by the legendary designer Rees Jones. The resort is also home to the John Webster Golf Academy, offering instruction to players of all ages and levels.

Hotel guests and club members have access to The Breakers' private beach club, with its four pools, 25 poolside cabanas, and six toasty whirlpools. Kayaking and paddleboarding are also available. When not in the Jacuzzi, I chose to spend my time in one of the cabanas, replete with a shower, private bathroom, sports on the TV, a stocked mini-fridge, and a deckhand at the push of a button.

The Spa

The indoor-outdoor spa at The Breakers is vast, with 17 treatment rooms, a nail salon, and a private courtyard. All the classic massage treatments are on offer: sports, deep tissue, maternity, and couples. There’s a special spa menu for kids that includes the unsurprisingly popular Ice Cream Mani Pedi.

Family-friendly Offerings

The Breakers is a kid’s dream—and therefore a parent’s dream. Children can partake in a range of activities, from tennis and golf lessons to art classes and laser tag. A video game lounge has both Xbox and PlayStation consoles, while the arcade has Skee-Ball and air hockey. Water sports, bike rentals, movie nights, and other activities are tailored to tweens and teens.

Connection rooms, as well as all the accouterments for babies’ and toddlers’ safety and comfort, are available upon request.

Accessibility and Sustainability

The Breakers has a 2,000-square-foot organic herb garden and buys produce from local farms during Florida’s growing season, from November through May. The hotel strives to source fresh, locally caught, and sustainable seafood. The resort has a 14-member Environmental Impact Team tasked with identifying and improving eco-friendly initiatives on the property. The Breakers does a good job of steering clear of single-use plastics, but there were a few too many plastic items in the poolside dining service.

There are plenty of accessible guest rooms and suites, along with parking and wheelchair and mobility device routes to all the hotel’s main attractions and amenities.

Location

The Breakers is about a 20-minute drive from Palm Beach International Airport (PBI). Guests could also fly in and out of Fort Lauderdale, which is an hour away. I rented a car but didn’t use it once during my stay; complimentary shuttles were available to take guests to Echo, Flagler Steakhouse, and Via Flagler.

Palm Beach’s iconic high street, Worth Avenue, replete with luxury boutiques and restaurants, is a short walk from the hotel. If you’re like me and interested in Florida’s history, the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, located in the industrialist’s Gilded Age estate, is nearby. Art of varying caliber is everywhere in Palm Beach. I visited a group show at the Brintz + County gallery.

Book Now

The Breakers doesn't participate in any points-based loyalty programs. The resort is part of American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts portfolio and The Edit by Chase Travel. Perks for certain card members include room upgrades (based on availability), early check-in and late check-out when available, a $100 property credit, and daily breakfast for two.

Nightly rates at The Breakers start from $690 during low season (July through October) and $1,090 during peak season (November through June).

Every T+L hotel review is written by an editor or reporter who has stayed at the property, and each hotel selected aligns with our core values.