12/16/2021 ISSUE 50

Toy & Food Drive revs up
holiday happiness. P26
Pumped over Wine,
Women & Shoes. P18
Water-sewer disputes

move into mediation phase. P12

For breaking news visit

MY VERO Will voters have
sufficient info for
BY RAY MCNULTY riverfront decision

School Dept.’s water-gate
is not exactly Watergate

Too often during the past BY LISA ZAHNER
year, our School Board and Staff Writer
district superintendent have
been forced to waste countless Vero voters need informa-
hours defending the merits of
mask mandates during a pan- tion if they are going to make
demic, explaining that Criti-
cal Race Theory isn’t taught in an informed choice next No-
our classrooms, and listening
to complaints about allegedly vember about the future of the
inappropriate library books
nobody was reading. city’s riverfront utility parcels,

Now comes water-gate. but debate continues over how
Unlike those previous dis-
tractions – all of which were much should be finalized be-
created by citizens claiming
to care about children’s edu- fore the referendum vote.
cation – the source of this un-
necessary detour from more The city staff’s current sched-
important matters is School
Board member Jackie Rosa- ule calls for finalizing a concept
rio, who is conducting a one-
woman investigation into the plan in January, then market-
school district’s donation of
$70 worth of bottled water to ing that plan to developers who
a local charity last month.
might be interested in leasing
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
the land for 99 years to build a
The town of Orchid
could determine fate hotel, restaurants, shops and
of Children’s Trust
other amenities.
BY RAY MCNULTY
Staff Writer Issuing a formal Request for

The Orchid Town Council GHO’s new Seaglass Community just west of Disney. PHOTO BY ROSS ROWLINSON Proposals and choosing a de-
could determine the fate of
the Children’s Trust of Indian veloper is not set to happen
River County when it decides
whether to participate in next GHO Homes a new leader in island construction until after the voters give the
year’s referendum on a new long-term lease of the prop-
erty a thumbs up. Both the Big
CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 Blue power plant site and the

BY STEVEN M. THOMAS Orchid Cove, which was sold out, with just two GHO sewer plant site are protected
Staff Writer
plated prior to the 2008 hous- homes remaining. by the city charter and cannot

ing crash, had languished Starting prices that were be- be sold, or leased for anything

GHO Homes, long known under several names for a tween $565,000 and $715,000 other than recreational use,

for its mainland subdivisions, dozen years. Today, it’s nearly CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

is suddenly building more new

houses than any other devel- Father of drowned student sues St. Edward’s School
oper on the barrier island,

with four communities total-

ing more than 150 new homes BY LISA ZAHNER celebratory rite of passage – headed to college on an
underway. Staff Writer seniors jumping off a school academic scholarship, had

It all happened very quickly. dock into murky lagoon wa- never learned to swim, ac-

In May 2019, GHO president The father of St. Edward’s ters – thinks the school is at cording to police reports.

Bill Handler broke ground on senior Bidensky Termidor, fault. He might have been rescued

his first two houses in the Orchid who died on April 30 partic- Termidor, 18, a star ath- when he went under, but

Cove subdivision at the eastern ipating in a pre-graduation, lete and successful student CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

end of the Wabasso bridge.

December 16, 2021 Volume 14, Issue 50 Newsstand Price $1.00 ‘Beachside’ book
illuminates Windsor
News 1-12 Editorial 38 People 13-32 TO ADVERTISE CALL lifestyle. Page 30
Arts 47-51 Games 43-45 Pets 52 772-559-4187
Books 42 Health 53-59 Real Estate 71-80
Dining 64-68 Insight 33-46 Style 60-63 FOR CIRCULATION
CALL 772-226-7925

© 2021 Vero Beach 32963 Media LLC. All rights reserved.

2 Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

GHO Homes “On a good day, we have hundreds Woodside was bankrupt, and in 2010, cused land development is the start-
of men working at our island subdivi- Handler bought his company and its ing point for builders’ profitability
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 sions,” Handler told Vero Beach 32963, assets back for a fraction of the 2006 and that both homebuilding and land
meaning a day with fair weather when sale price. development are best executed on a
in 2019 have shot up with the rest of material shortages don’t have job sites decentralized basis,” according to the
island market, and Handler says he shut down. As the country recovered from the company’s business plan.
has sold houses in the community for Great Recession and the housing market
more than $1 million. But how did it all happen? How did rebounded, Handler nurtured GHO’s “Zoning and land use are always
a company known for building houses resurgence, which saw the company’s locally controlled [and] ... to really
Also in 2019, Handler bought a 26- west of town that sold a few years back home sales soar from 26 in 2012 to succeed, a builder/developer needs
acre tract of wooded land across from for a couple hundred thousand dollars more than 240 in 2017. a track record of creating award- win-
the Disney’s Vero Beach Resort where end up as the busiest builder on the is- ning neighborhoods and decades of
he has secured site plan approval to land, selling million-dollar homes? That same year, Builder Magazine building superior local, political and
build 73 homes. His crews are now included GHO on its list of the nation’s subcontractor relationships.”
carefully clearing the land, working The short answer is abundant capi- “Top 200 Builders” and named the
around stands of old oak trees that will tal and decades worth of market savvy. company the “fastest growing builder” Handler has those virtues, and it was
be a signature feature of a community among those ranked No. 101 to 200 in shortly after hooking up with Green
Handler is calling Seaglass. A 2018 merger with Green Brick Part- homes sold. Brick that he led his company across
ners, a publicly-traded, Texas-based the bridge onto the island.
In 2020, the enterprising builder homebuilding and land development Looking to keep the momentum go-
picked up some lots in Sommer’s company, gave Handler access to a fat ing and open up more opportunities as By that time, he had been talking “for
Place, a small subdivision just north checkbook – and freedom from bank land prices escalated, Handler sought many years” to a series of owners at
of the Summerplace neighborhood loans – while decades of experience out Green Brick, which acquired an 80 the languishing Orchid Cove develop-
and half a mile north of Seaglass on acquiring land and building homes in percent stake in GHO while keeping ment, including Gainesville developer
A1A, where he is building a handful of Indian River County enabled him to Handler on as company president to Peter Trematerra, who purchased the
homes. deploy funds wisely on the island. leverage his local knowledge. 31-acre, 57-home tract for $6 million in
2017.
Then in June 2021, Handler bought GHO was founded by Handler’s fa- Green Brick, which traded on Nas-
all the remaining single-family home ther, Dan Handler, in 1983 and grew daq up until this month when it moved With Green Brick’s capital behind
lots in The Strand in Indian River rapidly enough to attract the attention to the New York Stock Exchange, has him, Handler made a deal with Trema-
Shores from mega-homebuilder Len- of national homebuilders looking to found success by betting on build- terra to purchase 37 finished lots. Tre-
nar, which had failed to gain traction in expand. ers like Handler. The company’s stock materra’s company, Parkwood Distinc-
the subdivision. GHO has 39 finished price shot up from $22 to $32 per share tive Homes, held onto the other 20 lots,
lots in the development with seven In a perfectly timed move, Handler, over the past year and Fortune Maga- mostly riverfront, where it has built
sales so far and a model home going up. who had stepped into his father’s shoes zine named it one of the Top 20 fastest- slightly larger more expensive homes
Here, prices start around $1.45 million as company president, sold GHO to growing U. S. companies in 2021. that, like GHO’s, are nearly sold out.
and will go up to $2 million or more. Woodside Homes in 2006, just before
the housing market collapsed across Green Brick’s “business model is “It was an opportunity that devel-
the country. By 2008, an overextended founded on the belief that locally-fo- oped after years of effort,” Handler says.

PHOTO BY ROSS ROWLINSON

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 3

NEWS

In similar fashion, the Seaglass proj- struction is intense are the same ones homes is like playing whack-a-mole. tionships with many of our subcon-
ect came about “as the result of the keeping other builders up at night – For a couple of weeks it was garage tractors for many, many years, but they
right conversations with the right peo- dramatically higher prices for building doors. We could not get garage doors have their own challenges. They have
ple” over a period of time, according to materials, widespread material short- to close houses to save our lives. We are trouble getting guys and keeping them.
Handler. ages and a lack of experienced hands begging and borrowing for concrete Some just don’t have enough. Some
and hammers. every day. Windows are a continuing guys are leaving and earlier in the year
Likewise, at The Strand, which was problem. Appliances – forget about it! a lot of people were getting sick. If you
beeping on Handler’s radar for years “This is the most challenging time It is flooring. It is paint. It is everything! lose a good guy – or a crew – for two or
and where he bought three lots from I have seen to develop land and build three weeks, it slows things down.
a prior owner before Lennar even en- homes, for sure,” Handler says. “Try- “And then you have to factor in the
tered the picture. ing to get what we need to complete labor problems. We have great rela- CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

“When Lennar decided to sell we
were positioned to take advantage of
the opportunity and it got bigger for
us when we bought the rest of the lots.

“One thing leads to another as you
get a feel for a particular area like the
barrier island,” says Handler. “You be-
come more comfortable in the envi-
ronment by doing deals and start look-
ing around for more.”

GHO homes are currently available
on the island at Orchid Cove, Som-
mers Place and The Strand, but inven-
tory is scarce and waiting times are
long due to labor and material short-
ages that Handler says have caused
GHO to slow the pace of new home
sales dramatically while he concen-
trates of completing houses already
under contract.

He expects to open sales in late 2022
at Seaglass, a development he is excit-
ed about.

“Seaglass is going to be amazing,”
he told Vero Beach 32963. “We have
gone to extremes to preserve the
mature trees in there, to maintain a
canopy and an Old Florida feel. We
moved the roads around to save trees
and there are nine islands in the road,
where it splits and goes around stands
of oak trees.

“We have an arborist and walked
the site for hours figuring out how to
preserve the natural scene and we are
continuing to do that. Many devel-
opers just mow things down, but we
want to keep everything natural as
possible.”

Instead of being identified by num-
bers, trees that will be saved have
names on signs attached to them –
Bruce, Freddy and Jake, among others.

“The idea is to for workers to care
about the trees and not damage them,”
says Handler. “From the treescape to
the topography and angles of the lots,
pretty much every lot in Seaglass will
be special.”

Handler says there’s still land avail-
able on the island for more GHO sub-
divisions but that the remaining par-
cels are “tricky” due to complex land
development requirements.

Meanwhile, he has nine subdivi-
sions underway on the mainland in
Indian River and St. Lucie counties,
many close to sellout, and is develop-
ing the land for half a dozen more.

The biggest obstacles GHO faces in
the midst of a historic housing mar-
ket where the hunger for new con-

4 Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

GHO Homes part of the house, every line item.”
“I apologize to all of our customers be-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3
cause we are behind schedule in many
A bogged-down permitting process cases. It is due to these issues, but that
and rising prices add to builders’ dif- doesn’t make it right.
ficulties.
“We have reduced sales to a small
“Prices are dramatically higher,” amount in all our subdivisions so we can
Handler says. “I was looking at a get caught up on the backlog and honor
price estimate the other day and I our contracts and agreements with our
didn’t recognize the numbers for customers. That is the top priority.” 
concrete. It is bonkers. And it is every
Ray McNulty contributed to this ar-
ticle.

Riverfront referendum taking on the task of promoting the
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 development.

before the referendum. “If we’ve chosen a developer ...
So hopefully the city will get a good the developer can reach out into
the community and explain what he
number of responses to its Request wants to do, and handle any objec-
for Information and have several de- tions and misinformation,” Cotugno
velopers pre-qualified so at least the said, adding that developers should
voters will know Vero will have a com- be required to buy into the process.
petitive proposal process to choose “The developer has to have skin in
the very best developer with the most the game.”
appropriate plan for Vero.
Brackett emphasized that the proj-
As City Manager Monte Falls put it, ect needs to keep moving forward be-
“We’ve got one bite at this apple and cause it’s already been delayed a year.
if we don’t get it right, we don’t get an-
other.” The city staff says there’s not enough
time to go through the formal RFP
By Florida law, what voters will get process and choose a developer be-
will be a 75-word question, referring to fore the July deadline to finalize the
the Master Concept Plan which they’ll referendum language and get it to Su-
need to look over themselves and de- pervisor of Elections Leslie Swan in
cide if they like it or not. time for next November’s ballot.

Anyone who hasn’t been paying at- Councilman Bob McCabe pointed
tention over the 25-month-long plan- out that “the city council will have a lot
ning process, and who cares about what more input in this if we do it (choose
happens to Vero’s riverfront, should a developer) after the referendum,” he
probably not wait until the night before said.
they vote to study up. It’s already the
proverbial “11th hour.” So the reality is that the voters will
not know which hotel brand would
There will be three more meetings in be built on the site or how large that
January on the concept plan before an hotel would be. If the well-qualified
RFI goes out to developers. The Three developers who emerge out of the
Corners Steering Committee and the winnowing process have different
Planning and Zoning Board will both views on whether or not to keep Big
have one final crack at the plan before Blue in place to incorporate the aging
it comes back to the City Council in structure into the new resort prop-
mid-January. erty, the voters won’t know that detail
either.
The city is not permitted to spend
taxpayer funds urging a ‘yes’ vote Budget hawks won’t know the finan-
on the referendum, so don’t expect cial details, and nature enthusiasts
campaign-literature or ads promot- won’t know exactly how much open
ing a particular vote on the riverfront green space will end up in the final de-
project – unless some political ac- velopment plan.
tion committee inserts itself, for or
against. But the city can educate the City residents need to have real-
public on what the Master Concept istic expectations about the level of
Plan entails. detail they will have before they vote.
Then citizens will be required to have
But even the greatest Master Con- a great deal of faith and trust in the
cept Plan is just that. Mayor Rob- five city council members who will be
bie Brackett said he hopes the city’s on the Vero Beach City Council after
“entire wish list” makes the final cut, November 2022 as they choose a de-
“but it will all depend upon what a veloper, and approve a final plan that
developer feels they can support,” he best serves the needs and wants of
added. Vero Beach. 

Councilman John Cotugno said he
would prefer to choose a developer
prior to the referendum, so that de-
veloper could then become a partner,

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 5

NEWS

My Vero it provided to the needy and homeless She also wants to know whether the scandal and coverup that she sent an
in our community. school district also donated food to the email to Superintendent David Moore,
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 cause, her suspicions aroused by pho- asking him to provide her with:
Rosario, though, wants to know how tographs and captions she found on
That charity, TeamSuccess Enter- this happened without her knowledge. TeamSuccess’ Facebook page.  All emails sent between board
prises, distributed the water as part of She wants to know who purchased the members and Moore, his cabinet or
the more than 700 Thanksgiving meals water, what funds were used and why In fact, Rosario was so determined district staffers in connection with
the School Board wasn’t consulted. to get to the bottom of this supposed
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

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6 Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

My Vero relentless social-media attacks, which
include childish nicknames, cartoon-
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 ish photographs and requests for
candidates to run against her in next
TeamSuccess president Michael Marsh year’s School Board elections?
and/or the Thanksgiving donations
made to the charity. To be sure, Marsh, who describes
himself as a “community activist” when
 All policies, procedures and stat- not representing TeamSuccess, crossed
utes governing school-district dona- the line on Dec. 8, when he posted on
tions to outside organizations. his Facebook page a screenshot of Ro-
sario’s divorce record from the Clerk of
 All email conversations regard- Court’s website.
ing any donations made by the district
last month, as well as all relevant tax “That he would stoop to something
forms, itemized lists of what was do- to low …,” she said, not needing to fin-
nated, donation letters and receipts, ish the thought.
sources of funding for the purchase of
donated items, departments the do- Later that day, Marsh wrote on the
nations came from, who delivered the same Facebook page: “Don’t worry guys,
items, where were they delivered and we will know soon if we the taxpayers
how much did the deliveries cost. paid for a dog to go with a school board
member during their last conference!”
“I was given information that Mr.
Marsh posted on Facebook that the He was referring to a public-records
school district donated hundreds of request he filed Dec. 1, seeking the
food products and delivered them to names of any School Board members
his home,” Rosario said during a phone who brought their dogs to the Florida
interview last weekend. “He included School Board Association conference in
pictures of him and the food products. Tampa two weeks ago.
There was even one of him and a school
district truck. Rosario brought her dog, and she
believes someone on that trip – anoth-
“I want to get the full picture,” she er board member or district adminis-
added. “I was told it was just bottled trator – told Marsh about it.
water, but that’s not what the post
says. So we don’t know, and it’s my “Who had the audacity to call Mr.
fiduciary responsibility as a board Marsh and tell him something so stu-
member to look into it.” pid,” Rosario said. “That was none of
his business. It’s not anybody’s busi-
Actually, Rosario does know. ness but mine.
She knows the donated water came
from the supply the school district had “This has gotten so personal for
in storage because of the COVID-19 me,” she added. “To put my divorce
pandemic. She knows the donated food papers on social media? Then to ques-
came from school district employees tion me about my dog? What is he ac-
who participated in a canned-food complishing with this stuff?”
drive to help the needy at Thanksgiving.
Rosario was unaware of either of For those wondering: Rosario said she
those facts when she sent her Dec. 3 wouldn’t even consider seeking reim-
email to Moore. But she was aware of bursement for any additional expenses
them when we spoke last weekend. related to her dog making the trip. “Ab-
Because Moore told her. solutely not,” she said emphatically.
“I spoke with her later in the week
and informed her of what was done,” Speaking as an activist – not in
Moore said, adding that chairperson his leadership role for TeamSuccess –
Teri Barenborg, who asked the super- Marsh said his social-media assault on
intendent if the district could donate Rosario was prompted by her fierce alli-
the water, was the only School Board ance to what he believes is a “politically
member who knew before he autho- partisan” group of mothers who have
rized the delivery. organized, locally and nationally, in an
“We didn’t do anything wrong, didn’t attempt to influence school policy.
violate any law or policy,” he contin-
ued. “The school district has the au- Rosario, though, denied that her
thority to donate to a charity, and that’s questioning of the district’s donations
what we did. Nothing is being hidden. to TeamSuccess was motivated by
I’m a CEO who makes hundreds of de- Marsh’s torment and antagonism. Nor
cisions, and this was one of them. does she want to be perceived as op-
“That should be the end of it.” posed to feeding and giving water to the
But it isn’t. needy and homeless.
Apparently, Rosario isn’t convinced
she knows everything she needs to know But she said she was unaware of any
about these donations. She said she other such donations by the district dur-
wants the information she requested. ing her time on the board, and she wants
So why is Rosario persisting? to make sure the charities are properly
Might her motivation have some- vetted and policies are followed.
thing to do with Marsh’s harsh and
“It’s my duty and my right to find
out,” Rosario said. “I’ve had very satis-
factory conversations with Dr. Moore.
Other than that, I’m going to wait until
I get the information I requested.”

And Moore said she’ll get it.
This isn’t Watergate. 







10 Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Children’s Trust planning for a November 2022 refer- While Shores residents make up only cil’s decision and that members re-
endum on the proposed property-tax 2.7 percent of the county’s population, main “hopeful.” She said the Shores’
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 increase and present the initiative to they provide 17.7 percent of the coun- vote doesn’t derail the referendum.
the county’s five municipalities. ty’s property-tax revenues. Orchid’s 350-
taxing district to fund proven and plus homeowners generate 2.3 percent “There are paths forward for the Chil-
impactful programs to improve the The Vero Beach, Sebastian and of the county’s property-tax revenues. dren’s Trust,” Kahle said. “The Explor-
health and well-being of the commu- Fellsmere city councils already have atory Committee is considering all of the
nity’s youth. endorsed their municipalities’ par- So if Orchid follows the Shores’ lead, options and will know more about the
ticipation in the referendum, which, if Children’s Trust backers will lose 20 per- next steps in the next couple of weeks.”
Orchid Town Manager Cherry Stowe approved by a majority of the county’s cent of the county’s property-tax base,
said council members, who received a voters, would raise $5 million to $10.5 which would noticeably reduce the rev- She said the committee will also
presentation from Children’s Trust rep- million per year. enues available to fund programs. discuss its options if the Orchid Town
resentatives earlier this month, will vote Council also votes to opt out, which
on the issue at the Feb. 15 meeting. The Indian River Shores Town County Commission Chairman Pe- she admitted would be a significant
Council, however, voted unanimously ter O’Bryan said the loss of the island loss – one that likely would force pro-
The County Commission voted last month to not be included in the towns also could make the initiative ponents to “re-examine and possibly
unanimously in May to direct County referendum, delivering a considerable difficult to pass. modify” its strategies.
Attorney Dylan Reingold to continue blow to Children’s Trust proponents.
“If both towns opt out and the citi- “We’re taking the long view of what
zens group promoting this initiative this community needs to support chil-
still decides to go forward with the ref- dren,” Kahle said, adding that the com-
erendum, it’ll be on the ballot,” O’Bryan mittee would seek to postpone the ref-
said. “But how difficult will it be to get a erendum if members weren’t confident
majority of voters in Vero Beach, Sebas- the initiative would be approved.
tian, Fellsmere and the unincorporat-
ed county to approve it if Indian River According to minutes from last
Shores and Orchid opt out?” month’s meeting, Indian River Shores
Town Council members’ reasons for
The proposed referendum would ask rejecting participation in the Chil-
voters to approve an increase in their dren’s Trust referendum included the
property taxes for 12 years – beginning 12-year term of the proposed tax, es-
with 25 cents per $1,000 of assessed calating millage rates and general op-
value for the first four years, then rising position to special taxing districts.
to about 38 cents for the final eight.
Mayor Brian Foley was concerned
The County Commission currently that town residents would be paying a
funds youth services through property- disproportionate share of the revenues
tax revenues, committing 12.5 cents per used to fund the initiative, and he said
$1,000 of assessed value through its Chil- merely participating in the referendum
dren’s Services Advisory Committee. would disenfranchise town voters.

Children’s Trust Exploratory Com- “If 100 percent of our voters vote
mittee facilitator Lisa Kahle said her against it, but the majority of the county
group was “disappointed but not dis- approves it,” Foley said, “we are still in
couraged” by the Shores Town Coun- the special taxing district for 12 years.” 

St. Ed’s lawsuit was pronounced dead at 3:50 p.m. His
cause of death was determined to be
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 accidental drowning.

another student began struggling and Attorney Kenneth Salk argues that
no one noticed Termidor’s disappear- St. Ed’s failed to provide safety equip-
ance until it was too late. ment, life jackets, lifeguards, paramed-
ics or “anyone who knew CPR or other
The lawsuit alleging negligence and life saving techniques to oversee the se-
wrongful death, filed Dec. 7 by Biden- niors as they jumped in the lake or until
sky Termidor’s personal representative they all were out of the water and safely
and father Faniel Termidor in Indian on dry land.”
River County circuit court, claims that
St. Ed’s teachers and staff planned, an- “This wrongful death lawsuit is
nounced and led the annual senior against Defendant St. Edward’s School
jump, and that parents were invited to for the negligent supervision of Biden-
come to watch. sky Termidor during school hours at an
authorized school event, as well as fail-
“At approximately 2:15 p.m., after a ing to protect Bidensky Termidor from
school rally, the senior class proceeded harm knowing full well he was a below
to walk from the auditorium through average swimmer,” the complaint says.
the school grounds to the lake located
at the back of the school,” the com- The complaint concludes by alleg-
plaint says. “While the seniors were ing that the school’s actions that day
walking from the auditorium, to the “were the direct and proximate cause
lake, the Defendant’s teachers, staff and of the death of Bidensky Termidor.”
employees yelled, applauded and ac-
knowledged they were going to the lake The family claims damages sustained
and that all were going to jump in.” in the form of funeral and burial expens-
es, loss of future earnings of Bidensky,
Bidensky Termidor was among the and lifelong mental pain and anguish
last to jump. He disappeared under- suffered by all the survivors of the event.
water and was found, unresponsive.
Paramedics were called and Termidor The case has been assigned to Circuit
Court Judge Janet Croom and the Termi-
dor family has asked for a jury trial. 



12 Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Legal disputes over water-sewer utilities
are moving into the mediation phase

BY LISA ZAHNER town can find a way forward. “Like I’ve
said about this before, we put a man
Staff Writer on the moon in the Sixties. Look, we
can definitely do this. It’s just a matter
While the City of Vero Beach moves of how much time it will take and how
forward with a water-sewer rate study much it will cost,” Harpring said.
aimed at establishing a “one rate” sys-
tem in 2022 to fund operations and im- The town’s consultants relied heav-
provements, including the planned $70 ily upon information provided by the
million wastewater treatment plant re- county’s engineers and utility em-
location, two legal disputes over utilities ployees to determine how the Shores
move into the mediation phase. might connect with county utilities.
“I have confirmed with our utilities
The Indian River Shores Town Coun- team that we have provided all the
cil will host the Vero Beach City Coun- requested information to the Town’s
cil at 9 a.m. Jan. 20 in the Indian River consultant for the study,” Indian River
Shores Community Center with retired County Legislative Affairs and Com-
Judge Paul Kanarek mediating the munications Manager Kathleen Forst
discussion. The Shores filed a federal said on Monday.
antitrust lawsuit against Vero alleg-
ing that Vero’s claim to a permanent The county’s participation with the
water-sewer service territory gives the Shores’ consultants got the county
city what amounts to monopoly power into hot water with City of Vero Beach
over the town in providing an essential officials, who viewed the county’s role
service. in the study of the Shores’ utility op-
tions as an affront to Vero’s claim of
Vero argues that a 1989 territorial a permanent service territory which
agreement with Indian River County includes Indian River Shores. That
split the county up into water-sewer sparked a separate conflict resolu-
territories that were intended to be tion process involving Vero and In-
permanent. It is the legality of that dian River County.
1989 agreement that will be challenged
in federal court. After numerous meetings of staff
and the two elected boards failed
The Shores wants the ability to pur- to reach common ground, Vero de-
sue competitive options, and the op- clared an impasse, but the county
tion to leave Vero’s utility system when wanted one more meeting. The mat-
the town’s franchise agreement with ter stalled for more than a month
Vero ends in October 2027. The con- until last Tuesday. “The board au-
tract requires the town to give Vero no- thorized us to move forward with the
tice by October 2023 should the town mediation phase of the Chapter 164
intend not to renew. process. I am working with the city to
set dates for the mediation,” County
Prior to the mediation session, which Attorney Dylan Reingold said.
will be open to the public, Vero Beach
Mayor Robbie Brackett and Indian Riv- Vero has not filed a lawsuit against
er Shores Mayor Brian Foley will also the county yet, and the county main-
meet informally to see what solutions tains that it has no interest in go-
they might be able to work out. ing after Vero’s customer base, that it
only provided the information to the
Meanwhile the town’s utility con- Shores’ consultant as a service to a
sultant is expected to soon be ready constituent municipality. The county
to present the findings of a feasibil- has made no pitch to the Shores for
ity study of what it would take for the the town’s water-sewer service.
town to contract with a provider other
than Vero – specifically with Indian A breach of contract lawsuit filed
River County Utilities. by Indian River Shores against Vero
Beach is still pending. In that case the
“They are reviewing the new agree- Shores takes issue with the reuse ir-
ment between John’s Island and the rigation rates Vero is charging town
City of Vero Beach,” customers, as those rates relate to a
clause in a 2012 franchise agreement
Shores Town Manager Jim Harpring saying Vero would match Indian River
said on Friday, referring to a planned County Utilities’ rates.
project in which Vero Beach will pipe
reclaimed stormwater from canals Vero has filed a motion for Circuit
to the barrier island to irrigate John’s Court Judge Janet Croom to issue a
Island, instead of using treated reuse summary judgement in the case. A
wastewater from the city’s plant. Dec. 3 hearing on that motion was can-

Harpring said he hopes to have the celed. 
consultant’s report in late December
or early January, but he’s confident the

SLEIGH NOW!
EXTRA CHEER THIS YEAR
AT VERO CHRISTMAS PARADE

14 Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Sleigh now! Extra cheer this year at Vero Christmas Parade

Nicki Maslin and Jessica Schmitt. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
Marsha Murdock and Terri Lynskey.

Denise Piercy with the Grinch. Dr. Nancy Baker and Melanie Lockhart. Cheri Jones.

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF Phillip, Suzie and Emma Sunkel with Jake Miller. highly anticipated kickoffs to the dren kept a sharp eye turned down the
Staff Writer holiday season for Vero Beach resi- road in hopes of spotting Santa’s sleigh
watch the festive revelry – a good dents. gliding down the street, the last float in
The Oceanside Business Associa- thing as parade officials estimate the parade. The jolly old fellow didn’t
tion and Sunrise Rotary Club picked that it was one of the largest crowds More than 50 groups, floats and disappoint, waving from atop his mag-
up the reins of Santa’s Sleigh once they have ever seen. Annually tak- boats were merrily decked out from ical sleigh that Dubois and Sons Jew-
again to host the 37th annual Vero ing place the first Saturday of De- stem to stern. Crossover Mission elry have sponsored since the parade’s
Beach Christmas Parade. When vi- cember, it is always one of the most basketball players dribbled down inception. 
sions of a parade were dashed last the street with surefooted glowing
year, Sunrise Rotary reconfigured shoelaces, along with various itera- FLOAT WINNERS:
the beloved event, turning it into a tions of the Grinch, sharks, angels
2020 drive-by pandemic version near and pelicans. Local community Legacy Award –
the Vero Beach Regional Airport. leaders and first responders were Dubois and Sons Jewelry
represented, marching alongside Special Award: Outstanding as Always –
This year, the cheering crowds local schools, bagpipers and giant Vero Beach High School Band
relished the illuminated festivi- reindeer, as gingerbread houses,
ties, their smiling faces beaming as sailboats and tractors walked, ped- Most Humorous –
participants made their way along aled, paddled and scooted in a show Flinchum Builders LLC
an overflowing Ocean Drive from of community spirit that is needed
Flamevine to Live Oak. now more than ever before. Best of Parade –
Treasure Coast Jeep Club
Runners once again jingled their Wheeled recliners, bathtubs,
way pre-parade during the annual coolers and toilets got a big laugh Most Original –
Candy Cane 3K, during which partic- as Flinchum Builders rolled past CW Willis Family Farms
ipants showed off their holiday spir- children who giggled and stared in
it by running while outfitted with wide-eyed wonder. There were bub- Most Holiday Spirit –
lights, stripes and reindeer antlers. bles and sprays of snow, music, and St. Helen Catholic School
puppies, and mini horses too.
Families came early to ensure that Best Performance –
they would have the perfect spot to Throughout the parade, the chil- Rhythm & Soul

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 15

PEOPLE

Tom Tarasovic. Monica Laclair, Laurie Hoffman and Tanya Tillman. Toby, Zane, Lexie and Zoey Velazquez.

Carter, Haley, Philip and Sevana Russo.
Ron and Vicki Kromhout.
Meredith Kelly.

16 Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14

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Sunday, December 19th

(4th Sunday of Advent)
This week’s message:
There’s No Place Like Home:
“Lessons and Carols”

Micah 5:2-4
Rev. C. Michael York, Associate Pastor

520 Royal Palm Blvd First Presbyterian Preschool
Vero Beach, FL 32960 www.firstpresbyterianpreschool.org
(772) 562-9088 PRIMO School of Performing Arts
www.FirstPresVero.org
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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 17

PEOPLE

18 Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Wine, Women & Shoes: Pumped to help lady entrepreneurs

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 20 loff, quoting Marilyn Monroe. “Our Those startling statistics fresh in
Staff Writer goal is to give women the confidence their minds, the ‘boss ladies’ in the
Brooke and Nick Steinkamp. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES to pursue their dreams.” house didn’t hold back, generously bid-
Ladies of the Treasure and Space ding on live-auction items before being
coast recently stepped out for an eve- to show off their fetching footwear. Rudloff said that since March 2020 treated to a fashion show from five lo-
ning of Wine, Women & Shoes inside “Amazing things happen when we weVenture has assisted more than cal, women-owned boutiques.
the Sun Aviation hangar to benefit the 1,500 unique clients, held more than
weVenture Women’s Business Center, support our sisters. At weVenture, 100 training sessions, helped launch All evening, a group of 18 ‘Shoe Guys’
which provides low and no-cost busi- that’s what we’re in the business of do- 15 new businesses, and created 150 lo- from all three counties had circulated
ness education and training to female ing. We support female entrepreneurs cal jobs, economically impacting the the room, pouring wine and assist-
entrepreneurs in Brevard, Indian River in their effort to launch and grow community. ing as needed, before gathering on the
and St. Lucie counties. their business,” said Kathryn Rudloff, stage for the crowning of this year’s
weVenture executive director, adding While the vast majority of executives King of Sole. More than just pretty fac-
Attendees strutted about the hangar that their mission is to “ignite the pow- continue to be white men, and wom- es, these dashing dudes helped raise
in bedazzled, tasseled and ribboned er of female entrepreneurs.” en still make only $0.84 on the dollar more than $60,000 to support weVen-
shoes of all sorts, as they perused items compared to their male counterparts, ture programs.
in the marketplace – all women-owned “When you give a girl the right shoes, women have come a long way profes-
businesses – sipped wine, nibbled on she can conquer the world,” said Rud- sionally. Until the Women’s Business Proceeds from the evening will en-
hors d’oeuvres, bid on silent-auction Ownership Act of 1988, a woman could able the nonprofit educational orga-
items, and purchased chances to win not even obtain a business loan with- nization to serve more women on the
the coveted key to a “closet” filled with out a male relative as a co-signer. Rudl- Space and Treasure coasts. The weVen-
extravagant goodies. off also noted that since 1972, there has ture programs, available through the
been a 3,000 percent increase in the Bisk College of Business at Florida
“A perfect pairing,” touted event em- number of women-owned businesses Tech, provides female entrepreneurs
cee Anna Valencia Tillery, announcing in America. with customized coaching, business
that the judges had thrown their heart education, mentorship and network-
and ‘sole’ into selecting the Best in “In America, there are 13.1 million ing programs.
Shoe awards, as winners of the Sexiest women-owned businesses. They gener-
Stiletto, Best Boss Boot and Fabulous ate over $2 trillion in revenue, and we For information, visit weventure.
Flat awards took a turn on the catwalk employ 9 million Americans. Ladies, we fit.edu. 
are just getting started,” said Rudloff.

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20 Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18 Laura Kennedy and Alyssa Plante. Mary Ellen McCarthy, Jenna Suleman and Tracy Sorzano.
Dep. Chief Milo Thornton, Anna Valencia Tillery and Tony Schnur.

Denise Green, Beth Petrone, Christina Morales, Shawn Marie Venazio, Donna Vickers and Rosemarie Lewis.

Robyn Nolan, Lori Davis, Megan Raasveldt and Rebecca Emmons.

Michelle Sechen, Robin Tomberg and Dr. Julie Cromer.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 21

PEOPLE

Jennifer Moore, Nicki Genoni and Shannon Bass. Theresa Grimison and Jamie Brock.
Vickie Kirchhoff, Tiffany Sweeney and Trishia Benton.

22 Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Stouthouse benefit helps keeps unique artists’ haven thriving

Quentin Walter and Geoffrey Myers. Nancy and Rick Dillen with Etta Schaller. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES Mark Kirby and Dawn Miller.

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF frey Myers and enjoying the music of
Staff Writer Berklee College of Music alum Michael
Telesmanick.
At its annual fall fundraiser “Pro-
gression of an Idea,” guests gathered Quentin Walter, owner and artistic
under the stars to sip on martinis and director, founded Stouthouse as a place
nibble on plated hors d’oeuvres, while “where artists create” in honor of her
perusing the works of local artist Geof- late husband, Weldon Joseph Stout,
who designed and built the house. The

Izzi Garrett, Dr. Alan Corbin and Sarah Morley.

Thanksgiving weekend event was a residence are given the gift of time, a
way to raise funds to support the mis- place to work without distraction and
sion and operational expenses of the a stipend to supplement their income.
artist retreat.
“Art is a rebellious endeavor,” says
Stout’s custom stained-glass works Myers. He notes that given the lack of
are a lovely complement to the STAF benefactors, such as those that pro-
(Seth Theolonius Alvin Foster) Art Col- lifically supported the arts during the
lection there, both serving as inspira- Renaissance, Stouthouse helps to fill a
tion to future resident artists. vital void.

Artists are invited to stay and work “There are distractions pulling you
at Stouthouse, taking advantage of the away from doing your work all the
solitude to develop and explore a sig- time,” he explained.
nificant body of work. The artists in
Looking ahead, Walter said she

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 23

PEOPLE

hopes to ensure the preservation of the Cándida Rodríguez will be taking up signer, art conservator, in art restora- At the conclusion of her time there,
home, its collections and surrounding residence at the Stouthouse studio from tion and as an art professor. Walter says they will host a gallery
environs in perpetuity, explaining that January through March. A graduate of showing of Rodríguez’s work at Stout-
places like this are paramount. the Matanzas’ Fine Art School and the Her work features the human house in honor of Women’s History
National Art School, Cubanacán, at La figure, fairies and centaurs. Using Month.
“Art is life. Artists need time away Habana, Cuba, Rodríguez has applied mixed mediums and a variety of
from everyday life to focus on their art; her talents as an illustrator, graphic de- techniques, Rodríguez’s art is said to For more information, visit stout-
time to create,” said Walter. be fueled by emotion. housewhereartistscreate.org. 

24 Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

In a transport of delight at inaugural ‘Wings and Wheels’

BY MARY SCHENKEL 60 cars and a dozen planes attracted a
Staff Writer steady stream of admirers, with young-
sters also drawn to the Vero Beach Po-
Car enthusiasts and aviation buffs lice Department Humvee support vehi-
made their way to the Vero Beach cle, Indian River County Sheriff’s Office
Regional Airport on the Saturday of helicopter and Indian River County
Thanksgiving weekend for an inaugu- Fire Rescue truck.
ral Wings and Wheels Exhibition: A Cel-
ebration of Aviation and Automobiles, Inside the terminal, members of the
sponsored by the City of Vero Beach. local Experimental Aircraft Associa-
tion Youth Outreach Program offered
Out on the tarmac, approximately youngsters the chance to fly their own

‘aircraft’ using a flight simulator. airport to see if they might be interest-
Other booths inside included Elite ed.

Airways – which expects to resume “We wanted one car at least from ev-
flights from Vero by April once the run- ery decade from 1920 to 2020, and we
way resurfacing project is completed – did that,” said Cathi Canal, noting that
Gold Star Mothers, Antique Auto Club the oldest was a 1929 Dodge Senior, and
of America (AACA) and the FAA Safety the newest was a 2020 Dodge Challeng-
Team. er Hellcat Redeye. “And then we also
have all eight generations of Corvettes
Explaining the event’s genesis, Kath- on display.”
leen (Cathi) Canal said the idea came
from her husband Phil, who worked 30 To control the number of cars and
years for the Federal Aviation Admin- ensure each decade was represented,
istration and is a member of the FAA they made it an invitational event.
Safety Team for Vero Beach Airport.
He proposed the concept to airport “All of us are volunteers. There was
director Todd Scher, who brought it to no charge for the exhibitors and there
the Airport Commission and the Vero was no charge for spectators, but we
Beach City Council. They liked the idea had no budget either, so it’s kind of a ze-
and decided to sponsor it. ro-money event. The other thing is we
wanted things that the kids would be
“Part of it was driven by the fact that interested in. So it’s not just one genera-
we didn’t get the Blue Angels last year, tion of people, it’s all ages and all ages
and there wasn’t any kind of activity of vehicles,” she said. “I think the re-
this year. The airport’s growing and we ally important thing is that everybody
thought it would be nice to have some- worked together to make this happen.
thing in an off year,” she said. Everybody did their little piece.”

The Canals, proud owners of a 1967 The U.S. Navy Blue Angels are ex-
Lincoln Continental, are members of pected to return April 30 to May 1, 2022,
the AACA and volunteered to find the and plans are already underway to host
cars. Airport personnel connected with another Wings and Wheels Exhibition
plane owners with hangar space at the next fall. 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 25

PEOPLE

John and Sarah Chilson. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES

Guy, Doug, Diane, Dane Yelencsics with Kona.

Hudson Heirst. Cathi and Phil Canal.

26 Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

SafeSpace’s Toy & Food Drive
revs up the holiday happiness

Trish Hickey Jones and Peter Jones. PHOTOS: STEPHANIE LABAFF

BY MARY SCHENKEL have something to wrap up and give
to their mom,” said Hickey-Jones.
Staff Writer
SafeSpace hopes to open its newly
Tables in a private room at Trat- renovated Vero Beach facility by the
toria Dario overflowed with gifts for end of January. In the meantime,
children and mothers at the 15th they are providing assistance to
annual Toy Drive and Food Drive, Indian River County clients out of
hosted recently by Trish Hickey- office space at the United Against
Jones to benefit SafeSpace, which Poverty UP Center.
provides essential services to vic-
tims of domestic violence. “We get all the domestic violence
police reports on the Treasure Coast,
Hickey-Jones, the former owner and then we reach out to them to of-
of Blondie’s on Ocean, now sells her fer services,” said Abi Andujar, the
works through the online boutique SafeSpace outreach advocate for In-
Blondie’s Fashion & Frills. She said dian River County. “We see if they
she is committed to making the hol- need an injunction for protection,
idays a little brighter for the women resources in the area, or relocation
and children assisted by SafeSpace. assistance with the office of the At-
torney General. Since we’re the only
Women often arrive at a shelter certified domestic violence shelter
battered, frightened and often with in the Treasure Coast, we can cer-
little but the clothes on their back, tify those applications.”
their terrified little ones in tow, so
this measure of normalcy can mean In addition to providing emergen-
the world to them. cy shelter and advocating on behalf
of victims, SafeSpace offers inter-
“We look forward to doing it every vention, including a 24-hour hot-
year and we’re looking for a really, line, and comprehensive prevention
really good crowd,” said Hickey- programs, such as going to schools
Jones, expecting some 70 guests to to talk about healthy relationships
either attend or just drop off their and parenting. Their legal service
gifts. provides women with much-need-
ed assistance with injunctions and
“We collect toys and nonperish- court appearances.
able food items. I also started ask-
ing for some adult items for the For more information, visit
mothers, because they’re often for- safespacefl.org. 
gotten. And this way the kids can

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 27

PEOPLE

Judy Brophy and Abi Andujar. Susan Hazard, Jeanne Selander Miller and Trish Hickey Jones. Harry and June Schultz.

Paula Sparks and Patricia Brown.
Trish Caplicki and Gaston Rodriguez.

Nila Moylan and Michael Gallotto.

28 Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Capt. Hiram’s ‘River Challenge’ triathletes all in for ELC

More than 100 triathletes braved
the elements during Capt. Hi-
ram’s ninth annual River Chal-
lenge Sprint Triathlon. Partici-
pants dove into the water at the
Sandbar to swim ¼ mile, before
biking 12 miles and running 5 ki-
lometers along the waterfront to
help raise awareness about the
deteriorating health of the Indi-
an River Lagoon. The race, which
challenges folks to “Get off your
ass and save some seagrass,” sup-
ports the efforts of ecologically
focused nonprofits. This year’s
beneficiary was the Environ-
mental Learning Center, whose
goal is to encourage people to be
active stewards of the environ-
ment and their own well-being.
Ed Donner, 54:35, won first over-
all, and Shelly Whisenhant, 1:10,
won first female finisher. 

Craig Booth, Michael Harris and Jeff Mabry. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES

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Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 29

PEOPLE

Donna Arnister, Erica Schwarz and Jen Anderson.

Skylar Durost and Saylor Durost. Zachary Deonath and Jeff Meister.

Willa and Champ Kite with Jack Harty. Preston Edelstein and Andrew Metcalf.

Jeff Meister, Jessica Zamora and Joanna Ransley.

30 Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

‘Beachside’ book illustrates, illuminates Windsor lifestyle

Jessica Klewicki Glynn, Ray and Gail Klewicki, Keira Glynn and Gerry Glynn. PHOTOS: KAILA JONES Julia and Conrad Herrmann with Diana Hermann.

BY MARY SCHENKEL book “Beachside: Windsor Architec-
Staff Writer ture and Design.” The elegant book,
featuring photographs by Jessica Kle-
Residents, architects and design- wicki Glynn, was written by Hadley
ers of homes in the Windsor com- Keller with an introduction by James
munity were recently invited to a Reginato.
reception at the Gallery at Windsor
to celebrate the official launch of the As guests arrived, they enjoyed
cocktails and passed hors d’oeuvres,

Robert Franklin, Pam Ulm and Charles Mappin.

while perusing the galleries to view Windsor lifestyle,” said Smalley.
an exhibition of selected photographs Smalley said the “wonderful intro-
from the book, curated by Jane Smal-
ley, Windsor marketing director, and duction,” including an interview with
her co-curator Erin Kane, marketing Mrs. Weston, was written by Regina-
manager. to, writer-at-large for Vanity Fair, a
contributor to Sotheby’s magazine,
In her welcome address, Smalley and author of “Great Houses, Modern
paid homage to Windsor founders Aristocrats.”
Galen and Hilary M. Weston for “cre-
ating such a thoughtful and beautiful “And now to our award-winning
community.” photographer, Jessica Klewicki
Glynn, who, over the past 12 years,
She also thanked Betsy Hanley, has photographed many of the Wind-
Windsor’s president, for her support sor homes; some over and over again
of the book, and Vendome Press for as they’ve evolved,” said Smalley.
“coming to us with this idea and con- “She has a clear understanding of our
vincing us that it was going to turn brand and really gets us. Not every-
out fabulous.” one does. ‘Beachside’ is her second
book and I’m excited to announce
Introducing the book’s creators, that it is already in its second printing
Smalley shared a little about Keller, due to early, positive sales activity.”
Klewicki Glynn and Reginato.
“I am so proud and excited to have
Keller, digital director at House 12 years of my work here at Windsor
Beautiful, is a writer and editor spe- celebrated in this book,” said Kle-
cializing in design and decorating. wicki Glynn. “I’ve been in over 170
homes in Windsor and photographed
“I think if you read the book, that many. I know many of your
you’ll agree that she really did an
exceptional job of portraying the

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 31

PEOPLE

James Reginato and Betsy Hanley. Thomas Lloyd and Hadley Keller. PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 32
Jane Oberrender and Lori Gonye.

Susan Long and Meg Porter.

Betsy Neale and Jane Smalley. CRISTELLE CAY

homes and I’m so excited that you’re One must not wait until dusk to see how splendid life can be
all here to celebrate with us.”
Oceanfront Cristelle Cay is entirely surrounded by preserves in perpetuity
Describing the photographs as Find matchless quality and value in a wide pristine beach setting
a “living history of a very special Each condominium has a 32’ x 8’ direct oceanfront patio balcony
place,” Keller added, “I got to step
into this wonderful treasure trove of All windows and sliding glass doors exceed the Florida Building Code
photography and then into this very Custom design ceilings~Marble Bathrooms~Engineered wood floors~Painting
special community.”
Custom Gourmet Kitchen
Keller cited a favorite quote by the 9-unit SAILFISH has four 3-bedroom & 3-bathroom condos remaining
decorator Albert Hadley: “The es- 12-unit MAHI-MAHI has five 2-bedroom & 3-bathroom condos remaining
sence of interior design is and will Garage parking - AC storage units - Gym - Gated Entry - Dog Walk - Barbecue
always be about people and how they
live.” Design-Developed by Cardinal Ocean Development LLC
52-years Florida oceanfront condominium development
Commenting that the quote rings
true to Windsor’s architecture, de- Peer-reviewed engineering integrity
sign, landscape and incredible set-
ting, she noted that what sets Wind- Now Under Construction
sor apart is the personal thread that
runs through its homes and the com- 4804 Atlantic Beach Boulevard (A1A) North Hutchinson Island, Florida
munity in general. Fifteen minutes south of Vero Beach 17th Street Bridge
Email: [email protected] Tel: 772.321.9590
“The great thing about Windsor is from $1,025,000
that it seems to always be renewing
itself with new generations, but also 50% Sold
with new design ideas which are so
beautifully seen in this book in words Sailfish Mahi Mahi
and pictures,” said Reginato. 

32 Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Aaron’s Hearing Care Center

As you reconnect with others, trust your hearing
to an audiologist with 30+ years of experience

Hopefully, all of you are doing well as we PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31
take the necessary precautions to reduce Cynthia and David Bardes.
the spread of Covid-19 (coronavirus). We
Aaron Liebman, Au. D. are committed to keeping our patients, any Mary Juckiewicz and Peter Moor. Mark Justice and Diana Bickford.
Doctor of Audiology visitors to our offices and our staff healthy
and safe. Lee Brown, Patricia Davis Brown and Phil Barth.
Why wouldn’t you want to be fit At all times we’re careful to maintain clean-
with your hearing aid from the liness in our offices in Vero Beach. We take
only audiologist-owned hearing extra steps and follow guidelines to further
aid office in Indian River protect everyone.
County? According to Aaron
Liebman, Au.D., Doctor of We have instituted a deep cleaning policy
Audiology, “both Audiologists and our staff disinfects all surfaces that are
and hearing aid salesmen touched throughout the day. We’re read-
are licensed by the state. But, ing up to date recommendations as they
typically, the salesman has no become available while discussing and im-
formal education in hearing, plementing best hygiene practices to ensure
while the audiologist has gone your safety.
to college and obtained a degree
in the field”. than I thought possible.”
“Aaron is a very caring man,
What this means to you – patient and works very hard to
as a patient – is that Liebman do the best for your problems.
will not only fit you with I would highly recommend
a hearing aid, he’ll use him.” These are just three
alternative methods of testing of the glowing testimonials
for accuracy, so you receive delivered by local people who
the proper instrument. He’ll are “graduates” of Liebman at
provide all-around service and Aaron’s Hearing Aid Center.
counseling so its full potential
will be clear. And, perhaps most Dr. Liebman moved to Florida
importantly, he’ll consider you in 2001. He is originally from
as an individual…including Albany, N.Y. area where both he
the affordability of the product and his father were audiologists.
he’ll be recommending. He has found the residents
This type of kid glove treatment of Vero Beach and the rest
may have contributed to a of Indian River County to be
finding quoted on the AARP receptive and loyal once they
website that states ‘people fitted are exposed to his caring and
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Jacqueline and Matt Barth with Lacy Nugent.



34 Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT COVER STORY

The assassins’ weapon was a souped- pears to have been the work of private militants have acquired new fleets of
up hobby drone, the kind that can be militias that are now armed with drones unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, ca-
bought online for a few thousand dol- and feeling emboldened to carry out pable of small-scale, but highly accu-
lars. It featured four helicopter-like ro- strikes with potentially catastrophic rate, strikes on a wide array of military
tors, an oversize battery and a small consequences – sometimes without and civilian targets.
bomb, compact but powerful enough waiting for approval from their osten-
to blow up a car or, potentially, to kill a sible sponsors. Western intelligence officials estimate
head of state. that militants in Iraq and Syria alone
Last month’s attack has underscored have acquired “scores” of new drones,
Investigators who studied fragments what intelligence officials and analysts ranging from sophisticated Iranian-
of the device – one of two drones that describe as a growing threat to stabil- built models, capable of long-distance
targeted the official residence of the ity in the Middle East and beyond: the flights, to cheaper off-the-shelf UAVs
Iraqi prime minister on Nov. 7 – quickly proliferation of attack drones, particu-
pinned the attack on powerful Iraqi mi- larly among paramilitary groups with
litia groups backed by Iran. The bomb close ties to Iran.
itself, experts concluded, was of a de-
sign previously linked to Iran. Over the past two years – and most
strikingly since early summer – Shiite
A third finding came as a surprise to
some analysts: Tehran did not autho-
rize the attack, Iraqi officials conclud-
ed, and in fact strongly opposed it.

Instead, the attempt on the life of
Iraqi leader Mustafa al-Kadhimi ap-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 35

operated by remote control and modi- INSIGHT COVER STORY
fied to carry small but powerful explo-
sives. also has supplied computerized oper- The spread of drone technology has
ating systems for the aircraft, as well as coincided with the militias’ plummet-
Current and former intelligence offi- training for militants on how to modify ing popularity within Iraq, a change in
cials said Iran began directly supplying commercial UAVs for military use, ac- fortune that spurred open feuding with
at least two types of UAVs to its militia cording to the Western intelligence of- Iraq’s government as well as a quiet
allies in Iraq shortly after the Trump ficials, who spoke on the condition of chafing against restraints imposed by
administration’s targeted killing of Ma- anonymity to discuss sensitive intelli- their Iranian backers, officials and ex-
jor Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the com- gence. perts say.
mander of the elite Quds Force division
of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Yet, after equipping its militia allies “Once these things are in the wild,
Corps, who died in a U.S. drone strike with drones and know-how, Tehran ap- it’s harder to control how they’re used,”
outside Baghdad’s airport in early 2020. pears to be losing its grip over how the said Michael Knights, a military analyst
aircraft are used, some officials and an- and editor of the Militia Spotlight blog,
The arming of Iraqi militias followed alysts say. Current and former U.S. and which tracks militant activity and pro-
earlier decisions by Tehran to provide Iraqi officials said military discipline paganda in Iraq and Syria.
lethal drones to Houthi rebels in Yemen within Iran’s network of Shiite militias
and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. in Iraq has deteriorated since the death There are about 3,000 U.S. troops in
of Soleimani, who was revered by the Iraq, and American service members
The Quds Force, which supports and groups and tightly controlled militant and diplomats have been among the
arms Iran’s network of foreign militias, operations. targets of militia drone strikes in recent
months, raising fears about the possi-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 36

36 Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35 INSIGHT COVER STORY

A weaponry shell outside the Iraqi prime minister's residence.

Members of the Iranian Army operate a drone during a military
exercise in the coastal area of the Gulf of Oman in November.

A destroyed vehicle remains in front of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi's residence following an
assassination attempt by an armed drone in Baghdad, in a screenshot taken from obtained video.

bility of a deadly attack that could trig- calculated that it could strengthen its rorism analyst for the FBI and Treasury destroyed a car and inflicted extensive
ger a military crisis with Iran – regard- leverage with groups that have tradi- Department and now a researcher with damage to the exterior of the build-
less of whether there is clear evidence tionally served as proxy forces, able to the Washington Institute for Near East ing, located in Baghdad’s ultra-secure
linking the strike to Tehran. carry out operations with Iran’s bless- Policy, a nonpartisan think tank. Green Zone.
ing while allowing Tehran to deny in-
The consequences of a deadly attack volvement. But as militia groups take With armed drones added to the mix, At least six security guards sustained
on Iraqi government officials could on new weapons and greater risks, the Levitt said, there’s a “widespread con- non-life-threatening injuries. Police
be equally grave. The attempt against stakes have risen considerably, cur- cern that there will be an overreaction quickly recovered the downed drone,
Kadhimi, had it succeeded, could have rent and former officials say. that will spill out of control.” with its distinctive four rotors. Still at-
plunged Iraq into chaos, igniting new tached to the aircraft was a small black
clashes between the country’s ethnic “Some of the groups frankly don’t According to Iraqi investigators, the bomb that, according to one muni-
and religious factions. see themselves anymore as primar- Nov. 7 attack involved two drones that tions expert, bore “strong indications”
ily Iranian proxies, but as independent swooped down on Kadhimi’s official of Iranian design.
In either scenario, Iran could find it- actors who don’t need permission from residence just after 2 a.m. One of the
self facing blame for a crisis that it did anybody to do what they want,” said UAVs either crashed harmlessly or was Kadhimi was unharmed, and it is
not actively precipitate. By supplying Matthew Levitt, a former counterter- shot down. The other successfully de- unclear whether he was in the building
UAVs to militants, Iran appears to have livered a small explosive device that at the time. Hours after the attempt,

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 37

INSIGHT COVER STORY

he appeared on Iraqi television to ap- of demonstrations that swept Iraq. ly identical to the ones used on Nov. 7 too small to inflict major damage, even
peal for calm and denounce unnamed The Nov. 7 attack occurred in the wake was shot down by U.S. forces near the a small commercial or “hobby” drone,
“criminal armed groups” responsible U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. Three weeks if upgraded and armed, is capable of
for the attempted assassination. of Oct. 10 parliamentary elections that later, yet another quadcopter drone of killing or wounding, said Douglas Bar-
dealt a surprising setback to the mili- the same kind was discovered on the rie, an analyst with the Britain-based
Within days, other Iraqi officials tants and their political allies. Although rooftop of a building just across the Ti- International Institute for Strategic
identified the likely culprits as opera- the bloc supported by the militias won gris River from the embassy. Studies. The one used Nov. 7 was typi-
tives linked to three powerful and well- the most votes, its share of the coun- cal of UAVs used in crude but effective
known Shiite militias: Asaib Ahl al-Haq, try’s 329 parliamentary seats dropped In several cases, the bombs attached one-way “kamikaze” strikes, he said.
Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al- by almost two-thirds. to the drones were identical to the one
Shuhada. All three have Iranian backing, used in the attack on Kadhimi, accord- “The blast effect is modest, given
although Asaib Ahl al-Haq’s relations Since January, militants have launched ing to Militia Spotlight, which said the size of these things and the pay-
with Tehran have come under strain. at least six drone attacks against U.S. that the drones themselves featured load they can carry,” said Barrie, au-
Among the groups’ leaders are several and coalition forces in Iraq. In April, a upgraded power and communication thor of a primer on Iranian UAVs. “But
outspoken Kadhimi critics who have drone armed with explosives attacked systems that “suggest a talented engi- if you’re looking to use them as a ter-
issued veiled threats against the prime a coalition headquarters building in the neering team.” ror weapon or as an assassination tool,
minister through social media. northern Iraqi city of Irbil. they’re still potentially effective.” 
While the explosives are generally
The three groups publicly denied any On July 5, a“quadcopter” drone near-
involvement in the attacks, and social
media accounts linked to the militants
sought to deflect blame by promoting
alternative theories, without credible
evidence. “No one in Iraq has the de-
sire to waste a drone” on the house of a
prime minister, a Kataib Hezbollah of-
ficial wrote in a posting after the attack.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

Iran quietly dispatched a key Revo-
lutionary Guard envoy to Baghdad to
reassure Iraqi officials while publicly
condemning all who participated in
the strike. Iraqi officials, apparently
fearing a backlash from the groups’
powerful supporters, have refrained
from publicly naming suspects.

The attack was the most serious inci-
dent to date in a widening rift between
Kadhimi’s government and Iraq’s net-
work of Iran-backed militias. Estab-
lished in 2014 as part of Iraq’s fight
against the Islamic State, the groups
quickly gained popularity in Shiite-
dominated southern Iraq, where tens
of thousands of young men enlisted
for service.

But more recently, support for the
groups dwindled amid accusations
of corruption and self-dealing, and
further collapsed after Iran-backed
militants participated in the killings of
hundreds of protesters during a series

38 Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT EDITORIAL

Though it won’t receive the hype given to actor be you’ve traveled to the other extreme; in Antarc- liest stars. Hubble reads primarily visible light, which
William Shatner’s recent joyride to the nearest edge tica, Soviet scientists recorded a temperature of 128 limits how far it can see. At the greatest distances, the
of space, a daring voyage of enormous scientific below zero. wavelengths of light grow so long they leave the vis-
promise will lift off next week from a base in South ible spectrum and become infrared.
America. The Webb telescope is built for much worse condi-
tions – at the same time. On the sunny side of the sun The Webb telescope is designed to see light that
The James Webb Space Telescope, decades in the shield, temperatures will climb as high as 230 degrees. has been traveling for hundreds of millions of years
making, is designed to travel nearly 1 million miles to Hot enough to boil water. A few feet away, the mirrors longer than the light from even the faintest visible
reach a very particular spot to take up orbit. For com- will operate close to absolute zero: some 390 below. stars. It will look billions of years back in time to
parison, the Hubble Space Telescope is about 340 observe the early formation of molecular hydrogen
miles from Earth. Shatner went up about 66 miles. Led by NASA, the project is a joint effort of the from a universe void and without form.
United States, the European Space Agency and the
The difference between 340 miles and 1 million Canadian Space Agency. Originally conceived in Other instruments aboard the telescope will give it
miles is roughly comparable to the difference be- the 1990s with a lowball budget of $500 million, the powers to peer through intergalactic dust clouds and
tween a leisurely 20-minute stroll and a hike from Webb telescope fended off threats to pull the plug as analyze the composition of planets in faraway solar
New York to Los Angeles. the complexity of the mission added years and bil- systems.
lions to the accounting.
Even more extraordinary, the new telescope is Like the Perseverance rover that landed on Mars
much larger than Hubble, with a primary mirror so It will be a bargain if the thing works. Placing a tele- early this year, the Webb telescope uses the ingenu-
big engineers had to figure out how to fold it to fit scope this big in an orbit where it is possible to shield ity of engineers to boldly go where human meat-
onto a rocket. Such a large mirror, placed so far away, it from virtually all competing heat sources should al- based life forms cannot survive. These amazing
will – scientists fervently hope – allow the telescope low it to read infrared radiation from some of the ear- machines extend our eyes, our ears and most of all
to examine the formation of early galaxies and great- our brains beyond the low Earth orbits where as-
ly accelerate the search for Earthlike planets. tronauts have been stuck since the dawn of space
exploration and are likely to remain stuck for the
Webb’s scheduled launch from French Guiana on foreseeable future – if not forever.
Dec. 22 atop a European Space Agency rocket will be-
gin one of the most harrowing and potentially stun- So as we mark another solstice and bring this
ning moments in the history of human engineering. sometimes bitter year to an end, spare a thought for
astrophysicists, engineers, technicians, program-
Like an $11 billion origami, the 7.2-ton telescope mers, builders and administrators whose past la-
will use advanced motors, firing pins and springs to bors and future hopes will be riding a rocket toward
open itself like a flower. A multilayered sun shield, outer space. Fingers crossed as their best efforts are
as big as a tennis court, with each layer paper-thin, tested beyond the point of no return and their in-
must be pulled taut. A rip in the shield could doom struments power up to train an eye on places and
the entire mission. times never before glimpsed.

Then the secondary mirror will snap into place, We’re all along for the ride. Every human who ever
and the highly polished golden panels of the pri- wondered at the majesty of the universe. Every per-
mary mirror – more than 21 feet across – will come son who feels grateful that from dust and gravity and
together and focus in movements smaller than the unseen matter everything good and beautiful and
width of a human hair. All this will happen as the true in the world is somehow made. 
craft is speeding through the extremely harsh envi-
ronment of space. A version of this column by David Von Drehle first
appeared in The Washington Post. It does not neces-
Perhaps you’ve visited a desert in summer, where sarily reflect the views of Vero Beach 32963.
temperatures can climb above 125 degrees. Or may-

During the coronavirus crisis, our Pelican Plaza office is closed to visitors. We appreciate your understanding.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 39

INSIGHT OPINION

When Joshua Rome cancels his dish- After many calls, I received a $467 the same form as the original method a case or two with Sears that might
washer order from Sears, he hopes for a credit to my credit card. But Sears of payment." have given you pause.
full refund. But the company wants to would only return the $500 from the
issue a partial credit. Can it do that? gift card back to the gift card. In other words, Sears can return Also, your daughter might have just
your daughter's money to the gift card written you a check or given you a
QUESTION: Sears says it can only return funds under its terms and conditions. preloaded Visa card. Companies ben-
to the original form of payment. I ex- efit from gift cards because they're re-
I ordered a dishwasher from Sears re- plained that my daughter had pur- But Sears was also wrong in that strictive – you can only use them on
cently, but it failed to deliver the ap- chased the card so that I could buy a it gave you such a runaround with purchases within the company – and
pliance twice. I decided to cancel my new dishwasher. Now that I canceled your dishwasher. It seems Sears real- they're nonrefundable.
order and ask for a full refund. I paid the order, I believe she should get her ized that it had failed spectacularly
for the dishwasher with a combina- money back, too. Sears has offered a on that, which is why it offered you a Even though your daughter wasn't
tion of $467 from my credit card and 10 percent discount on a new dish- discount on a future dishwasher pur- entitled to a refund of her gift card, I
$500 from a gift card. washer, but I just want my daughter chase. That's a nice gesture, but I can thought there were extenuating cir-
to get a refund of her gift card. also understand why you'd rather cumstances. Your daughter had pur-
buy a dishwasher somewhere else. chased the $500 gift card so you could
It's been three months since my re- buy a Sears dishwasher. I think an ap-
quest. Sears has been silent. Can you You can avoid this type of situation peal to one of the executive contacts at
get my daughter's money back? by carefully researching the business Sears might have yielded a better result.
before making a purchase. Often, you I list the names, numbers and email ad-
ANSWER: can find out if a company is reliable dresses of the Sears managers on my
with its deliveries (and also, whether consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.
Sears is right – and wrong. Right, its products usually work). We've had
in the sense that it can keep your I contacted the company on your
daughter's money. Regardless of her behalf. Sears reviewed your case and
reason for buying a gift card, Sears offered to either send you an upgrad-
is clear about the terms of her pur- ed dishwasher at no extra charge or
chase: "Prescription drugs and gift to refund your daughter's $500 to her
cards cannot be returned," it says on credit card, as you requested. 
the Sears site.
Get help with any consumer prob-
Sears is equally clear about how it lem by contacting Christopher Elliott at
handles refunds: They'll "be issued in http://www.elliott.org/help

Established 18 Years in Indian River County

(772) 562-2288 | www.kitchensvero.com
3920 US Hwy 1, Vero Beach FL 32960





42 Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BOOKS

The most provocative comedian of our moment as a writer for Sid Caesar’s from the ground up; odd,
makes a cameo appearance late in Mel Brooks’ volu- TV shows in the 1950s; his considering he wrote the
minous memoir, “All About Me!: My Remarkable Life unexpected fame, along books to two Broadway mu-
in Show Business,” and immediately recontextual- with colleague Carl Reiner, sicals in the early ’60s, one
izes the hero of its previous 384 pages. on LPs such as “The 2,000 of which, “All American,”
Year Old Man”; his brazen was a big, expensive show
Dave Chappelle played a supporting character in attempt to both write and starring Ray Bolger.
Brooks’ 1993 spoof, “Robin Hood: Men in Tights,” direct his first movie, “The
and although the film is one of the director’s mid- Producers,” in 1967 (the There’s no serious con-
dle-grade efforts (it has its partisans), the reference producer of “The Produc- sideration of what his in-
serves as a necessary reminder of Brooks’ seminal ers” blithely suggested that jection of Jewish tropes
role as the comedic agent provocateur of his time. Brooks run out and direct and Yiddishisms meant to
a commercial to gain some a mainstream audience,
In one astonishing calendar year – 1974 – Mel quick cred); his unexpected back in the days when
Brooks opened with the groundbreaking “Blazing hits of the 1970s (“Young actors were still chang-
Saddles” and finished it out with the enduring and Frankenstein” earned 30
beloved “Young Frankenstein.” Back then, if you times its production budget); ing their names and
were a movie-addicted 14-year-old boy, you duti- one of the greatest comebacks bobbing their noses to
fully stood in line with your pals, hoping the box of- in the annals of pop culture, achieve crossover popu-
fice lady was looking the other way (“Saddles” was writing a full score for the larity. And how might
R-rated, rare indeed for a comedy) while you eagerly megahit Broadway version of his trademark anarchism
anticipated a chaotic comic cavalcade that gleefully “The Producers”; and the gal- resonate now, with pop
served up racial satire, inappropriate sexual situa- axy of friends, collaborators culture torn between
tions, naughty language (sometimes in Yiddish) and, and stock-company members “anything goes” and
of course, indelibly, bowls full of incendiary beans. To who surrendered to Brooks’ unique autocracy cancel culture – anyone
be a Mel Brooks fan at the height of his powers (from of derangement over the decades. want to rerelease “Blazing Saddles”
the mid-1960s through the mid-1980s) was to em- in this moment?
brace anarchy at its most artful and to thumb your Many memoirs seek to score points off perceived The short answer to these cavils is that such hand-
nose at all the so-called “standards” of your parents’ adversaries. Brooks, who has certainly cultivated a wringing is simply not a part of Brooks’ sunny dis-
generation. However, Brooks was a subversive even a healthy ego, does the opposite; there are copious and position. Indeed, the book’s most rewarding chapters
mother could love. (Mine certainly did: She took me sincere encomiums to Caesar, Reiner, Wilder, direc- are its earliest, with Brooks’ accounts of Depression-
to see “The Producers” when I was 7.) tor Susan Stroman (who helmed the Broadway ver- era Brooklyn and the European front of World War
sion of “The Producers”) and frequent soundtrack II (and the early days of television, for that matter).
Brooks attacks his autobiography with a wholly composer John Morris (whose work has never been This isn’t Clifford Odets or Norman Mailer, but an
characteristic lack of modesty. Some fans may feel properly acknowledged), as well as delightful cam- epic adventure of possibility and positivity. Brooks’
they’ve heard much of this before; over the years, eos by Bob Hope, Cary Grant, Alfred Hitchcock, John response to any potential calamity seems to have
there have been several biographies, two behind- Wayne and Richard Pryor. been: “Sure, why not?” Perhaps this was his secret
the-scenes books by Brooks himself, numerous doc- weapon all along. While other comedians of his era –
umentaries, extensive DVD extras – even a one-man Where the book comes up short is in any explora- Sid Caesar, Woody Allen, Larry David – were neurotic
show that Brooks (God bless him, in his 90s!) takes tion of doubt, introspection or analysis. Brooks’ ca- messes, Brooks was essentially, as the 2,000-year-old
across the country. reer has had its ups and downs, for sure, especially man put it, “jaunty jolly.”
before 1967, when he implies he was panicking to In mid-October, Hulu announced that Brooks
Still, for those who maintain their fondness for support a new marriage to his adored Anne Bancroft. would produce and write a TV sequel to his 1981
Brooks, “All About Me!” is an indispensable culmina- (A previous marriage – with three children, no less – film, “History of the World, Part I.” As George Ber-
tion of his work (copious helpings of legendary dia- zips by at the speed of light.) Longtime fans scratch nard Shaw, a comic provocateur of his century,
logue from the films and shows don’t hurt). In “Young their heads at the clunky, soulless films from the might have put it, Brooks is clearly imbued with the
Frankenstein,” Gene Wilder’s eponymous character mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, when Brooks – despite Life Schwartz. 
discovers his grandfather’s secret volume: “How I Did the memorable line in his “Star Wars” takeoff “Space-
It.” Brooks’ own tome is perhaps longer on “What I balls”: “May the Schwartz be with you!” – turned into ALL ABOUT ME!
Did” than on the subtler and more conflicted “How an uninspired parody factory. Although he describes
I Did,” and indeed, it begins with a wonderful an- the challenges, as an untrained musician, of writing MY REMARKABLE LIFE IN SHOW BUSINESS
ecdote about, of all things, young Brooks evading a the score for the “The Producers” on Broadway, he
Brooklyn rampage by Frankenstein’s monster. claims he had to learn how a stage musical works BY MEL BROOKS | BALLANTINE. 456 PP. $29.99

Most of the hills and valleys of his prodigious ca- REVIEW BY LAURENCE MASLON | THE WASHINGTON POST
reer are accounted for: his sentimental education

Vero's Largest Book & Specialty Toy Store

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 43

INSIGHT BRIDGE

ON A TOUGHER LEAD, DECLARER FINESSES WEST NORTH EAST
K 10 5 3 2 A7 Q964
By Phillip Alder - Bridge Columnist 83 K 10 9 652
95 A64 J872
Ron White, a stand-up comedian and actor, said, “Comedy is all about the pause.” K764 A J 10 8 3 Q5

Bridge players need to pause, but in a tournament or duplicate, they cannot think for a SOUTH
long time between tricks, unlike, for example, a writer, who may pause at length while J8
trying to find le mot juste. AQJ74
K Q 10 3
While reading this column at the breakfast table, you may of course pause for as long as 92
you like. You can always reheat your coffee or tea in the microwave.
Dealer: South; Vulnerable: Both
South is in six hearts, and West finds the best lead of a low spade. What should
declarer do? The Bidding:

If you are experiencing déjà vu, relax — yes, this is the same deal as last week’s, when SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST OPENING
West led a trump. Then, declarer took two club finesses to get home. Now, though, 1 Hearts Pass 2 Clubs Pass
the defenders have established a spade trick, so South must eliminate his spade loser 2 Diamonds Pass 3 Hearts Pass LEAD:
without giving up the lead. 4 Hearts Pass 6 Hearts All Pass 3 Spades

In fact, to say “his spade loser” is technically inaccurate. He cannot discard the spade
jack on anything. Instead, he must pitch dummy’s spade seven, then ruff his spade jack
on the board.

South needs to get lucky. He must be able to cash four diamond tricks without a
defender ruffing in. So, after winning with dummy’s spade ace, declarer draws two
rounds of trumps, cashes his diamond king, plays a diamond to dummy’s ace and
returns a diamond to his 10. Wonderful — West discards. Now South pitches the spade
seven on the diamond queen, ruffs his spade jack on the board, cashes the club ace
and loses a club. Declarer takes the last three tricks with his high trumps.

44 Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT GAMES

SOLUTIONS TO PREVIOUS ISSUE (DECEMBER 9) ON PAGE 70

ACROSS DOWN
1 -- Dunaway, US actress(4) 1 Declare invalid (5)
4 Blemished by injury (7) 3 Hire for work (6)
8 Photograph (8) 4 London district (4)
9 Evergreen tree (3) 5 Affix (6)
11 Move as clouds do (6) 6 Umpire (7)
13 Frightened (6) 7 Thrill seekers (4-6)
14 Young man (5) 10 Temperate (10)
15 Diplomacy (4) 12 Interlaced (5)
17 Diesel oil (4) 13 Cooker (5)
18 Courage (5) 16 Clique (7)
20 Glove (6) 18 City in New Jersey (6)
21 Tooth covering (6) 19 Snare (6)
24 Paddle (3) 22 Church minister’s house(5)
25 Seductive (8) 23 Together with (4)
26 Arab leaders (7)
The Telegraph 27 Jetty (4)

How to do Sudoku:

Fill in the grid so the
numbers one through
nine appear just once
in every column, row
and three-by-three
square.

The Telegraph

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 45

INSIGHT GAMES

ACROSS 99 ___ Miz 54 Ms. Bloomer The Washington Post
1 ___ of Secession 100 Faux pas 55 1979 drama, Breaker ___
7 Tropical fruit 102 Fish eggs 56 Antler tips MOTHER NATURE By Merl Reagle
13 Sucker deal 103 German pistol 59 Goad
17 Where every suggestion 105 Admission vouchers, in ad 60 Flower part
61 Genesis vessel
gets a neigh vote? shorthand 65 Datebook
19 Name meaning “peace” 106 Spanish article 66 Conductor Eugene
20 Recent “pigtorial” in an 108 Appliance brand 67 PC control centers
110 Ravi’s instrument 68 Instrument heard in The
Arizona magazine? 111 Salesman’s comment about
21 With ___ in sight Third Man
22 Captain’s cry the new softer upholstery in 70 Order to a disobedient dog
23 Overhead trains the Dodge Ram? 72 Bryn ___
24 ___ in “apple” 115 Didn’t bat ___ 75 Concept, as a prefix
25 Anglo or audio add-on 116 Start of a “coop d’état”? 77 The Scarlet Letter daughter
26 Plop preceder 117 Beastly guy 78 New Yr.’s Eve
27 She, in Siena 118 Performing all over 79 Hit the slopes
30 Mae West role, Diamond 119 Mariel’s granddad 81 Big birds
82 Jerry’s “partner”
___ DOWN 83 Cry
31 Anger 1 Hinder 84 Where Monty Python first
32 Engine additive 2 Myra or Rudolf
34 This one, in Lisbon 3 Be a thespian appeared
36 With 45 Across, what male 4 Female flyers, once: abbr. 85 Sensation
5 Gumby creator Clokey 86 Yeller
foxes look forward to in 6 Adjudicate again 87 Dependent
November? 7 Sailors 91 Alongside
41 Sailing 8 Night light? 92 Ancient ascetic
43 Imaret 9 Scared 94 Type of tie
44 Sold to the highest bidder 10 Onion variety 95 Impressionist Claude
45 See 36 Across 11 Squadron members 96 Bartlett or bosc
50 ___ be outdone 12 Sun. talk 101 Cannes award, the ___ d’Or
51 Actions 13 Counselor Deanna on Star 104 Singer Marvin
52 Churchill, to many 105 Now’s opposite
54 Guitar booster Trek: The Next Generation 106 Oven used to anneal glass
57 Choir mbr. 14 Finishes fishing, perhaps 107 Reverence
58 Criticize 15 Actress Bening 109 Throngs
62 Actor Beatty 16 ___ Xing 110 Intro to Paulo
63 Fez’s land: abbr. 17 Slithy Jabberwocky beings 111 Nobel decliner Le Duc ___
64 Genie portrayer 18 Choice: abbr. 112 Old French cent
65 Debunker of that “jumping 19 Like will-gotten gains 113 Direction of some clues:
over the moon” theory? 20 Honshu drink
68 Nothing 25 Daintily attractive things abbr.
69 Like some hair 28 Guide 114 Mr. Chaney
70 Needlefish 29 Smoothly polite
71 Maintenance 30 Vanessa’s sister THE Art & Science
72 La Scala’s home 31 Unknown, to un parisien
73 Hit-show sign 33 Grad school prize of Cosmetic Surgery
74 New York city where Mark 35 Avoids dining out
Twain is buried 37 Cereal brand SPECIALTIES INCLUDE:
76 Adding late-breaking info to 38 L.A. to Denver, e.g. • Minimal Incision Lift for the
79 Place 39 Ex-Sen. Sam of Georgia
80 With 90 Across, the most 40 Try to win over Face, Body, Neck & Brow
famous line heard on Let’s 42 Sealed up • Breast Augmentations
Make a Deer? 45 Mellow yellows
84 Walden Two novelist 46 President & Reductions
88 Pasture sound 47 Rio Grande city • Post Cancer Reconstructions
89 Land amount 48 “___ what you did!” • Chemical Peels • Botox
90 See 80 Across 49 Odysseus’s men, thanks to • Laser Surgery • Tummy Tucks
93 D. Do-Right’s outfit • Obagi Products • Liposculpture
97 Co. head Circe • Skin Cancer Treatments
98 Flicka food 53 Netman Nastase

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46 Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT BACK PAGE

A good relationship is elusive with son’s distant wife

BY CAROLYN HAX · She and your son are communicating with
Washington Post each other about this.

Dear Carolyn: We have two Why did you decide to abandon such a logical (and · He is in touch and confiding in you.
sons. We have an excellent rela- forgiving) conclusion? · She is open to the idea that her reticence has
tionship with our older son and slipped out of the range of normal.
his wife, but our younger son’s In your description, I see someone who avoids This is hard news, but good news. It’s a relief to
wife refuses to communicate with FaceTime, delegates calls and texts to your son, be- see a silence that appears not to have a sinister
me. The first few years I chalked it haves the same way with his friends as she does with edge. It’s not about you! Yay!
up to her very shy, private personality. The pandem- you, doesn’t stand in the way of your son’s FaceTime Isn’t that always good news?
ic seems to have exaggerated her silence. calls between you and the kids, and didn’t fight him So accept it as such. Remain in touch with your
They live 2,800 miles away. Our son calls by Face- on the idea of counseling. For someone wondering, son for your own reasons, staying close and at-
Time so we can see their two adorable sons, but “Is it me?” that’s about as good an outcome as I’ve tentive but out of his marital business unless he
usually she doesn’t appear at all or says, “Hello,” ever seen: explicitly asks what you think. Even then, tread
and then disappears. When I call or text she either gently, be generous and forgive liberally, speak-
doesn’t reply or replies that she will have her hus- · All indications point to its being about her, not you. ing toward their best interests vs. from your own
band reply, so if I make contact with her, then I am pain or confusion.
putting pressure on my son. And remain in touch with your daughter-in-
Our son says all his friends are saying the same – law, too – but on her terms from now on, or your
she doesn’t respond to them either. Recently my son best guess thereof. FaceTime is a no, calls and
urged her to get some counseling and she agreed. texts are a no, but you can send her … a card or
How do I keep an encouraging relationship with chatty letter (no veiled comments, expectations
my son and eventually build a connection with his or pressures), a book she might like, an article
wife? that made you think of her, with discreet mention
of your not needing reciprocation. She is who she
– Anonymous is.
And they are who they are: a couple who need
Anonymous: My main thought is that you go their people to root for them, embrace them with-
back to your first paragraph and first few years, out conditions, respect them and, until further
and chalk it up anew to her “very shy, private per- notice, trust them to figure out whatever needs
sonality.” figuring out. That’s pretty much a how-to for an
in-law who’s easy to love. 

‘I PAINT IDEAS’

AMONG UNCOMMON ARTISTS,
CHANDLER CARVES OWN NICHE

48 Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

‘I paint ideas’

Among uncommon artists,
Chandler carves own niche

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF | STAFF WRITER Cliffton Chandler.

A fifth-generation Floridian, Cliff- PHOTOS BY KAILA JONES
ton Chandler is an unconventional
artist, who asserts that he doesn’t
paint ‘things.’

“I mostly paint ideas, witticisms
or wordplays,” shares the 44-year-old
sculptor, who uses multi-media to
enhance his layered carvings, hoping
the imagery will get “lodged in some-
one’s mind.”

Chandler joins assemblage artist
Joan Earnhart, muralist Maslow and
collage artist Derek Gores at an exhibi-
tion of their work at Gallery 14 in his-
toric downtown Vero Beach entitled
Visual Poetry, curated by Gores. The ex-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 49

ARTS & THEATRE

images and to convey an idea. art history and manipulate it. I’ve lived
The dimensionality of “Sharing the in Florida for the majority of my life,
and I’ve never traveled to see European
Load,” a wood cutout with a kaleido- splendor.”
scope of Monarch butterflies carrying
a house through the air, has you root- Referring to the domed ceilings of
ing for the butterflies and their cum- ancient cathedrals, he says, “to me, it’s
bersome burden. like something from a book. Because
I’ve never experienced one in person,
Chandler’s work also includes ar- it’s easy for me to come up with a wit-
chitectural drawing, interior design ticism here and there. Part of my tech-
and digital media, and he has recently nique is naivete,” he explains.
dipped his proverbial paint brush into
the non-fungible tokens arena, better Although he recently took several ar-
known as NFTs. chitecture courses, thinking he might
enjoy designing buildings, it didn’t
“It’s exciting to participate in take long to realize that he was pursu-
a whole new culture. The ideas
can range wildly. I love to take CONTINUED ON PAGE 50

hibit will talented men-
be on display tors throughout my vocation-
through Jan. 28. al training.”
When Chandler discovered that he
Growing up in Mel- had an interest in learning woodwork,
bourne, Chandler had no shortage of he started working at menial jobs in
inspiration. Awed and fascinated by the carpentry trade. He couldn’t afford
the graffiti murals his friends and oth- his own tools, so he would stay late and
er local muralists were generating, he experiment using the company’s tools.
enjoyed watching the way people in- “Now, my friends call me the all-pur-
teracted with the large-scale artworks. pose friend, because no matter what tool
they need, I’ve got one. That took 20 years
He recalls thinking that it was a to build up,” he says with a chuckle.
great way for businesses to bond with One night, while sanding boards at
their customers emotionally. Eventu- a custom cabinetry shop, the master
ally, Chandler decided to try his hand woodworker noticed Chandler’s work.
at creating his own murals. Intrigued, he took him under his wing.
“That relationship brought me to a
“I don’t know that it was rational. I just whole new level. I learned more from
wound up becoming who I am as a con- him than I have from anybody. He was
sequence of my environment,” he adds. fascinated because nobody had ever
wanted to do what I was trying to do,”
Chandler remembers having an in- says Chandler.
terest in art as a child in elementary “I went from murals to doing carv-
school, impressed by how well the ings. I skipped the in-between steps.
other children drew. Each week the When I went to start carving things, I
teacher would put the best drawing started carving things that were huge
on the wall. right away.”
Wood is now Chandler’s medium of
“I never got up there,” he says wist- choice for his sculptures.
fully. By junior high, he says that there “It has the best qualities of strength
were some incredible artists. and lightness. Wood is versatile. It’s
alive. When I’m working with wood,
“Every single one of them eventually I have the opportunity to incorporate
quit drawing. Because they were so tal- all the grain. The grain structures are
ented, they expected perfection. That’s all built into the drawing and used to
a real narrow window of emotional ex- the advantage of the drawing.”
pression. Since I knew that perfection An example of his layered draw-
was way beyond me, if I even did really ings, which are created using layers of
well, I was elated. I had constant, posi- wooden planes and cutouts, is “Man-
tive emotional reinforcement. Perfec- groves,” where the grains give the illu-
tion is an artist’s worst enemy.” sion of texture.
He says that the selection of the
After high school, Chandler attend- materials he uses is driven by the
ed the University of Florida, majoring techniques he wishes to apply, giv-
in liberal arts, but left because he felt ing him the freedom to juxtapose
there was a better way for him to learn
– by doing.

“Drawing likenesses was never my
strength. That’s why I do ideas rather
than depictions. I’m an organically
grown artist, more so than a trained
one. I’ve been fortunate to have very

50 Vero Beach 32963 / December 16, 2021 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 49 selection of Chandler’s work, includ-
ing reverse-painted acrylics, hand-cut
ing “just another art job. I already have stencils, and layered cutouts with print-
one of those. I’m a sculptor.” ed images that create 3-dimensionality.

He also discovered that as an ar- During some experimentation, “his
chitect he would no longer be able happy place,” Chandler discovered that
to bring his art to life with his own painting on the reverse side of glass
hands, adding: “You can’t lift a ham- creates a wet look, as in his “Acrylics.”
mer or use a screwdriver.” Pointing to “Silver Lining,” a depiction
of stormy clouds, he explains that sliv-
Despite it not being the right outlet er-leafing the edges of layered cutouts
for his creativity, he admits “I really causes them to refract light.
liked the process that they taught in de-
sign school. It freed me up to use new “My technique is all over the map,”
techniques and made me aware of in- Chandler happily admits. “I wish I could
dustries that I didn’t know existed.”
say what my prevalent tech-
With more materials now at his dis- nique is, but I don’t know
posal, a toolbox full of implements and that I have one.”
an appreciation for reproducibility,
Chandler can better determine how For more infor-
to make an idea a reality. His ability mation, visit gal-
to think outside of any artistic con-
straints gives him more freedom l er y14verob e a ch .
to experiment, using the idea com. 
to drive the process.

The Gallery14
exhibit has
an eclectic