03/02/2017 ISSUE 09

Want to teach? P2 Surround sound. P17 Can’t ‘weight’ to help

If so, think about attending the Meet Riverside Theatre Music Medical bariatricians assist patients
Brevard Public Schools’ job fair. Director Anne Shuttlesworth. in managing obesitiy. PAGE 30

THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017 | VOLUME 02, ISSUE 9 www.melbournebeachsider.com | NEWSSTAND PRICE $1.00

Port d’Hiver hotel: Community Health Systems has sold two Wuesthoff Medical Centers in Brevard County to Boston-based Steward Health Systems. PHOTO: RYAN CLAPPER Healthy dose of
Local treasure earns anxiety follows
national recognition Bold plan to recapture magic of First Peak sale of hospitals

STORY BY TERRY CONWAY COLUMNIST STORY BY BILL SOKOLIC STAFF WRITER SpaceX Falcon 9 STORY BY MICHELLE GENZ STAFF WRITER
[email protected] [email protected] rocket take-off. [email protected]

Linda Rydson’s Brevard roots Bill Boliver first surfed PHOTO: JULIAN LINK After breaking ground in Au-
run deep. Her great-grandfa- at Sebastian Inlet in 1972 gust on Sebastian River Medi-
ther built a home in Melbourne just as First Peak brought Coastal engineer Justin Enjo. cal Center’s big 90,000-square-
in 1906, and when she was an influx of surfers. Created foot, $64 million expansion
growing up near Baltimore, by the interaction between PHOTO: GORDON RADFORD project, it seemed unlikely that
her family visited there several incoming waves and those parent company Community
times a year. that bounced off the north Health Systems would turn
side of the jetty, First Peak around and sell the hospital.
“We would often spend the turned Sebastian Inlet into
day at Ocean Park Beach,” re- a primo surfing destina- But sell it they did two weeks
called Rydson, who eventually tion. Surfer Magazine said ago, along with Melbourne’s
moved to Florida and has been the waters on the north side two Wuesthoff Medical Cen-
resident of Melbourne Beach of the jetty groomed great ters and five other hospitals,
for 30 years. “I knew that his- in a deal that is expected to go
toric house on the bend and CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 through in the second quar-
was always intrigued by it.” ter, according to the company
website.
Back in May 2003, a realtor
friend alerted Linda and her It’s the second time in three
years that three area hospitals
husband Mike that the legend- have changed hands.
ary “Pinky Brown House,” lo-
cated where northbound A1A The sale seems to be the
jogs west, was going on the Franklin, Tenn.-based chain’s
market. They met with owners most desperate move yet to
George and Cheryl Schmidt
and fell in love with the origi- CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
nal sand chimney, fireplace,
French doors, longleaf pine A small victory in
floors, exposed beams, and a anti-CRA crusade
courtyard that features a co-
quina fountain – all paying STORY BY BILL SOKOLIC STAFF WRITER
[email protected]
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Brevard County Commis-
sioner John Tobia on Feb. 21
introduced a resolution pro-
hibiting community reinvest-
ment agencies from extend-
ing their life span without
commission approval. The

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

ADVERTISING: 772-559-4187 | CIRCULATION: 772-226-7925 Ramping up repairs

NEWS 1-8 FAITH 22 PEOPLE 9-12 April opening eyed as renovation
ARTS 13-16 GAMES 23-25 PETS 33 work on a roll at Satellite Beach
BOOKS 21 HEALTH 27-30 REAL ESTATE 35-40
DINING 31 INSIGHT 17-26 Skate Park. PAGE 4

© 2017 VERO BEACH 32963 MEDIA LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

2 Thursday, March 2, 2017 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

NEWS

HOSPITAL care industry, as Steward and Tufts Precisely the opposite concept has quadruple the rate at Lawnwood.
Health Plan created a limited-network taken hold in our area – Sebastian River Steward didn’t turn a profit until
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 insurance plan to be sold near its hos- Medical Center has some of the highest
pitals. reimbursement rates in the country, 2015, five years after it began. Accord-
pay off some of its $15 billion in debt. and Lawnwood Regional Medical Cen- ing to the Boston Globe, which cited
Even a month after the expansion That plan offered patients a dis- ter’s are even higher, by a lot. public filings, the $131 million operat-
project was begun, fears of a sale be- count in insurance premiums based ing profit in 2015 followed a $75 mil-
gan circulating after CHS stock plum- on the fact that Steward hospitals Indian River Medical Center is des- lion loss in the prior fiscal year.
meted, and Bloomberg News wrote charged less. perate to negotiate higher rates for it-
that CHS was considering selling an- self. In September, Steward sold off all of
other batch of struggling hospitals The strategy took patients away its hospital real estate – a $1.2 billion
from the 61 it had acquired from the from Boston’s higher-priced teaching They now stand at 141 percent of deal – to Medical Properties Trust, an
Naples-based Health Management hospitals and caused those hospitals Medicare’s rate, compared to close to Alabama-based real estate investment
Associates in early 2014. to rethink their own rates. triple Medicare’s rate at Sebastian and trust specializing in hospital real es-
tate, according to Modern Healthcare,
Community Health Systems is the a Crain Communications publication.
second-largest investor-owned hos-
pital system in the country. Its web- The REIT has vowed to spend up to $1
site shows it having 158 hospitals in billion more to buy the real estate of hos-
22 states, though that may not reflect pitals that Steward acquires. That mon-
recent divestitures. ey would be used to fund Steward’s con-
tinued expansion, the publication says.
Assuming the deal goes through,
Sebastian River and the Wuesthoff As for Community Health Systems,
centers will be part of the Boston- whose stock has tumbled from around
based Steward Health System, a $60 a share just over a year ago to un-
much smaller for-profit chain of nine der $10, it has built in a poison pill to
hospitals, begun in 2010 when a New keep Chinese online gaming billionaire
York private equity firm created Stew- Tianqiao Chen from acquiring enough
ard to take over six problem-riddled stock to control the company. It has
hospitals owned by the Archdiocese reportedly had interest from Apollo
of Boston. Global Management, a New York eq-
uity firm that recently entered the hos-
As Steward took over, its goal was af- pital business.
fordability for patients simultaneous
with profitability. How the sale will affect the CEOs, the
doctors and staffers at the twoWuesthoff
That ambitious and radical idea lit hospitals and the Sebstian River Medi-
a fire under the Massachusetts health cal Center is anyone’s guess. 

Brevard School District
will hold teacher job fair

VERO BEACH 32963 Media LLC STORY BY BILL SOKOLIC STAFF WRITER break trips to Florida to job hunt.
PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER: MILTON R. BENJAMIN [email protected] They’re ready to trade in half their
paychecks and snow shovels from up
772-559-4187, [email protected] Need a job? north for sunshine and fishing poles.”
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: DAN ALEXANDER Do you have a teaching degree?
Brevard Public Schools wants you. Brevard Public Schools’ recruit-
772-539-2700, [email protected] In a quest to fill open spots, the dis- ment ambassadors will be on hand at
MANAGING EDITOR: STEVEN M. THOMAS trict will hold its annual teacher job the fair. Ambassadors, part of the dis-
772-453-1196, [email protected] fair on March 17 at Viera High School. trict staff, assist prospective teachers
Teachers will be hired at the fair, during the fair.
To learn about the cost-effective advertising rates being offered in said Laura Rex, media and content co-
The Melbourne Beachsider, please contact our advertising ordinator for Brevard Public Schools. “The role of a recruitment ambas-
representatives listed below: “We do not have a teacher short- sador is to work with candidates one
DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING: JUDY DAVIS age,” Rex added. “We just take pre- on one to answer questions about
772-633-1115, [email protected] ventive measures in recruiting on an Brevard Public Schools,” Rex said.
ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES annual basis.” Besides working the main job fair,
Among other functions, the job fair ambassadors attend other local re-
WILL GARDNER, 407-361-2150, [email protected] is an attempt to lure in students from cruitment events, conduct inter-
KATHLEEN MACGLENNON, 772-633-0753, [email protected] colleges of education before they views and distribute recruitment
graduate, said Dan Bennett, president brochures.
To talk about stories, or invite us to cover social and charitable events, of the Brevard Federation of Teachers.
call 772-453-1196 or email us at [email protected]. “These soon-to-graduate teachers The annual turnover rate in Brevard
often appreciate the chance to sign on County is between eight and nine per-
with a district in the spring and know cent, Bennett said. “That’s about 400
they have a job set up for August,” to 450 new teachers out of a workforce
Bennett said. “This lets them focus on of about 5,000, give or take,” he said.
graduating and planning a move to
Brevard. We also attract some out-of- The state turnover rate is around 10
town teachers who plan their spring percent, he added.

But it’s all relative.
“The human resources and public re-
lations folks like to say we’re doing a lit-

Barrier Island Newsweekly THE MELBOURNE Thursday, March 2, 2017 3

NEWS

tle better than the state average for turn- Rex says the following teacher ing disabled teachers; school psy- reading teachers.
over,” Bennett said. “However, every positions in Brevard County are chologists; teachers for hearing and Candidates with qualifications in
county says they are doing better than difficult to fill: occupational and visually impaired students; pre-K
they really are, and everyone massages physical therapy; teachers for the teachers; middle and high school any of those areas will be especially
their numbers to say they are doing bet- emotionally, mentally and physi- math and science teachers; tech- welcome at the job fair.
ter than everyone else. We have a turn- cally handicapped; certified school nology education teachers; Spanish
over problem and it is getting worse.” counselors; autism teachers; learn- and Latin teachers; and certified Starting salary for entry-level Bre-
vard public school teachers is $39,226
a year. 

4 Thursday, March 2, 2017 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

NEWS

PORT D’HIVER flowering bougainvillea. A gourmet PHOTOS: BENJAMIN THACKER zard back home. They booked their stay
breakfast is served on your private pa- through Distinguished Inns of North
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 tio, outside in the garden courtyard or On the day I visited, Ann Marie and America’s Select Registry.
in the dining room. Healthy snacks are Matthew from Rhode Island were
homage to the beach town’s eclectic available throughout the day with hors checking out after a three-night stay “A fabulous experience, they’ve
history. d’oeuvres and wine at a complimentary and keeping an eye on a raging bliz- thought of everything,” Ann Marie said.
happy hour. Bicycles are also provided “The attention to detail is outstanding,
The couple paid $550,000 for what as are beach essentials. There is Inter- the staff are friendly and very attentive.
would become the luxury B&B Port net service throughout, a flat-screen TV There are number of thoughtful ameni-
d’Hiver, one of only two AAA-rated and mini-fridge in the rooms. ties. Truly, a romantic Florida getaway.”
4-Diamond hostelries in Brevard Coun-
ty. The inn offers a dazzling view of the Port d’Hiver boasts a 70 percent year- Past reincarnations of the main house
Atlantic, but came with strangely tilted round occupancy rate, well above the have ranged from an antique shop to a
hardwood floors. industry average of 42 percent. The Florida Tech frat house. It’s also known
typical guest ranges from age 30 to 50 as the “Walter Brown House.” Brown
“The floors were uneven, one side with many repeaters. The place is full – was a cavalry instructor for the Ken-
of the home raised about four inches and rates highest – from Valentine’s Day tucky Military Institute, which had its
above the other,” recalled Mike Rydson, through April. Room rates range from winter campus in Eau Gallie. Brown
a former mechanical engineer at Harris $199 to $519 a night depending on the purchased the sturdy cypress house
Corporation. “Linda thought it was sort room and time of year. across from Melbourne Beach’s casino
of quaint, but I thought if people have in 1925. His wife Ella Belle, who went to
two glasses of wine they would tip right This year, besides retaining the pres- school at the Sorbonne in Paris, named
over.” tigious 4-Diamond designation, which it “Port d’ Hiver.” It soon became their
is given to just 5.9 percent of nearly full-time residence.
Much of Melbourne Beach suffered 28,000 AAA-approved hotels, Port D’
destruction at the hands of Hurricanes Hiver is ranked as the #3 small hotel in Shortly after the Rydsons purchased
Frances and Jeanne in 2004. Con- the country by Trip Advisor. the property in 2003, they met with the
structed of sturdy cypress beams, Port original homeowner’s granddaughter
d’Hiver escaped unscathed. It has been named a Top Ten Inn Mimsy Brown who shared family pho-
around the world for providing the tos and documents, many of which
“After the hurricanes developers best travel experience, hospitality, and now hang in the B&B’s guest and sun
were circling looking to buy, knock it customer service by Bedandbreakfast. rooms, adding to the historical ambi-
down and put up condos,” said Mike, com, the largest global bed and break- ance.
a native of Elkhart, Indiana. “We didn’t fast directory with more than 13,000
think like that. We wanted to retain the properties listed. Distinguished Inns Port d’Hiver is a family affair. The
home’s heritage. We just needed a game of North America salutes Port d’Hiver couple’s three daughters have all
plan to make that happen.” as one of the best romantic Florida get- worked at the B&B, including Jade, the
aways. current manager. All employees are lo-
The mystique of the main house fos- cal. The Rydsons live in a house just
tered a new vision: a luxurious bed and “We like making people happy,” Lin- around the corner.
breakfast. Once a zoning variance was da related. “We have a wonderful rela-
granted by the Melbourne Beach Town tionship with our guests.” “Melbourne Beach is a wonder-
Commission, the couple headed up ful place to raise a family,” Linda said.
to Amelia Island to attend a weekend “Kids can ride their bikes to school, to
inn-keeping seminar. The classes pro- church, to the market, over to soccer
vided a systematic process for future practice. Everybody knows each other.
innkeepers in the areas of personal, All of our neighbors pulled together to
financial, operational, and marketing make our B&B a special destination.”
realities of owning and operating a suc-
cessful inn. Craftsman and neighbor Jim No-
ble built the wooden hand rail on the
With the help of local Melbourne round fountain stairs at the south ca-
Beach artisans and tradesmen, the bana building. The Rydsons used the
couple spent the next few years return- original wall colors both inside and out,
ing the residence as closely as pos- and found a company in Texas that had
sible to Walter Brown’s 1920’s home. the correct mold to recreate the Passion
Port d’Hiver (Port of Winter) officially Flower ironwork for the porches. They
opened in 2007. scoured antique stores throughout
New England to find the perfect furni-
A retreat that is both comfortable ture, including a 300-year-old French
and elegant, the B&B offers 10 bright, wedding armoire and a French provin-
spacious accommodations each cial writing desk from the 1700s.
uniquely decorated with a tropical Key
West/British Colonial flair. The Sunrise “During the renovation, we drew
room in the north cabana offers fabu- upon state-of-the-art elements like
lous ocean views and a mahogany four Pella doors with built-in plantation
poster bed along with a private balcony shutters,” Mike explained, “but we
for cocktails or just relaxing with a good also incorporated antiques such as the
book. Handcrafted Peter Reed British 300-year-old beams we salvaged from
linens made from the finest Egyptian an Amish farm in Pennsylvania and
cotton percale add to the luxurious ex- the brick reclaimed from old Chicago
perience. buildings.”

Rooms are spread out over four A local treasure, Port d’ Hiver com-
houses, including seven stylish and bines a timeless feel, personal atten-
spacious Cabana Rooms, two histori- tion and a touch of poetry. “Operating
cally lovely main house rooms and the a B&B is a lifestyle, not a job,” Linda ob-
out-of-the-way, large and airy Carriage served. “We get to meet people from all
House Suite. Staircases spill down to over the world in a personal way. Every
the central courtyard with a bubbling day is a new adventure.” 
spa pool fringed with palm trees and





Barrier Island Newsweekly THE MELBOURNE Thursday, March 2, 2017 7

NEWS

FIRST PEAK when it comes to structures and af- The Avenue®
fecting sand, a lot of eyes would have Viera Craft
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 to approve any changes.”
Festival
riders who went on to win eight Pipe Like most inlet jetties, Sebastian’s
Masters, 16 world titles and countless keeps the channel open for boats to March 4th – 5th
other championships. move in an out. The jetty first was built Sat./Sun. 10am – 5pm
in the 1920s, set further back, closer to
Alas, First Peak – and its attraction the current location of the bait shop at Free Admission
to surfers – may have become a casu- Sebastian Inlet State Park. Engineers
alty of the jetty itself. extended the jetty in the 1950s and Town Center Avenue in Viera (Melbourne, FL)
again in the 1970s.
“When they added the little tip ArtFestival.com
to the jetty and filled in the pilings, “I think that is when surfing was
sand gathered. That’s when I noticed recognized as really good because of American Craft Endeavors
it really started to degrade the wave,” the deflection off the jetty,” Smithson Information: (813) 962-0388
said Boliver, a manager at Longboard said, agreeing with what most surf
House surf shop in Indialantic. historians say.

Some credit the Army Corps of En- Surfer Magazine managing editor,
gineers for the creation of First Peak Ashton Goggans, wrote in the August-
when it extended the jetty in the 1950s September issue last year that an odd
and again in the 1970s. Some blame bend in the jetty caused the refraction,
the agency for muting the famed especially on north swells, creating “a
break when it extended the jetty even delicious wedge that would double
more in the early 2000s. Others blame and sometimes triple the wave’s size
the buildup of sand over the years for at its peak.”
the demise of the peak.
According to Goggans, a storm
“It is interesting that this area pro- damaged the jetty in the early 2000s,
duced a long list of great pro surfers leading to major renovations, includ-
during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. But ing an elevated concrete cap, hand-
since the early 2000s, not so much. rails and a grate system. “Even now,
That may be coincidence, or a soci- few can point to precisely which spe-
etal shift,” said Eric Garvey, executive cific changes caused First Peak to dis-
director of the Tourist Development appear almost overnight,” he wrote.
Council of Brevard County, adding
another voice to the mix. Smithson said new pilings were
aligned with old pilings during the
Like Boliver, coastal engineer Jus- renovations. “The tip end flared out
tin Enjo believes the last jetty exten- in 2003 and extended about 45 feet
sion altered the wave dynamics for at that point,” he said. “That did not
the worse. He has proposed a plan cause the effect. We have engineers’
to recreate the wave’s energy and re- models of the currents. Sand built up
turn First Peak to its glory years with over 20-plus years. First Peak became
a modest tweaking at the base of the less and less as the water became
jetty. shallower.”

“My solution would create a living What to do about the sand build-
wall at the base of jetty, which in turn up, if that actually is the problem, is
would enhance the peak and double another thing. Sand build-up inside
the height of the waves,” said Enjo, the inlet has to be dredged about ev-
who earned his master’s at the Florida ery four years to maintain the chan-
Institute of Technology. The tweaking, nel. “That is an expensive operation,”
with an approximate $100,000 price Smithson said.
tag, would not affect the integrity of
the jetty itself, he added. “To come in and remove 10,000 cu-
bic yards for surfing is not on our ra-
Garvey is sold. A return of surfers to dar. It does not fit with our mission.
First Peak would boost tourism. We’d really have to figure out how
to make it feasible. But I think that’s
“By restoring First Peak to its former where the direction needs to go. You
glory, we also believe we can re-estab- cannot alter the structure easily and
lish a high-level professional surfing have it permitted.”
event at Sebastian Inlet.”
Enjo has created a website to raise
But Martin Smithson, administra- public awareness. “We share infor-
tor of the Sebastian Inlet District, mation with decision makers. Get
doesn’t think the later jetty addition the idea out there. I’m not sure where
had much to do with the weakening funding would come from,” he said.
of First Peak. He said what may have
killed the surfer paradise was sand ac- Garvey’s office might be willing to
cretion on the beach. chip in.

“I am not so sure the deterioration “We are looking at it. We certainly
of the peak came from the structure can’t handle funding the entire proj-
or can be corrected by adjusting the ect, but we may be able to tap some of
structure,” he said. our beach improvement funds to be a
partner,” he said.
Smithson said Enjo’s proposal re-
quires satisfying numerous stake- Enjo is hopeful. “Surfing is a grow-
holders, including the state and the ing sport, so this is an incredible op-
Army Corps of Engineers. “I really portunity,” he said. 
support the effort to look at it. But





10 Thursday, March 2, 2017 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

SEEN & SCENE

Tammy Sandberg and Jo Solley-Hansen. PHOTOS: BENJAMIN THACKER Shirley Mikelonis and Margie Hoffman. Patti Ann Febro, Tammy Sandberg.

Patrice Luneski, Victoria Edwards, Rachel Bryer, Sheila Breyer. Laurie Rawitz, Carol King, Stephany Eley, Jill Addison and Kathy Paul.

Commodore John Barry Chapter ‘dresses’ up for tea

CYNTHIA VAN GAASBECK Correspondent treated attendees to “Portrait of a played was worn in 1867, perhaps Sandberg, and an invocation from
[email protected] Bride, An Everlasting Silhouette,” the most interesting tale related to Chaplain Michelle Herbeck.
featuring 23 dresses out of the pri- a gown made from the silk of a sol-
Amid the sounds of spoons gently vate collection of more than 200 dier’s parachute. The young man Stylish young ladies from the West
clinking against teacups and quiet wedding gowns owned and lovingly vowed that if he survived being Shore Junior/Senior High School
conversations, the ladies of the Com- cared for by Lakeland resident Leigh dropped behind enemy lines during gracefully attended the 120 guests
modore John Barry Chapter of the Anne Brown, a Tampa DAR member. the Normandy invasion, he would at 15 festively laid tables. The young
Daughters of the American Revolu- The gowns ranged from the Victori- marry his sweetheart. Survive he volunteers brought out steaming
tion assembled for the Melbourne an era to the present and each holds did. Brown said that upon his return teapots and assorted teas as well as
Beach chapter’s annual Formal Tea a story, which Brown happily shared, to the United States in 1947, right in cucumber sandwiches and pimen-
last Saturday afternoon, its only fun- noting, “I don’t collect gowns, I col- the train station, he pulled the silk to cheese sandwiches handmade
draising event of the year. lect stories and I collect histories.” sheeting out of his travel bag and di- by the dozens by Sandberg. Guests
rected his bride-to-be to create her also enjoyed other classic tea-time
Held at Eastminster Presbyterian While the oldest dress she dis- gown from the material. foods such as egg salad sandwiches,
Church in Indialantic, the event scones and cake.
These pieces of American his-
tory, displayed on mannequins, Event co-chairs Solley-Hansen
were spaced around the room for all and Sandberg explained the impor-
guests to view wherever they were tance of the fundraiser, noting that
seated. In a dazzling array of whites, their dynamic, 122-member chapter
from stark to cream to ecru, the supports patriotism, education, his-
dresses stood as a testament to love toric preservation and wildlife con-
through the ages. America’s history servation.
is interwoven in these gowns, mak-
ing the display a fitting partner with The nonprofit organization also
the DAR’s commitment to preserv- assists veterans and honors their
ing the nation’s past and honoring service with donations of money,
its heroes. time and materials.

The event opened with Florida “We get to know the veterans and
Prep Academy’s color guard present- we hear their stories, and some can
ing the flag, recitation of the Pledge bring tears to your eyes. This makes
of Allegiance led by Regent Jo Solley- us proud to be Americans. We want
Hansen and Vice Regent Tammy to pass this on to the next genera-
tion,” Sandberg said. “It’s wonderful
being a part of something bigger.” 

Barrier Island Newsweekly THE MELBOURNE Thursday, March 2, 2017 11

SEEN & SCENE

Michelle Herbeck and Caroline Vitolo.

Olivia Johnson and Jessica Marzano Leigh Anne Brown, Betty Jo Green and Bobbie Schofield.

Volunteers from Westshore Junior and Senior High School.

12 Thursday, March 2, 2017 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

SEEN & SCENE

Amid hoopla, gala celebrates Comets’ shooting stars

STORY BY KAT REDNER Correspondent is needed and he just loves being a Kristin Toft and Tammy Toft. Staci Miller and Mikaela Chatman.
[email protected] part of this team,” said Julia Franco, Mark Dausch and Mila Haritonova Debra Shaw, Julia Franco and Jada Marty.
speaking about her eighth-grade son.
Two boys greeted guests arriving at
the Hilton Melbourne Rialto Place to Dr. Bennie Shaw, founder and CEO
attend last Saturday’s Florida Comets of the Florida Comets, gives complete
Gala Extravaganza, saying in sync, credit to the kids on the team, saying
“Thank you for supporting the Flor- “this is what it’s all about.”
ida Comets!”
“This event is a huge fundraiser
The Florida Comets are a nonprofit for the team, so not as much money
community service organization is spent out of pocket to allow us to
based out of Palm Bay that teaches play at the larger tournaments,” said
children from third to 12th grade to Gabriel Grillon, a 6-foot-2 high school
shoot for the stars – and the hoops junior and captain of the girls’ 11th
– through basketball, while at the grade team.
same time strive for academic great-
ness. Now larger than ever, the Flori- Shaw introduced Riley Minix, cap-
da Comets have roughly 120 students tain of the 11th grade boys team,
registered and continues to grow. who began playing for the Comets
right from the start, in third grade.
Families and attendees of all ages As a team member, Minix said he has
gathered at the hotel and, as the Com- learned to make sure everyone is in
ets’ No. 1 fans, happily purchased the the right spot, keep calm and play
T-shirts and polos being sold by the hard.
basketball stars themselves. There
was also a raffle for great prizes and a In the dining hall, tables were el-
50-50 cash raffle, with all of the pro- egantly set for dinner aimed at ap-
ceeds benefiting the youth organiza- proximately 220 people, and before
tion. that, attendees perused silent-auc-
tion items while sipping on beverag-
“It’s the one thing that will really es from the bar. A live band on stage
keep him on task, since a 3.2 GPA kept folks entertained and a Power-

Anita and William Capote. Barbara and Winston Hardison.

Renee Wickline, Lissette Valcourt and Evelisse Seijoo. Asia Newsome and Gabriel Grillon.

Point presentation on the screen re- Shaw is now an inspirational role
inforced the mission of the Florida model for the students who are mem-
Comets. bers of the teams. He clearly wants the
best of the best for his players, and his
Shaw is a University of Central players know it. To the Florida Com-
Florida record-holder and Basketball ets, basketball is much more than a
Hall of Famer, earning the distinc- sport – it’s a lifestyle. It’s working with
tion for having averaged an impres- one another as a team while achieving
sive 25 points per game. Asked what scholastic goals at the same time.
motivated him, Shaw said, “I’m more
of a perfectionist. It was just some- As team member Asia Newsome
thing that I loved doing.” succinctly put it, “It’s a family.” 



28 Thursday, March 2, 2017 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

YOUR HEALTH

Know this about ‘joe’: Coffee can aid cognitive function

STORY BY MARIA CANFIELD CORRESPONDENT Dr. James Shafer. PHOTO: DENISE RITCHIE from a neurological perspective. habit of not focusing when talking to
[email protected] Age-related cognitive decline is other people. “What happens is they
mediate, direct effect because of its don’t really listen, they don’t stay in
Who knew, but there is actually a stimulant properties, or if it provides not the same as Alzheimer’s disease the moment,” he says. “Coffee helps,
place called the Institute for Scien- some long-term protective benefits or dementia. All people, as they age, as it sharpens the ability to focus.”
tific Information on Coffee; it is de- will experience some decrease in
voted to studying the intersection of cognitive function, to widely-vary- The general consensus of the scien-
coffee and health, and in good news ing degrees. Symptoms can include tific community is that the daily in-
for coffee drinkers, a new report forgetfulness, a reduced ability to gestion of up to 400mg of caffeine dai-
from the institute concludes that a maintain focus, and diminished ca- ly (about 4 cups of 8 ounces each) does
moderate intake of coffee may pro- pacity to problem-solve. not have any negative implications for
tect against age-related cognitive healthy adults. However, Dr. Shafer
decline. However, most research also sounds a note of caution about this,
supports coffee’s favorable ef- saying: “Some people can be highly
Vero Beach neurologist S. James fects against dementia caused by sensitive to caffeine. For these people,
Shafer is aware of the study and Alzheimer’s disease; a 2016 study it can cause migraines, increase anxi-
says, “There’s lots of information out concluded that moderate coffee ety, or cause tremors.”
there about coffee and there is evi- consumption can reduce the risk of
dence that it has positive effects on developing Alzheimer’s by up to 27 Even for those not especially sen-
some aspects of brain health.” percent. sitive to caffeine, it can disrupt sleep
if consumed in high quantities, and
As part of its research, the ISIC Dr. Shafer says that he sees pa- this, ironically, can have a negative ef-
looked at recent meta-analyses on tients who think they may be get- fect on brain health. Dr. Shafer says,
the association between coffee con- ting Alzheimer’s or dementia, but “Sleep is the only chance our brains
sumption and cognitive decline (a it’s simply that they’ve developed a get to recover from the day and get
meta-analysis is the statistical pro- ready for the next day.” As with so
cedure for combining data from many other things, moderation and
multiple studies). That data showed timing are key: A cup or two of coffee
that the greatest protection came in the morning is not going to affect
with an intake of 3 to 5 cups of coffee the sleep patterns of most people.
per day.
The origin of coffee is more lore than
The study does not declare that fact. A popular story is that an Ethio-
caffeine was the reason coffee pro- pian goat herder named Kaldi saw one
tected against cognitive decline, of his goats chewing on a shrub’s red
but that is the clear implication. berries and was struck by how full of
Past research has shown that caf- energy the animal was. Kaldi sampled
feine produces a number of benefi- the fruit and was consumed by a feel-
cial responses in the central nervous ing of elation. He thought the berries
system at both cellular and phar- were heaven-sent and took a bunch
macological levels. Coffee contains to the nearest monastery. The head
other compounds that may also play monk disagreed, condemning the
a role, along with caffeine, including berries as the devil’s work and throw-
antioxidants and anti-inflammatory ing them on the fire, giving birth to
agents. roasted coffee. The year was 850 A.D.

With that said, it is not known There are other dietary and lifestyle
for sure why drinking coffee seems choices that are known to help reduce
to positively affect cognitive func- age-related cognitive decline, includ-
tion. Vero’s Dr. Shafer says that there ing:
have been no well-controlled clini-
cal studies that would determine  Sticking to a “Mediterranean”
whether coffee simply has an im- diet, with its emphasis on fish, sea-
food, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds,
Historic Downtown Melbourne TheBabyChiro.com legumes and whole grains.
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and Wholeness from Above, enhance cognitive reserve and pro-
Down, and the Inside Out vide protection against loss of brain
function.

Dr. Shafer sees patients and conducts
research at the Vero Beach Neurology
and Research Institute, located at 1040
37th Place, Suite 201, in Vero Beach.
The phone number is 772-492-7051. 

Barrier Island Newsweekly THE MELBOURNE Thursday, March 2, 2017 29

YOUR HEALTH

Fragmentation of care problematic for opioid addicts

STORY BY LENNY BERNSTEIN THE WASHINGTON POST the researchers analyzed a subset of which is similar to the rate at which
those people who received a form of people with other chronic diseases
The grip of opioid addiction is so the drug, Suboxone, which is only suffer setbacks.
strong that many people who undergo prescribed to combat the cravings of
treatment relapse repeatedly. Now a opioid addiction. Even among those Despite the discouraging statistics,
study by Johns Hopkins University re- 20,124 people, 27 percent used an- research shows that medication-as-
searchers offers new clues about why other opioid during treatment, and 54 sisted treatment is one of the most suc-
treatment is so difficult. percent received one after treatment cessful and common ways to combat
ended. addiction.
The researchers discovered that 43
percent of people receiving buprenor- The National Institute on Drug “But our study raises important
phine, a widely used anti-addiction Abuse puts the relapse rate for drug questions about the real-world qual-
medication, filled at least one pre- addiction at 40 percent to 60 percent, ity of medication-assisted treatment,”
scription for opioids – which they pre- Alexander said. 
sumably consumed or diverted to oth-
ers.

They also found that the aver-
age length of stay on buprenorphine
was just 55 days, much less than the
months or years experts believe it may
take to conquer a substance-abuse
disorder with the help of such drugs.
Once patients stopped getting the an-
ti-addiction medication, two-thirds of
them went back to filling prescriptions
for opioids, according to the study,
published Thursday in the journal Ad-
diction.

Caleb Alexander, co-director of the
Center for Drug Safety and Effective-
ness at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg
School of Public Health, said his team’s
research “raises important questions
about the quality of care these patients
are receiving and the degree to which
their care is coordinated across our
fragmented health-care system.”

Alexander said people receiving
medication-assisted treatment with
buprenorphine or methadone may
see one provider for that drug, another
for their primary care and yet another
if they are brought to an emergency
room. Despite the growth in many
states of databases designed to help
providers track a patient’s drug pur-
chases, doctors are often unaware of
what other physicians may be pre-
scribing.

Inefficiency and poor communi-
cation are to blame much more than
drug-seekers trying to manipulate the
system, Alexander said.

“The big concern is fragmenta-
tion of care,” he said. The databases,
known as prescription drug monitor-
ing programs, “are not a panacea,” he
added. “Many doctors don’t use them.
Many doctors aren’t even registered.
Many who are registered don’t use
them regularly.”

“I don’t think we can put this entire-
ly on patients or providers or any other
single stakeholder,” Alexander said.

The study looked at the records
of 38,096 buprenorphine users in
11 states between January 2010 and
July 2012. Because buprenorphine
is sometimes prescribed for pain,

30 Thursday, March 2, 2017 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

YOUR HEALTH

Managing obesity? Bariatricians can’t ‘weight’ to help

STORY BY TOM LLOYD STAFF WRITER Dr. Felice Haake. It’s because obesity is strongly
[email protected] linked to the onset of type 2 diabetes,
PHOTO: DENISE RITCHIE heart disease, high blood pressure,
Approximately 24 million Ameri- arthritis, sleep apnea and stroke.
cans are currently so overweight that chronic medical conditions and
they qualify for one of the four ma- perhaps even undiagnosed condi- In other words, some of the biggest
jor bariatric weight-loss surgeries or tions that might be contributing to or killers in the country often come as
procedures now being offered in this causing their obesity or other weight part of a package deal with those ex-
country. problems.” tra pounds.

The American Society of Meta- In other words, Haake diagnoses, “Almost all of my patients that be-
bolic and Bariatric Surgeons says teaches and – perhaps most impor- long to an obese category have at
those procedures include the gastric tantly – listens. least one comorbidity ... [such as]
bypass, the sleeve gastrectomy, the hypertension, pre-diabetes, heart
adjustable gastric band and the bilio- “Most patients who struggle with disease, hyperlipidemia or high cho-
pancreatic diversion with duodenal weight,” Haake continues, “have a lesterol lipid abnormalities,” says
switch. story. Everyone’s got a story. Where Haake. “Most of them have reflux and
it started. When it started. If they’ve depression. These are all comorbidi-
But Dr. Felice Haake of the Indian struggled with weight since they ties. So I would say 80 to 90 percent of
River Medical Center’s new compre- were a kid. And so, getting to the root my patients have at least one associ-
hensive weight-loss program takes a [of their problem] helps bring every- ated comorbidity.”
different approach. thing to the surface so they can start
working on it. It’s important.” Devising diet solutions, workable
She is a “medical bariatrician,” a exercise plans, improving cardiovas-
relatively new and still fairly small Pausing briefly, Haake adds, “I al- cular health and managing medica-
sub-specialty, and she doesn’t per- ways tell patients I don’t work with tions all are parts of Haake’s mission.
form any of the above procedures. their limitations, I work with their
abilities” in order to overcome weight And, for the record, Haake ada-
“A medical bariatrician is a physi- problems in general and obesity in mantly says a magic pill for weight
cian who’s certified in treating and particular. loss simply doesn’t exist. “For me,
diagnosing overweight and obesity,” medications are an adjunct and
explains Haake. “We approach pa- The term obesity is a loaded one, they’re only for the appropriate pa-
tients from a medical standpoint, and it is often misunderstood. tients. Not every patient who walks in
looking at their medications, their my door gets handed a medication.”
As WebMD points out, “If doctors
CM tell you you’re obese, they’re not try- Haake also says gastric bypasses
COLLINS & MONTZ DENTISTRY ing to make you feel bad. They’re us- and other surgeries are not a panacea
ing a specific medical term to talk for weight problems.
cosmetic dentistry  preventive dentistry with you about your weight. The
restorative dentistry  dental implants word obesity means too much body “It’s not like the surgery fixes ev-
fat. It’s usually based on your body erything,” she says. “You have to con-
Experience the fusion of traditional mass index or BMI, which compares tinue to do what you’ve been taught
values and modern dentistry. your weight to your height.” and go to the support groups and all
of that.”
Dr. J. Hunter Collins Dr. Roger Montz But the reason so much attention is
paid to weight these days isn’t about Leaning forward, Haake adds, “Let
524 Ocean Avenue, Melbourne Beach, FL 32951 waistlines or dress sizes. me tell you something about obe-
sity: It’s a chronic condition just like
(321) 725-6565 eczema. You don’t cure eczema. You
manage it. You manage obesity too.
melbournebeachdentistry.com So this is life-long. You’re going to
manage this. So I teach maintenance;
what I call maintenance skills to help
prevent weight re-gain.”

The IRMC comprehensive weight-
loss program is just now starting its
mission. but Haake has no doubts
about how she’d like to see it evolve.

“I would love to see this build into a
full program like the program I came
from in Virginia,” says Haake, “where
it was surgeons working alongside the
medical bariatrician, working along-
side the dietician, working alongside
an exercise physiologist, working
alongside a behaviorist. It’s really a
collaborative approach and each per-
son brings their own expertise.”

Dr. Felice Haake is a medical baria-
trician and family practitioner at the
Indian River Medical Center. Her of-
fice is in the new Health and Wellness
building at 3450 11th Court, Suite 201.
The phone number is 772-794-3364. 





12 Thursday, March 2, 2017 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

SEEN & SCENE

Amid hoopla, gala celebrates Comets’ shooting stars

STORY BY KAT REDNER Correspondent is needed and he just loves being a Kristin Toft and Tammy Toft. Staci Miller and Mikaela Chatman.
[email protected] part of this team,” said Julia Franco, Mark Dausch and Mila Haritonova Debra Shaw, Julia Franco and Jada Marty.
speaking about her eighth-grade son.
Two boys greeted guests arriving at
the Hilton Melbourne Rialto Place to Dr. Bennie Shaw, founder and CEO
attend last Saturday’s Florida Comets of the Florida Comets, gives complete
Gala Extravaganza, saying in sync, credit to the kids on the team, saying
“Thank you for supporting the Flor- “this is what it’s all about.”
ida Comets!”
“This event is a huge fundraiser
The Florida Comets are a nonprofit for the team, so not as much money
community service organization is spent out of pocket to allow us to
based out of Palm Bay that teaches play at the larger tournaments,” said
children from third to 12th grade to Gabriel Grillon, a 6-foot-2 high school
shoot for the stars – and the hoops junior and captain of the girls’ 11th
– through basketball, while at the grade team.
same time strive for academic great-
ness. Now larger than ever, the Flori- Shaw introduced Riley Minix, cap-
da Comets have roughly 120 students tain of the 11th grade boys team,
registered and continues to grow. who began playing for the Comets
right from the start, in third grade.
Families and attendees of all ages As a team member, Minix said he has
gathered at the hotel and, as the Com- learned to make sure everyone is in
ets’ No. 1 fans, happily purchased the the right spot, keep calm and play
T-shirts and polos being sold by the hard.
basketball stars themselves. There
was also a raffle for great prizes and a In the dining hall, tables were el-
50-50 cash raffle, with all of the pro- egantly set for dinner aimed at ap-
ceeds benefiting the youth organiza- proximately 220 people, and before
tion. that, attendees perused silent-auc-
tion items while sipping on beverag-
“It’s the one thing that will really es from the bar. A live band on stage
keep him on task, since a 3.2 GPA kept folks entertained and a Power-

Anita and William Capote. Barbara and Winston Hardison.

Renee Wickline, Lissette Valcourt and Evelisse Seijoo. Asia Newsome and Gabriel Grillon.

Point presentation on the screen re- Shaw is now an inspirational role
inforced the mission of the Florida model for the students who are mem-
Comets. bers of the teams. He clearly wants the
best of the best for his players, and his
Shaw is a University of Central players know it. To the Florida Com-
Florida record-holder and Basketball ets, basketball is much more than a
Hall of Famer, earning the distinc- sport – it’s a lifestyle. It’s working with
tion for having averaged an impres- one another as a team while achieving
sive 25 points per game. Asked what scholastic goals at the same time.
motivated him, Shaw said, “I’m more
of a perfectionist. It was just some- As team member Asia Newsome
thing that I loved doing.” succinctly put it, “It’s a family.” 

Show time is go
time for Riverside
music director

14 Thursday, March 2, 2017 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

ARTS & THEATRE

For folk artist Amos Lee, the ‘Spirit’ is willing

STORY BY ALAN SCULLEY CORRESPONDENT that’s spiked with horns and features Amos Lee. that kind of vibe,” he said. “But that
some soaring vocals from Lee. The was as far as I went with it because I
If you want an idea of what American song “Spirit” is another piano-based career. He was signed by Blue Note don’t really want to go into an album
folk artist Amos Lee has in mind for his ballad, but this one has the distinct ac- Records after Norah Jones heard a with a fully formed concept,” said Lee.
Melbourne and Orlando audiences cents of Memphis soul and gospel, as demo Lee sent to the label and decid- “I want to be interactive, and I want it
this week, his new album, “Spirit,” is a does the Al Green-ish ballad “Til You ed to take Lee on tour as her opening to be collaborative in that people feel
good way to find out. Come Back Through.” act. He then made a splash himself free and open musically. I didn’t want
with his self-titled debut. to over-curate, but I wanted to provide
If you want an idea of what American Another song that takes listeners the songs and some structure to give
folk artist Amos Lee has in mind for his to church is “Running Out of Time,” He was touted by “Rolling Stone” some ideas for people. But other than
Melbourne and Orlando audiences in but it’s a frisky tune that brings to- magazine as one of the year’s “10 artists those basic ideas, we just played.”
early March, his new album, “Spirit,” is gether gospel, soul and folk. “High- to watch,” and the CD caught on com-
a good way to find out. ways and Clouds” sounds a bit like a mercially, selling nearly 500,000 cop- That open-minded approach is one
less gritty Ben Harper with its funk ies. Tours followed with the likes of Bob reason some songs evolved consider-
“Spirit” finds him bringing a big- and rock elements. Dylan, Paul Simon and Merle Haggard. ably during recording. The title song
ger element of soul and rhythm and was a prime example.
blues into his sound than ever before When Lee brings back touches of “Supply and Demand” and “Last
– a stylistic shift that might change folk, it’s usually mixed liberally with Days at the Lodge” didn’t match “‘Spirit’ was one that really changed
the long-held perception of Lee as other styles, be it the gospel and pop those sales numbers, but Lee’s fourth a lot,” Lee said. “And we hit a couple of
a folk music artist. But according to of “One Lonely Light” or the ballad album, 2011’s “Mission Bell,” marked walls with it along the way. In the be-
the singer-songwriter, “Spirit” simply “Walls,” which finds Lee employing a a second surge. It debuted at No. 1 ginning it was like, I didn’t want to just
brings to an album a direction that falsetto vocal. The only song that might on the Billboard album chart and put it together and be like ‘Cool, here’s
has been emerging in another forum qualify as folk is “With You,” but even produced a hit single, “Windows are this version of this song.’ The way I
for a while now. that song gets pop overtones with its Rolled Down.” wrote it is pretty straightforward, like a
string arrangement. soulful folk guitar ballad. I really want-
“If you’ve seen the show over the past His next album, “Mountains of Sor- ed to approach the song a little bit more
year or two, you would know that the As Lee’s sound has grown more full row, Rivers of Song,” came in at No. 16 dynamically, so from a performance
show is a lot more R&B, gospel-soul fla- on albums, he has also continued to on Billboard’s all-genre album chart. aspect, we’d have a place to really make
vored than some of my records that I’ve solidify and grow his audience. Lee But it showed cross-genre appeal by it shine.”
put out in the past,” Lee said in a recent got off to a fast start with his music reaching No. 7 on the Rock Album
phone interview. “So I think this group chart and lodging itself in the top five Lee, who now tours with a large band
of material will lend itself to deepening on the Americana Music Association that includes horn players and multi-
that connection in the live show, but album chart for several months after instrumentalists, said the sound of his
also to serve as a backdrop for a tex- its release. albums has mirrored his evolution to a
tural opposition, to use fancy words, to bigger sound on stage.
some of the more folk-leaning stuff like “Spirit” checked in at No. 30 on
‘Night Train.’” the “Billboard” album chart, but de- “I do like a full body. I will say that I
buted at No. 3 on that magazine’s think early in my career I was perform-
To be fair, there’s always been a bit of rock album chart, making it the third ing mostly solo,” he said. “I did those
soul-R&B woven into Lee’s music, even straight Amos album to open in the first two Norah Jones tours completely
on early albums like his 2005 self-titled top 10 in that format. “Spirit” may be solo. So you get used to that sort of ex-
album and 2006’s “Supply and De- Lee’s most explicitly soulful album, perience and that’s what you do. My
mand” (which included “Night Train”). but he didn’t go into the recording second record, I’d say that ‘Supply and
That later album favored acoustic-cen- trying to dictate the stylistic or sonic Demand’ has a fair amount of instru-
tric, folk-leaning material. direction the album. Instead, he tried mentation and full band stuff. But this
to give the musicians he’d picked one (“Spirit”) is definitely, probably the
Then came his third album, 2008’s for the recording sessions – a mix of most fully formed.”
“Last Days at the Lodge,” when Lee members of his touring band and stu-
started filling out his sound. With dio players – plenty of latitude. And Lee said he was very conscious
“Spirit,” Lee has made his most instru- of how the new songs would work live,
mentally fleshed-out album yet. “I had an idea that I wanted to ap- aware of what they would bring to his
proach some of these songs with a show as he and his backing musicians
And yes, soul is a predominant in- rhythm section to really communicate developed the arrangements for the
gredient in many songs, as is gospel. songs on “Spirit.”
“New Love” is a lovely piano ballad
“I was definitely thinking about the
live experience when we were record-
ing these songs because I’ve spent so
much time on the road over the past
couple of years that I really wanted to
make sure we were going to bring a
group of material that we can elevate
the show with,” he said.

Lee said he hopes his shows in sup-
port of “Spirit” will not only showcase
the new album, but give fans a good
sense of how music from across his ca-
reer fits together.

Amos Lee performs tonight, March
2, at Plaza Live in Orlando, and Sun-
day, March 5, at the King Center in Mel-
bourne. 







18 Thursday, March 2, 2017 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

INSIGHT COVER STORY

Ever bought art on a cruise?
Prepare to be seasick
find out, I booked a windowless cabin
VERNON SILVER | BLOOMBERG of live auctions held on more than refunds and the return of some art. The on the Epic for a counterclockwise voy-
100 ships each year. Norwegian, Royal auction house says it’s changed some age around the Mediterranean, from
Among the passengers gathered for Caribbean, and Carnival all host Park of its practices, including offering re- Italy to France to Spain and back again.
the art auction, the guy sitting in front West. And they all get a cut of the reve- turns within 40 days and exchanges
of me seemed the most likely to have nue. Park West has had annual sales as within 40 months. Yes, I would be drawing a salary
attended just for the free booze. The ad- high as $400 million and counted more while on a weeklong cruise. But there
vertisements left in our staterooms had than 2 million customers. Norwegian and the rest of the cruise were certain risks: In 2009, the captain
promised Champagne, and amid the lines have continued to give Park West of a Royal Caribbean ship had ordered
smart polo shirts and sundresses, this With those big numbers come bitter access to their captive audience of his security force to put a New York
middle-aged man stood out as excep- complaints. Starting in 2008, a series bored, boozed-up, and broadband- teacher ashore – in Oslo, in the middle
tionally casual: a white tank top with a of lawsuits have alleged abusive sales deprived passengers. Fresh lawsuits of his cruise – after he printed a leaflet
faded “Virginia Beach” graphic, black practices, including forged Salvador against the gallery have followed. warning fellow passengers about the
athletic shorts, and a blue baseball cap Dalí signatures and promises of invest- Park West lawsuits.
pulled down close to his eyeglasses. ment gains. At least 21 Park West cus- In one instance, Rane Mazzeo, a
tomers filed 11 legal claims across the brow-and-body waxer from Las Vegas, The Epic, like most modern cruise
It was 11:15 a.m., and our cruise ship, thought she’d conquered the art mar- ships, is a shopping mall embedded in
the Norwegian Epic, was taking almost U.S., according to a 2012 court filing a floating hotel. ParkWest had its gallery
6,000 passengers and crew on an east- the gallery made in a separate insur- ket when she stepped off a Norwegian in the forward section of Deck 5, a wood-
ward course to mainland Italy. As the ance dispute. Six of those class-action ship on a spring day in 2011. She’d paneled space about the size of a tennis
auction staff ushered in potential bid- customer lawsuits were merged into spent $29,809 with Park West while at court, rigged with spotlights that shone
ders, a waiter approached with a silver a single, multidistrict litigation at Se- sea; the auction house had given her on a set of pictures that changed daily.
tray of bubbly. The man in the tank top attle’s U.S. District Court, according to appraisals that claimed the works were The auctions themselves were conduct-
scooped up a flute. “Breakfast!” he said. a signed 2013 declaration Park West’s worth much more. ed in various venues around the ship.
founder made in the insurance case.
Before bidding could start, the auc- Three years later, Mazzeo got an One day at sea, just before I came
tioneer instructed us to explore scores The core claim was that Park West independent appraisal that put the aboard, Scott Bisset walked into a mid-
of artworks set up on easels around the sold art at inflated prices by using actual market value at a third of what day auction in the Epic’s Bliss Ultra
room – impressionistic seasides, twee high-pressure tricks, appraisals based she’d paid. Mazzeo, 55, sued Park West Lounge, a disco and cocktail bar with
cottages by Thomas Kinkade, the Stat- on no valid methodology, and false in September 2015 for fraudulent mis- chain-mail curtains for walls and a small
ue of Liberty as rendered by Peter Max, claims of authenticity. Price lists in the representation. The company disput- karaoke stage at the back. Bisset and his
and a surreal composition featuring an court record show passengers spent ed the claims and was awarded legal wife, Sharyn Miller, later told me that his
anthropomorphic cocktail olive. tens of thousands of dollars on works fees after winning a motion to compel outfit – board shorts and a yellow tank
that weren’t one-of-a-kind originals. arbitration. The lawsuit was dismissed, top – was part of a savvy strategy. “You
My Champagne-sampling neigh- and the parties settled their dispute. don’t want them to think you have mon-
bor’s name was Chuck Bialon, from “The scheme targeted individuals (Mazzeo declined to comment.) Nor- ey,” Miller said. “Prices can go up.”
Pittsburgh. He said he’d been to doz- who, while unawares relaxing on their wegian, Royal Caribbean, and Carnival
ens of these auctions over the years vacations, are wined and dined by say they’ve required more consumer After registering for a bid card that
and whispered a warning: “It’s a shell Park West and Cruise Line employees protections from Park West. would be their auction paddle, Bis-
game.” Gallery staff milled about with- and are subjected to Defendants’ art set, 48, and Miller, 51, walked the pe-
in earshot, offering potential collectors fraud scheme,” a 2010 plaintiffs’ filing Despite the litigation, Park West rimeter of the disco, examining the
special prebid prices at what they said in the lawsuit said. Park West called the says art sales have never been better. 300 pictures on display. They spot-
were steep discounts. suit baseless but in 2011 agreed to a The gallery’s perseverance was either ted four they liked, including a “lim-
settlement that it says included partial an amazing corporate rebound or ited edition” Kinkade lighthouse and a
Bialon, his voice lowered, outlined the evidence they’d never done wrong. To landscape of a bridge in France by the
hidden danger. The spotty onboard Wi- Chinese-born, North Carolina-based
Fi made it next to impossible to Google Daniel Wall. According to Park West’s
around for fair-market prices, he said website, Wall is the founder of a move-
– and also made it unlikely passengers ment called “intense impressionism.”
would learn that the company running
the auction, Park West Gallery, has long Before the auction started, Park West
been accused by angry customers of offered to combine the four works into
selling overpriced art as investments. a single lot and negotiated with Bisset
and Miller a starting bid of $5,100. The
Still, Bialon added, there was that figure was a steep discount from the
time he’d bought a Rembrandt. Paid al- gallery’s suggested retail price.
most $12,000 for it on a Carnival cruise
of the western Caribbean. Hangs on Everyone took seats so that bidding
his dining room wall. I wanted to ask could begin. At a podium on the disco’s
more, but the head auctioneer had stage, the chief auctioneer, Dillon Cil-
seen me taking notes. For the moment, liers, read highlights from the terms and
I needed to move along. The whiff of conditions printed on each bid card,
scandal surrounding high-seas art auc- emphasizing Item 1, which said “all
tions was the reason I was on the Epic. sales are final” in bold, capital letters.

Park West was founded in 1969, is The bidding was fast-paced, with
based outside Detroit, and boasts it’s Cilliers, a South African in a snappy
the world’s biggest art gallery. It sells suit, speaking in auctioneer patter and
pictures and sculptures at thousands banging a wooden gavel on the side of
his podium. Bisset and Miller’s lot came
up. To “win,” they would only need for
there to be no competing bids – and
there weren’t. Sold, for $5,100! “It isn’t
an auction as such, is it?” Miller said











24 Thursday, March 2, 2017 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

INSIGHT GAMES & CO.

SOLUTSIOONLUSTTIOONPSRTOEVPIROEUVSIOIUSSSUISESU(FEE(FBeRbUruAarRyY232)3O)NOPNAGPEAG34E 73

ACROSS DOWN
7 Soft, felt hat (6) 1 Demote (8)
8 Outcome (6) 2 Mongolian desert (4)
9 Citizen (8) 3 Builds (5)
10 Simple (4) 4 Sibling (7)
11 Waterway (5) 5 Congregate (8)
13 Vegetation (7) 6 And (4)
16 Speak of (7) 12 Natural talent (8)
17 Creepy (5) 14 Beautiful (8)
19 Slam (4) 15 Ease (7)
21 Scare (8) 18 Meadow (5)
23 Meander (6) 20 Cure, mend (4)
24 Union (6) 22 Mound (4)

The Telegraph

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

Barrier Island Newsweekly THE MELBOURNE Thursday, March 2, 2017 25

INSIGHT GAMES & CO.

ACROSS birthplace 15 Prufrock’s creator 85 Carefree
78 Manhattan Project 16 Toy truck 88 Sadat’s
1 Zenith
5 Plots product company predecessor
12 Darling 79 Related to 17 Sam of golf 89 Nero’s tutor
18 Old exclamation 19 First family, 1841­ 90 Bury
21 Don, as galoshes regulations 91 California city
22 J.D. Salinger story 81 Old World tree 45
23 Stoat 20 Some square heard in gag train
24 L.A. Law lady (anagram of announcements
25 Part of “snafu” TAINT) dancers on The Jack
26 Upbeat tune 82 Part of TVA: abbr. 22 Yalta conferee’s Benny Show
27 Rocket launcher 83 Fun house 92 Ninth day, before
features inits. the ides
or 84 Diplomat’s place: 27 Ostentatious, 93 One way to go
bubblegum abbr. 95 Burt Reynolds
28 Dwell 86 Actress Persson homewise film
30 Louis, McCarthy, 87 Former 29 “Perjurer!” 96 Hunter in the sky
and Tex 89 Shopping places 30 Hinged CD 98 Dustin in Midnight
31 Thomas Hood’s 91 Designer Taylor Cowboy
“___ and a Fairy 94 Evidence of coffee holder 99 Bishop­led
Boat” grinding 31 Drivers may go church: abbr.
33 Wee bit 95 Hits the road 100 Hot time, to Hugo
34 Tank feature 97 Access for it 102 Prefix with
36 Normally 101 Adjusts for a 32 Composer “physics”
38 High range closeup 103 Snooze
41 Inculcate 103 Fix holes Schifrin 104 Blink
42 Belly-flopper 104 Place a stake 35 Actor Calhoun 107 Pumpernickel
sound 105 Suitable 36 Singer Guthrie ingredient
44 Emerald City 106 Cause of 50 37 Ages 108 Type of cake or
princess Across 38 Cutting tool meal
48 Nobelist in 107 1950s puppet 39 43 Down, for one 109 Metric distance
physics, 1933 show 40 Animalcule measure: abbr.
50 Uprising 111 Seat for three 42 Creator of One 110 Olive product
52 Book by 22 Down, 112 Birthplace of
___ Way actress Flew Over the The Washington Post
53 Class time Stella Stevens Cuckoo’s Nest
devoted to 113 ___ as nails 43 Born Free WILD IN THE CITY By Merl Reagle
“creature 114 Adjective for character
features,” perhaps Rome 45 Snazzy threads Simulcast Wagering
55 “___ distressed” 115 Alliance 46 Wall in Doors Open @ 11:45
(I Sam. 28:15) 47 Yard, e.g.
57 Unabridged DOWN 49 Pipe material
58 La ___ Tar Pits 1 Have no differ­ 51 Ice mass or
59 Amahl’s visitors composer
60 Oolong ences 52 Pi preceder
61 The study of wine 2 Seeks divine 54 Mr. Ohm
63 1960s folksinger 56 1960s nightclub­
and guidance sign word
activist 3 Glasgow night 59 Part of Riyadh’s
66 Show ___ 4 Kane’s estate skyline
68 Bird genus that 5 Recyclable item 62 Exaggerates
sounds like a 6 Commerce 63 Fuel blocks
word meaning 64 It means “blood”
“crevices” leftover 65 Most cozy
69 Common verb 7 Harriet’s guy 66 Gravy dish
70 Outfits 8 Some cigarettes 67 Beatles song,
73 The study of the 9 Sweep’s target “Let ___”
ear 10 Peewee guitar 69 Spinning top, e.g.
75 Edna Ferber’s 11 Mind field: abbr. 71 “Pieces of the
12 “Louder!” pie”: abbr.
13 Mangel­___ 72 Carriage
74 Alphabet center
(big beet) 75 Destiny
14 Patron saint of 76 Stub ___
77 Prefix meaning
sailors “ferment”
80 In shape
83 Earned

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26 Thursday, March 2, 2017 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

INSIGHT BACKPAGE

Can they rebuild a relationship mired in mistrust?

STORY BY CAROLYN HAX THE WASHINGTON POST ed social compact that’s worth getting right for its Here’s the funny thing: It’s not for everyone,
power to elevate you both. obviously, but some strong, happy, intimate
Hi, Carolyn: My girlfriend couples can flirt a little on the side and use each
and I recently called off our en- It can bring confinement, too, though, and collat- other’s phones. But they do so openly as a by-
gagement due to some flirta- eral damage – to kids, mostly – when people go into product of higher-level trust in each other and in
tious messages she found on my it ill-prepared or ill-matched. If I had to guess which their union.
phone. I can say honestly that of these you and your girlfriend are, I’d say a little
it was an isolated incident, but of both. You’re not compatible enough, so you feel You two are doing these things furtively, as
her anger was compounded by not-quite-right together and aren’t mature enough acts of self-preservation. Flirting might not seem
my other messages with platon- to see that and walk away. Instead, you’re out flirt- like a protective act, but it often unwittingly is –
ic girlfriends, which I feel were ing and she’s in snooping and you’re both feeling the for people who don’t feel fully themselves with,
taken completely out of context. other has done you wrong. empowered by or appreciated by a partner.
This was not the first time she had looked through
my phone. And if either of you feels compelled to protect
I have of course apologized and worked on myself yourself around the other, then your relation-
to make sure I never make such a mistake again, ship isn’t sound – so imagine the lack of intimacy
but I am left with the issue of trying to earn back her when both of you are in self-preservation mode,
trust while feeling that she has violated my privacy as appears to be the case here.
multiple times now. What do I do?
You say you “worked on myself,” which says
– G. you understand that the issue isn’t the flirty text,
it’s the context. Good.
G.: Take this implosion as a gift.
Everything good about marriage rests on trust. I But as you suggest, such work is only as good
don’t just mean trusting you’ll stay married or won’t as its results, and your result apparently is the
cheat, either, because a couple who stick it out for 60 same cognitive dissonance you started with: ac-
miserable years can be technically honoring their cepting blame as the untrustworthy one from a
vows. I mean trust that you like each other, and partner you don’t trust.
yourselves, for who you are; trust that you’re willing So, more work. Call her on the snooping. Ignor-
to set your own interests aside for the other’s; trust ing it just to stay together will promote resent-
that you know your worst tendencies and will work ment, not intimacy.
to keep them in check; trust that you’ll back down Ask yourself beforehand, in fact, why you want
when you’re wrong and not back down when you’re her back – and what of your relationship you want
right about something that counts. It’s a complicat- back. It’s not enough for you to “be good”; what
you create together must also be good for you
both, or else its time has passed. 



28 Thursday, March 2, 2017 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

YOUR HEALTH

Know this about ‘joe’: Coffee can aid cognitive function

STORY BY MARIA CANFIELD CORRESPONDENT Dr. James Shafer. PHOTO: DENISE RITCHIE from a neurological perspective. habit of not focusing when talking to
[email protected] Age-related cognitive decline is other people. “What happens is they
mediate, direct effect because of its don’t really listen, they don’t stay in
Who knew, but there is actually a stimulant properties, or if it provides not the same as Alzheimer’s disease the moment,” he says. “Coffee helps,
place called the Institute for Scien- some long-term protective benefits or dementia. All people, as they age, as it sharpens the ability to focus.”
tific Information on Coffee; it is de- will experience some decrease in
voted to studying the intersection of cognitive function, to widely-vary- The general consensus of the scien-
coffee and health, and in good news ing degrees. Symptoms can include tific community is that the daily in-
for coffee drinkers, a new report forgetfulness, a reduced ability to gestion of up to 400mg of caffeine dai-
from the institute concludes that a maintain focus, and diminished ca- ly (about 4 cups of 8 ounces each) does
moderate intake of coffee may pro- pacity to problem-solve. not have any negative implications for
tect against age-related cognitive healthy adults. However, Dr. Shafer
decline. However, most research also sounds a note of caution about this,
supports coffee’s favorable ef- saying: “Some people can be highly
Vero Beach neurologist S. James fects against dementia caused by sensitive to caffeine. For these people,
Shafer is aware of the study and Alzheimer’s disease; a 2016 study it can cause migraines, increase anxi-
says, “There’s lots of information out concluded that moderate coffee ety, or cause tremors.”
there about coffee and there is evi- consumption can reduce the risk of
dence that it has positive effects on developing Alzheimer’s by up to 27 Even for those not especially sen-
some aspects of brain health.” percent. sitive to caffeine, it can disrupt sleep
if consumed in high quantities, and
As part of its research, the ISIC Dr. Shafer says that he sees pa- this, ironically, can have a negative ef-
looked at recent meta-analyses on tients who think they may be get- fect on brain health. Dr. Shafer says,
the association between coffee con- ting Alzheimer’s or dementia, but “Sleep is the only chance our brains
sumption and cognitive decline (a it’s simply that they’ve developed a get to recover from the day and get
meta-analysis is the statistical pro- ready for the next day.” As with so
cedure for combining data from many other things, moderation and
multiple studies). That data showed timing are key: A cup or two of coffee
that the greatest protection came in the morning is not going to affect
with an intake of 3 to 5 cups of coffee the sleep patterns of most people.
per day.
The origin of coffee is more lore than
The study does not declare that fact. A popular story is that an Ethio-
caffeine was the reason coffee pro- pian goat herder named Kaldi saw one
tected against cognitive decline, of his goats chewing on a shrub’s red
but that is the clear implication. berries and was struck by how full of
Past research has shown that caf- energy the animal was. Kaldi sampled
feine produces a number of benefi- the fruit and was consumed by a feel-
cial responses in the central nervous ing of elation. He thought the berries
system at both cellular and phar- were heaven-sent and took a bunch
macological levels. Coffee contains to the nearest monastery. The head
other compounds that may also play monk disagreed, condemning the
a role, along with caffeine, including berries as the devil’s work and throw-
antioxidants and anti-inflammatory ing them on the fire, giving birth to
agents. roasted coffee. The year was 850 A.D.

With that said, it is not known There are other dietary and lifestyle
for sure why drinking coffee seems choices that are known to help reduce
to positively affect cognitive func- age-related cognitive decline, includ-
tion. Vero’s Dr. Shafer says that there ing:
have been no well-controlled clini-
cal studies that would determine  Sticking to a “Mediterranean”
whether coffee simply has an im- diet, with its emphasis on fish, sea-
food, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds,
Historic Downtown Melbourne TheBabyChiro.com legumes and whole grains.
2100 Waverly Place, Melbourne, FL
 Regular exercise, as it can in-
The power that made the body, heals the body. crease levels of brain-derived neuro-
trophic factor (BDNF), a protein that
321-722-5846 influences brain function by prevent-
ing the death of brain cells.
YOUR FAMILY CHIROPRACTOR
for quality care of Pregnant Mommies,  Cognitive stimulation and train-
Newborns, Children and Families. ing (playing word games, playing
Empowering Families with bridge or chess, learning words and
Outrageous Health, Vitality, phrases from another language) can
and Wholeness from Above, enhance cognitive reserve and pro-
Down, and the Inside Out vide protection against loss of brain
function.

Dr. Shafer sees patients and conducts
research at the Vero Beach Neurology
and Research Institute, located at 1040
37th Place, Suite 201, in Vero Beach.
The phone number is 772-492-7051. 



30 Thursday, March 2, 2017 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

YOUR HEALTH

Managing obesity? Bariatricians can’t ‘weight’ to help

STORY BY TOM LLOYD STAFF WRITER Dr. Felice Haake. It’s because obesity is strongly
[email protected] linked to the onset of type 2 diabetes,
PHOTO: DENISE RITCHIE heart disease, high blood pressure,
Approximately 24 million Ameri- arthritis, sleep apnea and stroke.
cans are currently so overweight that chronic medical conditions and
they qualify for one of the four ma- perhaps even undiagnosed condi- In other words, some of the biggest
jor bariatric weight-loss surgeries or tions that might be contributing to or killers in the country often come as
procedures now being offered in this causing their obesity or other weight part of a package deal with those ex-
country. problems.” tra pounds.

The American Society of Meta- In other words, Haake diagnoses, “Almost all of my patients that be-
bolic and Bariatric Surgeons says teaches and – perhaps most impor- long to an obese category have at
those procedures include the gastric tantly – listens. least one comorbidity ... [such as]
bypass, the sleeve gastrectomy, the hypertension, pre-diabetes, heart
adjustable gastric band and the bilio- “Most patients who struggle with disease, hyperlipidemia or high cho-
pancreatic diversion with duodenal weight,” Haake continues, “have a lesterol lipid abnormalities,” says
switch. story. Everyone’s got a story. Where Haake. “Most of them have reflux and
it started. When it started. If they’ve depression. These are all comorbidi-
But Dr. Felice Haake of the Indian struggled with weight since they ties. So I would say 80 to 90 percent of
River Medical Center’s new compre- were a kid. And so, getting to the root my patients have at least one associ-
hensive weight-loss program takes a [of their problem] helps bring every- ated comorbidity.”
different approach. thing to the surface so they can start
working on it. It’s important.” Devising diet solutions, workable
She is a “medical bariatrician,” a exercise plans, improving cardiovas-
relatively new and still fairly small Pausing briefly, Haake adds, “I al- cular health and managing medica-
sub-specialty, and she doesn’t per- ways tell patients I don’t work with tions all are parts of Haake’s mission.
form any of the above procedures. their limitations, I work with their
abilities” in order to overcome weight And, for the record, Haake ada-
“A medical bariatrician is a physi- problems in general and obesity in mantly says a magic pill for weight
cian who’s certified in treating and particular. loss simply doesn’t exist. “For me,
diagnosing overweight and obesity,” medications are an adjunct and
explains Haake. “We approach pa- The term obesity is a loaded one, they’re only for the appropriate pa-
tients from a medical standpoint, and it is often misunderstood. tients. Not every patient who walks in
looking at their medications, their my door gets handed a medication.”
As WebMD points out, “If doctors
CM tell you you’re obese, they’re not try- Haake also says gastric bypasses
COLLINS & MONTZ DENTISTRY ing to make you feel bad. They’re us- and other surgeries are not a panacea
ing a specific medical term to talk for weight problems.
cosmetic dentistry  preventive dentistry with you about your weight. The
restorative dentistry  dental implants word obesity means too much body “It’s not like the surgery fixes ev-
fat. It’s usually based on your body erything,” she says. “You have to con-
Experience the fusion of traditional mass index or BMI, which compares tinue to do what you’ve been taught
values and modern dentistry. your weight to your height.” and go to the support groups and all
of that.”
Dr. J. Hunter Collins Dr. Roger Montz But the reason so much attention is
paid to weight these days isn’t about Leaning forward, Haake adds, “Let
524 Ocean Avenue, Melbourne Beach, FL 32951 waistlines or dress sizes. me tell you something about obe-
sity: It’s a chronic condition just like
(321) 725-6565 eczema. You don’t cure eczema. You
manage it. You manage obesity too.
melbournebeachdentistry.com So this is life-long. You’re going to
manage this. So I teach maintenance;
what I call maintenance skills to help
prevent weight re-gain.”

The IRMC comprehensive weight-
loss program is just now starting its
mission. but Haake has no doubts
about how she’d like to see it evolve.

“I would love to see this build into a
full program like the program I came
from in Virginia,” says Haake, “where
it was surgeons working alongside the
medical bariatrician, working along-
side the dietician, working alongside
an exercise physiologist, working
alongside a behaviorist. It’s really a
collaborative approach and each per-
son brings their own expertise.”

Dr. Felice Haake is a medical baria-
trician and family practitioner at the
Indian River Medical Center. Her of-
fice is in the new Health and Wellness
building at 3450 11th Court, Suite 201.
The phone number is 772-794-3364. 

Barrier Island Newsweekly THE MELBOURNE Thursday, March 2, 2017 31

FINE & CASUAL DINING

Italian Grill: Bringing great pizza to Vero’s barrier island

BY TINA RONDEAU Pizza Margherita.
Columnist
PHOTOS BY GORDON RADFORD

The best pizza in the area has finally Eggplant My hus-
come to Vero’s barrier island! Rollatini band’s dish
consisted of
On Tuesday, the Italian Grill – which non-pizza dishes that will be available for eggplant rollatini ($12.99). grilled Italian
has been serving wonderful pizzas at its for takeout at the Italian Grill Pizza and The eggplant in both the parmigiana sausage sautéed with
restaurant west of Vero for more than Market. I ordered eggplant parmigiana roasted peppers, onions, roma
two decades – opened a take-out shop ($12.99), my husband chose rigatoni “ala and the rollatini was sliced very thin, and tomatoes and Italian herbs, and was
in the Pelican Plaza on A1A. Grill” ($12.99) and our companion opted was topped with the Grill’s homemade served over rigatoni pasta.
tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. The Italian Grill is known for its hearty
This is a particularly welcome devel- servings, and a portion of each of these
opment for pizza lovers who live on the Brevard restaurant reviewer entrées went home for lunch the follow-
northern half of Vero’s island; until now, ing day. So beyond enjoying them in the
Italian take-out options north of Cen- The Melbourne Beachsider is looking for a freelance food critic to write weekly restaurant, we can attest first hand that
tral Beach have been extremely limited. reviews of restaurants in Brevard County. Until we find the right person, we will these make excellent take-out dishes.
continue to run reviews in this space by our Vero Beach restaurant reviewer. If you The Italian Grill’s Pelican Plaza out-
To preview what’s in store for 32963 have food expertise and think you can help Beachsider readers with their dining post will be open for takeout daily from
residents, last Thursday we paid a visit choices, please send a resume and a 600-word review of a restaurant you recently 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. There is no place for
to the original Italian Grill in the Ryan- dining – either inside or out – so you will
wood shopping center across 58th Av- visited to [email protected]. have to take your pizza or pasta, and en-
enue from Vero’s Target. joy it elsewhere. And at the moment, the
Italian Grill Pizza and Market is strictly
This restaurant is generally packed come and get it – no deliveries.
from the minute doors open at 5 for But if you are looking to pick up a
dinner, so we arrived a little bit after great pizza (or two, or three) on the is-
8 – when the weeknight rush begins to land, the new Italian Grill Pizza & Mar-
slow – and happily found a couple of ket at Pelican Plaza is definitely worth
tables open. (They don’t take reserva- an early visit.
tions for parties of less than five.) We I welcome your comments, and en-
were quickly seated, and a very friendly courage you to send feedback to me at
server came by to take our wine order. [email protected].
The reviewer is a beachside resident
On this evening, we decided order a who dines anonymously at restaurants at
pizza Margherita ($7.95) as an appetizer. the expense of this newspaper. 

This eight-inch classic Neapolitan HOURS
pizza – roma tomatoes, fresh basil, ex- Daily, 11 am to 8 pm
tra virgin olive oil, garlic and mozzarella
baked on the Italian Grill’s homemade ADDRESS
pizza crust – has for years been hailed 4809 North A1A,
by our pizza-loving companion as the Vero Beach, 32963
best in Vero. The pie we were served last
week was even better than we had re- PHONE
membered. 772-999-5550

While the island’s Italian Grill Pizza
& Market will not have the facilities to
sauté or prepare mainland restaurant
favorites such as veal “Veneto” or sea-
food “Pescatore,” it does plan to offer, in
addition to pizzas, subs and strombolis,
a limited assortment of freshly made
Southern Italian entrées like lasagna,
ravioli and manicotti that can be put in
an oven – either theirs, or yours at home
– and turned into dinner.

For entrées on this evening, we de-
cided to sample three of the type of

32 Thursday, March 2, 2017 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

FINE & CASUAL DINING

Barrier Island Newsweekly THE MELBOURNE Thursday, March 2, 2017 33

PETS

Bonz goes all boogie woogie over sweetie Shuggie

“So they drove me to the farm to

meet Toby. I was sick as a ... er ...I was

Hi Dog Buddies! totally car sick. Mama hadda give me

This week, my interview was with a medicine so I wouldn’t keep tossing
snowbirddog, Shuggie Lemay, a sweet
shepherdy-looking mix, very friendly my kibbles. I was zombie’d out for
and happy. She came right up for the
Wag-and-Sniff, and greeted my as- most of the trip. It was all kinda over-
sistant with some enthusiastic Jump-
and-Slurps. whelming. When we got to the farm,

“Hi, Mr. Bonzo! Come right IN! I I laid down on Mama’s shoe for com-
just LOVE havin’ cump-ny. This is my
Mama, Linda. My Papa’s Scott. This fort. I still do when I’m pooped out.
is just my second year comin’ down
here and I’ve already made a whole I’m pretty much a Mama’s girl. Well,
buncha pooch pals! Humans, too.
EVrybuddy’’s so FRENly!” you know, she feeds me.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Miss Shug- I nodded.
gie. I’m eager to hear your story. And
how you got your cool name.” “Anyway, me an Toby got along

She jumped onto the couch beside just fine, which I was glad of cuz I
her Mom, and plopped down on a
cocoa-colored blanket with a paw- really wanted to stay. The farm’s the
print design. “Are you cumf-tubble?
Good! OK! Here I go! First, my name: greatest place for a pooch. There’s
My name at the shelter was Morgan,
which I didn’t like all that much, so 80 whole acres. Me ’n Toby’d run
I was happy when Mama and Papa
decided to call me Shuggie, which is some, then stop and rest under a
short for ‘mu-shoe-guh-nuh,’ which
is Yiddish for ‘crazy person.’ It’s silly, tree and Toby’d tell me stories about
doncha think? I LIKE it. They also call
me Shugs, or Shugaboo. I answer to all his Younger Days. He was my Role
of ’em, Morgan, too, cuz food might be
involved and I don’t wanna miss out. Model, told me all kinds of use-
You know, like the humans say, ‘You
can call me anything, just call me to ful dog stuff. We were together for
dinner.’”
three years, and then it was time for
Honestly, those humans. We laughed.
“Anyway, I was almost but not quite Toby to go to Dog Heaven. He told
adopted from a shelter by some medi-
cal students up in Syracuse, New York, me not to be too sad cuz Dog Heav-
and I was all excited, but THEN, they
found out they couldn’t keep me cuz en is a wonderful place, and he’d
the shelter didn’t let their dogs live in
apartments, so I got all worried, cuz I taught me everything I needed to
was 8 months old already and some-
times humans want fluffy-wuffy little know. But I was sad anyway.
puppies, an, even though the shelter
humans were nice, I didn’t wanna go “After a while, I met Casey, a
back there, ya know?”
I nodded. shepherd mix, kinda like me, PLUS
“WELL, the students were friends
with my Mama and Papa (who weren’t we’re both rescues, and both plain
my Mama and Papa yet, of course).
They hadda farm in Cazenovia, New ol’ country mutts. We’re best bud-
York, and they were kinda thinkin’
about another dog anyway cuz their dies up at the farm. We swim in
Golden Retriever, Toby, was Getting’
Up There, and they thought a young our pond, and zoom through the
dog would maybe perk him up, cuz of
being all bouncy.” woods pretendin’ we’re fearless
Shuggie took a breath, an I wrote
like crazy to catch up. hunters. Once, when I was little,

I ackshully caught a wild tur-

key. It was bigger than me even.

I was petooie-ing feathers outta

my mouth for days. Papa has

a smoker, so we had turkey for Shuggie Lemay. PHOTO BY DENISE RITCHIE
dinner.”

“PAWsome!” I exclaimed.

“When did you get down here?” “I don’t do tricks, but Mama says I’m

“Last year. I love it here, Mr. Bonzo! an expert at begging. Once I acciden- Suddenly, Shuggie jumped up and

I like the dog park and the beach. I tally ate a hot dog, even though Toby ran to the door, wagging and wiggling.

have two human friends, they’re still had warned me NEVER to do that cuz Her little human friends, Paisley and

puppies: Hannah, she’s 6; and Paisley, Nobody Knows what’s in ’em. It’s a Hannah, all dressed up for picture

she’s 2, I think. We’re always playin’ MissTree. Sure enough, I had Tummy day at school, had come to say hello to

together. Me an my pooch pals, both Troubles. Papa rubbed my tummy to their pooch pal. Slurps and wags and

Labs, Smokey and Bailey, play on the make it feel much better. For treats, I hugs and giggles ensued. Shuggie po-

beach. I like the beach, but not the get Pupperoni or cheese, nuts or pea- litely introduced us, then it was time

ackshully water, cuz it chases you nut butter. For meals, I sometimes get for me to go.

back. I only play in the soap sudsy Tai, or Italian, or even venison or wild Heading home, I was thinking –

part. I just love bein’ outside. An I love boar, my favorites. (Papa’s a mighty venison and wild boar, how exciting!

to ROLL. A lot. Then I get up an do my hunter.) I saw myself in The Wild, bold and

Happy Dance. Later, I flop down in “I have my own comfy bed, but I brave, gnawing on a venison bone,

the yard and watch the pooches and sometimes sleep with Mama and Papa, nose to the wind; the scent of adven-

people go by. or just sprawl out in the guest room.” ture. All-THO, bacon-flavored kibbles

Don’t be shy! and air conditioning sound pretty
good.

Till next time,

We are always looking for pets with interesting stories. To set up -The Bonz
an interview, please email [email protected].





36 Thursday, March 2, 2017 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

REAL ESTATE

Spacious canal-front home features pool and dock

STORY BY MARIA CANFIELD CORRESPONDENT how many bedrooms the home has. At the front of the house is an office, marble or hardwood; not a speck of
[email protected] Another such space is the soundproof with chair rail molding and track carpet anywhere); one interesting fea-
theater room, which – if the new own- lighting; it too could also be used, if ture is the small adjoining room that
With its expansive paver driveway, er prefers – could be used a bedroom. desired, as a bedroom. could, like the enclosed lanai parallel
rich dandelion-colored stucco fin- In its current incarnation, its sur- to the living room, serve a number of
ish, and hacienda-style roof, the ex- round-sound system makes it a per- The large master bedroom has well- purposes. The en suite bathroom has
terior of the canal-front pool home fect place to watch TV or view movies. maintained hardwood floors (all of green marble floors, a jetted bathtub,
859 Loggerhead Island Drive in Sat- the floors in the house are either tile,
ellite Beach has great visual appeal.
The tiled outside entryway, under a
peaked and wood-lined roof, leads to
handsome double doors with leaded-
glass inserts and a starburst-shaped
transom window.

The home’s long, stately foyer is
lined by attractively-designed con-
crete pillars connected by railings
with their own smaller supporting
pillars. (The pillars are a design fea-
ture that appears in various parts of
the home, providing an appealing
continuity.) The feeling evoked by the
foyer is one of a private promenade;
adding to this impression is the foy-
er’s cathedral ceiling and skylight.

As you stroll the promenade, the
living room is on the right, and the
dining room, kitchen and family
room are on the left. While the rooms
are separate and distinct, the open
floor plan – no walls divide the living
areas – provides a flow that enhances
the spaciousness of what are already
generous-sized living spaces.

The family room’s proximity to
the light, bright island kitchen (and
the cozy touch added by the wood-
burning fireplace) makes it an ideal
spot for relaxing or for casual enter-
taining. Situated behind the living
room is an enclosed lanai that could
be used as a small den or simply as an
extension of the adjacent porch and
pool deck.

The porch is one of the areas where
the concrete pillars carry through, as
does the pastel-colored knockdown
wall texture found throughout the
home. The pool is large and grace-
fully curved, with a pleasing view of
the wide canal. For those who like to
fish – or simply tool around the ca-
nal and nearby Banana River – the
home has its own private dock with
12,000-pound boat lift.

Accessible from the pool area is
an apartment, separate from the
main house. With a full bath and all
the necessary kitchen appliances,
it could be used as an in-law suite, a
place for shorter-term visitors to stay,
or as a bedroom for a privacy-craving
resident. It would also be a good place
for a small party; its colorful Mexi-
can-themed design touches would
add merriment to any get-together.

The apartment is one the spaces
that make it hard to definitively say

Barrier Island Newsweekly THE MELBOURNE Thursday, March 2, 2017 37

REAL ESTATE

VITAL STATISTICS
859 LOGGERHEAD ISLAND DR.

IN SATELLITE BEACH

double sinks, and a stall shower with a “bonus” room near the kitchen and tropical seclusion. Amenities include Neighborhood: Tortoise Island
a long and wide built-in seat (or stor- pool area – it has its own shower, so a clubhouse and meeting center, ten- Year Built: 1980
age area) that matches the floors. it’s a great place to rinse off after ex- nis courts, a fitness center, saunas,
ercising or spending time at the pool. community swimming pool and a Construction: Frame with
In addition to the second “tradi- playground for visiting toddlers. The stucco finish
tional” bedroom, full hallway bath The home is in the prestigious home is offered by Coldwell Banker
and powder room painted in a pretty- community of Tortoise Island, which Paradise for $765,990.  Home Size: 3,643 square feet
as-springtime shade of lilac, there is encompasses more than 200 acres of Lot Size: 14,810 square feet

(.34 acres)
Bedrooms: 3, including the
apartment (The theater room
and the office could also be

used as bedrooms.)
Bathrooms: 2 full baths, 1 half-
half, plus shower in bonus room

Additional Features: 2-car
garage with automatic opener,

water heater new as of May
2016, kitchen appliances new
as of late 2015, linen closet with
pocket door, ample storage,

ceiling fans and custom re-
cessed lighting throughout.

Listing Agency:
Coldwell Banker Paradise
Listing Agent: Linda Coleman,

321-543-6033
List Price: $765,990

38 Thursday, March 2, 2017 THE MELBOURNE Barrier Island Newsweekly

REAL ESTATE

Real Estate Sales on South Brevard island: Feb. 17 to Feb. 23

The third week of February saw continued brisk real estate activity in island ZIP codes 32951, 32903 and
32937. While Indian Harbour Beach only reported one sale, Melbourne Beach had 4, Indialantic had 5 and
Satellite Beach reported 7.
The top sale of the week was of an oceanfront home in Melbourne Beach. The residence at 5575 Highway
A1A was placed on the market Aug. 4 with an asking price of $2.25 million. The transaction closed Feb. 21
for $1.85 million.
Both the seller and the purchaser in the transaction were represented by Laura Dowling Roy of Premier
Properties Real Estate.

SALES FOR 32951

SUBDIVISION ADDRESS LISTED ORIGINAL MOST RECENT SOLD SELLING
ASKING PRICE ASKING PRICE PRICE

$295,000
LA COSTA VILLAGE 344 LAS OLAS DR 1/19/2016 $295,000 $295,000 2/17/2017
S 300 FT OF N 400 FT 5575 HIGHWAY A1A 8/4/2016 $2,250,000 $2,250,000 2/21/2017 $1,850,000
WILCOX MELBOURNE BEA 407 3RD AVE 2/3/2017 $249,000 $249,000 2/17/2017
WILCOX MELBOURNE BEA 205 3RD AVE 12/28/2016 $170,000 $170,000 2/21/2017 $200,000

$249,000

SALES FOR 32903

RIVER SHORES EAST 548 SOLITAIRE PALM DR 11/17/2016 $549,900 $499,900 2/17/2017 $487,000
SANCTUARY PHASE 2 T 660 NIGHTINGALE DR $575,000 2/21/2017 $580,000
INDIALANTIC VILLAS C 1145 N SHANNON AVE 5 1/12/2017 $575,000 $149,900 2/22/2017 $144,000
MOSSWOOD 1261 MOSSWOOD CT $323,500 2/22/2017 $308,500
OCEANSIDE ESTATES 239 BRITANNIA CT 1/27/2017 $149,900 $479,990 2/23/2017 $440,000

11/21/2016 $334,900

11/9/2016 $479,990

SALES FOR 32937

INDIAN HARBOUR BEACH 802 TRADEWINDS DR 12/21/2016 $295,000 $295,000 2/17/2017 $282,500
MICHIGAN BEACH 5TH R 336 NORWOOD AVE $225,000 2/17/2017 $210,000
MICHIGAN BEACH 11TH 545 SHERWOOD AVE 12/19/2016 $269,900 $319,900 2/21/2017 $319,900
WATERWAY ESTATES 4TH 420 TRUSH DR $525,000 2/21/2017 $500,000
CHEVY CHASE GARDENS 31 ARTHUR CT 12/3/2016 $335,000 $124,900 2/22/2017 $118,974
OPAL SEAS OCEANFRONT 275 HIGHWAY A1A #502 $539,000 2/23/2017 $535,000
SEA PARK HOMES 2ND A 173 E EXETER ST 12/5/2016 $525,000 $185,000 2/23/2017 $170,000
SEA PARK HOMES 3AR 705 3RD AVE $289,000 2/23/2017 $285,000
10/18/2016 $124,900

1/7/2017 $549,000

12/28/2016 $185,000

12/8/2016 $299,800

Barrier Island Newsweekly THE MELBOURNE Thursday, March 2, 2017 39

REAL ESTATE

Here are some of the top recent barrier island sales.

Subdivision: Wilcox Melbourne Bea, Address: 407 3rd Ave Subdivision: Sanctuary Phase 2T, Address: 660 Nightingale Dr

Listing Date: 2/3/2017 Listing Date: 1/12/2017
Original Price: $249,000 Original Price: $575,000
Recent Price: $249,000 Recent Price: $575,000
Sold: 2/17/2017 Sold: 2/21/2017
Selling Price: $200,000 Selling Price: $580,000
Listing Agent: Linda G Coleman Listing Agent: Gibbs Baum

Selling Agent: Coldwell Banker Paradise Selling Agent: Treasure Coast Sotheby’s Intl

Holly Dandridge Madden Jay Alford

Re/Max Alternative Realty Satellite Beach Realty

Subdivision: Oceanside Estates, Address: 239 Britannia Ct Subdivision: Opal Seas Oceanfront, Address: 275 Highway A1A #502

Listing Date: 11/9/2016 Listing Date: 1/7/2017
Original Price: $479,990 Original Price: $549,000
Recent Price: $479,990 Recent Price: $539,000
Sold: 2/23/2017 Sold: 2/23/2017
Selling Price: $440,000 Selling Price: $535,000
Listing Agent: JoAnne Infurna Listing Agent: Patti Bradshaw

Selling Agent: Dale Sorensen Real Estate, Inc Selling Agent: RE/MAX Aerospace Realty

Gail Fischer Karen Court

National Realty of Brevard Better Homes & Gardens RE Star

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