Category: Community News

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Rubixx brings the ’80s to life

Just like the iconic symbol of the 1980s, the Rubik’s Cube, the local tribute band Rubixx takes its name from that symbol of purity, stability, and endless possibilities.

Founded in 2018 by Coconut Creek resident Rob Lankenau, 60, the tribute band specializes in ’80s music, including New Wave, Top 40, and pop.

“I’m part of the MTV generation,” says Lankenau. “I graduated high school in 1983, and I’m fascinated by ’80s music.”

The six-member group consists of Thomas Pisani on keyboards/rhythm guitar, Rory Hickey on bass guitar, Francis Cast on lead guitar and backing vocals, Dominick J. Daniel on drums and percussion, and female lead vocalist Lisa Maciolek (also of the rock band Fifth Wheel’d). Both Daniel and Cast were members of the ’90s punk-rock band Livid Kittens, and Pisani was a leader in the rock-and-roll band Happy Daze.

Rubixx was founded as a five-piece band. Lankenau, a New York native, knew he needed to add a woman to the mix. “You cannot call yourself an ’80s tribute band without the ‘ladies of the ’80s,’” he jokes. “What would the ’80s be without Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Whitney Houston, or Olivia Newton John?”

“I wanted to do it right,” he says. “And with Maciolek, we hit pay dirt. Lisa is one of the hardest-working people in the business and takes the bull by the horns.”

Trying to think of a good ’80s name for the band, Lankenau experimented with “The Breakfast Club” and “Members Only,” but when he hit on “Rubixx,” he knew he had a winner.

“What’s more ’80s than a Rubik’s Cube?” he comments.

Lankenau’s interest in singing began in high school, where he sang in chorus and in the “select chorus,” which competed throughout New York state. He credits his choral teacher, Ellen Levine, for her instruction and still keeps in touch on Facebook. “She was a big influence,” he remembers. “I loved to sing, and she taught me harmony and gave me purpose.”

Known for their breadth of ’80s music, the band plays locally at THROW Social in Delray Beach, Café 27 in Weston, Gigi’s Bar & Café in Pompano Beach, Crazy Uncle Mike’s in Boca Raton, and Sharkey’s Bar & Grill in Coral Springs, where they will be playing on Sept. 21.

Lankenau, the owner of Rad Pest Services in Coconut Creek, gives a shout-out to Richard Kushner, owner of Sharkey’s Bar & Grill. “We love Richard,” he says. “Sharkey’s is one of our favorite places to play, and we always get a huge turnout.”

Lankenau does his due diligence listening to ’80s music to rediscover new songs for the band’s repertoire. “It never gets old,” he says.

And while he can appreciate the energy of hard rock, metal, and dance music, it’s Freddie Mercury and Queen that hold a special place in his heart.

Queen’s 1991 hit, “These Are the Days of Our Lives”—which recounts a story about looking back with pleasure on your life and seeing it through the eyes of your kids—resonates most for Lankenau

“It always brings a tear to my eye,” he says.

Other bands that Lankenau likes include Van Halen, Long Island’s Blue Oyster Cult, U2, and his favorite, the Australian rock band INXS.

For his wedding, he danced to Elton John’s “Your Song” and serenaded his wife with Eric Clapton’s ballad, “Wonderful Tonight.”

“It was a satisfying moment,” Lankenau says. And while he says, “I killed it,” the actual proof is on a long-forgotten VHS tape.

Lead vocalist Maciolek, 48, whose singing style has been compared to that of soul singers Chaka Khan and Aretha Franklin and vocal abilities to Celine Dion, says she is blessed to make her living doing what she loves.

In addition to performing with Rubixx, the Boca Raton resident has performed on the cruise-ship circuit and has her own business, Songbird Sessions, along with Fifth Wheel’d.

Growing up in New Jersey listening to Motown, Doo-wop, the blues, Jackie Wilson, Smokey Robinson, and Aretha Franklin, Maciolek entered a talent competition at the age of 11. With no formal training (“I came out whaling”) other than singing along to the radio in her basement, she prepared and sang “The Rose” by Bette Midler.

“It was the most exciting, frightening, and exhilarating moment of my life,” Maciolek remembers. “It sparked passion and changed my life.”

She spent six years in the program at a local performing arts high school where her career goals as a singer and entertainer were cemented. Later, she worked with many of her childhood heroes such as Benny King, Leslie Gore, and Frankie Lyman on the Doo-wop circuit and at oldies radio WCBS-FM in New York.

Maciolek opened for Vito Picone & The Elegants and Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge. “I sing with heart and power,” she says. “It makes people feel what you’re feeling.”

Maciolek says she is excited to work with Lankenau and Rubixx and that she and Lankenau hit it off vocally. “It’s the music of my time,” she says. “Even though we all come from different worlds, I feel at home.”

They are all on the same page musically, Maciolek says. “We want the same heartbeat. We are the most driven, passionate, and talented individuals and make magic happen out of nothing.

“It’s inspiring to find others filled with the same passion,” she says. “It’s great to be a part of something greater than yourself and share the fire.”

Rubixx will perform live at Sharkey’s Bar & Grill, 10365 Royal Palm Blvd., Coral Springs, on Saturday, Sept. 21. For more information, visit sharkeysfl.com, call (954) 341-9990, or

visit them on Facebook.

 

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Smokin Renegade The amazing world of playing in a rock cover band

Finding a niche in the South Florida cover band scene was not easy, but Frank Vestry, 62, lead vocalist of the Smokin Renegade classic rock tribute band, found a niche covering the music of rock bands Boston and Styx, both popular in the late 1970s–80s.

The band takes their name from the Boston song “Smokin’ ” on its 1976 debut album, the B-side to its first single, “More Than a Feeling,” and the 1979 Styx hit song “Renegade” from its “Pieces of Eight” album.

“When the band gathered together for the first practice, it was in a word—amazing,” Vestry writes on the band’s website. “Once the first run-through of the songs was complete, we knew we had something special.”

Vestry says, “Everything gelled together.”

He put the two song names together and “it seemed to work.” He notes that the band have been playing together in South Florida since 2018.

The band—which spotlights Boston’s “More than a Feeling” and Styx’s “Come Sail Away”—is known for their searing guitar licks, vintage synthesizers, pounding rhythms, and vocal harmonies, led by Vestry.

In addition to Vestry, the band comprises Dean Summers, lead guitarist and vocals; Ken Urquhart, keyboards, vocals, and musical director; Rob Darmanin, drums, percussion, and vocals; and Howi Hughes, bass guitar and vocals (who changed his name from Patrick to Howi because the real Howard Hughes wasn’t using it, he says).

The musicians have toured with national acts and played in some of the biggest tribute bands.

Vestry, a Long Island native, came to his vocal abilities naturally, as both parents were musical. His mother, Marie Elena, was a singer before marrying his father, Frank Vestry, a professional tenor. His dad played at renowned nightclubs in New York City, including the Copacabana and the Latin Quarter, and filled in for Tony Bennett.

A shy kid, Vestry started a garage band at age 15, and by 18 he decided that singing was what he wanted to pursue as a career. His band, Devias, played iconic venues in and around New York City and Long Island—including the Cat Club, the Limelight, the China Club, L’Amour, the Stage Door, Industry Steel, and My Father’s Place. Its members later went on to play with Alice Cooper, Dokken, and Ted Nugent.

Among his top musical Influences, he counts vocalist Brad Delp from Boston (“love his voice”), Stevie Wonder, Elton John, and the Beatles.

Driven by the love of music, the desire to be the best he can be, and the joy of seeing people loving the music is what gets Vestry up and going in the morning.

Now married and the father of two daughters, Vestry says he’s thrilled to be making music all these years later. “It’s amazing to be doing something I love and earning a living doing it,” he reflects. “It’s a blessing.”

Highlights of his career including writing original songs in the melodic rock genre and releasing an album with Rob Marcello, a Swedish guitar player, which garnered 100,000 views on YouTube, as well as playing with Bon Jovi, Van Halen, and White Snake, among others, at the National Association of Music Merchants trade show in California in 1998.

Urquhart, 53, a Florida native who now lives in Delray Beach, met Vestry when the two played together in a bar band called the Evil Monkeys.

Learning keyboards from his father as a child on an electric Lowrey organ, Urquhart sang in the church choir, where he learned to harmonize. He found his early musical influences in Billy Joel and Elton John and later with British keyboardists Howard Jones, Rick Wakeman, and Keith Emerson.

He jumped at the chance to join Vestry in the Smokin Renegade band and says, “It’s an incredible honor to play on stage in front of so many enthusiastic people.”

Urquhart jokes, “This is as close to rock-stardom as we get.”

When the band formed, they released a recording of their first live stage show on Facebook to determine fan reaction and were gratified that band promoters reached out and contacted them immediately.

They have performed as far away as Kansas and Georgia, but these days they prefer to stay within driving distance. In July, they returned to the Daytona Bandshell for the city’s Star-Spangled Summer Concert Series where they performed for a crowd of 3,000. Other highlights include playing the Plantation Seafood and Music Festival, Rock the Park in Abacoa, the Riley Center in Ocala to a sold-out audience, and the House of Blues in Orlando.

Although the band takes their music seriously, Urquhart says they don’t take themselves too seriously. He says they are all motivated to go on stage and indulge in a musical conversation.

“We’re genuinely having fun,” he says. “We’re all on the same page. What sets us apart is the focus and detail to the sound.”

Because the original Boston doesn’t tour anymore, Urquhart says, audiences are excited to hear their music live. “Music is memory,” he notes. “It’s so touching when people tell us the moments they remember when they first heard this music.”

This fall, the band plans to add the music of Foreigner, now on its farewell tour, to their repertoire.

Still on an upward trajectory, Vestry and Urquhart say the band has no plans to slow down, although Urquhart does admit to a fantasy of going out on tour. “Just once,” he says. “It’s on my bucket list.”

Whether or not that happens is yet to be determined, but doing what they love is the immediate priority.

“It’s special to participate in this magic,” Urquhart says. “We can’t ask for more.”

Smokin Renegade will perform live at Sharkey’s Bar & Grill, 10365 Royal Palm Blvd., Coral Springs, on Saturday, Aug. 24. For more information, go to sharkeysfl.com or call (954) 341-9990. Visit: SmokinRenegade.com.

 

 

 

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Rocking out with the Smokin’ Aces

“The ringleader of craziness” is how The Smokin’ Aces lead singer Lou Falco (who goes by “FALCO”) describes himself. “I’m the one with the bald head, goatee, and black nail polish.”

Originally from Valley Stream, N.Y., FALCO, 55, came to South Florida in 2000, moved away six years later, and returned in 2010 after sojourns to Texas and Georgia. He now lives in Deerfield Beach.

Singing since the age of 13, FALCO’s inspirations include Kiss, the original Van Halen with David Lee Roth, and Ronnie James Dio, a heavy metal singer who sang with a number of bands, including Black Sabbath.

The name “The Smokin’ Aces” was inspired by Joe Carnahan’s 2006 action film of the same name. “I thought it was cool,” FALCO says.

Additionally, the singer performs with the band Wicked Maraya. They toured Europe and the Americas, releasing five CDs including their latest one titled “Chapters,” released in 2023 by Massacre Records and characterized by moody, emotional layers, heavy grooves, and big, melodic vocals. Two months later, the CD hit No. 2 on the U.S. metal CD charts.

The band played their first live show in 25 years last March at Piper’s Pub in Pompano Beach and will be playing around South Florida this August.

The Smokin’ Aces—composed of Rafael Sa on bass, Johnny Ace on drums, Jose Pantoja on guitar, and Al Stone on keyboard—is known for putting on a good show and playing every party and fun genre of music, including rock, pop, punk, dance, disco, country, and funk.

Stone, 50, and FALCO have been making music together since 2000, meeting in the party and cover band Funkette at Murphy’s Law Irish Pub, a former landmark bar on Las Olas Boulevard. It was also a landmark time for Stone, who met his wife there while playing.

“Kismet,” Stone says, “An arrow and a beam of light hit me.”

A Plantation resident, Stone is 99.9% self-taught. He learned to play on his Casio keyboard by listening to Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 song, “Dancing in the Dark,” and Van Halen’s “Jump,” which he plays to this day.

“The current incarnation of The Smokin’ Aces is one of the best groups I’ve played with,” Stone says. “There’s nothing we won’t try and nothing we don’t excel at.”

He compares the band’s efforts to a snowplow, saying they clear the way for the audience to have a good time.

While he appreciates both Judas Priest and heavy metal, Stone likes to keep the band’s repertoire diverse and occasionally throws in something out of left field, such as a Harry Styles or Steely Dan tune.

“I’m the odd one out,” Stone confesses, admitting to a preference for melodic music, including the Beach Boys, Chicago, and Canadian singer-songwriter Gino Vannelli.

“Music allows us to navigate different emotions the crowd is feeling,” he says. “If they want to party and let loose and need a shot of adrenaline, we play louder, more rocking music. But, there’s a time to mellow out as well.”

With eclectic tastes, Stone listens to different musical genres. Feeling nostalgic, he’ll play some ’80s music; if he’s in a sentimental mood, he’ll put on Janes Taylor. He enjoys the Little River Band and the Eagles and gladly says he’s a huge Ambrosia fan.

“I’m the chameleon of the group,” he jokes. “I even listen to Miles Davis and Latin jazz.”

Among his musical influences, Stone says he’d most like to meet Michael McDonald, keyboardist for the Doobie Brothers, and his early inspiration, the Doors’ Ray Manzarek.

Stone is thankful to be part of the group and thankful to bring joy to his fans. “We genuinely have a good time on stage,” he says. “So as a result, the crowd has a good time.”

FALCO agrees. “If the audience is dancing and having fun, that’s what it’s all about,” he says.

Their 20-year career has been “amazing,” FALCO says.

Also a realtor with his partner, Lori Paolillo of Realty100, Rock And Roll Realtors, and a 911 emergency communications dispatcher at Coral Springs Police Department, FALCO got his start in Florida in 2000 by walking into Murphy’s Law, getting up on stage, and wowing the crowd.

“I had to learn 150 songs in three weeks,” he remembers. Twenty-five years later, he is still going strong.

“We know how to cater to the crowd; we’re practical, not pretentious,” FALCO says.

“We listen to our fans and fill our venues,” he says. “We throw everything against the wall and see what sticks.”

They cover a wide variety of bands such as Italian rock band Måneskin, Limp Bizkit, The Cure, Matchbox 20, and Kid Rock, as well as the Weekend, Marc Anthony, and Ricky Martin.

Locally, the band plays at Biergarten Boca Raton, Cagney’s House of Rock in Davie, Piper’s Pub in Pompano Beach, and Sharkey’s Bar and Grill in Coral Springs, where they will perform on July 26.

“We’re honored and thankful ‘our crowd’ follows us, comes out for us, supports us, and parties with us,” FALCO says. “We owe it all to our crowd.”

A fan writing on their Facebook page says, “The Smokin’ Aces play their a**es off—every set, every show.”

Find The Smokin’ Aces on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSmokinAces. They will be at Sharkey’s Bar & Grill, 10365 Royal Palm Blvd., Coral Springs, on Friday, July 26. For more information, visit sharkeysfl.com or call (954) 341-9990. Wicked Maraya will perform around South Florida in mid-August. For more information, visit www.wickedmaraya.com.

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Scenes for summer: Nava Lundy

Adaptability. From the plasticity of an organism, to neuroplasticity of the human brain, to simply adapting to life, this quality engulfs us all.

Nava Lundy is no stranger to it. She has been painting all her life, and professionally since 1998. Lundy has transitioned from drawing from live models, and traveling with a sketchbook in her hands, to domestically taking memories from old photographs. While life changes, so do her strategies to make her art adapt. It is a mastery that has drawn her works of gold. Quite literally, actually.

Lundy’s canvas always begins already full. Her textured backgrounds build upon one another to create her “set.” Gold shines through her muses to highlight their beauty. It accents as a complementary emphasis in her compositions.

Lundy holds a certification in painting from the first art academy in America and a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the University of Pennsylvania. She was taught in oils, but when she got pregnant with twins, her choice of medium changed to acrylics. “It was too dangerous,” she explained.

Either way, omnifying her art remains the offset to her strategies, and those who prefer oils may be fooled, if not take a double-take, when viewing her work.

This month we adapt to the summer with some of her refreshing themes.

Hats. The Studio E Gallery in Palm Beach Gardens seems to be selling several of Lundy’s hats this time of year. Why wouldn’t they? There is always a seeming mystery left to the viewer that entices wonder and imagination as to the subject. Who is behind the hat? Is that you?

There is an elegance and sophistication present in these themes that is suggested in her characters. “Escape” (2021), a 36-by-36 acrylic on canvas (sold), is one of them. It warms you up and cools you down at the same time. Who wouldn’t want to dip their feet in the water and sip on some pina coladas in the hot summer months ahead? Let’s hope to do so!

Her lively art demonstrates concepts with which the viewer can connect. It is something to appreciate. When asked what motivates her, the answer was quite a simple one:

Mood. It is a natural contributor to Lundy’s work. “Watermelon Sugar,” a 36-by-72 acrylic on canvas, is a lovely example of mood (title picture), especially this time of year.

Before 2021, Lundy may not have chosen to work with water’s ripples and reflections. She referred to it on social media as something that once was “daunting.”

However, it seems the mood got contagious, according to Lundy, as attempting the complexity of water compositions has brought joy to do them, and cooling off can be quite the observer’s delight!

For beach lovers, “Come Sit Beside Me” (2024), acrylic and mixed media on canvas (sold), brings a calming elation. Here distinctively are the vibrant accents of gold. The composition brings together the stubborn strokes of dissonance into a graceful escape.

Lundy’s work has been used in several set designs in films, is part of the permanent digital collection at the University of South Florida in partnership with the Florida Holocaust Museum, and is in the permanent collections of private collectors, universities, and museums around the world, including Australia, Canada, and Israel. More locally, Lundy has exhibited at the Fort Lauderdale airport. She is an internationally recognized artist right here in the local community.

To view some of Nava Lundy’s muses, her online gallery is at navagallery.com.

 

 

 

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HB Boulevard: On the road to success

Following in the footsteps of Kurt Cobain and his garage band, Nirvana, in the 1980s, five high school kids from Parkland and Coral Springs hope to steal a page from that playbook and hit it big with their grunge and rock garage band, HB Boulevard.

Named after Heron Bay Blvd., the five friends—Lawson Jay (vocalist), Jose Nunez (lead guitarist), and Josiah Jimenez (drummer), all 17, and Logan Siskin (rhythm guitar) and Anthony Pellito (bassist), both 16, all students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (MSD)—have become the “unofficial Stoneman Douglas rock band.”

Last September they performed in front of 3,000 people at the MSD pep rally, and they’ve performed locally in the First Annual MSD Battle of the Bands, at Black Flamingo Brewing in Pompano Beach, and at the Black Flamingo Echoes of the Flamingo Music Festival last summer.

This is only the beginning for this group of passionate musicians, says their unofficial manager, Adam Jay, father of the band’s lead singer, Lawson Jay, who aspires one day to be a successful businessman, preferably in the music industry.

“I am super proud of these fine gentlemen,” says Jay, a sales manager at a legal education publishing company. “They have shown grit and determination in doing something they’re passionate about.”

The group practices two to three times each week in the Jays’ garage, and Adam Jay has watched their evolution over the past two years. “They have grown so much since they first started,” he says. “I’ve watched them grow, both personally and musically, and see how they treat each other with dignity and respect.

“It’s nice to see kids this age engaged in something so meaningful and special,” he says.

While the five were not even born in the 1980s, they all are passionate about music from that era and are inspired by the music of Green Day, Guns ‘N Roses, Metallica, Van Halen, Black Sabbath, and the Foo Fighters. And yes, even the Beatles get a shout-out.

Siskin, who plays rhythm guitar in the band, finds inspiration in Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Paige. Vocalist Jay admires Green Day’s singer and guitarist, Billy Joe Armstrong; and Nunez, the band’s lead guitarist, models himself on Eddie Van Halen and Kirk Hammett, lead guitarist in Metallica.

“He inspired me to play like him—fast and furious,” says Nunez, who hopes one day to meet his musical idols.

“It’s the rebirth of this musical style, and we’re adding something new to complement the old,” says Pellito, who has numerous passions, including engineering and mechanics, creating things with his hands, and becoming an astronaut.

“It’s classic ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s music—when music was good,” he jokes. “That’s my era.”

Pellito thanks his dad, Gregg Pellito, a retired deejay, for introducing him to this music.

In fact, they have created a new musical genre, one they like to call “rift rock,” a combination of punk, classic rock ‘n’ roll, and metal.

A recent highlight for the group was when HB Boulevard played a cover of Green Day’s “The American Dream Is Killing Me” at a New Year’s Eve party. Green Day’s lead singer, Armstrong, saw the video on YouTube and reposted it to his Instagram page with 2.7 million followers.

“Shocked” when he heard this news, Pellito cut himself while washing dishes. “That’s pretty awesome,” he says. “It encourages us to keep going.”

While they all have plans to finish high school and go on to college, they hope to make music a priority in their lives. Their long-term goals are to entertain, to spread the word of rock ‘n’ roll, and to find fame and fortune. They have performed a few original songs and hope to continue creating new works.

How will they know when they’ve made it?

For Siskin, it’s buying a Gibson Les Paul guitar; for Jimenez, it’s the luxury of personal bodyguards; and for Nunez, it’s getting a signature BC Rich guitar and getting voted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The group supports local MSD nonprofits: Safe Schools for Alex, founded by Max Schachter in honor of his son, Alex; and Lori and Ilan Alhadeff’s Make Our Schools Safe, created in memory of their daughter, Alyssa. Both Alex Schachter and Alyssa Alhadeff were killed in the MSD school shooting in February 2018.

“We want to give back to the community,” says Lawson Jay. “We would love to perform at Pine Trails Park and Amphitheater for a local charity.

“Mayor Walker, if you’re listening,” he says, “we are ready and willing to go.”

Visit HB Boulevard on YouTube and Instagram.

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Nobody’s Fault: Local band has staying power

From Led Zeppelin’s “The Ocean,” to Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain,” to Deep Purple’s “Hush,” Nobody’s Fault, South Florida’s classic and new rock band, plays it all.

Although the origin of the name is lost in the ether, one possibility is that it’s a nod to Aerosmith’s 1976 “Nobody’s Fault,” or Led Zeppelin’s 1979 hit, “Nobody’s Fault But Mine.”

Now mostly in their 60s, guitarist Rick Friedlander, lead vocalist William (Bill) Murphy, his brother Steve Murphy (guitarist, keyboardist, and vocalist), bass player and vocalist Mark Knight, and drummer Paul Green have been playing together since 1997; and the Murphys and Knight have been playing together since high school.

“I met Bill at 17 when we worked together at K-Mart,” says Knight, who is a laser engineer by trade. “We started making noise together, and the rest is history.”

They are one of the longest continuing bands in South Florida, with a large fan base. “We’re a band of brothers,” says Bill Murphy. “For good or bad; we fight like siblings, but love each other.”

He attributes this camaraderie for their longevity. “We’re good friends and share a musical bond,” he says. “We always make time to play together. We’re in it for the fun, and we enjoy our time together on stage.”

From a musical family—his parents were folk musicians in New York—he and his younger brother Steve grew up in the business. “We had no choice,” he jokes.

At 13, Bill Murphy went to see the Jackson 5 perform, and he says that “the concert changed my life.”

That day he made the decision to make the music industry his life. “I never looked back,” he says.

Within two years, he and Steve were performing at a friend’s wedding reception.

Bill Murphy went on to have a 35-year professional career as a radio DJ, both in Dallas and in Miami at 101.5 LITE FM, BIG 105.9 classic rock, and WSHE rock & roll 103.5 (She’s Only Rock and Roll). He was the announcer and voice of the Florida Panthers for 14 years.

He has also been a part of other local bands, including Joe Rush, Company Kane, Top Priority, the Free Radicals, and Smoke and Mirrors. One of his biggest influences is Paul Carrack (aka “The Man with the Golden Voice”), best known for his 1975 song, “How Long” (“Has this been going on?”), and his rendition of “The Living Years.”

“He has such a soulful, passionate voice,” Murphy says. “It’s a huge compliment when people tell me I sound like him.”

A highlight of his career came at a Panthers game in 2012 where he played with the band pre-game, announced the game, and then played after the game to thousands of people at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise.

“It was a great atmosphere and so much fun,” recalls Murphy. “I am blessed to make a living doing what I love. This is the key to a good life.”

Steve Murphy traveled the world and played with Alan Parsons, an English musician, songwriter, and record producer who was the sound engineer on the Beatles’ “Abbey Road” in 1969, “Let It Be” in 1970, and Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon” in 1973.

A multi-disciplinary musician—he plays guitar, keyboards, and sings—Steve Murphy also drums. With dreams of becoming Stewart Copeland, Jeff Porcaro, or John Henry Bonham (all drummers), Murphy played with some of his favorite bands, including the Police, Toto, and Led Zeppelin.

He toured with the Hit Men and the Trans Siberian Orchestra, visiting more than 40 countries in eight years with guitarist Godfrey Townsend and the Alan Parsons Live Project.

Nobody’s Fault drummer Green began playing music at the age of 13 with his mother, Susan Rose, a musician. They performed at a USO show in Japan and traveled the country, arriving in Florida in 1973.

Moving out at the age of 16, Green studied at the Recording Institute of America, where he learned lighting, sound, and stage building. He brought national acts including the Police and Pat Benatar to Florida, went on tour with the Jackson 5, and recorded an album with the Joe Rush Band.

“We love what we’re doing,” says bass player Knight, “and we hope to keep doing it. We give our fans our best every time—you never know when the last show will be.”

For Green, a highlight is the togetherness and camaraderie the band provides. “I enjoy that we’ve all been together for so long,” he says. “We communicate through music.”

He notes that over the past 25 years, the band has had its share of ups and downs.

“It’s like a boot camp,” he says. “We’ve been through thick and thin and have now become a family.”

For more information, visit nobodysfaultband.com or like them on Facebook. Upcoming dates include Saturday, Jan. 13, at Sharkey’s Bar & Grill, 10365 Royal Palm Blvd., Coral Springs. Visit sharkeysfl.com or call (954) 341-9990.

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‘Freddy the Ref’ Honoring Fred Yarmuth for over 30 years of service

It all started one day in 1993 when Parkland resident Fred Yarmuth, 70, was driving down the street and saw some kids playing ball in a field. “Hmm,” he thought, “I might like to be their referee.”

Little did he know that more than 30 years later, he would come to be known as Parkland’s “legendary referee,” or as Broward County Mayor Michael Udine nicknamed him affectionately, “Freddy the Ref.”

Born in Passaic, NJ, Yarmouth moved to Louisville, KY, as a child and attended the University of Louisville. He later worked for the now-defunct restaurant chain Victoria Station, and then he worked with his dad in construction and cleaning new homes.

In 1979 he moved to North Miami Beach, a move that would define the rest of his life. He met and married his wife, Karen. The two have two daughters, Lindsay, 37, an attorney, and Brittany, 33, who works for a health-care company, and a 6-year-old grandson, Brandon, who just started playing flag football and basketball in Parkland sports.

“I try not to ref him,” jokes Yarmuth.

While he may refrain from refereeing his grandson, Yarmuth has been an essential part of many children’s and families’ sporting lives in Parkland. He made his mark on Parkland sports and has been integral to the growth of the Parkland sports leagues over the past three decades.

Yarmuth is known for his patience, compassion, and kindness, and he takes time out to teach others the rules of the game and the importance of sportsmanship. He has left a lasting impact on the development of young athletes, both on and off the field.

He volunteers countless hours working with others to improve the sports services and facilities, and many say he is the true heart of recreational sports in Parkland.

“For as long as I can remember, Freddy has been a vital part of Parkland rec sports, and as a result, a part of the Brier family as well,” says Simeon Brier, Parkland’s vice mayor and city commissioner for District 1.

“Whether it was refereeing my younger brothers’ games, games I coached while in college, games for my two daughters in multiple sports, and now refereeing games for my niece and nephews, Freddy has seen multiple generations of Parklanders on the courts and fields of our city parks,” he says.

Brier, who was elected last November, and who has lived in Parkland for 40 years and coached rec sports in the city since the 1990s, is familiar with the ins and outs of the job. “Freddy has a great sense of humor, a passion for youth sports, and is a beloved part of the Parkland community.”

Yarmuth’s passion for sports began when he played basketball in high school, and he gives credit to his former intramural coach, Eugene Minton, for encouraging his love of the game.

It’s that love he passes down to his players. “I love working with the kids,” says Yarmuth. “I love teaching them the rules, seeing them play the game over the years, and watching them grow up. Some of my first kids now have their own kids in the league.

“I’ve seen them come full circle,” he says.

In his younger days, Yarmuth would pick up the little kids and put them on his shoulders to help them make a basket. “They remember me to this day for that,” he says. “That really made their season.”

One of the kids he refereed since the age of 4 is now 16-year-old Broward Preparatory School sophomore Nate Harmelin, who played flag football and basketball.

“Freddy is the grandpa that everyone loves,” says Harmelin. “He makes us laugh with his jokes. We always have a good time with Freddy, and whether I’m on the court or run into him in Parkland, I always get a good laugh from Freddy.”

His father, Adam Harmelin, who coaches football and basketball, says, “Freddy always tries to help the younger kids who are not playing well. He always looks out for the underdog. He’s a wonderful man.”

In addition to his volunteer referee duties, Yarmuth works as a paraprofessional at Riverside Elementary in Coral Springs, volunteers his time packing food boxes with Feeding South Florida, and volunteers on local political campaigns.

In 2021 he was honored with the Humanitarian Award from the Parkland Flag Football League, and in 2022 he was inducted into the Dr. Nan S. Hutchison Broward County Senior Hall of Fame and honored for his contribution and service to the community. A plaque with his name hangs in the Broward County Government Building.

“Freddy’s commitment and dedication to the league is second to none,” says Evan Golden, a Parkland flag football board member for the past five years. “Not only has he devoted countless hours to the kids, but he builds relationships with both the kids and their families.”

“Freddy makes sure to develop relationships on and off the field,” says Golden. “He’s always in a good mood, brings a positive energy and good spirit, and always tries to get all the kids involved to have fun and learn the sport.”

In his own life, Yarmuth says his parents and two brothers were his biggest influences. “We all encouraged each other,” he says. He credits his wife Karen for “keeping me on the straight and narrow.”

When not on the field, Yarmuth enjoys a good game of golf, and cruising to Alaska with extended family.

“Freddy is a charismatic and selfless individual who has dedicated decades to the Parkland community in the form of refereeing sports and creating amazing memories and relationships with the parents, players, and coaches he has refereed,” says Jacob Brier, president of the Parkland Basketball Club.

“He is a staple in Parkland and deserves all the recognition and credit as his commitment to the community and youth sports is unmatched,” Brier says.

What have been some of the highlights of Yarmuth’s refereeing career?

“Being inducted into the Senior Hall of Fame,” he says. “Every day is an adventure. I’m very low-key, but am thrilled when a parent remembers me from refereeing their kid—that’s a thrill.”

Does he have any words of advice for someone considering the position?

“Do your best and enjoy it,” Yarmuth says. “Don’t take it too seriously. If you want it as a career, it’s a great profession—it’s been good to me.”

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New winter diet for the manatees

Lettuce is being stocked in the Indian River manatee buffet to feed the local population that migrates to the estuary during the colder months of the year. So far, the manatees are skipping the buffet, which does not bode well for the local manatee herd that is still weakened from 2021.

The supplemental feeding program established by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is in response to an Unusual Mortality Event that has seen 750 deaths (all causes) on the Florida Atlantic coast in the 12-month period ending in November 2021.

A healthy adult manatee is nearly 10 feet long and approximately 1,000 pounds. They require 4%-9% of their body weight (40-90 pounds) in food each day. In the wintertime, the favorite hangout for the Atlantic coast manatees is the Indian River Lagoon, which traditionally feeds the herd with the local seagrass.

According to FWC, “since 2011, persistence of algal blooms has resulted in reduced water clarity and light penetration” and a “dramatic reduction” in sunlight getting to the seagrass at the bottom of the lagoon. The seagrass “in this region and specifically in the Indian River Lagoon has declined significantly.”

Due to the shortage of their natural food, the region saw a significant number of emaciated manatees last year, and as more resources, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have been brought in to help with the response, a joint unified command team was established.

According to a press conference held on Jan. 13 by the joint unified command team, so far this year, the temperature in the area had been warm and manatees had not yet started to congregate in the Indian River Lagoon. But as January temperatures were starting to drop, more and more manatees would start to migrate to what is described as their “capital” for wintering.

What the manatees are seeing when they enter the Indian River Lagoon is not the lush seagrass fields they are hoping for, but a “desert,” according to Martina de Wit, a research scientist with FWC. This is the cause of the starvation we saw last year and may recur when more manatees show up in their wintering grounds.

The state allocated an extra $8 million recently to help alleviate the dire situation, and a feeding program was born. In captivity, manatees do eat lettuce but require “a week or so” before accepting it as food. In the wild, no observed feeding has occurred, as of the Jan. 13 press conference. But the FWC expects “some adjustment period when switching to a different diet,” and when the realization of lack of natural seagrass sets in, the FWC “expected that manatees can adapt to [lettuce] without any major issues.”

When asked by a reporter, “Why lettuce?”, and not some other natural vegetation, the FWC is concerned with introducing invasive species or extra nutrients to an already fertilizer-rich ecosystem, which is causing clarity issues in the first place. The lettuce that is not eaten is removed. Given the quantity of food required (40-90 pounds of food per adult animal), it’s difficult to harvest that amount of food. This is the reason it’s still illegal for the public to feed manatees.

Feeding manatees is meant as a short-term bridge until longer-term habitat restoration and improvement projects get traction. According to Ron Mezich, the provisioning chief, the lack of local seagrass donor beds is a major hurdle for the nursery that is planned to help regrow the seagrass that has been lost.

Meanwhile, Joint Command Rescue Chief Andy Garrett said that efforts to bring up more rescue facilities are ongoing. His team gets alerts from the public about distressed animals, and in 2021, a record 159 manatees were rescued and 115 went to the rehab facility. So far in the past month, 23 manatees have been rescued, and the facilities are near capacity. More facilities are being brought up, and Garrett encourages the public to call the hotline when they see an animal in distress.

As the temperatures cool, more of the manatees are expected to require help. Let us all hope that the wild manatees take a liking to lettuce and that the seagrass nursery flourishes in the Indian River Lagoon.

To help with both the rescue and the feeding program, you can donate to the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership or the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida. It will take a significant effort to save many of the gentle giants, as the FWC works to reverse the desertification of their winter capital.

 

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Robotic Surgery is a ‘game changer’ in complex surgeries at Broward Health Coral Springs

For over a decade, Broward Health Coral Springs has provided surgeons the ability to perform complex surgeries using the assistance of advanced robot. Robotic surgery consists of a surgeon console, patient-side cart, and vision cart, allowing doctors to view 3DHD imagery of organs, vessels, and lymph nodes while operating on patients with mechanical arms ingeniously programmed to wield the smallest of tools.

“The whole goal is to enhance medical care,” said urologist Azeem Sachedina, M.D., “and from that perspective, there is no question robotic surgery is an absolute game changer.”

Often using the da Vinci surgical system, robotic-assisted procedures allow surgeons to control mechanical arms that bear surgical instruments and a camera. Robotics can sometimes enable surgeons to make smaller incisions rather than traditional large incisions, which in some cases may lead to a faster recovery with less pain. With surgeries such as hysterectomies and myomectomies, as well as prostate, gastrointestinal and other procedures, outcomes can be a benefit for the patient.

Zoyla Almeida, M.D., a gynecologic oncologist and Chair of Robotics at Broward Health Coral Springs, has done over 2,000 robotic procedures to date. Of those surgeries, there have been few limits to which reproductive health issues she can correct, including hysterectomies for both cancerous and benign conditions, pelvic prolapse, and treatment for endometriosis, which can cause severe blood loss, pelvic pain, and infertility. She said that the da Vinci system in many cases has the ability to sometimes see much more of the human body by using impossibly small cameras that not only capture high definition views of organs but also surrounding blood vessels and tissue. 

Broward Health urologist Michael Tyler, M.D., also continues to see the benefits from technological advantages provided by robotic assisted surgery, saying that “the difference between traditional and robotic surgery is significant. With the robotic technique, we can really control the surgical environment. When I am at the console, it’s basically like I am at the bedside.”  

Dr. Almeida, agrees, adding robotic technology in the operating room may allow her to see and correct endometriosis and ovarian cysts in patients who may have suffered for years before exploring robotic surgery as an option.

“Women know their bodies well, and if they think something is off, they should definitely seek attention immediately and not ignore it,” said Almeida. “With robotic technology like we have today, complex surgeries may no longer need to be invasive as they were years ago.” 

Broward Health Coral Springs has acquired additional and more upgraded robots within the last few years to fulfill patient and physician demand. Broward Health surgeons say the demand for minimally invasive robotic surgery is gratifying. Mark Shachner, M.D., operates at Broward Health Coral Springs on patients experiencing digestive issues with the da Vinci and called it an enormous revolution.

To learn more about minimally invasive, robotic surgeries offered at Broward Health Coral Springs, click here

 Photo Caption: (l-r) Dr. Zoyla Almeida is presented with a recognition for surpassing over 2,000 robotic cases by Jared Smith, Broward Health Coral Springs Chief Executive Officer.  

Robotic Surgery is a ‘game changer’ in complex surgeries at Broward Health Coral Springs

Photo Caption: The Broward Health Coral Springs surgery team. 

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A documentary from Parkland’s own: ‘It’s Not a Burden’

Directed by Michelle Boyaner and produced by Parkland resident Wendy Zipes Hunter, “It’s Not a Burden: The Humor and Heartache of Raising Elderly Parents” is a deeply intimate documentary that follows its director as she serves as the primary caretaker for her elderly parents, Elaine and Morris. Each parent struggles with their own battle incited by old age, with Elaine suffering from dementia and Morris being a hoarder.

Morris Boyaner in IT’S NOT A BURDEN
©2021 Greenie Films

Supplementing her own personal story and composing the majority of the film is a composition of around 20 vignettes, each telling their own story of adults providing care for their elderly parents. Each vignette features a retrospective of each parent’s life, an account of their current struggles, and occasionally an update on the family’s story. 

Boyaner’s impetus for dedicating such a considerable portion of her documentary toward other people’s struggles instead of her own is to convey the film’s central message. 

Coming directly from Boyaner, the message of this film is, “You are not alone. If you are somewhere in the midst of this journey, helping your parent/parents, you are not alone. Look at the people in this film, all walks of life, navigating their own version of the same thing. You are not alone.”

Frances Moore & Cynthia Moore in IT’S NOT A BURDEN
©2021 Greenie Films

In each story, including her own, it is an uphill battle against old age. Boyaner is frank in showcasing that elderly care is often embarrassing and melancholy, for both parties.

However, as Boyaner presents, no one family is solitary dealing with the strife of old age. Although each family struggles, they prove strong in the face of life’s great equalizer, and they are able to see the final time spent with their loved ones as a blessing rather than a burden.

Below is a portion of my interview with Boyaner.

Q. What kind of philosophy or belief system do you believe people should take into the final stages of their lives?

A. I relied very heavily on the book “Being Mortal” by Atul Gawande, as it explores the last stages of life through personal stories and focuses on quality of life. I highly recommend this book (you should see my copy, it’s marked up like a textbook).

Q. After filming, did you do any follow-ups with the families you interviewed?

A. We have kept in touch with many of the families we met with for “It’s Not a Burden,” and although “follow-ups” are not contained in the film, we have been in touch. The bulk of the filming with the other families was from 2016 to 2019, so unfortunately some of the parents have now passed away, and we’ve been in touch with families as they have grieved their losses. We also continue to celebrate milestones with those who are still with us.

Q. During filming, was it ever difficult for the people you interviewed to talk about their circumstances?

A. Every family who opened their homes and their hearts to us were taking a chance. They were honest and vulnerable and shared stories about their own experiences that they hoped would help other people. Those we spoke to were truly heroes and we are so grateful to them for trusting us with their truths and knowing that what we were creating was going to become something to help.

Q. What is your favorite memory with your mother?

A. I have certain memories, snapshots of simpler times from very early in my childhood that stand out as magical with my mother. In more recent times, it has just become a montage of all the time we spent — as you see in the film — out on adventures, running errands, just being together.

Q. Do you have any advice for anyone who is currently going through something similar to what you experienced?

A. My advice is really contained in the film: Let’s try harder to regard each other. To take a minute. To spend the time. To be patient. To listen. To not just see an older person as their age or their ailment but realize that they’ve lived a whole life filled with memories, and they’re still here, and it’s vital that they have a sense of purpose.

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Vickie Pierre: ‘Be my herald of what’s to come’

Vickie Pierre: ‘Be my herald of what’s to come’

For New York-born and Miami-based artist Vickie Pierre, there’s more to come. At the age of 51, Pierre is just hitting her stride.

Vickie Pierre: ‘Be my herald of what’s to come’

With a solid portfolio and major accomplishments under her belt, Pierre is currently focused on generating new works. Her current pieces on display at the Boca Raton Museum of Art are a continuation of the work she has done since her college years at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Her work has been exhibited at Foundation Clement in Martinique and Centro de Documentación para las Artes Visuales and Galerie Oriente in Cuba. She has exhibited at the Little Haiti Cultural Center and the Diana Lowenstein Fine Art Gallery in Miami and the Art and Culture Center in Hollywood, Florida. In 2019, she was a finalist in the Orlando Museum of Art Florida Prize in Contemporary Art. 

In 2016 Pierre caught the eye of both Irvin Lippman, CEO of the Boca Raton Museum of Art, and Assistant Curator Kelli Bodle, when she was brought to their attention by Miami-Haitian artist Edouard Duval-Carrié, who was exhibiting at the museum. He flagged her as an up-and-coming artist in the Miami art scene.

“Vickie draws from her parents’ penchant for European interior design, evident in the French colonial influence on Haiti,” says Bodle. 

Pierre uses resin wall plaques, ornate wall sconces, vintage Avon glass perfume bottles, wooden shelf sconces and ship bookends, jewelry, and hand-strung glass beads to create her visions. She deconstructs the perfume bottles from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries and reintroduces them as anthropomorphic shapes set against monochromatic backgrounds. The headless forms are no longer recognizable as the fairy-tale mistresses they once were. 

Vickie Pierre: ‘Be my herald of what’s to come’

Her piece titled “And Though I May Have Lost My Way, All Paths Lead Straight to You” uses the reenvisioned perfume bottles, flaxen hair from dolls, galleon ships representing the slave trade, bracelets, cuffs, and jewelry, all interconnected by long strands of beads that she strings herself in various patterns.

Pierre’s work encompasses evocative titles such as “I Can’t Say No to You (Good Enough),” “Totems for My Sisters (We Are All Illuminous!),” and “You’ve Stolen My Heart and It Hurts Me to Remember.”

“When Vickie exhibited her piece ‘Elemental Mistresses (The Power of 3)’ [also in this exhibition] at the museum in 2016, I found the sculpture beautiful, with its grand sweeps of beadwork and ornate sconces,” Bodle says. “It was also quite haunting by virtue of the elegant script (‘This Must Be the Love They Speak of’) transcribed on the wall.

“The world craves authentic, genuine people and experiences more than any faux polished façade. Vickie and her work come from a place of earnestness and authenticity.

“These attributes, paired with skill and effectual presentation, make for great art,” Bodle says.

The current exhibit is Pierre’s premiere solo museum show and one of which she is immensely proud.

“This is a significant milestone in my career,” says Pierre. “It is a tremendous opportunity and a great achievement for my work to be introduced and showcased in the Boca Raton Museum of Art, to be enjoyed by the local public as well as visitors from around the world.

“My work exemplifies who I am and what I’m trying to do,” she says from her studio in Miami’s Fountainhead. “I have a love of the fantastical and whimsical but also incorporate history, identity, and the concepts of womanhood and femininity.”

Indeed, Pierre turns pop-culture feminine icons such as Snow White and Cinderella on their head, deconstructing them à la Hans Bellmer, a German surrealist artist and photographer best known for his series of life-sized pubescent female dolls (poupées).

Pierre questions the influence of history and popular culture on identity. “My continued focus is on the exploration of identity and ethnicity, with references to design and nature, as well as connections between my Haitian heritage and the Caribbean as well as broader global cultural mythologies,” she says.

In 2020, after the social justice movements, Pierre created “Black Flowers Blossom (Hanging Tree),” as a way to honor the souls of people lost to racial injustice, including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, among others. This piece is also included in the show.

Vickie Pierre: ‘Be my herald of what’s to come’

She describes her creative process as “easy,” doing a lot of sketching and what she calls “navel-gazing.”

“I’m always reworking, cutting, and pasting,” she says. “I let the ideas marinate and my execution is superfast.”

The child of medical professionals and immigrants from Haiti, Pierre says she was raised to be 100% American. She grew up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, in a mixed neighborhood playing with people of all different backgrounds and religions.

“This inclusivity fostered my vision to reach for the universal,” she says. “I strive for a global ideal.”

In addition to Bellmer, Pierre counts Duval-Carrié, Canadian-American artists Miriam Schapiro, and Betye Saar as influences, who also worked with assemblage to explore the myths and stereotypes around race and femininity.

In 2016, Pierre committed full-time to her artwork. “It was sink or swim, and everything came together,” she says.

When asked what drives her, Pierre reflects.

“I feel this is my destiny; I’m doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing and I am where I’m supposed to be,” she replies. “I’m excited and amazed. Everything in my life has led me to this point.”

The exhibit runs through Sept. 5. For more information, visit bocamuseum.org.

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FWC putting a stop to S.T.O.P

and 2 other sea turtle rescue organizations in Broward County

In a ‘David and Goliath’-esque confrontation, Broward County sea turtle rescue organizations may soon have to turn in their night goggles.

Sea turtle

In a letter dated March 26, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) declared a “change to the Disoriented Hatchling Recovery Programs.” 

“While working to decrease impacts from one form of disturbance, lighting, Disoriented Hatchling Recovery Programs increase another form of disturbance, human presence on the beach at night,” states the letter. “We are notifying you that it is FWC’s intent to phase out these programs over the next few years.”

The Sea Turtle Oversight Protection (S.T.O.P.), Sea Turtle Awareness Rescue Stranding (STARS), and South Florida Audubon Society (SFAS) were all blindsided by the notice. 

“It came without warning,” says David Young, chief operating officer of SFAS. He and his colleagues wonder why the FWC would do something contraindicated and not justified. “We all have a passion for the species,” he says. 

Kristine Halager, the principal permit holder for STARS, says in a statement, “Our presence on the beach not only ensures the safety of hatchlings but also serves as eyes on nesting females that may come ashore while we are present.”

Halager has made suggestions to the FWC, including limiting volunteers, having them check nests every 30 minutes, and leaving the beach so they don’t draw attention to themselves. She also has suggested enforcing the current light ordinances. All suggestions were denied.

Florida beaches are key nesting areas for sea turtles. Almost 70% of the nation’s sea turtles nest on Florida’s beaches.

Almost 90% are loggerheads (Caretta caretta), a threatened species; green turtles (Chelonia mydas), endangered; and leatherbacks (Dermochelys coriacea), critically endangered.

As any visitor to the beaches in Pompano, Fort Lauderdale, or Hollywood can see, from March 1 to Oct. 31, volunteers rope off the nesting areas of sea turtles so the hatchlings may hatch undisturbed. 

Volunteers also come out at night to help guide the hatchlings to the ocean so they’re not distracted by the bright lights along A1A. Hatchlings are drawn to those lights and may end up dazed and confused, in storm drains or parking lots, unable to orient themselves to the ocean.

sea Turtle

According to the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program and Nova Southeastern University, in 2020, there were 2,596 loggerhead nests on South Florida beaches, 246 green turtle nests, and 28 leatherback nests.

Sea turtles live mostly in the ocean, but females return to the beach to lay eggs. Once she lays her eggs, she digs a nest and covers it with sand. She returns to the sea, leaving the eggs unprotected — and this is where the volunteers step in.

Females nest every two or three years and lay several nests, containing approximately 100 eggs. The eggs incubate for 60 days, and when they hatch, volunteers are needed to prevent their disorientation.

While STARS currently holds one permit, SFAS holds two, and S.T.O.P., which originally had five, now has two permits, each allowing capacity for the permit holder and 24 volunteers.

Volunteers undergo specific training as part of the permitting requirements.

For this season, Young says, “it’s business as usual. Our current number of volunteers (49) are trying to get out on the beaches seven days a week so we can prevent disorientation.”

He continues, “We’re doing what we do and not worrying about next year.” 

Taking a different approach is S.T.O.P.’s director, Richard WhiteCloud, who calls his turtle family “Passionate. Coffee addicted. Probably crazy” on his website. In 2007, S.T.O.P. was the first program of its kind to rescue and release hatchlings disoriented by coastal lighting.

Volunteers have rescued approximately 250,000 hatchlings, according to S.T.O.P.’s figures. In 2019, its 121 trained volunteers spent thousands of hours patrolling 18 miles of beach from dusk till dawn, rescuing 29,650 hatchlings.

“I’m not sure where FWC derived their numbers,” WhiteCloud says, referring to the letter that cites the volunteer presence as a hazard to the turtles (e.g., “Human presence on the beach at night as a significant threat to nesting and hatchling sea turtles”).

“Our hearts are broken,” he says. “Now we will risk legal action to save the turtles. Under no circumstances should they die due to the inappropriate actions of the FWC, the agency entrusted with protecting them under the Endangered Species Act.

“People need to pay attention to what their governments are doing,” says WhiteCloud. “We provide a free service. We’ve donated hundreds of thousands of dollars in resources without receiving any federal or state monies.”

Unlike Young, who plans a “wait and see” approach, WhiteCloud says S.T.O.P. will seek legal action.

Carol Lyn Parrish, spokesperson for the FWC’s south region, said that her agency is proactive in working with local government lighting appropriate for the turtles. They believe that the Broward County rescue groups should “focus on activities that protect both mother turtles coming to lay their eggs as well as hatchlings trying to make their way to open water.”  

“The FWC must weigh monitoring activities for the greater good of the species and is doing so by attempting to minimize all forms of disturbance on the beach at night,” according to the agency. “This includes reducing volunteers sitting near the many nests on Broward County beaches for extended periods of time while still providing the ability to respond to and rescue disoriented hatchlings.”

Wilton Manor resident David Walker, a former biological scientist with FWC, is the Audubon Society’s urban conservation director and a volunteer since 2014. He spends many evenings on Pompano Beach and estimates he has helped tens of thousands of disoriented hatchlings get to the ocean.

“It’s very satisfying to save an endangered animal,” he says. In early June he watched 90 leatherback hatchlings come out of their nests and helped direct them toward the ocean.

“It’s unfortunate how the FWC and the other organizations tasked with their rescue can’t find a compromise,” says Walker.

Noting that only one out of 1,000 hatchlings makes it to adulthood and returns to the beach, Walker says, “When I release a hatchling, I could be assisting that one sea turtle that may have died if I wasn’t there. That’s a great feeling.”

To visit, go to browardaudubon.org or seaturtleop.com.

Note: Palm Beach County is not affected by this notice. Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton is open to the public for guided tours, and the Florida Atlantic University lab is raising turtle hatchlings for its studies. Also, Gumbo Limbo’s sea turtle rehabilitation department is busier than ever, and it constructed a new surgical room on-site last year to treat and rehabilitate sick turtles. To visit, go to gumbolimbo.org.

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