North Palm Beach County elections: Facts on annexation votes, four council races
PALM BEACH GARDENS — Some of the biggest issues on northern Palm Beach County ballots on March 19 don't involve candidates.
Thousands of voters in unincorporated Palm Beach County areas near North Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens will decide whether to have either municipality annex their properties. In four neighborhoods, the village and the city are competing to absorb the same communities.
Voters in Juno Beach, Lake Park, North Palm Beach and Tequesta will select members of their town and village councils. In the case of Juno Beach, voters will elect a mayor for the first time, a position council members in the past have appointed from within their ranks. There are no other elections in either Jupiter or Palm Beach Gardens.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. March 19. For more information, go online to www.votepalmbeach.gov.
Palm Beach Gardens and North Palm Beach: Annexation votes
For an annexation to take effect, a municipality must receive 50% plus one of voter approval.
Palm Beach Gardens wants to annex five areas totaling 1,316 acres and 8,352 residents, with much of them in one district stretching from Donald Ross Road south to PGA Boulevard.
North Palm Beach wants four neighborhoods out of the Palm Beach Gardens annexation area that include 182 homes. The village’s entire annexation area spans three zones and is a little over 200 homes total.
North county annexation: Gardens, North Palm battle to add 4 communities in March election
In a move election officials say may be unprecedented, voters in those four neighborhoods will cast ballots on both proposals in the March 19 election. The courts are expected to resolve the issue if majorities favor annexing into both North Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens.
Some residents say they like things the way they are without any local government annexing them. Many have planted “vote against annexation” signs in their yards or rallied against the initiative outside Palm Beach Gardens City Hall.
Others see benefits to it. If annexed, a resident would gain access to the municipalities’ police, fire and recreation services. Some may even see lower property tax bills, depending on their home’s assessed value.
Officials both in Palm Beach Gardens and North Palm Beach have said the proposed annexations are part of a larger strategy to round out the city’s boundaries and provide more representation and control over development and redevelopment in those areas.
North county election: A quick look at the 5 areas Palm Beach Gardens wants to annex
Juno Beach: Alexander Cooke vs. Peggy Wheeler; Dean Anthon vs. Diana Davis
Four seats on the Juno Beach Town Council are on the ballot. In two races, candidates are unopposed: Jacob Rosengarten in Seat 3 and DD Halpern in Seat 4.
Incumbent Mayor Alexander Cooke and Vice Mayor Peggy Wheeler are running for the two-year mayor seat in the town. Candidates Dean Anthon and Diana Davis are running against each other for Seat 5 with a one-year term.
Alexander Cooke, 46, is CEO of the wealth management company Optimist Capital and has been on the council for two years.
Background: Cooke grew up in Connecticut and has a bachelor’s degree in finance from Fairfield University. He moved to Juno Beach in 2017 when he opened his own firm in Palm Beach Gardens.
Public service: He is a member of the Juno Beach Civic Association and the Leadership Business Council of Palm Beach. He is also an executive trustee of the Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce and a friend of the Juno Beach Ecology Group.
Priorities: Maintaining zoning; calming traffic; and keeping the beauty of the town’s parks, beaches and roadways.
Campaign finances: Cooke has raised $1,000 as of Feb. 16.
Website:alexander-cooke.com
Peggy Wheeler, 66, has served on the council for seven years.
Background: Wheeler has lived in Juno Beach for 24 years. She has published educational manuals on travel and tourism, has been a travel editor and TV talk show host, has a real estate and notary license, and has owned more than 10 companies. She also has an honorary teaching degree and has taught community college classes.
Public service: She is on the board of the Palm Beach Opera Guild and was previously on the board for the Big and Little Dog Ranch Rescue nonprofits. Wheeler has been involved with the town’s government affairs committee, sustainability committee, businesses development board, police foundation, ecology group and landmarks advisory committee. She also has been involved in the economic development and sustainability committees of the Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce, as well as with the Loggerhead Marinelife Center, Palm Beach County League of Cities, Florida League of Cities, North County Intergovernmental Group, Forum Club of the Palm Beaches and the Juno Beach Historical Society.
Priorities: Preventing overdevelopment; slowing traffic on U.S. 1; improving town communication and transparency; conserving Pelican Lake; saving historic green space; maintaining town and parks; reviewing zoning codes to ensure they conform with the town’s comprehensive plan.
Campaign finances: Wheeler has raised $1,000 as of Feb. 16.
Dean Anthon, 54, has lived in Juno Beach for nine years.
Background: Anthon grew up working at his family’s hotel in Pennsylvania. He studied finance at the University of Pennsylvania and then earned a law degree from the University of Miami. He worked in private equity and venture capital in Latin America for 25 years.
Public service: Anthon is not on any boards or committees in the village.
Priorities: Maintaining Juno Beach's quality of life; protecting beaches; resisting overcommercialization; and ensuring safety in Juno Beach.
Campaign finances: Anthon has raised $4,150 as of Feb. 16. He also has a “Friends of Dean Anthon” political committee that has raised about $1,380 in-kind funds as of Feb. 22.
Website:deananthon.com
Diana Davis, 62, has lived in Juno Beach for 20 years.
Background: Davis has been an attorney for more than 30 years. She is winding down her law practice, Legacy Matters, which focused on elder law. She is a former corporate counsel for Florida Power & Light Co.
Public service: She is chair of the Juno Beach Planning & Zoning Board and president of the Juno Beach Ecology Group.
Priorities: Protecting the town from overdevelopment, and fighting for local control over land-use decisions.
Campaign finances: Davis has raised about $5,244 as of Feb. 16.
Website:dianadavisjunobeach.com
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Lake Park Town Commission: Michael Hensley, Hollis Langer, Anne Lynch, Rafael Moscoso
One commission seat is up for election this cycle. Four residents — Rafael Moscoso, Anne Lynch, Hollis Langer and Michael Hensley — are competing for the one-year role.
Michael Hensley, 43, has lived in Lake Park for about 17 years.
Background: Hensley is a special education teacher with the Palm Beach County School District. He is originally from Palm Beach County and has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Palm Beach State College and a master’s of education and leadership from the American College of Education. He has also been a football coach at Dwyer High School for 17 years.
Public service: Hensley founded a nonprofit called Betty’s Place of Hope in 2004, which supports youth in the county. He was named teacher of the year in 2021 by the Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce.
Priorities: Creating and maintaining green spaces and recreational facilities in the town; advocating for public safety and community redevelopment; and improving schools.
Campaign finances: Hensley has raised $635 as of Jan. 31.
Website:www.michaelhensleycampaign.com
Hollis Langer, 59, has lived in Lake Park for about 17 years.
Background: Langer is originally from Centerville, Ohio. She has worked in marketing for more than 30 years and is a multimedia consultant at WFLX-TV in West Palm Beach. She is also a licensed U.S. Coast Guard captain.
Public service: She previously volunteered for six years at the Youth Empowerment Program of West Palm Beach.
Priorities: Keeping the original character of the town; maintaining Kelsey Park; promote sustained growth; and limiting over-development in residential areas.
Campaign finances: Langer has raised $375 as of Jan. 31.
Website: None.
Anne Lynch, 77, has lived in Lake Park for 21 years and previously served on the Town Council.
Background: Lynch is a retired licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist with a 50-year career. She attended Fordham University in New York and now works in security.
Public service: Lynch served on the Lake Park Town Council for three years from 2016 to 2019. She was also a lieutenant in the Lake Park District 10 of the Palm Beach Sheriff's office in their Citizens On Patrol volunteer unit for eight years and volunteered at the town library.
Priorities: Advocating for a town community center and kids sports teams; working to decrease crime in the area; and ensuring a quality of life in the town.
Campaign finances: Lynch has raised $200 as of Feb. 16.
Website: None.
Rafael Moscoso, 56, has lived in Lake Park for about 10 years.
Background: Moscoso has studied mechanics and emergency medical services and is an Army veteran. He is originally from Miami.
Public service: Moscoso is not on any boards or committees in the town.
Priorities: Slowing large-scale developments; improving accountability for town spending; and supporting local businesses.
Campaign finances: Moscoso has raised $360 as of Feb. 27.
Website:ralphmoscoso.com
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North Palm Beach Seat 3: Orlando Puyol vs. William Luzuriagga
Four seats on the North Palm Beach Village Council are up for election, each with two-year terms. In three, candidates are running unopposed: incumbent Deborah Searcy for Seat 1 and newcomers Kristin Garrison and Lisa Interlandi for Seats 4 and 5, respectively. Orlando Puyol and William Luzuriagga are competing for Seat 3.
Orlando Puyol, 70, has lived in North Palm Beach for 39 years.
Background: Puyol has a civil engineering degree from the University of Florida and is an engineer and general contractor. He owns Puyol Enterprise, a homebuilding construction company, and Gardens Learning Center, a private Christian preschool in Palm Beach Gardens.
Public service: He has served on the village’s Golf Advisory Board for the past three years. He was on the Planning, Zoning and Adjustment board for more than five years.
Priorities: Protecting the character of the village; limiting building heights and development; strengthening business growth on U.S. 1; improving recreation for youth and seniors; controlling village spending to lower the millage rate; and increasing the number of village firefighters and police officers.
Campaign finances: Puyol has raised $12,026 as of Feb. 16.
Website: votepuyolfornpb.com
William Luzuriagga is a 53-year-old North Palm Beach resident.
Background: Luzuriagga is a Palm Beach State College business and Spanish language professor. He has a bachelor’s degree in management and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Palm Beach Atlantic University. He also has a master’s degree in Spanish language and a doctoral degree in business and leadership from Nova Southeastern University.
Public service: Luzuriagga is not on any boards or committees in the village.
Priorities: Preserving village life and traditions; promoting communication; ensuring a better quality of life; and advocating for children and young families.
Campaign finances: Luzuriagga had raised $924 as of Jan. 31.
Website: None.
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Tequesta Seat 5: Rick Sartory vs. Jessica Namath
Two seats in the village are up for election this year, each with two-year terms. Jayson French, a firefighter for the past 17 years, is running unopposed for Seat 1.
Seat 5 candidate Rick Sartory, 57, has been on the council since April and has lived in Tequesta for three years.
Background: Sartory has a bachelor’s degree in financial management from Clemson University. He worked in banking and finance for 27 years and now is a community affairs coordinator in the Homeland Security Division of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
Public service: He served on the village’s Public Safety Pension Board after moving to Tequesta in 2021. He also has served on the health and human services board of Palm Beach County, the Health Care District of Palm Beach County's finance and audit committee, the community advisory board at Palm Beach Children’s Hospital at St. Mary’s Medical Center and the board of directors for Meals On Wheels of the Palm Beaches.
Priorities: Protecting neighborhoods; listening to residents; preserving the village's "charm"; strengthening sea turtle guidelines; and supporting local businesses.
Campaign finances: Sartory has raised $8,485 as of Feb. 16.
Website: www.rickfortequesta.com
Jessica Namath, 38, has lived in Tequesta for over 35 years.
Background: Namath has a degree in business and public relations from the University of Alabama. She now works in media relations and is also a photographer.
Public service: Namath has served on the village’s Environmental Advisory Committee for the past five years. She is on the board of the Tequesta Civic Association and her homeowner’s association. She also chairs two committees for the Jupiter Lighthouse chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.
Priorities: Conserving the area's local environment and history; preserving the character of the village; ensuring the village code reflects residents’ wishes and transparency.
Campaign finances: Namath has raised $324 as of Feb. 16.
Website: votenamath.com
Jupiter Inlet Colony: Two uncontested seats
Seats 2 and 4 are up for election in this town of about 400 people. Incumbent Marie Rosner and Sharon Seagren are running unopposed for the two-year posts.
Maya Washburn covers northern Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida-Network. Reach her at mwashburn@pbpost.com. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: North Palm Beach, Gardens, Juno, Lake Park elections: Annexation, races
