Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Barrys Buzz - Aug. 30, 2012

The Voters Coalition of Palm Beach County endorsed Republican Adam Hasner for Congress, District 22 over Democrat Lois Frankel and Democrat Senator Maria Sachs for State Senate District 34 over Republican Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff. There will be a run-off between Steven M. Engel and Tom Thayer in the November general election for outside the city limits District 5 seat on the Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District. Mizner Park wants to update its sign on Federal Highway with computer controlled LED lighting, changing every 8 hours at most. A new secured 24 Square foot lattice sign for the Boca Raton Children’s Museum was approved by the Community Appearance Board. The Museum is also planning a picket fence on the Crawford Avenue property and looking for a donated vintage carousel. 75 Palm Beach County and 24 West Palm Beach police officers are assisting at the Republican National Convention this week. Shake Shack will open a third South Florida location in University Commons, across from FAU at 1400 Glades Road, next year. West Boca resident Mindy Haas heads up the Florida PTA in 2014.Comcast will move its Florida headquarters to West Palm Beach from Sunrise and hire 161 dispatchers there, while laying off 89 people at its West Palm Beach location and move the jobs to Miramar. Boca Raton is considering outsourcing maintenance at three Boca owned golf courses and fast-tracking three development proposals in the northwest area of the city,over the objection of City Council member Anthony Majhess, which would add more residents. Max’s Grille in Mizner Park is closed for renovations through Thursday, Sept. 27. OMGfast Hi-Speed internet is now available in West Boca, offering MVDDS new technology with extremely fast downloads of 50Mbps and higher on an exclusive secure connection. Contact Josh.beene@omgfast.com or call 954.643.7102. A Shayna Maidel plays through Sept. 16 at the Stage Door Theatre on Sample Road in Coral Springs. Call 954.344.7765 for ticket information or visit www.stagedoorfl.org. Movie Talk with Morrie Zryl airs tonight at 6 p.m. on www.wrpbitv.com. Barry Epstein Live internet television show airs Friday at 10 a.m. on www.wrpbitv.com featuring South Florida Business Journal senior writer and author Brian Bandell, photographer Kenny Applebaum and Sun-Sentinel columnist Kingsley Guy. Watch to win tickets to the Cinemark, Gateway and Last Picture Show Theatres. Movies opening Friday at the Cinemark Theatre are Lawless (opened Wednesday), also at the Movies of Delray. Bill W will reopen tomorrow at the Movies of Lake Worth. Obama’s America 2016 is still playing at the Cinemark Theatres. Don’t miss it. The Green Market at FAU opens 4 p.m. today at the FAU football Stadium Plaza. Call 561.297.0197 for information. FAU’s College of Business hosts its weekly Executive Forum lecture series from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Office Depot Grand Lecture Hall, Room 101, starting today. Register at http://business.fau.edu/centers/adams-center/entrepreneurship-education/executive-forum-speaker-series/index.aspx#.UClnglaPWAR, or call 561.297.0927. On Friday, August 31, the Sunset Cove Amphitheater will host a live concert featuring Sublime with Rome with special guests Cypress Hill, Pepper, and the Dirty Heads. Bill Mahar is at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Sept. 2. Tickets at www.hardrocklivehollywood.com. The Boca Museum of Art hosts a free networking, panel discussion on how to start or grow an art collection and tour on Sept. 5 starting at 4 p.m. Reservations are required. RSVP to abanaszak@bocamuseum.org. Downtown Boca hosts “Boca and Brazil Meet to Celebrate the Brazilian Beat’, for Brazil’s Independence Day Sept. 7. Boca’s Florida Atlantic University President Mary Jane Saunders, Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation President Jan Savarick, Phyllis Green, Chairman of Green Advertising and Hospice by the Sea’s Paula J. Alderson will be honored on Sept. 13 as among South Florida Business Journal’s Influential Business Women of 2012 at the Hyatt Pier 66 Awards Luncheon in Ft. Lauderdale. Register at rruiz@bizjournals.com or call 954.949.7522. Soroptimists of Boca is seeking sponsors for the 39th annual “Women of Distinction” awards breakfast on Oct. 3 at Boca West Country Club. Contact kim@championhome.com or call 561.347.0440. Deadline is Sept. 21 for all ads. The Steve Bagdan Charitable Foundation presents the 24th Annual Golf Classic benefiting the George Snow Scholarship Fund, Sept. 14, 8:30 a.m. at the Royal Palm Yacht and Country Club. Sponsorship and Underwriting opportunities are available. Email to defiler@scholarship.org or call 561.347-6799 for more information. "Henrietta, Countess de Hoernle 100th Birthday Gala: Our Legend, Her Legacy" will be honored on her birthday, Sept. 24, at Boca West Country Club. The event presenter is The Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller. Honorary chairpersons are Christine Lynn and Barbara and Dick Schmidt. Gala chairwoman and vice chairwoman are Commander Isabel K. Paul and Dame Alyce E. Erickson. The Boca Raton Theatre Guild’s 2012-2013 season will begin with a comedy, A.R. Gurneys Sylvia from September 28- October 14 and end in March with a classic, Kander & Ebbs Chicago, at the Willow Theatre in Sugar Sand Park, 300 South Military Trail, Boca Raton. Tickets are on sale at the Willow Theatre Box office: 561-347-3948. The sixth annual Theatre Arts Guild Ice Cream Social is being held on Sunday, Sept. 30 at the Broken Sound Country Club with a Jersey Boys tribute by the Atlantic City Boys, including some of the former members of the Jersey Boys. Go to http://give.lynn.edu/TheatreArts for details. Boca-based Bluegreen Corp. is putting on "Two to Tango," the gala to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation that will move to the Boca Raton Marriott on Oct. 5. E’s Giuliana Rancic will host cocktails, hors d’oevres and desserts to honor Sun-Sentinel’s Life’s Victories survivors and help fight breast cancer, 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 23 at the 110 Tower in Ft. Lauderdale. Giuliana and her husband Bill will then be the keynote speakers at Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation’s 9th Annual Go Pink Luncheon Friday, October 26, 2012 from 11am to 1:30 pm at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. The second Meet Me on the Promenade downtown street festival is Oct. 26 and 27 with a Halloween theme. You can be part of Solavei, new cell phone company starting Sept. 21. Unlimited 4G calls, text, messaging and data for a flat rate of $49 per month, plus you can make money by referring others. E-mail to barry@barryepstein.com for a personal, no obligation, invite. www.WestBocaLeaders.com has openings in some categories. Call 561.852.0000 for further information. You can have your own internet television show very inexpensively or sponsor mine. Contact Wayne at wrpbitv@yahoo.com. Birch Communications is a multi-million dollar company with an exclusive wholesale agreement with AT&T. If you would like to save money on your AT&T land phones without changing your service or your numbers, call 561.852.0000. For Al-Anon-meetings in South Palm Beach County, go to www.southpalmbeachafg.org/meeting_list.html Barry Epstein, APR, is a noted public relations, marketing and political consultant based in Boca Raton, president of the Luxury Chamber of Commerce (www.luxurychamber.com), the West Boca Leaders networking group and the founder and former president of the West Boca Chamber of Commerce; with a weekly internet television show on www.wrpbitv.com. Website; www.publicrelations.nu; email: pr@publicrelations.nu, or fax column items to 561.451.0000. His blog is on the Sun-Sentinel/Jewish Journal website at www.floridajewishjournal.com - http://barrys-journal.blogspot.com.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Barrys Buzz Aug. 23, 2012

Sunday is the last day before the Sept 21 launch of Solavei, the newest cell phone company that you can sign up for “The Lane” and be ready to go. Unlimited 4G call, texts, messaging and data for a flat rate of only $49. Email your email to barry@barryepstein.com for a no obligation personal invite link. Former Boynton Beach Mayor Jerry Taylor’s 50 year old son, Paul, died suddenly of a heart attack 2 weeks aqo. The funeral was in Illinois where Paul and his wife and daughter live. However, the family is having a Memorial Service for Paul tonight at 7 PM at St. Mark's Catholic Church, 643 St. Mark Place, Boynton Beach, 33435, 561.735-3463. Lynn University has received $6 million from an anonymous alumni, towards building a $12 million 32,000 sq. ft. LEED Platinum certified College of Business and Management, with a matching gift pledge and expected to open in April, 2014. Drop In Action Sports Complex, Inc., a non-profit 501C3, is leasing 1.75 acres at Loggers’ Run Park, 11185 Palmetto Park Rd 33428, from Palm Beach County and is looking for tax deductible contributions. See www.dropinactionsportscomplex.org for further information. The Atrium, a Boca Raton 160 bed, 2.3 acre, assisted living facility at 1080 NW 15 St. was sold for $31.54 million. Palm Beach County garbage rates wil increase $7 for residents west of Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach. South Tech Academy, a conversion charter high school in Boynton Beach, with over 1200 students in 13 Academies, has submitted an application to the Palm Beach County School Board for a new South Tech Prep Charter Middle School. BB&T, new owners of BankAtlantic, plan to lay off 365 people, 1/3 of employees, between October and Feb. 1. Augusta National Golf Club is admitting women members for the first time in its 80-year history, inviting former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and financier Darla Moore to become its first female members, and both accepted. Palm Beach State College Trustees toured the A.G. Holley State Hospital in Lantana as a possible expansion site. Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 5 on Sept. 12 and also begin pre-sales that day. A Shayna Maidel starts Aug. 24 to Sept. 16. Paulette Dozier as Billie Holiday in Lady Day plays through Aug. 26 at the Stage Door Theatre on Sample Road in Coral Springs. Call 954.344.7765 for ticket information or visit www.stagedoorfl.org. Movie Talk with Morrie Zryl airs tonight at 6 p.m. on www.wrpbitv.com. Barry Epstein Live internet television show airs Friday at 10 a.m. on www.wrpbitv.com featuring, Movie Maven Morrie Zryl and Sun-Sentinel columnists Lynn University political professor Dr. Robert Watson and Kingsley Guy. Watch to win tickets to the Cinemark, Gateway and Last Picture Show Theatres. Movies opening Friday at the Cinemark Theatre are Hit and Run (opened Wednesday), 2016: Obama's America, Celeste and Jesse Forever, Cosmopolis and Premium Rush. Movie opening at the Movies of Delray and Movies of Lake Worth is Mahler on the Couch. Lawless will open next Wednesday and Bill W. is at the Movies of Lake Worth today and will reopen on Aug. 31. Bob Hildreth hosts a $40 fundraiser Aug. 25, 6 to 10 at Carmen’s, Bridge Hotel to benefit the VA Center: elgeneralbob@gmail.com The Republican National Convention is slated to start next week, unless Hurricane “Isaac” gets in the way. The Green Market at FAU opens 4 p.m. on Aug. 30 at the FAU Football Stadium Plaza. Call 561.297.0197 for information. FAU’s College of Business hosts its weekly Executive Forum lecture series from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Office Depot Grand Lecture Hall, Room 101, starting Aug. 30. Register at http://business.fau.edu/centers/adams-center/entrepreneurship-education/executive-forum-speaker-series/index.aspx#.UClnglaPWAR, or call 561.297.0927. Sunset Cove Amphitheater features Sublime with Rome with special guests Cypress Hill, Pepper, and the Dirty Heads on Aug. 31. The Boca Museum of Art hosts a free networking, panel discussion on how to start or grow an art collection and tour on Sept. 5 starting at 4 p.m. Reservations are required. RSVP to abanaszak@bocamuseum.org. Downtown Boca hosts “Boca and Brazil Meet to Celebrate the Brazilian Beat’, for Brazil’s Independence Day Sept. 7. Boca’s Florida Atlantic University President Mary Jane Saunders, Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation President Jan Savarick, Phyllis Green, Chairman of Green Advertising and Hospice by the Sea’s Paula J. Alderson will be honored on Sept. 13 as among South Florida Business Journal’s Influential Business Women of 2012 at the Hyatt Pier 66 Awards Luncheon in Ft. Lauderdale. Register at rruiz@bizjournals.com or call 954.949.7522. Soroptimists of Boca is seeking sponsors for the 39th annual “Women of Distinction” awards breakfast on Oct. 3 at Boca West Country Club. Contact kim@championhome.ocm or call 561.347.0440. Deadline is Sept. 21 for all ads. "Henrietta, Countess de Hoernle 100th Birthday Gala: Our Legend, Her Legacy" will be honored on her birthday, Sept. 24, at Boca West Country Club. The event presenter is The Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller. Honorary chairpersons are Christine Lynn and Barbara and Dick Schmidt. Gala chairwoman and vice chairwoman are Commander Isabel K. Paul and Dame Alyce E. Erickson. The Boca Raton Theatre Guild’s 2012-2013 season will begin with a comedy, A.R. Gurneys Sylvia from September 28- October 14 and end in March with a classic, Kander & Ebbs Chicago, at the Willow Theatre in Sugar Sand Park, 300 South Military Trail, Boca Raton. Tickets are on sale at the Willow Theatre Box office: 561-347-3948. The sixth annual Theatre Arts Guild Ice Cream Social is being held on Sunday, Sept. 30 at the Broken Sound Country Club with a Jersey Boys tribute by the Atlantic City Boys, including some of the former members of the Jersey Boys. Go to http://give.lynn.edu/TheatreArts for details. Boca-based Bluegreen Corp. is putting on "Two to Tango," the gala to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation that will move to the Boca Raton Marriott on Oct. 5. E’s Giuliana Rancic will host cocktails, hors d’oevres and desserts to honor Sun-Sentinel’s Life’s Victories survivors and help fight breast cancer, 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 23 at the 110 Tower in Ft. Lauderdale. Giuliana and her husband Bill will then be the keynote speakers at Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation’s 9th Annual Go Pink Luncheon Friday, October 26, 2012 from 11am to 1:30 pm at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. The second Meet Me on the Promenade downtown street festival is Oct. 26 and 27 with a Halloween theme. www.WestBocaLeaders.com has openings in some categories. Call 561.852.0000 for further information. You can have your own internet television show very inexpensively or sponsor mine. Contact wrpbitv@yahoo.com. Birch Communications is a multi-million dollar company with an exclusive wholesale agreement with AT&T. If you would like to save money on your AT&T land phones without changing your numbers, call 561.852.0000. For Al-Anon-meetings in South Palm Beach County, go to www.southpalmbeachafg.org/meeting_list.html Barry Epstein, APR, is a noted public relations, marketing and political consultant based in Boca Raton, president of the Luxury Chamber of Commerce (www.luxurychamber.com), the West Boca Leaders networking group and the founder and former president of the West Boca Chamber of Commerce; with a weekly internet television show on www.wrpbitv.com. Website; www.publicrelations.nu; email: pr@publicrelations.nu, or fax column items to 561.451.0000. His blog is on the Sun-Sentinel/Jewish Journal website at www.floridajewishjournal.com - http://barrys-journal.blogspot.com.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Barry's Buzz - August 16, 2012

The Luxury Chamber of Commerce features a monthly wine and cheese mixer, hosted by owner Bob Luptak at Steinway Piano Gallery, 7940 N. Federal Highway, #100, Boca Raton, on August 20 from 6 p.m to 8 p.m. with a special guest speaker, Stanley Tate, former Chair and President of the Resolution Trust Corporation and the founder of the Florida Pre-paid Scholarship Program, along with noted pianist Norm Kubrin and vocalist Lisa Remick, performing Jazz standards and the Great American Songbook, appearing every Wednesday at 264 The Grill in Palm Beach. Info and reservations at http://pianistsociety.eventbrite.com/. Marine Chamber of Commerce inaugural network is Tuesday, Aug. 21, 6 to 8 p.m. at Oceans 234, 234 N. Ocean Blvd. Deerfield Beach. Reservations at http://boatingevent.eventbrite.com or email info@marinechamber.com. CBS’ Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer will moderate the final presidential debate at Lynn University on Oct. 20. N.J. Gov. Christie will be the keynote speaker at the RNC convention in Tampa. Sen. Marco Rubio will introduce Romney on the last night. Former U.S. Senator and Florida Governor Bob Graham speaks on 9/11 and what he knew about 9/11 at the Broward Museum of Art in Ft. Lauderdale. Congrats to all the winners in the Primary Election Tuesday. Now on to the General Election in November. Boca’s Palm Beach County Commissioner Steve Abrams is expected to be named Chairman in November. Palm Beach County commissioners unanimously approved a plan to swap the 1,919-acre Mecca Farms for $30 million and about 1,500 acres owned by the South Florida Water Management District. Leisure and hospitality jobs remain down in Palm Beach County, despite increases in tourists, bed tax collections and hotel occupancy rates. Immigrants make up 19.4 percent of the population in Florida, but own 29.7 percent of all business in the state. Comedian Kevin James purchased a 28,834 sq. ft. house at 502 N. Ocean Blvd., across from the ocean in Delray Beach for $18.5 million (last sold for $4.9 million in June 2005) with 10 bedrooms, 8 baths and 4 half baths on 1.8 acres. The average closing costs on a home sale is $4,365 and the average doc stamp cost at home sale closing is $1,400. July marked the fourth straight month in declining South Florida personal bankruptcies, with over 2100 filings for the month, a decline of 18% of a year ago. Palm Beach County recorded 370 filings for the month, off 15% over a year ago. Bankruptcy lawyers say filings usually follow foreclosures, but homeowners are currently delaying filing in hopes of a short sale or a loan modification. After being deep sixed by the recession for the past five years, boat sales have finally hit smooth sailing. Florida new boat registrations total nearly 16,000 for the year, ending in June, up a healthy 8% over the previous year. Over 8,000 of those sales came from South Florida which saw its best sales growth in boats longer than 40 ft. and outboard powered fishing boats. Palm Beach County has over 43,000 registered boats. A Shayna Maidel starts Aug. 24 to Sept. 16. Paulette Dozier as Billie Holiday in Lady Day plays through Aug. 26 at the Stage Door Theatre on Sample Road in Coral Springs. Call 954.344.7765 for ticket information or visit www.stagedoorfl.org. Movie Talk with Morrie Zryl airs tonight at 6 p.m. on www.wrpbitv.com. Barry Epstein Live internet television show airs Friday at 10 a.m. on www.wrpbitv.com featuring Gray Mockingbird Community Garden organizer Brian Kirsch, Movie Maven Morrie Zryl and Sun-Sentinel columnist Kingsley Guy. Watch to win tickets to the Cinemark, Gateway and Last Picture Show Theatres. Movies opening Friday at the Cinemark Theatre are The Odd Life of Timothy Green (opened yesterday and also at the Movies of Delray), The Expendables 2, Sparkle and Paranorman. FAU’s College of Business hosts its weekly Executive Forum lecture series from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Office Depot Grand Lecture Hall, Room 101, starting Aug. 30. Register at http://business.fau.edu/centers/adams-center/entrepreneurship-education/executive-forum-speaker-series/index.aspx#.UClnglaPWAR, or call 561.297.0927. Downtown Boca hosts “Boca and Brazil Meet to Celebrate the Brazilian Beat’, for Brazil’s Independence Day Sept. 7. On Friday, August 31, the Sunset Cove Amphitheater will host a live concert featuring Sublime with Rome with special guests Cypress Hill, Pepper, and the Dirty Heads. The Boca Museum of Art hosts a free networking, panel discussion on how to start or grow an art collection and tour on Sept. 5 starting at 4 p.m. Reservations are required. RSVP to abanaszak@bocamuseum.org. The Boca Raton Theatre Guild’s 2012-2013 season will begin with a comedy, and end with a classic. A.R. Gurneys Sylvia, and Kander & Ebbs Chicago will run in September and March at the Willow Theatre in Sugar Sand Park, 300 South Military Trail, Boca Raton. Tickets are on sale at the Willow Theatre Box office: 561-347-3948. Soroptimists of Boca is seeking sponsors for the 39th annual “Women of Distinction” awards breakfast on Oct. 3 at Boca West Country Club. Contact kim@championhome.ocm or call 561.347.0440. Deadline is Sept. 21 for all ads. "Henrietta, Countess de Hoernle 100th Birthday Gala: Our Legend, Her Legacy" will be honored on her birthday, Sept. 24, at Boca West Country Club. The event presenter is The Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller. Honorary chairpersons are Christine Lynn and Barbara and Dick Schmidt. Gala chairwoman and vice chairwoman are Commander Isabel K. Paul and Dame Alyce E. Erickson. The sixth annual Theatre Arts Guild Ice Cream Social is being held on Sunday, Sept. 30 at the Broken Sound Country Club with a Jersey Boys tribute by the Atlantic City Boys, including some of the former members of the Jersey Boys. Go to http://give.lynn.edu/TheatreArts for details. Boca-based Bluegreen Corp. is putting on "Two to Tango," the gala to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation that will move to the Boca Raton Marriott on Oct. 5. Hollywood celebrity couple Giuliana and Bill Rancic will be the keynote speakers at Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation’s 9th Annual Go Pink Luncheon Friday, October 26, 2012 from 11am to 1:30 pm at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. The second Meet Me on the Promenade downtown street festival is Oct. 26 and 27 with a Halloween theme. www.WestBocaLeaders.com has openings in some categories. Call 561.852.0000 for further information. You can have your own internet television show very inexpensively or sponsor mine. Contact wrpbitv@yahoo.com. Birch Communications is a multi-million dollar company with an exclusive wholesale agreement with AT&T. If you would like to save money on your AT&T land phones without changing your numbers, call 561.852.0000. For Al-Anon-meetings in South Palm Beach County, go to www.southpalmbeachafg.org/meeting_list.html Sincere condolences to Palm Beach County Clerk and Comptroller Sharon Bock on the loss of her father and current State Rep. Steve Perman on the loss of his father. Barry Epstein, APR, is a noted public relations, marketing and political consultant based in Boca Raton, president of the Luxury Chamber of Commerce (www.luxurychamber.com), the West Boca Leaders networking group and the founder and former president of the West Boca Chamber of Commerce; with a weekly internet television show on www.wrpbitv.com. Website; www.publicrelations.nu; email: pr@publicrelations.nu, or fax column items to 561.451.0000. His blog is on the Sun-Sentinel/Jewish Journal website at www.floridajewishjournal.com - http://barrys-journal.blogspot.com

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Barrys Buzz Aug. 9, 2012

The Luxury Chamber of Commerce features a monthly wine and cheese mixer, hosted by owner Bob Luptak at Steinway Piano Gallery, 7940 N. Federal Highway, #100, Boca Raton, on August 20 from 6 p.m to 8 p.m. with a special guest speaker, Stanley Tate, former Chair and President of the Resolution Trust Corporation and the founder of the Florida Pre-paid Scholarship Program, along with noted pianist Norm Kubrin and vocalist Lisa Remick, performing Jazz standards and the Great American Songbook, appearing every Wednesday at 264 The Grill in Palm Beach. Info and reservations at http://pianistsociety.eventbrite.com/. Boca Raton was named the second best place (just behind Boulder, Colo.) in the U.S. to start a business by Bloomberg Businessweek, calling it “silicon beach” for entrepreneurs to build the next Apple of Google. Jazziz Nightlife, a jazz restaurant and club will open in the former ZED 451 space at the south end of Mizner Park. The Republican Jewish Coalition will be taping former Obama supporters in Boca this afternoon for television commercials which will air throughout Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The RJC will have 500 volunteers canvassing Jewish neighborhoods and making calls Sept. 9 and 10 and plans over $6 million in tv spots in Palm Beach and Broward counties. Gallup reports that 9 percent of 2008 Obama voters have switched and now support Romney, while only 5 percent of McCain voters support President Obama. More than half of Florida voters age 50-64 fear they will never be able to retire. Former Dem House Speaker Tom Gustafson was tapped to run against Republican Bill Hager for the District 89 seat. Early voting is available through Saturday. As they say in Chicago, “Vote early and vote often”. Boca’s Palm Beach County Commissioner Steve Abrams was tapped to be Chairman of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority which operates Tri-Rail. The “commuting commissioner” regularly uses Tri-Rail to West Palm Beach. Federal Highway is being repaved in Boca from SE 5th St. to north of Glades Road. FAU broke ground on a new 7 story $46 million dorm in time for next August, with 400 single and 200 double rooms. Incapital added 40 jobs in Boca and plans to add dozens more to the bond focused brokerage firm. Boca Raton based Office depot reported a loss of $64 million in the second quarter and revenue fell 7%, while shrinking stores to compete with online shopping, reducing store size to 5,000 sq. ft. in 41 stores from 15,000-17,000 sq. ft. Apple Ten Hospitality Ownership bought the Hilton Garden inn on Congress and I-95 in Boca for $10.9 million. The 73-year-old Camino Real bridge is in such poor condition that the failure of one major part could collapse it. Microsoft is changing the name of its Hotmail email service to Outlook. Home values in Palm Beach County rose 6% in the second quarter with median prices hitting $145,000. Sales are up but Palm Beach County has the second highest vacant homes in the state. Florida Power & Light racked up $353 million in profits for the second quarter, up 17% over the same period last year and made $386 million in profits for the first quarter, putting them on track for a profit of over $1 billion for the year. FPL operates as a monopoly in Florida and posted over $2 billion in profits in the past year. FP&L acquired 27,000 new customers from a year ago and will make over $3 billion in profits from 2010-2012. State owned and insurer of last resort Citizens property insurance bumped its rates an average 10% which will add $250 million to its coffers. State law confines rate increases to 10% annually but Citizens gets around it by reducing coverage, ending discounts, adding premiums and raising deductibles for the 337,000 Palm Beach and Broward accounts. Divorce Party The Musical continues at the Kravis Center through August 19. Tickets at www.kravis.org. Don’t miss the true story of an Immigrant coming to Texas. The Immigrant at the Stage Door Theatre, 8036 W. Sample Road, Coral Springs has been extended by popular demand to August 12. Paulette Dozier as Billie Holiday in Lady Day plays through Aug. 26. A Shayna Maidel starts Aug. 24. Call 954.344.7765 for ticket information or visit www.stagedoorfl.org. Soroptimists of Boca is seeking sponsors for the 39th annual “Women of Distinction” awards breakfast on Oct. 3 at Boca West Country Club. Contact kim@championhome.ocm or call 561.347.0440. Deadline is Sept. 21 for all ads. Movie Talk with Morrie Zryl airs tonight at 6 p.m. on www.wrpbitv.com with guests Randall Crosby and Barry Epstein. Barry Epstein Live internet television show airs Friday at 10 a.m. on www.wrpbitv.com featuring Palm Beach County Tax Collector Anne Gannon, movie maven Morrie Zryl and Sun-Sentinel columnist Kingsley Guy. Movies opening at the Cinemark Theatre are Hope Springs (opened Wednesday), The Bourne Legacy, Ruby Sparks and the Campaign. Opening at the Movies of Delray is Hope Springs (opened Wednesday). The new Spanish River Blvd. park, across from the library will open on Aug. 11, with police directing traffic. The Peter Blum Family YMCA in Boca Raton hosts a free swim clinic with two Olympic swimmers, Maritza Correia (the first African American to break a world record in swimming) and Gil Stovall (who competed at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China) from 1 to 4 p.m. on August 11. Highlights include learning the Olympians favorite swim drills, a Q&A session with photos wearing a real Olympic medal and much more. Register at www.fitterandfaster.com/detail/boca-raton-fl/. On Friday, August 31, the Sunset Cove Amphitheater will host a live concert featuring Sublime with Rome with special guests Cypress Hill, Pepper, and the Dirty Heads. www.WestBocaLeaders.com has openings in some categories. Call 561.852.0000 for further information. You can have your own internet television show very inexpensively or sponsor my show. Contact Wayne at wrpbitv@yahoo.com. Birch Communications is a multi-million dollar company with an exclusive wholesale agreement with AT&T. If you would like to save money on your AT&T land phones without changing your numbers, call 561.852.0000. For Al-Anon-meetings in South Palm Beach County, go to www.southpalmbeachafg.org/meeting_list.html Barry Epstein, APR, is a noted public relations, marketing and political consultant based in Boca Raton, president of the Luxury Chamber of Commerce (www.luxurychamber.com), the West Boca Leaders networking group and the founder and former president of the West Boca Chamber of Commerce; with a weekly internet television show on www.wrpbitv.com. Website; www.publicrelations.nu; email: pr@publicrelations.nu, or fax column items to 561.451.0000. His blog is on the Sun-Sentinel/Jewish Journal website at www.floridajewishjournal.com - http://barrys-journal.blogspot.com.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Barry;s Buzz Aug. 2, 2012

Florida Atlantic University released a report that shows its estimated economic impact tops $6.3 billion annually in its six-county service region. FAU contributed $2.5 billion to direct spending in Florida for the 2010-11 fiscal year, its activities are responsible for more than 60,450 in-state jobs and FAU’s presence in the state generates a $4.1 billion increase in Florida’s gross domestic product and a $6.3 billion increase in gross sales. FAU has more than 29,000 undergraduate students in six counties throughout southeast Florida. The temple and Jewish school at Chabad of Boca Raton were saved from foreclosure by a mysterious company that bought its loan from Wells Fargo. Boca attorney Scott A. Frank declined to identify the savior. Mitchell Rubenstein and Laurie Silvers, husband and wife owners of Boca Raton based Hollywood Media Corp. have sold two vacant residential lots in Palm Beach for almost $24 million. Bob Langford, executive director of the Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District for 20 years, retires in September. Regulators approved the sale of Fort Lauderdale-based BankAtlantic to BB&T. The Final Presidential Debate at Lynn University on Oct. 20 will focus on Foreign Policy. The Republican National Committee will be in Boca next week taping former ’08 Obama supporters who are not supporting him in ’12. Congressional candidate Adam Hasner is an honorary chair of the Jewish Americans for Mitt Romney. The adorable Peter Pan opened last night at the Kravis Center through Sunday. Get tickets at www.kravis.org.or call 561.832.7469. Divorce Party The Musical continues at the Kravis Center through August 19. Tickets at www.kravis.org. Don’t miss the true story of an Immigrant coming to Texas. The Immigrant at the Stage Door Theatre, 8036 W. Sample Road, Coral Springs has been extended by popular demand to August 12. Paulette Dozier as Billie Holiday in Lady Day plays through Aug. 26. Call 954.344.7765 for ticket information or visit www.stagedoorfl.org. Soroptimists of Boca is seeking sponsors for the 39th annual “Women of Distinction” awards breakfast on Oct. 3 at Boca West Country Club. Contact kim@championhome.ocm or call 561.347.0440. Deadline is Sept. 21 for all ads. Barry Epstein Live internet television show airs Friday at 10 a.m. on www.wrpbitv.com featuring Ultimate Diver Challenge Producer Pam Bertrand, State Attorney candidate Dina Keever and Sun-Sentinel columnist Kingsley Guy. Movies opening at the Cinemark Theatre are Total Recall and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, The Queen of Versailles and Farewell, My Queen. Yes is playing tomorrow evening at the Mizner Park Amphitheatre with Procol Harum as the opening act. Tickets are $55 -$95 and can be purchased at the tent outside the venue from 1 p.m. on to avoid Ticketmaster fees. The final fee concert is 8 p.m. on Aug. 10 with The Fabulons oldies band. The YMCA of South Palm Beach County is celebrating their 40th birthday with a free community Back-to-School Bash from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, August 4 at both the Boca Raton and Boynton Beach locations. See www.ymcaspc.org. Rod Stewart and Stevie Nicks are at the BankAtlantic Center Aug. 4. Go to www.bankatlanticcenter.com for info. The Peter Blum Family YMCA in Boca Raton hosts a free swim clinic with two Olympic swimmers, Maritza Correia (the first African American to break a world record in swimming) and Gil Stovall (who competed at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China) from 1 to 4 p.m. on August 11. Highlights include learning the Olympians favorite swim drills, a Q&A session with photos wearing a real Olympic medal and much more. Register at www.fitterandfaster.com/detail/boca-raton-fl/. The Luxury Chamber of Commerce features a monthly wine and Cheese mixer at Steinway Piano Gallery, 7940 N. Federal Highway, #100,, Boca Raton, on August 20 from 6 p.m to 8 p.m. with a special guest speaker. Details and reservations at http://pianistsociety.eventbrite.com/. On Friday, August 31, the Sunset Cove Amphitheater will host a live concert featuring Sublime with Rome with special guests Cypress Hill, Pepper, and the Dirty Heads. The Boca Raton Theatre Guild’s 2012-2013 season will begin with a comedy, and end with a classic. A.R. Gurneys Sylvia, and Kander & Ebbs Chicago will run in September and March at the Willow Theatre in Sugar Sand Park, located at 300 South Military Trail in Boca Raton, just south of Palmetto Park Road. Tickets for Sylvia will go on sale on August 1st, and can be purchased at the Willow Theatre Box office: 561-347-3948. "Henrietta, Countess de Hoernle 100th Birthday Gala: Our Legend, Her Legacy" will be honored on her birthday, Sept. 24, at Boca West Country Club. The event presenter is The Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller. Honorary chairpersons are Christine Lynn and Barbara and Dick Schmidt. Gala chairwoman and vice chairwoman are Commander Isabel K. Paul and Dame Alyce E. Erickson, respectively. The sixth annual Theatre Arts Guild Ice Cream Social is being held on Sunday, Sept. 30 at the Broken Sound Country Club with a Jersey Boys tribute by the Atlantic City Boys, including some of the former members of the Jersey Boys. Go to http://give.lynn.edu/TheatreArts for details. Hollywood celebrity couple Giuliana and Bill Rancic will be the keynote speakers at Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation’s 9th Annual Go Pink Luncheon Friday, October 26, 2012 from 11am to 1:30 pm at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. The second Meet Me on the Promenade downtown street festival is Oct. 26 and 27 with a Halloween theme. www.WestBocaLeaders.com has openings in some categories. Call 561.852.0000 for further information. You can have your own internet television show very inexpensively. Contact Wayne at wrpbitv@yahoo.com. Birch Communications is a multi-million dollar company with an exclusive wholesale agreement with AT&T. If you would like to save money on your AT&T land phones without changing your numbers, call 561.852.0000. For Al-Anon-meetings in South Palm Beach County, go to www.southpalmbeachafg.org/meeting_list.html Barry Epstein, APR, is a noted public relations, marketing and political consultant based in Boca Raton, president of the Luxury Chamber of Commerce (www.luxurychamber.com), the West Boca Leaders networking group and the founder and former president of the West Boca Chamber of Commerce; with a weekly internet television show on www.wrpbitv.com. Website; www.publicrelations.nu; email: pr@publicrelations.nu, or fax column items to 561.451.0000. His blog is on the Sun-Sentinel/Jewish Journal website at www.floridajewishjournal.com - http://barrys-journal.blogspot.com.