The Sheriff has identified the body found in a Lexus in the Sandalfoot trailers. Susan S. Roberts, age 56, was named as the deceased.
Through researching public records we believe that Ms. Roberts resided at a property on Holcomb Place in Lexington Estates.
That property is owned by a couple who live in the Chicago area. It appears Ms. Roberts was a tenant of theirs and records also indicate there was one other tenant. The Sun-Sentinel reports that they spoke with co-tenant Terri Hemings who did not tell them much about what happened.
Broward County records show that Roberts and Hemings were defendants in a foreclosure action in 2009, possibly on a property in Coral Springs. Roberts also had a speeding ticket earlier this year in Palm Beach County, but otherwise had a completely clean record.
West Boca News has reached out to a couple of connections we see to Ms. Roberts and we hope to find out more information.
We also think Ms. Roberts may have an adult son living in Boca Raton. Of course if our readers can provide any more information, please let us know. We would be happy to do an obituary as well.
Category: Neighborhoods
Stray Dog in Boca Falls
Update: The dog’s owner contacted the Homeowners Association and should have the dog back soon.
A small stray dog has been seen in Boca Falls, in the Victoria Falls section.
The dog seemed fine around people but seemed a little aggressive toward other dogs.
Questions About Marc Bell's $35M Woodfield House
The somewhat notorious Marc Bell is selling his house in West Boca’s Woodfield Country Club. Listed in May for a whopping thirty-five million dollars (yes, that’s $35,000,000), the story got national media attention from Forbes and Business Insider.
The media frenzy jumps on Bell’s connection to Penthouse Magazine, which he was involved with for roughly five years out of a career of thirty to forty years. They also froth at the house having a “Star Trek” room.
There are a couple of pieces to the story we think are more interesting. First, if you’re going to list a house for $35M in West Boca, your realtor’s “map location” should probably show the correct place rather than a spot a few miles into the ocean east of Hallandale Beach.
The correct location for the house is actually within Woodfield Country Club, just north of Yamato and east of the Turnpike:
Second and more serious, as taxpayers many of our readers might be curious why a $35M house is appraised at only $6 million. County tax records show that the appraisal and taxes have been going down significantly in the last few years.
If the house was assessed at a more accurate but still conservative $30 million, the county would be receiving an extra $500K or so in additional tax revenue from Mr. Bell. That would mean either more services from county government, or the rest of us might pay a little less. One wonders how many other fat cats are getting huge tax breaks leaving those of us in Boca’s middle class (or as the rest of the world might call us, “the moderately wealthy”) picking up the tab.
New Homes on Golf Courses in West Boca?
Golf communities in West Boca are looking to add more homes. In January we wrote about the ongoing effort in Boca Del Mar to build on the defunct Mizner Trail golf course. Now there are two more in the works.
Boca Greens, on the west side of 441 between Glades and Yamato, is working with the county to try to add over sixty townhouses on roughly twenty acres of land currently used for their golf course and for other green space.
At the same time Boca Dunes (west side of Lyons, north of SW 18th) has a bigger plan to build nearly 250 townhouses on their golf course.
If all of these go through, in addition to the 237 units at the Sinai Residences on the Jewish Federation campus (south side of Glades at between 441 and Lyons) and 120 units in Akoya at Boca West, it would mean well over 1000 new homes in West Boca Raton.
Boca Greens on map:
There has been some public concern about all of this building, such as United Boca Del Mar against the Mizner Trail project, but the West Boca Community Council has so far been pretty quiet about it. Typical objections might relate to traffic, especially on Glades Road, Lyons Road the related intersections, and that most of these units might push down area home values.
Boca Dunes on map:
At the same time the proposals could be viewed as a positive sign of health for the West Boca economy and a boost to local businesses.
What do our readers think? Please let us know in your comments on this post or on our West Boca News Facebook page.
The Use of Alternative Groundcovers: Part 2
As a follow up to the previous article on alternative groundcovers, this entry will explore the costs associated with establishing and maintaining bahiagrass and perennial peanut lawns as alternatives to St. Augustinegrass.
Generally, the cost of establishing a lawn will increase if the vendor furnishes delivery and labor. To avoid these costs, the homeowner can pick up each pallet from the vendor and lay the sod at her or her home. This will require the use of a pickup truck as a pallet will typically contain 400-500 ft2 of sod or approximately 150-180 pieces. For many homeowners, the only practical option is to have the sod delivered and laid by the vendor. In addition, any existing vegetation in the area where the sod is to be laid should be removed. This can be accomplished by spraying all vegetation with Roundup. It may not be possible to destroy all existing vegetation, but as much as possible should be removed to ensure that the muck-side of the sod is touching the soil. In addition, any irrigation lines should be in place prior to laying the sod.
The following table represents cost estimates for each groundcover:
| Total Costs (including delivery and laying sod) per square foot | |
| St. Augustinegrass | 45¢ |
| Bahiagrass | 30¢ |
| Perennial Peanut | $1.25 |
Bahiagrass is the cheapest sod and requires no watering, even in the dry season, if planted on a level surface. Perennial peanut requires little to no watering (except in periods of severe drought). By contrast, St. Augustinegrass requires approximately 20,000 gallons per 1000 ft2. This equates to approximately $15 per year for each 1000 ft2 of St. Augustinegrass. Therefore, the cost savings of Bahiagrass is approximately $165 per 1000 ft2 relative to St. Augustinegrass (planting and watering). Sodding perrenial peanut costs approximately $800 more per 1000 ft2 compared to St. Augustinegrass. Mowing costs for bahiagrass and St. Augustinegrass are relatively similar. By contrast, perennial peanut requires virtually no mowing. Depending upon the size of the lawn and cost of the lawnmower and/or landscaping fees, the higher establishment costs of perennial peanut may be well worth it in the long run.
Unfortunately, we were unable to locate any nurseries in West Boca that sell perennial peanut or bahiagrass. There are a number of companies in the Delray area that can special order bahiagrass at a rate that is markedly lower than St. Augustinegrass. For those not in need of an “instant lawn,” bahiagrass seed can be purchased at Home Depot or Lowes. The price is $66.98 for 10 lbs. of seed, which will cover 1,000 ft2 of new coverage or 2,000 ft2 of over seeded coverage. As discussed in the previous article, this is the cheapest way to establish bahiagrass and may be the best option for homeowners that can wait for the new lawn to grow in. The use of bahiagrass seed is another advantage over St. Augustinegrass, which can only be established with sod.
For additional information on lawns and lawn care, contact the Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension office at (561) 233-1700.