🙏 Begging your pardon
Good morning from Stet Palm Beach. For you today, repentant felons; appeasing developers; Gardens' annexation plows forward; and art bursts out of the Norton.
Disgraced doctor’s plea: Let me do good again
Disgraced doctor Michael Ligotti, facing a 20-year prison sentence, says he is a changed man.
The once unrepentant former physician, who approved unnecessary drug tests for nine years in a fraud that lined his pockets with millions and left family members blaming him for the death of their loved ones, tearfully expressed remorse Friday in a federal courtroom in Miami.
“I just am appalled at how I behaved. I broke the law. I committed these crimes. I behaved egregiously. I put money before my patients. And I'm ashamed by it,” Ligotti told U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz II in Miami.
“All I can say is ‘the person that you see sitting as it were before you today is absolutely 100 percent not the person that committed these crimes,’” said Ligotti, who did not stand because of back pain.
“All I ask, Your Honor, is for the opportunity to do good again, to do what I know is in my heart, to do what I know I was raised and trained to do.”
Parents of a young man and a young woman who overdosed and died under his care said Ligotti did not deserve mercy. Ligotti should have gone to prison in January, when Ruiz sentenced him, rather than remaining free to be with his family — and even take a trip to Universal Studios — while testifying and helping prosecutors build other cases, they said.
“I hope whatever time you spend in prison, which should be the whole 20 years … you never forget my daughter's name,” Debbie Howland said through tears. “Her name is Ava Michelle Howland. She got a death sentence on May 11, 2018, that should never have happened. I got a life sentence of grief, pain, relentless tears and suffering every single day that I wake up without my Ava Michelle.”
“I am asking the court … to please not make Jamie a victim again,” said Lisa Daniels Goldman, whose son, Jamie, died in December 2016. “Please see that Michael Ligotti actually pays the price of his crimes. … Please make Jamie's life mean more than Michael Ligotti’s greed.”
Judge’s ruling: With federal prosecutor Jim Hayes and Ligotti attorney Jose Quinon assuring the court that Ligotti’s assistance has been extensive, Ruiz granted the defense request to cut his prison sentence in half, from 20 years to 10.
Hayes, who supported an eight-year reduction, praised Ligotti’s help in testifying in one case, which ended with four not-guilty verdicts, and agreeing to testify in a second, which ended in a guilty plea. He characterized Ligotti’s efforts as “exemplary cooperation” and “crucial.”
Ligotti’s remorse did not drive the reduction, Ruiz told aggrieved parents allowed to watch the proceedings, along with the media, on Zoom. It was Ligotti’s efforts to make cases against others.
“Even if it did not result in prosecutions,” Ruiz said, “the government being out there and prosecuting and attempting to bring those to justice they believe have committed similar crimes is enough in many ways to hopefully deter others.”
Countered advocate Maureen Kielian after the hearing: “Lives were destroyed and this is a sentence for paperwork. … and not the death of our loved ones.”
Behind the curtain: Read Pat Beall’s takeout on Ligotti’s role in the $746 million fraud scheme dubbed the largest addiction fraud case brought by the Department of Justice here.
— Joel Engelhardt
🚜 Neighbors shocked at ‘monstrous’ WPB condo proposal
The developer who wants to replace a single-family home with a 25-story waterfront condo tower at the edge of a historic West Palm Beach neighborhood faced homeowners last week.
Driving the news: It’s part of a tsunami of residential construction that is disrupting city neighborhoods east of U.S. 1.
What’s happening: The Related Group of Miami has proposed the 46-unit Apogee at the Intracoastal estate once owned by Wolfgang Von Falkenburg at 4906 N. Flagler Drive.
The developer is asking the city for permission to far exceed the property’s four-story height limit, among other concessions.
Related Group also is behind a nearby project: twin towers called Icon Marina Village at the Safe Harbor Marina.
Related representative Bruce Lewis pledged Wednesday that Apogee would do better with construction traffic and parking than it did on Icon.
“One of the biggest mistakes with Icon was we didn’t do anything to mitigate or hear people out,” Lewis said. “We are here now.”
Many residents are still grappling with the scale of the project on a lot that is about 100-by-400 feet. Related paid $16 million for the site in July 2022.
“A lot of us are shocked you want to build something so monstrous on a lot with a house and two cottages,” said Tatiana Michalenko, a former Northwood Harbor association president.
“You’re taking all the sunshine away from me,” said Lucy George, who lives north of the property.
Lewis and Related Vice President Rick Fortenbury floated potential sweeteners.
They included security cameras, traffic calming, better street lights and park improvements.
They weren’t enough. After the meeting, association President Angela Ogburn shared this statement with Stet Palm Beach: “With numerous queries still pending, this project should not be allowed to proceed as presented.”
Of note: The Related Group is led by Jorge Pérez and is separate from the Related Cos. led by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross.
What’s next: Apogee is expected to go before the city’s Planning and Zoning Board on Dec. 19.
— Carolyn DiPaolo
🪧 Gardens annexation moves into legal, political phase
Non-Palm Beach Gardens residents protested Wednesday outside City Hall and lined up to tell the City Council they do not want their homes to be part of the city.
They object to being part of an annexation of 1,300 acres east of Interstate 95 containing an estimated 8,300 residents.
After more than 30 opponents spoke, City Council members rejected their concerns, taking the final votes to place annexation on the March 19 ballot.
The decision marks the start of a political campaign and a legal one.
Residents of Pleasant Ridge, Cabana Colony and other neighborhoods banded together to create a political committee. They submitted paperwork Nov. 28 to form the Coalition Against Annexation, which can raise money for yard signs, T-shirts, mailers and other needs.
Under state law, the city is barred from advocating on its own behalf but it is allowed to provide neutral information.
The annexation referendum will be on the ballot with the Republican presidential primary. The Democrats have declined a primary in Florida. But the referendum is open to any registered voter, including renters, as long as they live in one of the five zones.
Also, residents of Hidden Key, represented by a lawyer, vowed to file suit to stop the annexation. They have 30 days, beginning with the city’s Dec. 6 vote.
It may not be the only lawsuit.
The city’s actions, first announced at a council meeting on Sept. 19, have spawned competing annexation efforts from Juno Beach and North Palm Beach.
On Wednesday, Palm Beach Gardens threw a wrench into North Palm Beach’s plans, approving on first reading a voluntary annexation of eight properties on 4.6 acres immediately south of the under-construction Ritz Carlton Residences on Ellison Wilson Road.
North Palm is planning a March 19 referendum to annex those properties. They would be one of three areas where North Palm and Gardens are pursuing the same turf.
Gardens also overlaps with Juno Beach in pursuit of Captain’s Key, a 25-home community east of U.S. 1. All property owners there have submitted signatures seeking to be voluntarily annexed into Juno.
Stay tuned: These conflicts are likely to play out in court.
Gardens’ neighbors told the city why they wanted no part of annexation. Joel offers coverage of Wednesday’s meeting here.
— Joel Engelhardt
Lev Parnas, Giuliani fixer, could land back in South Florida
Fresh from a 13-month stint in federal lockup, serial fraudster Lev Parnas is apparently headed back to Palm Beach County — his home base when he agreed to use his connections in his native Ukraine to help Rudolph Giuliani dig up dirt on Hunter Biden.
A federal judge in New York this month agreed Parnas could serve his three years of probation in South Florida. While it is unclear exactly where Parnas is headed, in the two decades before his 2019 arrest Parnas lived in Boca Raton where he earned the ire of landlords for not paying rent on pricey homes and from those he bilked in investment schemes.
While he burst onto the national stage as Giuliani’s fixer and figured prominently in former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment investigation, Parnas’ conviction had nothing to do with his work in Ukraine to try to derail Joe Biden’s 2020 successful presidential campaign.
Instead, he was found guilty of defrauding people who invested $2.3 million in a sham energy company and for funneling money from a Russian oligarch to politicians he believed would help him launch a legal medicinal marijuana business.
While the enterprise never got off the ground, Parnas is apparently a fan of the product. Claiming Parnas is a “long-standing registered medical cannabis patient in the state of Florida,” his attorney asked that Parnas be allowed to use medicinal pot while on probation. The federal judge agreed.
During his sentencing hearing, Parnas tearfully apologized. The thrice-married father of seven insisted he was a new man. His attorneys credited his changed outlook to insights he gained while attending Gamblers Anonymous meetings and spiritual advice from his rabbi.
Yes, but: Parnas may not fade from the limelight. The New York Times wants the federal judge to unseal various documents, including search warrants, emails, texts and other information prosecutors used to build the case against Parnas.
The newspaper said it is particularly interested in the release of “any materials related to former President Donald Trump.” The federal judge has not yet ruled on the request.
— Jane Musgrave
🌞 The juice
Headlines with zest
The Lake Worth Beach City Commission fired City Manager Carmen Davis on Monday night on a 3-2 vote. (ByJoeCapozzi.com)
Former President George W. Bush voiced support for continued U.S. aid to Ukraine and Israel in a major policy speech delivered last week at Florida Atlantic University. (The Palm Beach Post $$$)
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw signed paperwork to hire his son-in-law through a contractor to work 30 hours a month for $100,000 a year as the agency’s medical director. (The Palm Beach Post $$$)
A record-breaking 9.5 million people visited Palm Beach County this year. (WPBF)
Palm Beach real estate powerhouse Lawrence Moens testified last week about Mar-a-Lago in former President Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial. (The Associated Press)
🏆 Quiz answer: 125 toots a week
Last week we asked: How many blaring horns a week do Stuart residents Lindie and Al Pulvirenti say they are subjected to?
The answer: 125
But WPTV’s Ethan Stein reported he counted eight train horns in 20 minutes.
Bonus headache: He also reports the house shook.
Stuart and Tequesta are both hoping Martin County will file for a quiet zone designation from the Federal Railroad Administration. It would give train operators an option to not toot their own horn.
That might not happen for a year, Stein reported.
— Pat Beall
🖼️ 561 insider: Art by you
We’re always looking for reasons to set out into the year-end’s long nights, and here’s a good one:
The Norton Museum of Art’s Open Studio for people of all ages from 5 to 8 pm Thursday at The Square in West Palm Beach.
Make your own print with Lake Park landscape artist Lupe Lawrence in this hands-on art project.
All the materials are provided.
No sign-up is needed.
It’s free.
Park at the Hibiscus Garage and find the open studio near The Wishing Tree.
Can’t make it on Thursday? More open studios are scheduled on Feb. 8, April 11, June 13 and Aug. 8.
Joel wrote last year about local artists, including Lupe Lawrence, for OnGardens.org here.
— Carolyn DiPaolo
🏈 Dolphins devastation: Giving up two touchdowns in the last three minutes, plus a two-point conversion, the Dolphins fail on Monday Night Football. Worse than losing to the Tennessee Titans, they lose ground in the playoff race — to everyone.
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