The Pompano Beach Holy Royal Arch Masons and Upchurch Management at McDonalds (on Hillsboro Beach & SW 1st Terrace) created a special event on March 28. They provided free breakfast sandwiches and hashbrowns to those in need… first come, first served. They fed about 300 families. Terry Scott said that they also went to B’nai Brith to give residents there coupons for breakfast. Former Sheriff Scott Israel, who is running again for sheriff, was among those helping the endeavor, said Scott.

“I would like to thank Upchurch Management of McDonald’s for all their help and donations, the Companions of Pompano Beach Holy Royal Arch Masons for always thinking about the needs of our community, Scott lsrael for volunteering to help pass out breakfast and Johnny Wilcox of Bethlehem Baptist Church of Deerfield Beach,” he said.

The state has extended the final due date for the 2019 property tax payments that was due this coming Thursday. According to an order from the Florida Department of Revenue Executive Director, Jim Zingale, “The date for citizens and businesses to pay property taxes in all Florida Counties is extended from March 31 to April 15, 2020.”

Those payments submitted electronically or postmarked by the April 15th date will be considered timely payments.

The order also applies to “property tax returns filed by a railroad, railroad terminal, private car and freight line and equipment company property.” The deadline for those entities was originally April 1^st, but is also being moved to April 15th.

To read the entire order, please visit: https://bit.ly/2JigikW

By Rachel Galvin

COVID-19 has brought our world to a standstill it seems. Business are closing. Employees are out of work. Everyone is glued to their TVs waiting for the latest news and home hoping to not get sick, or that someone they know doesn’t get sick. They are isolating in hopes that they do not spread it to others if they are the ones who have it. We are all in this together. But during this crisis, people still need basic needs – food, water, toilet paper, some of which are in short supply these days as people hoard the goods as quickly as they hit the shelves. Luckily, some members of the community have stepped up to lend a helping hand, and, at the same time, have worked to keep their own businesses going in a new way, and be able to still pay their employees during this difficult time.

The staff at Olympia Flame are now delivering items from their community market. Photo provided by Danielle Rosse.

One of those clever business owners is Danielle Rosse of Oceans 234. Her restaurant is usually bustling with people as it right on the beach. But now that the beach is closed and restaurants have been limited to take-out only, she had to shift gears to keep her business going. She came up with an idea that not only would help with that, but also help out the community. She turned her seaside locale into a community market that delivers. 

“We have turned our restaurant into a community market offering grocery essentials for pick-up or delivery. I saw that grocery stores were empty with food and supplies, and knew that I had instant access through my suppliers. I wanted to find a way to provide value to our community and also be able to keep some jobs. We are charging $10 for delivery. The delivery charge as well as any tips collected are being collected to support our non-working team members,” said Rosse.

Some of the staff at Olympia Flame are still on-hand to serve customers for pick-up and take-out.

She is not the only business owner able to stay open at this time. Olympia Flame Diner has been busy offering take-out. This family owned business has been open since 1991. Their full menu is available but  during reduced hours. They are open from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Owner Patty Miranda said, “We’re all trying to navigate this new normal while trying to help our community. I have been keeping in touch with other local restaurant peers. We are trying to comfort each other.”

Bia and Rafael at Casa Maya are some of the staff available to fulfil take out and pick up orders. They also have closed alcohol available shown on the table).

Meanwhile, The Cove Shopping Center seems pretty empty, but there are still a few places open, including Casa Maya, which is offering take-out from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. during the week and noon to 9:30 p.m. on the weekend. Not only do they offer up their menu items, but also packaged alcohol. In addition, they are now offering delivery. 

While the Wyndham Resort is closed, General manager Claude Dubois says that their Burger Craze restaurant is still open for pick up, as well as take-out via Uber Eats and Grub Hub. Orders can be placed at 954-596-5949. The Cafe’ Med and Patio Bar, however, are closed.

“Needless to say that very sadly this situation is affecting everyone in Deerfield Beach and the beautiful country that we live in. We want this situation to be under control as soon as possible so we can have our team members come back to work as soon as possible and do what we do best, taking care of our wonderful guests,” said Dubois, who added, “We remain very positive that it will be over soon and we are taking advantage of this opportunity to make the property look even better than it has and on enhancing our services for when we reopen.”

These are only a few of the many restaurants still open for take-out. If you know of others, please contact The Observer and let us know and we will put the word out on our Facebook. Email us at observereditor@comcast.net

Stay safe!

The Broward County issued Emergency Order 20-03 issued on March 26,  strongly urges individuals to remain home other than to engage in essential activities. Essential businesses like grocery stores and pharmacies are still open. See the order listed below to get all of the details. You can still go for a walk outside. If you are around other people while doing so, practice social distancing — same thing in the grocery store. This means stay 6 ft. away. Limit your grocery shopping. Try to stock up once –maybe get enough for a week. Do NOT hoard.

This Safer at Home order is in place for the protection of public health and to slow the spread of the Coronavirus among the community. The World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that the United States has the potential to become the center of the COVID-19 pandemic. The State of Florida now has over 2,300 total cases. Miami-Dade, Broward County, and Palm Beach County combined have 55% of Florida cases. It is reported that there are confirmed cases in every Broward County jurisdiction. City officials strongly urge residents to take this order seriously and Stay at Home.

The County order takes effect on Friday, March 27, 2020, at 12:01 .a.m. and can found at https://www.broward.org/CoronaVirus/Documents/BC-EmergencyOrder20-03.pdf

To support the County order, the City of Deerfield Beach City Manager has issued Emergency Order 2020-03, effective Friday, March 27, 2020, at 12:01 a.m. In addition to the Executive Orders issued by the Governor, The Emergency Orders issued by the County, and the Emergency Orders issued by the City, this Order imposes the following:

· The International Fishing Pier is now closed to the public until further notice.
· To further promote social distancing and adhere to the latest CDC guidelines, areas where members from different households congregate and use shared facilities, all pools that are amenities of a hotel, motel, homeowners or condominium association, rental apartment or other multifamily development are hereby ordered closed until further notice.
· All golf courses within the City are hereby ordered closed until further notice.

For additional information on COVID-19, visit www.dfb.city/covid19. For additional information, you are encouraged to call the Broward County COVID-19 hotline, 954-357-9500.

• Facebook – @CityofDeerfieldBeachFloridaMunicipalGovernment
• Twitter – @dfb_city
• Webpage – www.dfb.city
• Please make sure you are signed up for AlertDFB. To do that now, log onto http://www.dfb.city/Alertdfb

The Broward County Call Center opened a special telephone line to assist the Florida Department of Health in Broward County in answering public questions about COVID-19, including conducting pre-screening for testing eligibility. The new number is 954-357-9500. The temporary COVID-19 call center will accept calls from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 7 days a week.

This service should not be confused with Broward County’s normal 311 call center operation, which will continue to operate its normal business hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, as part of County business operations. Please do not direct members of the public to call 311 for COVID-19 questions. Those inquiries should be directed to 954-357-9500.

Complete List of Business Closures

To protect the health of Deerfield Beach residents and contain the transmission of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), the State and the County have issued orders directing the closure of non-essential businesses. The following is an updated list of industries that have been instructed to close until further notice.

Restaurants, Food and Alcohol Sales

All restaurants and food establishments licensed under Chapter 500 and 509, Florida Statutes, are mandated to suspend on-premises food consumption. Such establishments may continue to operate their kitchens for delivery, take-out and exterior pick-up food services.

All vendors licensed to sell alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises shall cease the sale of alcoholic beverages by the drink or in sealed containers for consumption on the premises.  Such vendors may sell alcoholic beverages in sealed containers for consumption off-premises in accordance with the conditions in Governor Executive Order 20-71.

Entertainment Establishments

All bars, nightclubs, taverns, pubs, cocktail lounges, breweries, dance halls, movie theaters, concert houses, playhouses, halls for hire, auditoriums, bowling alleys, video arcades, and sports and entertainment facilities, including but not limited to such establishments contained within a hotel or other enclosed structure, are ordered closed. 

Gyms and Fitness Centers

All gyms and fitness centers and fitness studios are ordered closed.

Exemptions:  Gyms and fitness centers, which are amenities of hotels and have a capacity of 10 persons or less, are an amenity of a residential building, are interior to any fire or police station, or are located inside any single-occupancy office building.

Non-Essential Business Closures

All non-essential retail and commercial business locations are ordered closed except to the extent necessary to perform Minimum Basic Operations.  (See County Emergency Order 2020-01 for more info on businesses deemed non-essential and essential).

Public Gatherings

All public gatherings of any type, whether organized or otherwise, of greater than 10 people are prohibited.

Exemptions:  Grocery stores, gas stations, convenience stores, retail stores, banks, credit unions, financial institutions, hardware stores, auto supply stores, hospitals, healthcare and medical facilities, pharmacies, drug stores, medical supply companies, and land or facilities owned and managed by the County, School Board, North Broward Hospital District, the State, or Federal Government are exempt.

By Rachel Galvin

Every year, food and wine lovers flock to one of the most popular events of the year in this area, Boca Bacchanal’s Grand Tasting. This year, the event was held on March 7 (the day after the Vitner Dinners) at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. In addition to over enjoying tasty tidbits from local restaurants, as well as drinks, guests could bid on over 100 silent auction items. There was also a pop-up Bloomingdale’s Red Carpet Touch Up Station. In addition, world-renowned painter of wine Thomas Arvid was on-hand to paint live and had some of his pieces on display, as well as donating to the silent auction. Proceeds benefited the Boca Raton Historical Society & Museum (BRHS&M). Guests enjoyed the event so much that they did not want to leave! Find out more about the BRHS&M at https://www.bocahistory.org.