The Palm Beach Civic Association will begin its 81st season of service to the town with a bang – a Welcome Back Community Update and Water Quality Forum with the latest information about the issues that matter most to residents of the island.
All Civic Association members and residents are invited to the forum, scheduled for Thursday, November 7, at 10 a.m. at the Mandel Recreation Center. Valet Parking will be available.
Welcome Back Community Update
Each year, the welcome back forum presents an early opportunity for Civic Association members and residents, both seasonal and year-round, to gather in anticipation of another season to come.
But this year’s gathering offers much more: the chance to learn about the latest developments regarding an issue of crucial importance to all town residents: water quality.
Town Council President Bobbie Lindsay will deliver opening remarks.
A water quality panel will include Michael Reiter, founder and security strategist at Michael Reiter and Associates, retired Palm Beach police chief, a member of the Civic Association’s Executive Committee and a Civic Association director since 2013. During the first part of the program, Reiter is expected to discuss the security aspects of surface water sources.
The panelists for the second part of the program will be John Potts, P.E., senior consultant with Kimley-Horn and Associates, which is a consultant to the Town of Palm Beach; and Lisa Interlandi, policy director at the Everglades Law Center. Potts and Interlandi are expected to focus on the current water source and treatment system provided to Palm Beach by the City of West Palm Beach; and alternative sources and treatment methods that may be available to the town in the future.
Michael Pucillo, Chairman and CEO of the Civic Association, will moderate.
The Town of Palm Beach has been studying options for securing the best quality of potable water after its existing water supply agreement with the City of West Palm Beach expires in 2029.
Pucillo said the purpose of the water quality forum is to educate residents on the various sources of water and water treatment alternatives under consideration.
“We will hear from experts on both the current water source for town water and potential alternatives,” Pucillo said. “We will also discuss current and alternative water treatment options and the pros and cons associated with each. Our hope is that this forum will give town residents a better understanding of the issues the town is facing as it looks to obtain a reliable source of water going forward.”
The town has narrowed its options to two: a new water supply agreement with the City of West Palm Beach, or a new agreement with the City of Lake Worth Beach, town officials have said.
The water the town receives from West Palm Beach is primarily surface water treated at West Palm Beach’s water processing plant, located at 1009 Banyan Blvd., with chlorine and other traditional methods.
Water quality has been a foremost concern for Palm Beach officials and residents since 2021, when the City of West Palm Beach’s treated drinking water supply was briefly contaminated with a cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) bloom.
Mayor Danielle Moore and Town Council members have said its essential that Palm Beach’s future water supply be treated with membrane filtration, a state-of-the-art technology that removes all contaminants from the water.
The Innovate Palm Beach is sponsoring the Welcome Back Community Update and Water Quality Forum.
Exciting and informative season ahead
The Civic Association has lined up an outstanding roster of programs with high-profile speakers for the 2024-25 season, including television journalist Richard Engel, who will headline our Community Service Award Breakfast on February 10 at The Breakers.
Our Signature Series keynote speakers for 2024-25 are political analyst Charlie Cook, who will share his insights on the November 5 general election during his appearance on December 5; television journalist Deborah Norville, who will discuss changes in media on January 9; and General James L. Jones (tentative), who is expected to discuss national security and foreign policy before a Civic Association audience on March 13. All three Signature Series appearances will be at The Beach Club.
The Civic Association’s Speakers/Programs Committee led the effort to secure this season’s outstanding roster of speakers.
Pucillo chairs the committee, which also includes members David Duffy, Austin Fragomen, Cynthia Friedman, Reuben Jeffery, Peter Gottsegen, Dave Porges and Dan Stanton.
Duffy and Gottsegen secured Charlie Cook and General James L. Jones, respectively, for this season’s Signature Series. Civic Association Treasurer Michael Ainslie arranged Norville’s Signature appearance. Bob Wright, our Chairman Emeritus and a former NBC executive, was pivotal in delivering Engel for the award breakfast.
The Civic Association’s speakers and forums are at the core of its mission to educate and engage with residents about issues that directly impact their lives, Pucillo said.
“This season’s programs will be especially timely and relevant, with information about the latest developments in our town and expert analysis of our water quality, and of the national election and U.S. national security in an increasingly uncertain world,” Pucillo said.
Directors’ Reception & Luncheon
All PBCA directors are invited to the 2024 Directors’ Reception & Luncheon on Wednesday, November 20, from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. at Club Colette.
The speaker will be Dr. Daniel Diermeier, an internationally recognized political scientist and the ninth chancellor of Vanderbilt University.
Related Ross is sponsoring the luncheon, which will be open to Civic Association directors only.
Signature Series Presentation with Keynote Speaker Charlie Cook
Charlie Cook, founder of The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, will be keynote speaker at the Civic Association’s Signature Series on Thursday, December 5, at 3 p.m. at The Beach Club.
Cook writes election forecasts and rankings in The Cook Report and other media. He is also a political analyst for The National Journal and NBC News.
Cook’s appearance will come 30 days after the U.S. general election on November 5, which includes the presidential contest between Donald Trump, the former president and 2024 GOP presidential nominee, and Vice President Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee.
Cook will address the topic: “2024 elections, what did and didn’t happen, why, what does it mean and what next.”
Seating will be theater style.
The program is open to Civic Association members at the Leadership/Next Gen (residential membership) and Silver (corporate membership) giving levels ($1,000 and above).
Citizens Private Bank is sponsoring the program.
Palm Beach Civic Association Annual Holiday Party
The Civic Association will host its annual Holiday Reception on Wednesday, December 11, from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. at The Beach Club.
The party is open to all Civic Association members.
Chairman Pucillo will greet members and welcome them to the holiday festivity.
Along with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, the merrymaking will include live holiday classics performed by Bob Merrill, a Civic Association director since 2021, and his society orchestra.
The Frisbie Group is sponsoring this year’s holiday gathering.
Signature Series Presentation with Keynote Speaker Deborah Norville
Deborah Norville, anchor of the syndicated television news magazine Inside Edition, will be keynote speaker at the Civic Association’s Signature Series Luncheon at The Beach Club on Tuesday, January 9.
The program, from noon until 1:30 p.m., is open to members at the Leadership/Next Gen (residential membership) and Silver (corporate membership) levels of giving and above ($1,000 and above).
Norville, a Civic Association director since 2021, is expected to lead a thought-provoking discussion about media and how it has evolved in a changing world.
Norville is a former anchor and correspondent for CBS News and former co-host of NBC’s Today show. She is the author of the book Thank You Power, a New York Times Best Seller.
Northern Trust is sponsoring the program.
2025 Community Service Award Breakfast with Richard Engel
The Civic Association’s annual Community Service Award Breakfast is a highlight of every Palm Beach season, and this season’s breakfast promises to be one of the best.
Richard Engel, chief foreign correspondent for NBC News, will headline the breakfast at The Breakers on Monday, February 10, at 9 a.m.
Engel has been following wars, revolutions and political transitions around the globe for more than 20 years. He’s best known for having covered the Iraq War, Arab Spring and the Syrian Civil War.
Engel served as NBC’s Middle East correspondent and Beirut bureau chief before being named the network’s chief foreign correspondent in 2008. Prior to joining NBC in 2003, he reported on the start of the 2003 war in Iraq for ABC News as a freelance journalist in Baghdad.
The Civic Association’s William J. “Bill” Brooks Community Service Award is presented each year at the Community Service Award Breakfast to an individual who has significantly improved the quality of life in Palm Beach.
The award is named for the late Palm Beach Town Council member and former general manager of WPTV NewsChannel 5 in West Palm Beach.
The breakfast will be sponsored by the Fanjul Family and Florida Crystals, which has underwritten the annual award gathering each year since 2018. It is the Civic Association’s only fundraiser of the year.
Tickets are $200 for Civic Association members and $300 for non-members.
Signature Series Presentation with Keynote Speaker General James L. Jones – Tentative
General James L. Jones, a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general, will be keynote speaker at the final Signature Series program of the season on Thursday, March 13, at 10 a.m. at The Beach Club.
Jones is a consultant who served as U.S. national security advisor from 2009 to 2010.
During his military career, Jones was commandant of the Marine Corps from 1999 until 2003 and commander, United States European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe from 2003 to 2006. He retired from the Marine Corps in February 2007 after 40 years of service.
Jones owns the security firms Ironhand Security LLC and Jones Group International LLC. He has worked as a paid advisor to the Saudi government.
The program is open to memberships at the Leadership/Next Gen (residential membership) and Silver (corporate membership) giving levels and above ($1,000 and above).
Seating will be theater style.
(Signature Series programs are subject to change, depending on the speaker’s schedule).
PBCA Major Contributors’ Reception
The Civic Association will hold its Major Contributors’ Reception on a private yacht on a date to be arranged.
The reception is open to members at the Supporting Benefactor (residential membership) and Gold (corporate membership) levels of giving and above ($2,500 and above).
Annual Meeting & State of the Town Address
The Civic Association will close out the 2024-25 season, and celebrate the 81st anniversary of its founding, at its Annual Meeting & State of the Town Address on Monday, April 7.
Mayor Danielle Moore will present her state-of-the-town address at the meeting, which will be from 10 a.m. until noon at the Flagler Museum.
Chairman Pucillo is expected to announce the organization’s slate of new directors for 2025.
In another highlight, the Civic Association will honor the recipient or recipients of its annual Raymond J. Kunkel Award for heroic or meritorious service to the Palm Beach community. The award was established in 1976 in honor of a former Civic Association chairman.
The meeting will be open to Civic Association members and to the public.
Palm Beach Island Hospice Foundation is sponsoring the Annual Meeting.
Mary Robosson, the Civic Association’s President and Chief Operating Officer, credited the organization’s members for enabling it to build a strong foundation of informative and thought-provoking forums and programs for the community.
“We are grateful to our members for their support of our mission, which allows us to present educational forums to all residents, and a Signature Speaker Series for our members to engage with keynote speakers,” Robosson said.
(The Civic Association is a non-profit organization founded in 1944 by a group of civic-minded residents with the mission of protecting and enhancing the quality of life in Palm Beach. The mission is accomplished by educating residents about key issues and encouraging their participation in the community; working with local government to improve the quality of government services; and taking proactive stances on civic affairs while addressing long-term challenges).
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