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November 12, 2025
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The Lake House on Canandaigua Appoints Alexander Schnoeller as General Manager: The Lake House on Canandaigua in the Finger Lakes has appointed Alexander Schnoeller as its new general manager. Schnoeller brings over two decades of experience with luxury hospitality brands, including leadership roles at hotels such as Mandarin Oriental and JW Marriott. Before joining The Lake House, he oversaw significant renovations and operations at a Florida resort. Schnoeller's expertise in luxury hospitality and community engagement is expected to support the resort's continued growth. (Source: Fingerlakes1.com on Nov 11)
October 29, 2025
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Maria Zack secures GOP nomination for Florida House seat in Palm Beach County: Maria Zack won the Republican primary for the vacant Florida House District 90 seat in Palm Beach County, receiving 53% of the vote. She will face Democrat Rob Long in a December special election following the death of Rep. Joe Casello. Voter turnout was low, with only 8.6% of registered Republicans (Source: Broward Sun-Sentinel on Oct 1)
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Farmers Market Season Begins Across South Florida Communities: Farmers markets have reopened for the fall season in South Florida, offering residents access to fresh produce, baked goods, flowers, and other local products. Notably, the West Palm Beach GreenMarket is starting its 31st year with an expanded list of vendors and an extended schedule through lateMay (Source: Broward Sun-Sentinel on Oct 2)
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South Florida Minister Leads Support Group for White-Collar Offenders: A minister in South Florida organizes a weekly online support group for individuals convicted of white-collar crimes, including fraud and money laundering. The group, which includes local and national participants, offers a space for those who have faced legal consequences to discuss their shared, “ (Source: Broward Sun-Sentinel on Sep 25)
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Jewish-Themed Films Featured in South Florida Theaters This October: Several Jewish-themed movies and a series are being shown at theaters across South Florida throughout October. Highlights include the return of the comedy 'Bad Shabbos' at Movies of Delray and the premiere of 'Eleanor the Great,' directed by Scarlett Johansson. The award-winning 'Bau: Artist at War' (Source: Broward Sun-Sentinel on Oct 6)
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Show some respect: South Florida diners & servers expose unspoken rules for a…: Those of us who love to eat out have had many encounters with irritating servers. But those same waiters and waitresses may also find us diners annoying and exasperating. Can’t we all just get along? It’s no secret that South Florida restaurant patrons can be demanding. But even in the face of rude diners, restaurants are supposed to train their staffs to be polite and efficient. This is actually a complicated process behind the scenes, said Peter Ricci, director of the hospitality and tourism management program at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. “Restaurant profit margins are slim, so training and development are often not a part of the process,” he said. “Also, one must recognize that restaurant front-of-house roles are somewhat high-turnover compared to other industries. With higher turnover, there is less likelihood for development of training, knowledge of all the systems (which can lead to dissatisfaction among guests), and a ‘new face’ every time regular guests return to the venue.” Restaurant owners are aware that the server-guest relationship can be fraught and say they try to train their staffs to handle all sorts of personalities. “We emphasize to our servers to actually make a connection with our guests, to not be robotic with their motions,” said Eddie Pozzuoli, co-owner of five restaurants in Palm Beach and Broward counties (including Eddie & Vinny’s in Coral Springs and Dear Olivia in Parkland). “Every individual is different and their wants and needs are different. We are in the hospitality business and and our guests need to feel comfortable with us.” Server Brian Anders works at Eddie and Vinny's in Coral Springs. Servers often make a tough job look easy. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel) Diners have to do their part, too, Pozzuoli said. “The guest needs to understand that we are all human and sometimes make mistakes,” he said. “As management, if we don’t have an opportunity to fix it, there shouldn’t be judgment passed on us.” Readers of “Let’s Eat, South Florida,” the Sun Sentinel’s foodie Facebook page, have voiced strong opinions on the diner-server relationship. We also received email messages from restaurant patrons grumbling about their interactions with servers and from servers lamenting customer behavior. Here are some tips culled from the conversations. Among the major takeaways: Communicate clearly and be patient, as there are often complicated situations behind the scenes that we diners can’t see. Tips from diners: How to be a better server Know who got which dish. Servers who come to the table, with plates fresh from the kitchen, and ask who got the lasagna or the prime rib exasperate many “Let’s Eat” posters, who call the process a form of “roulette” or the “auctioning off of the dishes.” Advice to servers from diner Stacy Rabstein Buckley: “Take your order in a specific way so that you know who got what!” Related Articles Dining alone in South Florida: Follow these tips for a satisfying solo meal I can’t hear you: Are restaurants getting louder? ‘Bring Your Own Food’? South Florida restaurant owners push back on this expanding trend Find your sweet spot: Here are a few of our favorite South Florida bakeries Don’t take a plate away too early. Many diners complained that servers try to remove their dishes while they are still chewing. “My fork and knife (are) still in my hand and I am clearly eating,” reader Wendy Spano Bracco said. “You have to say, ‘Excuse me, I am still eating.’ Often this happens more than once.” There’s also the other extreme on this topic: when the wait staff fails to clear empty plates. “My pet peeve as a diner is when the servers come by your table several times but don’t clear the used dishes or glasses,” AnnMarie Cardin said in an email. Include the price in the specials. Most commenters want to hear the cost of specials, although some find the price recital tacky or they tune out. As Donna Pittala put it: “I’d rather have a specials menu so I can think about it and remember it. I’ve ended up not even listening anymore unless it’s a special night and money is no object.” Time the courses with precision. Timing is a function of kitchen output and sufficient staffing, but it still irks many diners when their dishes come out too quickly. “No bigger pet peeve for me than when my entree comes before I’ve finished the starter,” wrote Hollywood resident Lori Poulton. “I don’t care how slow an eater I am, I always ask to have the order not put in until I’m finished because I want a few minutes between, but it never seems to happen.” Diners who like to eat alone seek out restaurants that make them feel welcome and not overlooked. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel file) Don’t ignore women. It’s unlikely any restaurant would intentionally turn a blind eye to half the population, but several women said they often feel passed over. “Pet peeve is female bartenders ignoring female patrons such as myself and my girlfriends at the bar,” said Maria Hopke, of Boynton Beach. “It’s not every bar but it’s enough to notice. They assume because we are women that we won’t tip. Boy are they wrong!” Diner Janie Nielsen said she is often overlooked when eating alone. “And (I have) to wave the service down because the server isn’t interested in a party of one,” she said. Make sure to greet newly seated customers and don’t disappear after you’ve served the meal. As Alana O’Connor put it in the “Let’s Eat” group: “It’s pretty simple. Greet me within 5 [minutes] of seating, check on us after food is delivered and don’t take too long to bring me the check/pay.” That is also Delray Beach resident Claudia Silverberg’s peeve: “Waiting too long to receive the check, and waiting too long for them to return so that I can pay. It shouldn’t take 15 minutes + to check out. Don’t they want to turn tables over?” Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun SentinelA diner leaves a cash tip at Olympia Flame Diner in Deerfield Beach. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel) Don’t stand on top of diners while they are deciding on the tip. Tipping procedures vex even the most seasoned restaurantgoers. Many feel antagonized when servers watch as their guests choose a tip on electronic devices. And then there are the preprogrammed tip options. Peter Solomon said: “My biggest pet peeve is the new payment systems that require a tip starting at 25% and up, especially for pick-up or take-away. It’s ridiculous at table service. Used to be 20% for excellent service, 15 for decent and anything less for less than that … [Then] they are staring at you as you try to put in a custom tip.” Suggestions from servers: How to be a better diner Be ready to order. The wait staff knows diners want to socialize, but they are also working in a business that needs to keep the tables moving. “As a server it annoys me when I go to a table and I say, ‘good evening/good afternoon,’ and the answer is, ‘we’re not ready to order yet,’ ” said Gissele Belechiano of Oakland Park. Don’t leave your stuff in the middle of the table. “Be aware that your server does not want to touch your personal items — phone, keys, wallet or eye glasses,” server Janet Holloway wrote. “Place these items at the edge of the table or bring a purse.” Don’t complain on social media. Holloway had another tip for customers who are eager to criticize restaurants in very public forums. “The absolute worst thing a customer can do is to go on Yelp or Google and just trash the place and/or throw their server under the bus (from the customer’s keyboard),” Holloway said. “Address the problem when it happens with the manager on duty.” “Dining out isn’t a life-or-death experience and as long as the interaction is professional and polite, no one should ever have to be rude on either server or guest side.” — Maddy Micinski, server Respect the table set-up. That means, according to server Maria Stathis: Don’t sit at a dirty table when there are plentiful clean ones. Don’t ask to switch tables in the middle of service. Don’t take chairs or silverware from another table. “That server worked hard to prepare their station,” Stathis said. Consolidate your requests. “For example, asking for an iced tea, receiving it, asking for sugar, receiving it, then asking for lemons,” said Daniela Herrera, who works at a Delray Beach restaurant. “Had this been all requested at once, we could have saved some time with the ping-pinging and had more time to have fun.” Have situational awareness. Get a feel of how crowded the eatery is. It may not be the best time to be indecisive about your order. “With so many moving parts, when guests are not aware of how busy the restaurant is and stop their server to request recommendations, only to sit there thinking, or going ‘hmmmm…’ it can slow everyone down,” Herrera said. Don’t ask ‘Are you going to remember all this?’ “I have, in nearly a decade of being in the restaurant industry, never encountered a server who memorized orders if they could not remember them,” Herrera said. “As long as I am mentally organizing the information in my own way, I will not forget it. With that being said, when guests ask, ‘Are you going to remember this?’ I forget everything. This is a curveball that is very embarrassing to try to catch. It is a lot of extra pressure that makes me want to just use a notebook even if I do not need to.” The upshot from these conversations Give servers credit for making a tough job (usually) look easy. “Servers memorize entire menus, the layout of the restaurant, their schedules weeks in advance, and orders of our regulars,” Herrera said. “We can do this. We are a lot of caffeinated, crazy people who want to take care of the public, even if they do not always take care of us.” Server Maddy Micinski agreed: “Dining out isn’t a life-or-death experience and as long as the interaction is professional and polite, no one should ever have to be rude on either server or guest side.” (Source: Broward Sun-Sentinel on Oct 7)
October 22, 2025
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Jury Recommends Life Sentence in 2019 Fort Lauderdale Murder Case: A Broward County jury has decided against the death penalty for Michael Robert Schnitzerling, who was convicted of first-degree murder in the 2019 shooting death of Bruce Salituri at Salituri's Fort Lauderdale residence. Schnitzerling, 34, from Delray Beach, will receive a mandatory life sentence. A (Source: Broward Sun-Sentinel on Oct 22)
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Weekend events in Broward include Rembrandt exhibit, concerts, and theater: This weekend in Broward County features a range of activities, including a Rembrandt exhibition at the Norton Museum, concerts by Ryan Bingham and Lecrae, the debut of the Cove Farmers Market, and a Broadway production of 'Life of Pi' at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale. Additional events such (Source: Broward Sun-Sentinel on Oct 22)
October 17, 2025
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Halloween Events for Adults Planned Across South Florida: A range of Halloween-themed activities for adults are scheduled throughout South Florida, including haunted houses, themed shows, bar crawls, and cemetery tours. Events are taking place in Broward, Palm Beach, and Miami-Dade counties through the end of October. Attendees are advised to review event- (Source: Broward Sun-Sentinel on Oct 17)
October 16, 2025
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Florida Stone Crab Season Opens With Stable Prices in Broward and Palm Beach: The 2025 Florida stone crab season has begun, with initial catches arriving at restaurants and seafood markets in Broward and Palm Beach counties. Prices remain steady compared to previous years, and local seafood suppliers report strong demand and good harvests, though medium-sized claws are less b (Source: Broward Sun-Sentinel on Oct 16)
October 15, 2025
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Fort Lauderdale Continues Legal Effort to Preserve Pride-Themed Crosswalks: Fort Lauderdale remains engaged in a legal dispute to maintain its pride-themed street art and rainbow crosswalks, despite a statewide initiative to remove such installations. The city stands out as other Florida municipalities have complied with state directives, citing concerns over driver safety. (Source: Broward Sun-Sentinel on Oct 15)
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South Florida Weekend Events Feature Concerts, Ballet, and Community Fundraiser: This weekend in South Florida offers a range of activities, including the Miami City Ballet's season opening, a concert by Jacob Collier at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, performances by Los Caligaris and Calibro 35, and a Bark Back Benefit featuring local firefighters and rescue dogs. The Kr (Source: Broward Sun-Sentinel on Oct 15)
October 14, 2025
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Stone crab season begins in Broward County with steady supply and stable prices: Stone crab season starts October 15 in Broward County, with local restaurants and seafood markets anticipating a healthy supply. Early reports from docks suggest that prices for stone crab claws will remain similar to last spring. The first catches are expected to reach area purveyors by October 16, (Source: Broward Sun-Sentinel on Oct 14)
October 8, 2025
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Fall Events and Halloween Activities Planned Across West Broward: Families in West Broward can look forward to a range of autumn activities, including pumpkin patches, trick-or-treating, hayrides, and local festivals. Some events feature unique options like floating pumpkin patches in community pools. The guide covers public events in Broward and Palm Beach, with (Source: Broward Sun-Sentinel on Oct 8)
October 5, 2025
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Major Dutch Art Exhibit to Open at Norton Museum in West Palm Beach: The Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach will host a significant exhibition featuring 75 works by 27 Dutch Golden Age artists, including 17 paintings by Rembrandt. The show, on loan from the Leiden Collection, runs from October 25 to March 29 and marks the first U.S. tour for this collection. (Source: Broward Sun-Sentinel on Oct 5)
October 3, 2025
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Five South Florida Restaurants Closed After Health Violations in Broward and Palm Bea: State inspectors temporarily closed five restaurants in Broward and Palm Beach counties last week due to serious health code violations, including rodent droppings, live roaches, and lack of potable water. Establishments must remain closed until passing re-inspection. Residents can report suspected (Source: Broward Sun-Sentinel on Oct 3)
September 30, 2025
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South Florida Hosts Taylor Swift 'Showgirl' Album Events Across Region: Multiple venues in South Florida are organizing events to celebrate the release of Taylor Swift's 12th album, 'The Life of a Showgirl.' Activities include listening parties, karaoke nights, brunches, and screenings of a related film at local theaters. These gatherings offer fans opportunities to get (Source: Broward Sun-Sentinel on Sep 30)
September 24, 2025
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New Luxury Condo Towers Signal Shift in Pompano Beach Development: Pompano Beach is experiencing a surge in luxury residential development, with the recent opening of the Casamar condominium and additional high-end projects such as W Residences and Waldorf Astoria planned. These projects reflect a broader transformation of the city from a quiet coastal area to a go (Source: Broward Sun-Sentinel on Sep 24)
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Cultural Events and Activities Planned Across Broward County This Weekend: Broward County will host a range of events this weekend, including a film festival at Paradigm Cinemas in Fort Lauderdale, a community walk organized by the Las Olas Hot Girl Social Club, and performances by comedian Shane Gillis at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood. Additional activities feature live DJ, (Source: Broward Sun-Sentinel on Sep 24)
September 23, 2025
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Rising Costs and Landlord Issues Lead to Restaurant Closures in Broward and Palm : A number of restaurants in Broward and Palm Beach counties have closed recently, citing increased rents, higher food prices, and landlord disputes. The closures include long-standing local establishments, with some owners attributing the downturn to fewer customers after tourist season and the need (Source: Broward Sun-Sentinel on Sep 23)
September 19, 2025
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Candidate Questioning 2020 Election Results Runs in Palm Beach County House Primary: Maria Zack, known for promoting theories about the 2020 presidential election, is seeking the Republican nomination for a Florida House seat in Palm Beach County. The special primary, which includes Delray Beach and Boynton Beach, features Zack and Bill Reicherter as candidates. Election integrity, (Source: Broward Sun-Sentinel on Sep 19)
September 17, 2025
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Local Events This Weekend Include Concerts, Wine Cruise, and New Cocktail Series: Residents in the west Broward area can choose from several activities this weekend, including a Cage the Elephant concert, a Water Taxi wine cruise, and a screening of 'Midnight Cowboy.' Additionally, Driftwood in Boynton Beach is launching a Tiki Thursdays cocktail series, featuring guest bartender (Source: Broward Sun-Sentinel on Sep 17)
September 16, 2025
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Upcoming Productions Highlight South Florida Playwrights in Broward and Palm Beach: Several theater productions featuring local playwrights are scheduled across Broward and Palm Beach counties in the coming weeks. Notable events include Ronnie Larsen's play "3 Card Stud" at The Foundry in Wilton Manors, which runs Thursdays through Sundays until September 28. The lineup reflects a (Source: Broward Sun-Sentinel on Sep 16)