The Carlin Park restaurant space is still empty
The council said no to paid beach parking, and early voting ends Sunday.
Four years is a long time for an oceanfront kitchen to sit dark. Meanwhile the council took a swing at paid beach parking, and early voting is running out of days.
The oceanfront restaurant space at Carlin Park is still sitting vacant. The Lazy Loggerhead Cafe closed there in 2022, and four years later nothing has taken its place. Anyone who has walked up off that beach hungry knows exactly what is missing. You get the sand, a long stretch of ocean, and nowhere to grab lunch. WPTV reported last week that beachgoers are still waiting for someone to fill the space. On paper it is one empty storefront. In practice it is the difference between a morning at the beach and a whole day there.
Florida will refund sales tax on impact windows and doors
Florida is giving back sales tax on storm hardening, but you have to ask for it. The refund covers tax paid on impact-resistant windows, doors, and garage doors installed on eligible homes. Purchases count if they were made between July 1, 2026 and June 30, 2029. The home has to be site-built, carry a homestead exemption, and have a just value of $700,000 or less. One property per owner, and the refund caps out at $500. You claim it afterward with the forms and your receipts, not at the register. Claims stay open through September 30, 2029.
A law firm covered a teacher's classroom for the whole year
A Jupiter law firm turned up at Jupiter Farms Elementary this week with school supplies for a teacher. Then it went further and covered her classroom for the full school year. Anyone with a teacher in the family knows what that actually means. Teachers spend their own money on markers, folders, tissues, and the hundred small things classrooms always need. A box of supplies in August helps for about a month. Funding an entire year is a different kind of gift. WPTV covered the surprise on Monday.
Jupiter went on record against paid beach parking
Palm Beach County has been weighing an expansion of paid parking at public beaches. The Town Council said no, adopting Resolution 100-26 unanimously. That puts Jupiter on record for anyone who parks at the beach on a Saturday morning. The same meeting moved real money. Council approved a $275,440 design work order for renovations at Fire Station 13 and adopted new fire impact fees. It also approved a two-year, $400,000 contract for water-treatment membrane services. Membranes are the unglamorous half of clean drinking water, so that one matters more than it sounds.
Two meetings today at 210 Military Trail
The Town Council Chambers host a double bill today. The Community Redevelopment Agency Commission meets, and the Town holds a budget workshop. Workshops are where next year's spending gets shaped, well before anything comes up for a formal vote. If you have opinions about what the town funds, this is earlier in the process than most people ever show up. The town posted the notice on Tuesday. It is at 210 Military Trail. These sessions rarely make headlines, which is part of why the room is usually not crowded.
Early voting closes Sunday
Early voting in Palm Beach County runs through Sunday, August 16. Polls open at 7:00 am and stay open until 7:00 pm, every day, weekend included. That is a twelve-hour window, which is more forgiving than most work schedules. This is the back half of the run. If you have been meaning to go and keep not going, you have four days left. The town's calendar page lists the dates and hours. After Sunday, the only option left is showing up on election day.
The Goldner Conservatory is back in session
The Goldner Conservatory at Maltz Jupiter Theatre has welcomed its students back for the new school year. Jupiter has a professional theatre with a training program attached, which not every town this size can claim. For families still sorting out the fall, it belongs on the list next to soccer sign-ups and swim team. Kids who want to perform get somewhere serious to do it, close to home. Classes are underway now. If you have a kid who narrates the car ride in character, you already know who this is for.