By Jan SjostromDaily News Staff Writer

A poster of the cartoon character Garfield and his sidekick Odie has hung for years in Kravis Center CEO Judith Mitchell’s office.

It’s a picture of Garfield and Odie up on a tree branch. Beneath them are the words “It’s amazing what one can

accomplish when one doesn’t know what one can’t do.”

Amazing is a good word to describe how the Kravis Center has evolved under M i t c h e l l ’ s 3 0 y e a r s o f leadership.

Mitchell, the West Palm Beach performing arts cen-ter’s first and only CEO, will retire at the end of the year, officials announced Friday.

S h e w i l l s t e e r t h e center, which is shuttered b e c a u s e o f the coronavi-rus outbreak, through the

health crisis and be on hand to smooth the transition to a new leader. Her husband, Jim, will stay on as the center’s chief

operating officer.The board has appointed a

search committee, headed by Michael Bracci, and hopes to hire a successor by the start of the 2020-21 season.

Mitchell has been an out-s t a n d i n g l e a d e r , b o a r d members said.

“I’m constantly impressed by Judy’s blend of decisive-ness, tact and diplomacy,”

board chairman Jeffrey Stoops said. “She knows how to bring each one of those skills to a situation at the appropriate time.”

Mitchell not only supervises a staff of 200 and more than 700 volunteers but also gra-ciously holds her own with a board that includes many

Classified ... .............. A6Crossword ... ............. A4

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THE REAL PIONEERHow E.M. Brelsford turned a paradise into civilization

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$2.00THE LEADER IN COVERING THE ISLAND SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2020ESTABLISHED 1897

Mitchell

C O R O N AV I R U S PA N D E M I C

Eateries with more than 10 seats not allowed to seat patrons; number of county cases up to 34

By Jane MusgraveDaily News Staff Writer

With the number of deadly coro-navirus cases in Florida ballooning to 520, including 34 in Palm Beach County, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday closed all restaurants and gyms in the state and closed all beaches in Palm Beach County.

Issuing a flurry of orders over

several hours, he first took aim at Palm Beach and Broward counties, closing all of the beaches, restau-rants that have more than 10 seats, and entertainment venues in the two counties.

Hours later, he expanded the res-taurant order statewide and ordered gym and fitness centers to close throughout the state. Restaurants will continue to be able to provide take-out and delivery services.

The executive orders, that take effect immediately, are yet another

Governor closes beaches, restaurants

Dan Ponton, left, the owner of SurfSide Diner, and head chef Douglas Martinez talk Friday outside the diner. “We’ve decided that this will be our last day to remain open,” Ponton said. ‘’It’s not worth staying open. It’s risky. It’s a tough situation right now,” said Martinez. [DAMON HIGGINS/PALMBEACHDAILYNEWS.COM]

Kravis Center CEO will retire at the end of the year

Police and Fire Foundation gets 800 suits for workers to shield themselves from infected patients

By Adriana DelgadoDaily News Staff Writer

The Palm Beach Police and Fire Foundation on Friday gave 800 dis-posable hazmat suits to the town’s first responders to assist in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The police and fire-rescue depart-ments each got 400 suits, which the foundation bought from a medical dis-tributor in New York.

The foundation’s senior vice presi-dent and co-founder, Tim Moran, said the initiative to purchase the suits, which cost approximately $1,275, was sparked by a conversation he had with a marine patrol officer who told him about the hazmat suits the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office had. The officer said it would help first responders to have them, too.

“There’s an advisory right now with authorities recommending a 14-day isolation period. Fire-rescue and police are out there every day keeping us safe,” Moran said. “They’re in the front lines, and we’ll do anything we can do to help them out. When these guys and women go on a call, they need to wear one of these suits to protect themselves.”

Police Chief Nicholas Caristo said the department was extremely grate-ful for everything the Foundation always does to help officers,” Caristo

Nonprofit donates hazmat suits to first responders

By Rachida HarperDaily News Staff Writer

W i t h i n 7 2 h o u r s o f launching its Coronavirus Emergency Fund with two matching gifts of $50,000, d o n a t i o n s t o t h e P a l m Beach United Way have hit $200,000.

C h r i s t i n a D e n n i s a n d Danielle Moore, two long-time supporters, each gave

matching gifts of $50,000. Now, the organization is

working to meet two addi-tional $50,000 matching gifts donated by J. Ira Harris, through the J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Foundation, a n d J a s o n T a u b m a n Kalisman, through the A. Alfred Taubman Foundation, according to a release.

“Nicki and I hope this matching gift will inspire

others to give what they can to meet the needs of the thousands of Palm Beach County residents who will be impacted by this virus,” said J. Ira Harris, who is vice chair-man of the United Way board of trustees.

Kalisman, also a member of the board of trustees, said “Fear and anxiety are high right now, especially for vul-nerable residents and workers

worried about losing their jobs and their incomes.”

Because of local, state and national mandates to prac-tice social distancing and close business as result of the coronavirus outbreak, many Palm Beach County residents are now without a job and in need of assistance, the United Way said.

All funds raised by United Way will be distributed to

local nonprofits to help lessen anxieties caused by the outbreak.

Ruth Mageria, executive director of CROS Ministries, a United Way partner agency, said there is a significant increase in clients who have never needed help before. “This crisis is unprecedented, and we anticipate the need for

United Way coronavirus emergency fund hits $200K

See CLOSINGS, A3

What’s closing

Non-essential businesses including restaurants, bars, taverns, pubs, nightclubs, banquet halls, cocktail lounges, cabarets, breweries, cafeterias, movie theaters, concert houses, auditoriums, playhouses, bowling alleys, arcades, gym-nasiums, fitness studios and beaches are potential gather-ing places for the spread of COVID-19. Restaurants are per-mitted to convert to take-out or delivery only.See HAZMAT, A4

See FUND, A4

See MITCHELL, A6

A4 Saturday, March 21, 2020 Palm Beach Daily News

Publix has announced that it is designat-i n g T u e s d a y a n d Wednesday mornings between 7 and 8 a.m. as senior shopping hours.

The shopping hours will be for customers 65 and older.

The change will be effective this Tuesday.

T h e p h a r m a c y also will open at that time, officials said on Twitter.

L a s t w e e k , t h e Lakeland-based com-pany announced that stores would begin c l o s i n g e a r l i e r i n response to dwindling supplies because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Stores company-wide began closing at 8 p.m. daily, the com-pany announced on its social-media accounts.

The decision was made to “better serve our customers, give our store teams time to conduct additional preventative sanitation and restock product on our shelves,” com-p a n y o f f i c i a l s said.

The early closing time will remain in effect indefinitely, company officials said.

Publix sets hours for senior shopping

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said. “I want to thank the Palm Beach Police and Fire Foundation in helping to keep our officers safe with their donation of personal protection equipment s u c h a s t h e T y v e k suits.”

Tyvek is a brand owned by biotech company DuPont.

He said the partnership and support for the foun-dation had always been “exceptional,” and even more so in “this time of uncertainty.”

C o - f o u n d e r J o h n Scarpa said the the foun-dation was primarily concerned about the police and fire-rescue personnel who will be increasingly called out to transport and assist COVID-19 patients. “We wanted to provide officers and firefighters with enough hazmat suits so none of them have the risk of coming in contact with someone infected.”

Because the suits must be destroyed after each use, this makes the donation even more necessary, Scarpa added.

“A lot of people have been calling to sup-port our efforts, and we appreciate that. For more informa-tion on how they can help, we encourage the public to call or go to our website,” Moran said.

To donate, visit the website www.palm-beachpolicefoundation.org/donate, or call 561-820-8118.

adelgado@pbdai-lynews.com@litadriana

HAZMATFrom Page A1

food will only increase in the coming months,” she said.

People are in need of food, diapers and medi-cal equipment as well as childcare, mental health and financial assistance, she said.

“We know that issues like financial insecu-rity, food uncertainty, and times of high stress are exactly the factors that exacerbate issues, often resulting in spikes in child abuse and vio-lence,” said United Way CEO Renee Layman. “With so many fami-lies facing this kind of uncertainty on all fronts, we must ensure services to build resiliency, calm fears, and help our children through the storm.”

Board Chairman Mary Freitas said the organi-zation is “ committed to supporting our commu-nity any way we can, but we need help,”

T o d o n a t e t o t h e Coronavirus Emergency Fund visit www.palm-beachunitedway.org/coronavirus-emer-g e n c y - f u n d o r c a l l 561-655-1919.

Checks should be made payable to Town of Palm Beach United Way with “Coronavirus Fund” in the memo and mailed to 44 Cocoanut Row, Suite M201, Palm Beach, FL 33480.

Donations are tax deductible and 100% w i l l g o d i r e c t l y t o l o c a l o r g a n i z a t i o n s delivering services to d i s a d v a n t a g e d a n d under-resourced com-munities most impacted b y t h e C O V I D - 1 9 outbreak.

FUNDFrom Page A1

From left to right: Tim Moran, Officer Chris Machate, Palm Beach Police Chief Nicholas Caristo, Lt. Will Rothrock, and John Scarpa stand in front of Palm Beach Town Hall on Friday. The Palm Beach Police and Fire Foundation, co-founded by Moran and Scarpa, donated 800 hazmat suits to the Palm Beach police and fire departments so employees of the departments can protect themselves from the coronavirus while out making calls. [DAMON HIGGINS/PALMBEACHDAILYNEWS.COM]

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