Law & Justice
Attorney Les Shields, Morris & Shields, Attorneys At Law

Attorney Les Shields of the firm of Morris & Shields handles mostly civil matters in the western communities, primarily Royal Palm Beach and Wellington.

Shields has been in practice for 23 years. Admitted to the Florida Bar in 1993, he has a vast amount of experience representing both lenders and homeowners in mortgage foreclosure actions, as well as a wide array of civil litigation cases.

Wellington The Magazine interviewed Shields about his legal background and his law firm.

 

How long has your firm been doing business in Palm Beach County?

I’ve been doing business in Palm Beach County for about 25 years. This firm has been here for 25 years; it was owned by my father-in-law, Bob Morris. About five years ago, he retired. I purchased the firm from him. My wife is my paralegal, my assistant, my office manager and my right-hand woman. She has been here for the full 25 years, working first for her father, so she has experience since day one. It works out great, because not only is she experienced, she knows the clients.

 

Why did you choose Palm Beach County to establish your practice?

I actually came down here to go to law school. I worked for the Hertz Corporation in Nashville, and I moved down here to go to Nova Southeastern Law School. The area has grown a lot in the time we’ve been here, that’s for sure. During my three years of law school, we fell in love with Wellington, as well as the climate and the equestrian community.

 

What type of cases do you generally handle? What percentage of your practice is devoted to this type of law?

The big three [that we handle] are estate planning, wills and trusts, and probate. We do a lot of business law, and we handle a lot of litigation, where one business is suing another business.

I represent several electrical suppliers that supply materials to builders. Sometimes builders will take the supplies and use them, and then not pay for them. We work to get the money or the supplies back.

My first jobs after law school were all representing major banks and insurance companies, so I know a lot about that. The firm that I left to come to this firm was a general practice.

 

How many cases has your firm represented in this field of the law?

There are too many to count. It would be hard to count how many are going right now.

 

What other special training or knowledge do you have on your team that sets your firm apart from other law firms?

Working in the corporate atmosphere with the insurance companies and the banks, I have a lot of hands-on experience doing litigation. I was in court literally every day. In the morning, I was in court, and then taking a couple of depositions in the afternoon, then a mediation before quitting time. It was extremely busy, jam-packed with experience. I was exposed to things that I wouldn’t normally experience representing a large company.

 

What are some of the things to consider when hiring an attorney?

The type of experience is important, especially trial experience. People ask me, “Can I do this probate myself?” I tell them, “Yes, you can, technically, but there’s no way you should.” Attorneys have been doing this for a long time, and they still make mistakes, so the chances of you actually doing it right by yourself are very slim.

You need to hire someone with experience in the areas you are dealing with. Someone who is not afraid to go to court. I know attorneys who just despise going to court, having to put on a tie. I wear a suit and tie and go to court every day.

Another thing that is important is that the firm not take on too much work. They need to be comfortably busy. See if it is going in a forward manner, not at a crawl, at a convenient, plausible speed.

Find an attorney you can trust. I’ve known less than a dozen attorneys in the past 25 years that I trust enough to refer to someone. It’s very important to talk to the attorney and find out how they charge; how much the service is going to cost.

 

What kind of community support does your firm participate in?

We handle a lot of mortgage foreclosure cases. I handled bank foreclosures for years, and now I’m on the other side handling individuals. It’s very rarely a positive situation for the people being foreclosed upon. They don’t have the money, obviously, or they would have been paying their mortgage. Often, they don’t even have the money to pay an attorney [the full amount]. If they seem sincere, and they’re trying to make the payments, then we have no problem taking on the case.

 

Morris & Shields is located at 685 Royal Palm Beach Blvd., Suite 205, in Royal Palm Beach. For more info., call (561) 793-1200 or visit www.fllawman.com.

From Music To Fighting The Opioid Scourge: The Many Facets Of Chief Assistant State Attorney Alan Johnson

When he is playing in the band Americana Jones, Wellington resident Alan Johnson dons a hat and boots. Most days, though, he wears a suit to the office, where he is the Chief Assistant State Attorney of Palm Beach County.

One of three chief assistants to State Attorney Dave Aronberg, Johnson manages what would be the largest law firm in the county. When he is playing in the band Americana Jones, Wellington resident Alan Johnson dons a hat and boots. Most days, though, he wears a suit to the office, where he is the Chief Assistant State Attorney of Palm Beach County.

One of three chief assistants to State Attorney Dave Aronberg, Johnson manages what would be the largest law firm in the county. He first joined the State Attorney’s Office in 1993 when he worked under former State Attorney Barry Krischer. He left after almost 17 years when Krischer retired. Johnson spent the next several years as executive director of the Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics. He returned to the State Attorney’s Office in 2013 when Aronberg took over as the county’s top prosecutor.

Johnson’s resume is impressive, including serving as a member and then chairman of the Unlicensed Practice of Law Committee; and at the Prosecuting Attorney’s Association in areas including prosecutors, evidence, homicide prosecution, jury selection and victim rights. For more than 20 years, he has also regularly served as a volunteer judge for youth court. Other community service runs the gamut from legal organizations to little league coach.

When not working or pursuing his musical hobby, Johnson enjoys swimming and riding his bike through his long-since-adopted hometown. In fact, the community pool is one of the things he likes best about Wellington.

“It is a lovely community, and it has a great swimming pool that needs to be open on Sunday,” he said. “I swim there all the time. I’m friendly with all the guards. They have a great crew out there and a great facility, as I say, it just needs to be open on Sunday.”

When Johnson moved to South Florida, he checked out Wellington at the suggestion of a law school friend, Judge Peter Evans. “One of my best friends suggested Wellington,” he said. “It was, and is, a great family community. I raised two children in the village.”

While his children are now grown and have moved away, Johnson stays active in the community.

“While I don’t wear my religion on my sleeve, I am on the board of directors at Temple B’nai Jacob in Wellington,” Johnson said. “I am a gabbai, which is kind of like an alderman or deacon. We help with the officiating of the service.”

In Wellington, Johnson served as a member of the village’s Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board from 2000 to 2010, during some of the village’s boom years. “I’ve seen a lot of growth. We were annexing parcels of land along State Road 7,” he recalled, remarking that there have many improvements over the years. “The roads don’t flood quite as often.”

There have also been challenges with that growth. “I’ve seen the neighbor versus neighbor issues develop, the equestrian versus residential, and then the equestrian versus equestrian,” he recalled. “I live in the area of South Shore, so I’m right near the equestrian preserve.”

Now at the pinnacle of his profession, the law was not really his first career choice, although he made excellent preparations for it.

A graduate from Columbia University in 1973 and the Georgetown University Law Center in 1976, Johnson is also reported to have spent 16 years on the road in the 1970s and 1980s with the North Star Band and the Pheromones, releasing eight albums, before he devoted his primary energies to his daytime gig as a lawyer.

“I could have been a contender,” said Johnson with a laugh. “I don’t know how big a part of my life music has been; our band performs an average of about three or four times a month around South Florida.”

Palm Beach County is much better off that Johnson’s primary career ended up being in the law, not music.

Today, he supervises the departments of training, ethics, legal affairs, juvenile and investigation units; a support staff of 220 for the 120 attorneys in the office. He also presents training seminar courses on the ethics of discovery.

It has been mandated that every attorney take training on discovery or exculpatory evidence, also called Brady evidence, before they practice in circuit court. “I was tapped to give the presentations,” said Johnson, who added that a recording of the two-hour course is on the Florida Bar web site. “So, I took some teasing from peers about that.”

Johnson also chairs the Sober Homes Task Force, which includes the Criminal Law Enforcement Task Force and the Civilian Task Force. This effort is charged with combating the opioid crisis and abuses at uncertified recovery residences and drug treatment centers. Both task forces meet once a month to develop recommendations on how to fix this community scourge.

The serious side of Johnson’s personality comes out when he discusses the opioid epidemic. “I give community talks for the office to different groups about this problem and what people in the community can do,” he said. “Opioid addiction is the health crisis of our time.”

Two years ago, the department received some funding for this issue and Aronberg asked Johnson to handle the Sober Homes Task Force. However, that was just the start

“We were responsible for the legislation that passed last spring,” Johnson said. “I think it has made us one of the most innovative and forward-thinking states in the United States.”

As a matter of fact, other states, such as Texas and California, have begun to emulate Florida’s program. “Folks from Orange County, Calif., will be observing our next monthly task force meeting to see how we do things,” Johnson said.

South Florida is the location of many vibrant communities, destination cities with amenities and a tradition of tourism. Such places have a long history in the addiction treatment industry. This, combined with the misuse of well-intentioned laws such as the Affordable Care Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, created a perfect storm for the opioid crisis.

“Opioid addiction is a disease, substance abuse disorder, and is a fact of life. The demographic most affected is young people, still on their parent’s insurance, who have come to our state for substance abuse treatment,” Johnson explained.

Here they exhaust their benefits and sometimes become the victims of unscrupulous bad actors who promote them into a cycle of relapse, with sometimes bogus treatment in rogue sober houses, instead of a cycle of recovery in facilities certified to national standards.

Johnson is quick to differentiate between the legitimate part of the industry and those rogue elements.

“There are good providers in the industry, and they are getting killed by all the bad actors causing all the bad press,” he said. “The good ones, most of the time you don’t even know they are there. They have good neighbor policies. The physical appearance of the house is usually better than most of the homeowners on the block.”

The bad ones, however, are more flop houses and not really sober houses.

“Those are the ones that drive neighborhoods crazy,” Johnson said. “There is drug use, no one overseeing the house, criminal activity. Residents can report such a house to our office or the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. They have a very professional and knowledgeable crew that is trained to deal with it safely.”

The Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office has worked to get laws on the books that prohibit kickbacks for referrals to treatment facilities. “We are turning on the lights, and the bad actors are scurrying to other jurisdictions,” Johnson said. “We are working to reward outcomes instead of just paying a fee for services.”

Johnson is very proud of the office’s work fighting this scourge.

“It is such a thorny issue that has touched almost every home,” Johnson said. “It is a true everyman epidemic. I give kudos to Dave Aronberg for the program he has set up. It is the only one of its kind in the country.”

Johnson said that the office’s work on opioids is a huge team effort that takes a tremendous amount of work, “It takes up a lot of time. I can’t swim as much as I used to,” he remarked, although he does have some time on Sundays.He first joined the State Attorney’s Office in 1993 when he worked under former State Attorney Barry Krischer. He left after almost 17 years when Krischer retired. Johnson spent the next several years as executive director of the Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics. He returned to the State Attorney’s Office in 2013 when Aronberg took over as the county’s top prosecutor.

Johnson’s resume is impressive, including serving as a member and then chairman of the Unlicensed Practice of Law Committee; and at the Prosecuting Attorney’s Association in areas including prosecutors, evidence, homicide prosecution, jury selection and victim rights. For more than 20 years, he has also regularly served as a volunteer judge for youth court. Other community service runs the gamut from legal organizations to little league coach.

When not working or pursuing his musical hobby, Johnson enjoys swimming and riding his bike through his long-since-adopted hometown. In fact, the community pool is one of the things he likes best about Wellington.

“It is a lovely community, and it has a great swimming pool that needs to be open on Sunday,” he said. “I swim there all the time. I’m friendly with all the guards. They have a great crew out there and a great facility, as I say, it just needs to be open on Sunday.”

When Johnson moved to South Florida, he checked out Wellington at the suggestion of a law school friend, Judge Peter Evans. “One of my best friends suggested Wellington,” he said. “It was, and is, a great family community. I raised two children in the village.”

While his children are now grown and have moved away, Johnson stays active in the community.

“While I don’t wear my religion on my sleeve, I am on the board of directors at Temple B’nai Jacob in Wellington,” Johnson said. “I am a gabbai, which is kind of like an alderman or deacon. We help with the officiating of the service.”

In Wellington, Johnson served as a member of the village’s Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board from 2000 to 2010, during some of the village’s boom years. “I’ve seen a lot of growth. We were annexing parcels of land along State Road 7,” he recalled, remarking that there have many improvements over the years. “The roads don’t flood quite as often.”

There have also been challenges with that growth. “I’ve seen the neighbor versus neighbor issues develop, the equestrian versus residential, and then the equestrian versus equestrian,” he recalled. “I live in the area of South Shore, so I’m right near the equestrian preserve.”

Now at the pinnacle of his profession, the law was not really his first career choice, although he made excellent preparations for it.

A graduate from Columbia University in 1973 and the Georgetown University Law Center in 1976, Johnson is also reported to have spent 16 years on the road in the 1970s and 1980s with the North Star Band and the Pheromones, releasing eight albums, before he devoted his primary energies to his daytime gig as a lawyer.

“I could have been a contender,” said Johnson with a laugh. “I don’t know how big a part of my life music has been; our band performs an average of about three or four times a month around South Florida.”

Palm Beach County is much better off that Johnson’s primary career ended up being in the law, not music.

Today, he supervises the departments of training, ethics, legal affairs, juvenile and investigation units; a support staff of 220 for the 120 attorneys in the office. He also presents training seminar courses on the ethics of discovery.

It has been mandated that every attorney take training on discovery or exculpatory evidence, also called Brady evidence, before they practice in circuit court. “I was tapped to give the presentations,” said Johnson, who added that a recording of the two-hour course is on the Florida Bar web site. “So, I took some teasing from peers about that.”

Johnson also chairs the Sober Homes Task Force, which includes the Criminal Law Enforcement Task Force and the Civilian Task Force. This effort is charged with combating the opioid crisis and abuses at uncertified recovery residences and drug treatment centers. Both task forces meet once a month to develop recommendations on how to fix this community scourge.

The serious side of Johnson’s personality comes out when he discusses the opioid epidemic. “I give community talks for the office to different groups about this problem and what people in the community can do,” he said. “Opioid addiction is the health crisis of our time.”

Two years ago, the department received some funding for this issue and Aronberg asked Johnson to handle the Sober Homes Task Force. However, that was just the start

“We were responsible for the legislation that passed last spring,” Johnson said. “I think it has made us one of the most innovative and forward-thinking states in the United States.”

As a matter of fact, other states, such as Texas and California, have begun to emulate Florida’s program. “Folks from Orange County, Calif., will be observing our next monthly task force meeting to see how we do things,” Johnson said.

South Florida is the location of many vibrant communities, destination cities with amenities and a tradition of tourism. Such places have a long history in the addiction treatment industry. This, combined with the misuse of well-intentioned laws such as the Affordable Care Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, created a perfect storm for the opioid crisis.

“Opioid addiction is a disease, substance abuse disorder, and is a fact of life. The demographic most affected is young people, still on their parent’s insurance, who have come to our state for substance abuse treatment,” Johnson explained.

Here they exhaust their benefits and sometimes become the victims of unscrupulous bad actors who promote them into a cycle of relapse, with sometimes bogus treatment in rogue sober houses, instead of a cycle of recovery in facilities certified to national standards.

Johnson is quick to differentiate between the legitimate part of the industry and those rogue elements.

“There are good providers in the industry, and they are getting killed by all the bad actors causing all the bad press,” he said. “The good ones, most of the time you don’t even know they are there. They have good neighbor policies. The physical appearance of the house is usually better than most of the homeowners on the block.”

The bad ones, however, are more flop houses and not really sober houses.

“Those are the ones that drive neighborhoods crazy,” Johnson said. “There is drug use, no one overseeing the house, criminal activity. Residents can report such a house to our office or the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. They have a very professional and knowledgeable crew that is trained to deal with it safely.”

The Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office has worked to get laws on the books that prohibit kickbacks for referrals to treatment facilities. “We are turning on the lights, and the bad actors are scurrying to other jurisdictions,” Johnson said. “We are working to reward outcomes instead of just paying a fee for services.”

Johnson is very proud of the office’s work fighting this scourge.

“It is such a thorny issue that has touched almost every home,” Johnson said. “It is a true everyman epidemic. I give kudos to Dave Aronberg for the program he has set up. It is the only one of its kind in the country.”

Johnson said that the office’s work on opioids is a huge team effort that takes a tremendous amount of work, “It takes up a lot of time. I can’t swim as much as I used to,” he remarked, although he does have some time on Sundays.

One of three chief assistants to State Attorney Dave Aronberg, Johnson manages what would be the largest law firm in the county. He first joined the State Attorney’s Office in 1993 when he worked under former State Attorney Barry Krischer. He left after almost 17 years when Krischer retired. Johnson spent the next several years as executive director of the Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics. He returned to the State Attorney’s Office in 2013 when Aronberg took over as the county’s top prosecutor.

Johnson’s resume is impressive, including serving as a member and then chairman of the Unlicensed Practice of Law Committee; and at the Prosecuting Attorney’s Association in areas including prosecutors, evidence, homicide prosecution, jury selection and victim rights. For more than 20 years, he has also regularly served as a volunteer judge for youth court. Other community service runs the gamut from legal organizations to little league coach.

When not working or pursuing his musical hobby, Johnson enjoys swimming and riding his bike through his long-since-adopted hometown. In fact, the community pool is one of the things he likes best about Wellington.

“It is a lovely community, and it has a great swimming pool that needs to be open on Sunday,” he said. “I swim there all the time. I’m friendly with all the guards. They have a great crew out there and a great facility, as I say, it just needs to be open on Sunday.”

When Johnson moved to South Florida, he checked out Wellington at the suggestion of a law school friend, Judge Peter Evans. “One of my best friends suggested Wellington,” he said. “It was, and is, a great family community. I raised two children in the village.”

While his children are now grown and have moved away, Johnson stays active in the community.

“While I don’t wear my religion on my sleeve, I am on the board of directors at Temple B’nai Jacob in Wellington,” Johnson said. “I am a gabbai, which is kind of like an alderman or deacon. We help with the officiating of the service.”

In Wellington, Johnson served as a member of the village’s Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board from 2000 to 2010, during some of the village’s boom years. “I’ve seen a lot of growth. We were annexing parcels of land along State Road 7,” he recalled, remarking that there have many improvements over the years. “The roads don’t flood quite as often.”

There have also been challenges with that growth. “I’ve seen the neighbor versus neighbor issues develop, the equestrian versus residential, and then the equestrian versus equestrian,” he recalled. “I live in the area of South Shore, so I’m right near the equestrian preserve.”

Now at the pinnacle of his profession, the law was not really his first career choice, although he made excellent preparations for it.

A graduate from Columbia University in 1973 and the Georgetown University Law Center in 1976, Johnson is also reported to have spent 16 years on the road in the 1970s and 1980s with the North Star Band and the Pheromones, releasing eight albums, before he devoted his primary energies to his daytime gig as a lawyer.

“I could have been a contender,” said Johnson with a laugh. “I don’t know how big a part of my life music has been; our band performs an average of about three or four times a month around South Florida.”

Palm Beach County is much better off that Johnson’s primary career ended up being in the law, not music.

Today, he supervises the departments of training, ethics, legal affairs, juvenile and investigation units; a support staff of 220 for the 120 attorneys in the office. He also presents training seminar courses on the ethics of discovery.

It has been mandated that every attorney take training on discovery or exculpatory evidence, also called Brady evidence, before they practice in circuit court. “I was tapped to give the presentations,” said Johnson, who added that a recording of the two-hour course is on the Florida Bar web site. “So, I took some teasing from peers about that.”

Johnson also chairs the Sober Homes Task Force, which includes the Criminal Law Enforcement Task Force and the Civilian Task Force. This effort is charged with combating the opioid crisis and abuses at uncertified recovery residences and drug treatment centers. Both task forces meet once a month to develop recommendations on how to fix this community scourge.

The serious side of Johnson’s personality comes out when he discusses the opioid epidemic. “I give community talks for the office to different groups about this problem and what people in the community can do,” he said. “Opioid addiction is the health crisis of our time.”

Two years ago, the department received some funding for this issue and Aronberg asked Johnson to handle the Sober Homes Task Force. However, that was just the start

“We were responsible for the legislation that passed last spring,” Johnson said. “I think it has made us one of the most innovative and forward-thinking states in the United States.”

As a matter of fact, other states, such as Texas and California, have begun to emulate Florida’s program. “Folks from Orange County, Calif., will be observing our next monthly task force meeting to see how we do things,” Johnson said.

South Florida is the location of many vibrant communities, destination cities with amenities and a tradition of tourism. Such places have a long history in the addiction treatment industry. This, combined with the misuse of well-intentioned laws such as the Affordable Care Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, created a perfect storm for the opioid crisis.

“Opioid addiction is a disease, substance abuse disorder, and is a fact of life. The demographic most affected is young people, still on their parent’s insurance, who have come to our state for substance abuse treatment,” Johnson explained.

Here they exhaust their benefits and sometimes become the victims of unscrupulous bad actors who promote them into a cycle of relapse, with sometimes bogus treatment in rogue sober houses, instead of a cycle of recovery in facilities certified to national standards.

Johnson is quick to differentiate between the legitimate part of the industry and those rogue elements.

“There are good providers in the industry, and they are getting killed by all the bad actors causing all the bad press,” he said. “The good ones, most of the time you don’t even know they are there. They have good neighbor policies. The physical appearance of the house is usually better than most of the homeowners on the block.”

The bad ones, however, are more flop houses and not really sober houses.

“Those are the ones that drive neighborhoods crazy,” Johnson said. “There is drug use, no one overseeing the house, criminal activity. Residents can report such a house to our office or the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. They have a very professional and knowledgeable crew that is trained to deal with it safely.”

The Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office has worked to get laws on the books that prohibit kickbacks for referrals to treatment facilities. “We are turning on the lights, and the bad actors are scurrying to other jurisdictions,” Johnson said. “We are working to reward outcomes instead of just paying a fee for services.”

Johnson is very proud of the office’s work fighting this scourge.

“It is such a thorny issue that has touched almost every home,” Johnson said. “It is a true everyman epidemic. I give kudos to Dave Aronberg for the program he has set up. It is the only one of its kind in the country.”

Johnson said that the office’s work on opioids is a huge team effort that takes a tremendous amount of work, “It takes up a lot of time. I can’t swim as much as I used to,” he remarked, although he does have some time on Sundays.

First Florida Development Brings Palm Beach Island Luxury To Wellington

In Wellington, many neighborhoods, particularly equestrian neighborhoods, are experiencing a surge in building and development. From 50th Street and South Shore Blvd., to Palm Beach Polo and beyond, there is a new home or farm popping up, each seemingly more opulent than the last.

First Florida Development and Construction, led by president and owner Paul Kleinfeld, is one of the professional contracting companies responsible for the beautiful homes that are adding to Wellington’s aura. The company boasts an unmatched reputation for building some of the most spectacular homes in Palm Beach County and is looking forward to many more projects as part of this Wellington development surge.

First Florida was already a distinguished leader in South Florida luxury development and construction when it landed its first contract in Wellington in 2016. The company, which has a footprint that spans from Palm Beach to Martin County, has created a signature style for luxury homes, and is widely respected for its impeccable standards on building material quality, project management, and the ability to exceed client expectations and schedules.

“I have worked with First Florida over an 18-year period, and it is a truly exceptional company in terms of the product it produces,” said famed landscape architect Howard Ostrout, who frequently works with the firm. “The staff and management’s attention to detail is unmatched, and the company has really good team members, from managers to superintendents.”

Much of the driving force behind First Florida’s success is Kleinfeld, a visionary dedicated to leading the overall strategic planning and direction of the company.

A Florida native, Kleinfeld attended the University of South Florida and graduated with a degree in zoology, followed by graduate studies in marine biology. After a personal realization that he was passionate about building and the satisfaction that comes with completing a project, he founded First Florida in 1975 and has curated a team of professionals with more than 200 years of combined building experience.

“I always believed that if I strived to meet my client’s expectations and do the right thing, that success would follow, and that has been the case with First Florida,” Kleinfeld said. “Ever since I was a young man, I really valued hard work, diligence and respect for people and the environment, and I built my business largely on those principles. I continue to base our company on them to this day. It is a very simple strategy that works wonders.”

Having worked with First Florida and Kleinfeld for a number of years, Ostrout has a similar philosophy.

“In my experience, success starts at the top, and Paul Kleinfeld is such an honest person that he immediately relates well to equestrian clients,” Ostrout said. “Property owners have to feel comfortable when making a decision to place trust in a general contractor, and whether it is a $5 million or $40 million project, Paul is always going to make sure it gets done properly.”

The home that First Florida was contracted to build in Equestrian Estates was designed by the award-winning architectural firm Smith and Moore Architects of Palm Beach. The home, which is part of a larger equestrian property, was a traditional 9,000-square-foot, West Indies-styled home.

“The owners selected First Florida during the design process because they really responded to what they saw in the portfolio and their references,” said Johnathan Moore of Smith and Moore Architects. “First Florida has worked on very high-end projects, and that really fit what we were doing in Wellington. It was immediately apparent that they were very conscious about the work that they were doing, not to mention that the lines of communication were always flowing easily, which was crucial on a project that had such a tight deadline.”

Similar to most construction projects, the general contractor is the driving force on completing construction, which has a trickle-down effect to the rest of team hired to complete the home, such as architects and interior designers.

Constant and complete communication is key to making each project successful, especially when owners may be located anywhere in the world.

“If there is an issue or change of plans, we get calls right away from the First Florida project superintendent, asking how we would like to resolve the issues,” Moore said. “The meetings they facilitate between all of the relevant parties are really helpful in making sure that their jobs move forward on time, concisely and that the client is satisfied — which is, obviously, the most important detail of all.”

With summer quickly approaching, First Florida Development is looking forward to working on a handful of equestrian properties in the Wellington area, as well as acquiring new projects and making clients’ dreams a reality.

“I am really excited about making our mark in Wellington,” Kleinfeld said. “This community is incredibly vibrant and ever-changing, which gives us the opportunity to bring the building expertise that we have honed on coastal-constructed homes to the equestrian space and help to blend the best that Palm Beach County has to offer.”

To learn more about what First Florida Development and Construction can do to help bring your building dreams to life, visit www.firstfloridainc.com.

Women’s Empowerment A Key Focus For Polo Star, Entrepreneur & Model Ashley Busch

Ashley Van Metre Busch, a polo star, entrepreneur and model, has achieved global success at the young age of 27. Her career has come a long way from the first time she rode a horse at age 5 and immediately fell in love with everything about horses. Playing polo is a great way to combine her love for horses with her competitive nature, which she gets from her father and grandfather, who were sailboat racers.

As a bonus to loving polo, Busch also happens to be really good at the sport. She has reached great heights throughout her career with multiple defining moments, and she has solidified herself as one of the sport’s fiercest competitors.

Busch has played in renowned tournaments across the globe, from New York to Argentina, Chile, England, Florida and more. Notable victories include tournaments like the Port Mayaca 14-goal and the International Polo Club 12-goal, which she played with her father Beau. During the Hobe Sound 8-goal tournaments, Busch and her Altair team made it through the season undefeated. Currently, her team competes in tournaments in Wellington throughout the winter season.

As a member of the 2011 U.S. Eastern Circuit polo team, Busch competed against the British Forces/Combined Services polo teams in the historic Chapple Cup Series. The three-match series began at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, in which the teams battled for the Sudan Cup, the second match at the Tidworth Polo Club competing for the Indian Cavalry Officers Cup, and the final match at Guards Polo Club for the United Services Cup.

In addition to her on-field success, last year Busch was named the U.S. Polo Assn. female global brand ambassador. This allowed her to branch out into the modeling world, in which she has found great success.

Busch makes sure to not let her platform and reach go untouched, as she is an avid sponsor of women’s empowerment and equality, particularly in athletics. “My goal is to be a female face for polo as a sport and show women that they can do anything they put their minds to,” she said.

Busch preaches self-confidence and recognizes that polo is one of the few sports that allows both men and women to play on the same field together simultaneously. Because of this, she takes that opportunity to prove to the world that women can be just as successful as men in any sport, and she is always looking to break through the stereotypes.

Her time away from polo allows her to explore other passions in her life, such as fashion and philanthropy. She is coming out with her own swimwear line this year. The Beachy Chic collection is set to launch this spring, and she is expected to branch into other fashion fields in the near future. While the details are still being finalized, Busch has decided that 10 percent of the profits will be going to various charities around the world.

Her other charitable endeavors include hosting polo exhibitions like the Van Metre Polo Cup benefiting Capital Hospice and supporting the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the Commonwealth Polo Cup, the National Sporting Library Polo Classic, Polo for a Purpose and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. She is also proud to be a part of the Van Metre 5-mile run, which benefits the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Busch’s ultimate goal is to create her own foundation and host charity events throughout the U.S. for various causes to pay it forward.

“From a young age, I was always taught the importance of giving back,” Busch said. “And it is my goal to pay it forward in whichever endeavors I am involved in, whether hosting charity polo events or through my swimwear and apparel line.”

In early 2017, she married NASCAR champion Kurt Busch. As a power couple of athletes, they both realize the danger that comes along with their chosen sports. “To be honest, you could get hurt just walking down the stairs,” Busch said. “You cannot let fear stop you from pursuing your passions. You have to live each day to the fullest.”

When asked about the inherent danger that comes with her husband’s profession, Busch noted that the NASCAR safety technology provided to drivers is incredible, and in all likelihood, that probably makes the sport safer than polo.

Busch has actually spent time in a stock car when she drove three laps in Las Vegas for fun. “You get out, and you feel like you can’t even walk. You feel like you’re floating,” she said. “I can’t imagine how these guys do it for 300, 400 laps.”

When they are not at the racetrack or the polo field, the newlyweds split their time at residences in Wellington and Mooresville, N.C.

Free time, which is at something of a minimum, is very important to Busch. During that time, she likes to stay fit, work out and just relax at home with her dogs and husband. Nights out are rare, since Ashley and Kurt usually just cook dinner at home and enjoy each other’s company there.

Busch advises those who travel and want to stay in shape to take time out of each day to do at least one thing, just as she does. From walking her dogs, doing sit-ups in the park or even going for a bike ride, she makes time to just keep active.

Learn more about Ashley Busch at www.ashleybusch.com.

In Retirement, Roxanne Stein Puts Her Focus On Her Adopted Hometown Of Wellington

Along with providing the people of Palm Beach County with their news for nearly 25 years, Roxanne Stein has made her mark on the Wellington community, just as Wellington has made its mark on her.

From a young age, Stein knew that she wanted to work in the business of producing and delivering news. She vividly recalls growing up in Pennsylvania, watching the news on a black-and-white screen and aspiring to one day provide communities with the important news of the day.

“I loved that every night the news was different. Every night there was something new to follow,” Stein recalled. “I was only seven or eight, but I loved it. I started clipping out headlines from newspapers and making scrapbooks because I loved tracking what happened every day in life.”

After graduating from the Pennsylvania State University, Stein began her news career in her hometown of Lancaster, Pa. In 1993, she made the move south to West Palm Beach and became the news anchor known and loved by many on WPTV News Channel 5.

Stein, along with her co-anchor John Favole, became familiar faces in Palm Beach County.

For Stein, the most rewarding feeling of being responsible for delivering news — good or bad — to the people of the Palm Beaches was being able to be there for residents by providing necessary information.

“I have had so many great opportunities and covered many amazing stories, but what I really loved was being part of the community and part of people’s lives,” said Stein, who recently retired from her news anchor position. “It was important to me to embrace people around me, because it’s part of my personality to do so. I tried to deliver news [thinking] of the families and kids watching at home.”

After her 41-year news career, some recent events began to take a stronger toll on Stein. Hurricane Irma last year, for example, was harder for her than previous storms she covered.

“It was hard — sleeping at the station, being away from home and having my husband be home alone,” Stein said. “It’s the business, and I wouldn’t complain about it, but it was hard.”

Covering the news surrounding the Feb. 14 deadly school shooting in Parkland was also harder and more surreal for Stein.

“Parkland really got to me. Parkland is only an hour away, and it is so much like Wellington,” she said. “The stories of the kids and teachers who went to school just trying to make the world better and ended up dying really affected me. I got emotional about it, and there were a couple times on the air that I had to look away.”

The best stories Stein delivered were those about the people in the community who go out of their way to help others in need.

“There is so much good in this community, and there is so much being done by people who want to help each other and make a difference when it’s needed,” she said. “It is so important to tell the stories of what the community does for each other.”

After more than two decades at WPTV and much consideration, Stein left her anchor chair on March 30.

“I was very lucky to do what I wanted to do for 41 years and to [work] in the same place for 25 years,” she explained. “I really have been very fortunate to be part of a community that embraced me just as I embraced it. I also love the people I worked with at Channel 5, but I felt ready to be off such a hectic schedule. It just felt like the right time. I always wanted and planned to retire while I could still do things.”

She is excited about this new phase of her life and has no regrets about the timing.

“WPTV gave me a job for so long, and my job was great, but it was time to move on. People told me I would mourn my job, but I don’t think so,” Stein said. “I think if people have a lot of fun throughout life, they can continue to have a lot of fun when they are no longer working.”

Since her retirement, Stein has invested most of her energy into spending more time with her husband, Steve Moss, going on daily trail rides with her horse, Bamboo, riding her bicycle around town or playing tennis to stay active.

“Bamboo and I trail ride around Wellington every day and have a wonderful time,” said Stein, who has long enjoyed the equestrian aspects of her adopted hometown. “He’s a special horse, he loves what he does and loves taking care of me.”

She is thankful that her career left her financially secure, but noted that she has never been a big spender. “[My husband and I] live a very modest lifestyle,” Stein explained. “We bought a house 22 years ago, we still live in it, and we are not moving out of it.”

While she has retired from WPTV, she has clearly not retired from high-profile community roles. She was recently installed as the new president of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce.

With the chamber, Stein hopes to support Wellington businesses on a positive and prosperous path.

“With the chamber’s members and board, I want to help businesses become stronger and provide them with the tools they need to be profitable in the community,” she said. “Businesses make our community stronger. It is also important that we support our local businesses, our mom and pops.”

After taking a period of time to relax and enjoy a more laid-back schedule, Stein hopes to get even more involved in maintaining Wellington’s community.

“Wellington is a very special and significant place to me,” she said. “I love the community here, and I want to help keep Wellington as wonderful as it is. It is such a family place, and communities that embrace families, like Wellington does, are at the fiber of this country.”