Immigration Attorneys in Palm Beach, FL

(This story was updated to accurately reflect the most current information.)

The only gas and service station in Palm Beach — and one of the few stations in Palm Beach County to still offer full-service pumping — has changed hands for $11.94 million, a newly recorded deed shows.

Peter Berley signed the document to sell the Gray’s Sunoco gas station at 340 S. County Road to a Delaware limited liability company named after the property’s address.

Palm Beach resident and real estate investor Alexander Hufty Griswold is on the buyer’s side of the sale, he confirmed for the Palm Beach Daily News. The company that bought the property is managed by Armata Holdings Management Corp., an entity controlled by Griswold. He also is a member of the town’s Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Griswold intends to preserve the property’s use as a gas station, he told the Palm Beach Daily News.

“I grew up going to the Gray’s Sunoco, and now that it’s the only remaining gas station in Palm Beach, it's crucial to retain this town-serving use for the community,” Griswold said.

Berley could not immediately be reached for comment about the sale.

The gas station was open for business as usual, under its longtime name Gray’s Sunoco, on March 20, the day the deed was recorded by the Palm Beach County Clerk’s office.

The station has four service bays and a small convenience store. It stands on a lot of four-tenths of an acre at the corner of Australian Avenue near Memorial Fountain and Town Hall. Because of Palm Beach’s affluence, it isn’t unusual to see Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, Ferraris and other luxury brands on the property.

A gas station has operated near the present-day site since the early 20th century, according to historical records.

Griswold founded and is managing partner of Armata Holdings Management Corp. He and investors have bought and sold other commercial real estate in Palm Beach, including office and mixed-use buildings on Royal Palm Way, Royal Poinciana Way and Brazilian Avenue. He also has been involved with other estate businesses, some with his family.

Griswold has deep Palm Beach roots. His grandparents were longtime Palm Beachers — the late Standard Oil scion Frances Archbold Hufty and the late Mann Randolph Page Hufty. His mother, Page Lee Hufty, is a former member of the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Berley, who has a home in Delray Beach, sold the property through a Florida limited liability company, Caralex Realty Co. LLC, the deed shows. That company bought the gas station in 2005, for a recorded $2.6 million, from its longtime co-owners, Richard Gray and Paul Lapidus. At the time, Berley had a home in Palm Beach.

Gray and his father, the late John Gray, bought the lease to the station in 1979, Gray told the Palm Beach Daily News. The Gray family acquired the land and building in 1986.

After the 2005 sale, Richard Gray stayed on to co-manage the business, eventually managing it with his son, Brett Gray. They both retired from the business in January, Richard Gray told the Palm Beach Daily News.

“It was a pleasure working there for that many years, and it was time for me to go,” he said, mentioning his 46-year tenure with the business.

Richard Gray said he was not familiar with the new ownership or its plans for the station.

When the Gray family first became affiliated with the business, the station was part of the Gulf Oil network and was one of several gas stations on the island. The others have since closed, Richard Gray said.

In 1989, the facility became a BP Oil station and then a Mobil station before its final transition to the Sunoco brand.

The year before the station changed hands in 2005, a proposal was floated to combine the property with an adjacent town-owned parking garage and build a new mixed-use development with retail space, a parking garage, residential units and office space. But those plans never came to fruition.

As the only fuel station on the island, the station’s profile occasionally has been raised when hurricanes have threatened the town and gas supplies have run low as residents and out-of-towners have rushed to fill the vehicles before and after the storms.

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This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

dhofheinz@pbdailynews.com.

Darrell Hofheinz is a USA TODAY Network of Florida journalist who writes about Palm Beach real estate in his weekly “Beyond the Hedges” column. He welcomes tips about real estate news on the island. Emaildhofheinz@pbdailynews.com, call 561-820-3831 or tweet @PBDN_Hofheinz.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown said he does not think relievers Kaleb Ort or Forrest Whitley will start the season on the major-league roster as they rehab from injuries.

Ort and Whitley both projected to hold spots in Houston’s bullpen if healthy. Ort is recovering from a sore oblique muscle that sidelined him early in camp. Whitley sustained a left knee bone bruise in his last Grapefruit League appearance on March 8.

Brown, appearing Thursday night on “Astroline” on the team’s flagship radio station 790 AM, said he believes both right-handers could be ready “shortly after” the season starts and could return “inside the month of April.”

BRYAN KING: Fastball a pleasant surprise

Ort was scheduled to throw a bullpen session Thursday but has yet to face hitters this spring. Whitley has been limited to playing catch since being sidelined by the knee injury.

Due to their expected absences, the Astros have four bullpen spots to allot before opening day, Brown told 790 AM. Brown said left-hander Steven Okert, a non-roster invitee to camp, is “right there on making this club” and “may take one of (the spots) if he continues to do well.”

Okert, 33, has not allowed a run in 10⅔ innings in Grapefruit League games. He has allowed two hits, walked two batters and struck out 16 across nine spring outings.

Josh Hader, Bryan Abreu, Tayler Scott and Bryan King are penciled into bullpen spots. Opening without Ort and Whitley could create an impetus for Houston to fill some of the other spots with relievers who still have minor league options.

If Ort and Whitley are expected back in April, the Astros will need to clear roster spots for them. Abreu and King have options left but are unlikely to be sent down barring major struggles. Carrying otherwise non-optionable relievers would risk losing whoever is sent out when Ort or Whitley return.

Among relievers still in major-league camp, Luis Contreras and Logan VanWey have options remaining. Nick Hernandez and Bennett Sousa have options and are on the 40-man roster but have already been optioned to minor-league camp. Ort and Whitley are both out of options.

Okert is not on the 40-man roster. Neither is VanWey. Houston can create two 40-man spots by placing pitchers Cristian Javier and J.P. France on the 60-day injured list to start the season. Additional 40-man moves will be required if the Astros carry more than two players who are non-roster invitees in camp.

March 20, 2025

Astros Beat Writer

Matt Kawahara covers the Astros for the Houston Chronicle. He can be reached at matt.kawahara@houstonchronicle.com. He joined the Chronicle in June 2023 after previously working at The San Francisco Chronicle, where he covered the Oakland A's from 2020-23 after two-plus years as the Oakland Raiders beat reporter. He also worked at The Sacramento Bee and primarily covered baseball, writing about the A’s and Giants. He is a Cal alum and Sacramento native.

Florida is known for its beaches and attracts throngs of visitors from spring break, through the summer every year.

Most Floridians know that tourists and visitors tend to gravitate toward some beaches more than others, packing out some strips of sand around the state and leaving others nearly untouched by anyone but locals.

Westgate Cocoa Beach Resort recently analyzed more than 500 beaches around Florida’s ample coastline and counted the number of Instagram posts attached to the top three hashtags for each beach to find the most and least Instagrammed beaches in the state.

Here’s Westgate’s lists of the quietest and most touristy beaches in the Sunshine State.

Most popular Florida beaches: These hotspots had the most Instagram captions/posts

According to the data Westgate collected from Instagram, Miami’s South Beach is (unsurprisingly to Floridians) the most Instagrammed beach in Florida, with more than 9 million posts under the most popular hashtags for that beach.

Palm Beach in Palm Beach County, home of President Trump’s private residence and club, took second place. Clearwater Beach, around 40 minutes away from Tampa by car, took third place.

Here’s Westgate Cocoa Beach Resort’s list of the top 10 most Instagrammed beaches in Florida and how many posts each beach has:

What is the least touristy beach in Florida?

According to Westgate’s list, the least Instagrammed (and possibly quietest) beach in Florida is Gulf Lakes Public Beach, near Rosemary Beach in the Florida panhandle, with just three Instagram posts tied to the beach.

Here’s Westgate Cocoa Beach Resort’s list of the top 10 least Instagrammed beaches in Florida and how many posts each beach has:

What week is spring break in Florida?

Spring break for most counties in Florida will land in the third week of March, some counties will have spring break later in March or in early April.

See the spring break dates for all of Florida’s 67 counties here.

Rain continues to stay away from much of Florida's peninsula, prompting the National Weather Service to issue both red flag warnings and fire weather watches in the wake of a cold front.

Red flag warnings are in effect for east central Florida.

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A fire weather watch has been issued for several counties along the east coast in South Florida.

Low humidity and gusty winds, combined with existing drought conditions, have prompted the weather advisories.

Here's what you should know.

Red flag warnings issued for east central Florida

A red flag warning has been issued for a large part of east central Florida.

Residents can expect wind gusts of 20 to 25 mph and a relative humidity of 20% to 35% as vegetation continues to dry, the National Weather Service Melbourne posted of X, formerly known as Twitter.

Forecasters urge residents to:

What counties are under a red flag warning?

Seven Florida counties (or portions of them) are under a red flag warning:

South Florida under fire weather watch

There are "elevated fire weather concerns" as existing drought conditions combine with today's low humidity and winds of 10 to 15 mph, the National Weather Service Miami posted on X.

"Outdoor burning is NOT recommended."

What counties are under a fire weather watch?

Five Florida counties are under a fire weather watch

What is a fire weather watch?

A fire weather watch is issued when confidence is lower that conditions will reach the point of extreme fire danger. If there's more certainty, a red flag warning is issued, according to Robert Molleda, meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service Miami in a call Friday morning.

Criteria that are factors in the decision have to do with humidity and wind, although available fuel also is considered. Humidity of 35% or lower and winds of 15 mph or greater are used to determine weather a fire weather watch or red flag warning will be issued. If the humidity is low and the winds are high, or expected to occur shortly, a red flag warning is issued.

If there's more uncertainty on those two criteria, but it's possible, a fire weather watch is issued.

"Today, the humidity will easily reach the criteria below 35% Molleda said. But winds are expected to decrease as the day continues.

"It all has to do with timing. There could be a couple of hours late morning or early afternoon" where conditions could warrant a red flag warning. "There's just more uncertainty today.

"Be very careful out there. Be very, very mindful of the threat. It's too dry out there."

The next chance of rain for the area won't be until next week, when there's a 20% to 30% chance for rain on Tuesday, March 25, and a 20% chance on Wednesday.

What is a red flag warning?

A red flag warning is issued when "critical fire weather conditions" are in place.

"A red flag warning means warm temperatures, very low humidity, and stronger winds are expected to combine to produce an increased risk of fire danger," the National Weather Service said.

Brush fire in Miami-Dade County grows to 25,000 acres

Firefighters with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and the Florida Forest Service continued Thursday to battle a brush fire in south Miami-Dade County.

The fire has burned 25,000 acres and was 30 percent contained as of 8:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the Florida Forest Service.

Officials have urged residents to watch for road closures. Card Sound Road remains closed in both directions, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

"We advise residents that live or commute close to the area and have a health condition to take precautions and limit exposure," Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue said on X.

People with respiratory conditions should limit outdoor activity and keep their windows closed.

Heading to the Florida Keys? What to know about brush fires, smoke, road closures

The 25,000 acre brush fire in southern Miami-Dade County could affect your trip to the Keys.

U.S. 1 was closed briefly — known as the 18-Mile Stretch — has been closed intermittently this week as firefighters battled the wildfire. Wednesday afternoon, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said motorists could expect lengthy delays along an 18-mile stretch of U.S. 1, according to the Associated Press.

As of 6 a.m. Friday, Card Sound Road remains closed to all traffic in both directions, but the 18-Mile Stretch is open, according to the Florida Keys Sheriff.

"We urge residents and commuters to avoid the area due to heavy traffic delays and to prevent further congestion," said Daniella Levine Cava, mayor of Miami-Dade County on X.

Burn bans in effect for several Florida counties

Burns bans are in effect for these counties:

Burning yard debris is always prohibited in these counties:

What should you do — or not do — under a red flag warning?

Forecasters said residents under a red flag warning should follow this advice:

Current drought conditions in Florida

The Keetch-Byram Drought Index average for Florida is 314 on a scale from 0, which is very wet, to 800, which is very dry.

As of Thursday, March 20, there are 10 Florida counties with an average Keetch-Byram Drought Index over 500, which means drought or increased fire danger. Another 15 of Florida's 67 counties have index numbers in the 400s.

Interactive map: Enter your address to see closest wildfire risks

Wildfire and smoke tracker: Active wildfires in Florida

Everyday wildfire prevention tips

"Most wildfires are caused by humans; many everyday things can create sparks," the National Weather Service said. Suggestions for everyday wildfire prevention include:

Stay informed. Get weather alerts via text

What's next?

We will continue to update our weather coverage as conditions warrant. Download your local site's app to ensure you're always connected to the news. And look for our special subscription offers here.

Firefighters continue to battle a wildfire that has burned more than 25,000 acres over the last eight days in South Florida.

The fire, identified as the "344 Fire," has affected the only two roads with access to and from the Florida Keys. One of the roads to the Keys remained closed early Friday while officials warn residents and visitors the other road could close again if conditions warrant.

The fire is burning in an area away from commercial and residential development.

Here's what you should know.

'344 Fire' in South Florida 30% contained after burning 25,000 acres

The Florida Forest Service said the 25,000-acre fire — identified as the 344 Fire — burning in south Miami-Dade County is 30% contained, as of 8:24 p.m. Thursday.

What roads to Florida Keys are closed?

Card Sound Road, which leads to Key Largo, remained closed as of Friday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

As of 7:45 a.m. Friday, U.S. 1 was open "but may experience intermittent closures. Expect delays, stay alert for changing conditions, and check for updates before heading out," Miami-Dade County Emergency Management posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"If you must drive through the area, keep windows up and use recirculation mode if air quality is poor. Follow posted speed limits and watch for emergency crews."

Where is the 344 Fire in South Florida?

The Florida Forest Service map shows the 344 Fire extending west of and along U.S. 1 along the 18-Mile Stretch and extending east and north of Card Sound Road.

Interactive map: See what the wildfire risk is near you

Map shows Florida fires today. See where wildfires are burning

What's next?

We will continue to update our weather coverage as conditions warrant. Download your local site's app to ensure you're always connected to the news. And look for our special subscription offers here.