Page 1 - The Shorers of Jupiter - April '25

Our Village Voice

VOL. 36 NO. 4 www.seabreezepublications.com APRIL 2025

Commissioner’s Update Bill’s Box

Free Tax Services Offered To • Social Security Cards for you, your spouse (if married), By Bill Thompson
and all dependents listed on the return
Palm Beach County Residents • Correct birth dates for all names listed on the return The Days Of Wine And
• All W-2s for 2024, including spouses Roses
By Mayor Maria G. Marino • Form 1098 – Mortgage interest, property taxes To the contrary—Life
It’s that time of year when • Form 1099 – DIV, G, INT, MISC, NEC, K, Q, R, RRB, is complicated.
the United Way of Palm SSA for 2024 Where I grew up in
Beach County teams up • Bank account and routing numbers for direct deposit a little town in North
with IRS-certified Volunteer of your refund (This is optional, but it gets your cash to Carolina, there was one
Income Tax Assistance you fast) dentist and one primary
(VITA) volunteers for a • A Photo ID card (driver’s license, etc.), including care doctor. Here in
tax-free filing campaign. spouse’s, if married and filing joint return Jupiter, I have a primary doctor who, when felt necessary,
This initiative offers free, • For Dependent Care Credit, bring care provider’s sends me to a specialist who sends me to a specialist who
confidential, and secure tax name, address, SSN/EIN, and amount you paid sends me to another specialist who sends me to another
preparation and e-filing for • For Education Credit, bring 1098T or 1098E and specialist. Soon I have a string of specialists and many
qualified taxpayers. Taxes amount paid for qualified expenses appointments. Seven specialists and a primary. That is
Filed Free provides two easy and stress-free ways to file • Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace eight doctors and one dentist. That is a lot to keep up
at no cost: taxpayers can file online at www.MyFreeTaxes. Statement with. Mercy. I need a medical secretary. Thank God for
com anytime and anywhere, or they can meet with an If married and filing a joint return, both spouses must one fine talented wife with a keen eye for detail.
IRS-certified volunteer in person at one of 16 locations come to the VITA site. And with all that, I’m primarily just tired. Sick and
throughout the county. Volunteers are available to assist VITA volunteers will NOT prepare Schedule D tired of being sick and tired.
in English, Spanish, Creole and sign language, with no (Complex), Schedule E, Employee Business Expenses, Don’t worry. I’ll be here when all my friends are gone.
appointment required. Moving Expenses and Nondeductible IRA. Stubborn, you know. With the life I’ve lived, one builds
To make it easier to prepare your return please bring the This Free Tax Assistance is offered from Thursday, longevity and survival. Not correct, of course. but fun to
following items to the VITA sites: January 22 to Tuesday, April 15. Don’t miss this deadline! think.
• Last year’s Federal Income Tax Return (2024 income To find a VITA site location near you, call 211 or visit What Else?
tax returns) www.TaxesFiledFree.org. The python crossing Island Way, the gator crossing
Longshore with his dinner firmly clinched in giant
Northern Notes jaws—a mid-size mud turtle, and a mid-sized alligator
seen in Misty Lake, subsequently captured by the Fish
and Wildlife.
Raccoons – Misunderstood Bill’s Box on page 3

Masked Marauders

By Katie Roundtree,
Director of Finance and
Administration
Northern Palm Beach
County Improvement District
Trash pandas, bandits,
thieves—these are all
nicknames for northern
raccoons. Raccoons,
common throughout
Florida, are a testament to
the adaptability of wildlife.
They can thrive in both urban and rural environments,
even as their natural habitats shrink. A large part of their than their front legs, giving them a hunched appearance.
success is due to their adaptability to new challenges and Their feet have five moveable toes, allowing them to
opportunities, whether that’s nesting in cozy chimneys, grab and handle food. Both a raccoon’s front and rear
invading chicken coops, or breaking into trash bins, paws resemble a human hand, featuring five slender,
their reputation as sneaky thieves who prefer to steal finger-like toes that enable them to easily manipulate
trash to survive is a testament to their intelligence and food and objects. Raccoons have extremely sensitive
resourcefulness. front paws with specialized hairs, allowing them to
Raccoons are about the size of a small dog and weigh easily locate and identify objects by touching them. This REPORT SUSPICIOUS
around 1 to 25 pounds when fully grown. They are sensitivity increases when their paws are wet. While it
most notable for their black eye masks and ringed tails. appears that raccoons “wash” their food by dunking it in ACTIVITY IMMEDIATELY
Raccoons also have flat feet, with their hind legs longer water, they are actually using this behavior to enhance
their sense of touch. In TO THE JUPITER POLICE
fact, their scientific name,
Procyon lotor, literally DEPARTMENT
means “washing dog.”
When raccoons dunk their (561) 799-4445
food in the water and,
seemingly, wash it, they Use 911 for emergencies only.
are really just making their Lock car doors. Do not leave
paws more sensitive. Water
valuables in the car.
Northern Notes on page 2