Madlane Behind The Scenes

Early in the mornings at then newly opened Sugar Sand Park, Madlane Bentivegna enjoyed sitting on a bench watching the birds, squirrels, raccoons, and even a normally nocturnal fox begin their days.

She'd then head inside to her office within the Sugar Sand Community Center, usually leaving the wildlife behind.

But not always.

Then again, the venomous coral snake slithering through her office wasn't exactly invited.

“Briann [Harms] was in the office and I wanted to ask her a question,” Bentivegna said. “I turn around. I see the snake. I said, 'Briann, there's a snake headed your way!'”

After a bit of scrambling, maintenance workers humanely captured and removed the coral snake. Both Harms and Bentivegna now laugh about the intrusion.

No individual witnessed everything that's happened within the District during its first 50 years, but no one person saw more than Bentivegna. 

Hired in 1986 as the District's first employee, Bentivegna provided the District with a pillar of stability for more than three decades as the board secretary.

During those years she worked with all but four of the Commissioners ever elected to serve the District.

“Maddy was always very nice to me,” current Commissioner Steve Engel said. “She was always very accommodating. If I had a question she went out of her way to make sure I had the right answer.”

The District completed construction on Patch Reef and Sugar Sand parks, and began the upgrades at the Boca Raton Swim and Racquet Center during Bentivegna's three decades.

She drew extra pleasure with the opening of each facility.

“I like to say I was the person behind all the paperwork on the projects,” Bentivegna said, smiling. “So when we had a dedication or we had a groundbreaking or whatever, I used to secretly say in my head, 'You know Madlane, if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be here,' because I notarized everything.”

Of all those projects, Bentivegna most enjoyed Sugar Sand. The community center within the park served as her office for more than a decade. 

The carousel, installed in 2005, is her favorite feature in large part because it reminds her of her youth.

“Well, I'm from New York, and there we have Central Park," Bentivegna said. "We have the carousel there, and I have fond memories. As a young kid, my parents used to take me there. And now I take my grandchildren here. I took my children here.”

One of the great joys of her job came from watching Boca Raton children enjoy the park.

“The only time I heard kids cry was when they had to leave,” she said.

Looking back on her career, Bentivegna prides herself on helping the board remain responsive to the community's needs.

“People came to the meetings - we always had public requests - and they stood up and if they had a complaint or whatever, the board was on it right away,” Bentivegna said. “If they needed any information, I gave it to them. I can't say that I had any hard times with anyone.”

Bentivegna has traveled frequently since her 2019 retirement and is currently creating a social networking group for single, widowed and divorced women within her Boca Raton community.

She remains a frequent Sugar Sand visitor - and hasn't seen a snake there for quite some time.

“I think that the job was good to me,” Bentivegna said. “And the District was good to me, and I was good to the District. I have nothing but good memories. I'm proud to come back and see everything still well maintained and even has gotten better. I see the Science Explorium. They have more lights, more action, and I see everyone enjoying it. That warms my heart.”