DUI Lawyers in Seaside Heights, NJ

When I first arrived at the radio station in 2010, I set out to build relationships with the community I served. Through that, I've had the privilege to meet exceptional local leaders who make our area a wonderful place to live. One of the best is Chef Mike Jurusz.

I met Mike shortly after I started doing the afternoon show. Mike's larger-than-life personality and creativity immediately set him apart. I would learn that Chef Mike's generosity is what truly makes him a special individual.

At the time, Mike was the head chef at 709 in Pt. Pleasant Beach, what is now known as B2 Bistro + Bar. During a meeting with a local non-profit, The Ashley Lauren Foundation, I learned about a Monmouth County couple who had recently lost their young son, Mark, to cancer. His nickname was "Mark the Shark," and Marc had quite the obsession. Burgers. While traveling to New York and back for treatments, Mark's parents would make stops at burger joints across Jersey. The Ashley Lauren Foundation was able to arrange a meeting with one of Mark's idols, celebrity Chef Bobby Flay. The young boy even had his own special burger recipe.

It was shortly after Mark passed away that I learned about this special burger. I thought it would be a special way to remember Mark by having someone make his burger. Chef Mike was the first name that came to mind. We arranged a time for Mark's parents to visit the restaurant. They thought that they were meeting me and the executive director of the Ashley Lauren Foundation to discuss involvement. They didn't know that they would be served their son's creation, prepared by Chef Mike himself.

READ MORE: Follow The Story of "A Boy And His Burger"

It was a special moment that is still one of the highlights of my career. But in true"Chef Mike style," he took his generosity to the next level. Mike decided to hold a "Mark the Shark" burger night at his restaurant, with all proceeds benefiting The Ashley Lauren Foundation, which helps bring the dreams of local children battling cancer to life. That's just who Chef Mike Jurusz is.

Chef Mike would go on to purchase the legendary Atlantic Bar and Grill in South Seaside Park and rebrand it "Chef Mike's ABG." His philanthropic endeavors would also continue to grow. Mike elevated the failing eatery to a trendy hotspot that was hard to get reservations at in the summer. Chef Mike was able to marry his delicious cuisine with the million-dollar view of the Atlantic.

I was heartbroken to see on social media that the land on which ABG sits had been purchased, and the developer plans to demolish the restaurant and build 12 new homes. Chef Mike's neighbor, the Island Beach Motor Lodge, will also be torn down. The lease for Chef Mike's ABG is up December 31, 2025. In a tearful announcement video, Mike came to terms with the fact that this will be the last summer for his restaurant.

The chef added that he's currently looking at 30-40 new properties where he can keep his culinary legacy alive. He expressed his gratitude to his fans and customers over the years, who have enabled him to build a life for his family and fulfill his dream. Chef Mike closed by saying that ABG is going out on top with what he's calling "The Chef Mike's ABG Summer of Fun."

Thank you to Chef Mike Jurusz and his staff for many phenomenal meals, get-togethers at the Tiki Bar, and cherished memories with views that will never be replicated. Show your appreciation by making a reservation for one last dinner (or ten) at Chef Mike's ABG.

Here's a taste of the NJ pizza joints Dave Portnoy has reviewed

Dave Portnoy, commonly known as El Presidente, is the founder of Barstool Sports. Somewhere along the way, he decided to start reviewing local pizzerias, and the concept took off. This isn't the entire list, but it's a small sample to get you started.

The developers approved to build a casual oceanfront restaurant on a pier in Seaside Heights will likely begin construction of the new venture just days after the summer season ends, the property owner’s attorney told borough planning board members Monday night, while asking for one more season of temporary attractions.

The Dupont Avenue pier, still vacant since being rebuilt after Superstorm Sandy, will eventually be home to a family-friendly restaurant that will seat 164 patrons – 87 seats on the first level and 77 on the second level – and also feature a rooftop observation platform. It will not have a liquor license. The restaurant was approved in 2021, but its developers have requested several extensions of time, the last of which runs out in April 2026. Joseph D. Coronato, the owners’ attorney, said work is expected to begin within days after the end of the upcoming summer season.

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“They’re ready, and they believe they’ll have the building permit by the end of June,” said Coronato. “I think by the second week of September they’re going to start construction.”

The restaurant will compliment the Ocean Club complex next door, which features beach cabanas and a private pool, alongside a modern bar and restaurant with a large oceanfront deck on the exterior.

“We will have an open-air retractable portion in the back with a series of garage doors, and on the second level we will also have garage doors that will open up,” explained architect Jason Hanrahan, at the time of the building’s approval. “The restaurant will seem like an open air facility when the weather is right. The location lends itself to an indoor-outdoor restaurant.”

Because the pier owners do not want to begin construction during the busy summer season, they have proposed three attractions for the summer – one of which will be returning from last year. Over the course of the last several seasons, the pier has been leased to small business owners who have hosted small children’s rides, a bungee jump machine and a roasted corn stand. This year, the roasted corn stand wishes to return, alongside a face-painting booth and a dart-throwing game where visitors would pop balloons.

“Nothing on the site plan is going to be changing,” said Coronato, who was seeking instruction from the board at an informal workshop meeting on how to best present the plan at a regular meeting later this month. Planning board officials, led by board attorney Steven Zabarsky, suggested Coronato present a site plan to the board which will detail how the attractions will be handled – especially the safety aspects surrounding the dart game.

“We had safety gates and lockups because there were cars involved,” Zabarsky said. “Now we have dart-throwing,” which would likewise require some type of plan to ensure safety.

Coronato said he expects to present the plan at the board’s meeting scheduled for Monday, June 30. If approved, the borough would allow the attractions to open immediately, assuming necessary permits and coordination with the borough were in place.

After the final season of attractions is completed, the pier will be cleared for construction. The future restaurant will feature several decks for oceanfront dining, with the property adding up to about 15,000 square feet once completed. As proposed, the top deck will be for observation purposes only and will not have any tables present. An elevator will be installed to take patrons from floor to floor.

A short-term rental tax ordinance has been on the books in Seaside Heights since 2023, but officials are planning to cooperate with the state to collect the revenue from renters this season for the first time.

For years, Seaside Heights generated revenue to support essential services – the cost of which surges each summer – through a 3 percent tax on hotel and motel rooms. But in recent years, not only has the stock of rooms in the borough diminished significantly as motels have been torn down in favor of condominiums and townhomes, the rental market as a whole has shifted to digital booking services such as Airbnb and VRBO, plus a few local startups. A tax on short-term rentals booked through such services was always contemplated to evolve with the market, replacing the revenue generated from the hotel-motel tax as conditions changed. The problem, however, has been collecting that revenue.

“We’re looking at how to recoup this percentage from Airbnb,” said Mayor Anthony Vaz. “That’s the revenue that is going to be looked at to reduce taxes to pay for those services.”

Seaside Heights, as a municipality, has not had any real mechanism to enforce the short-term rental tax. Visitors pay their bill online, and the money is transmitted to property owners’ bank accounts. Meanwhile, the property owners have no way to charge visitors for the tax – as a hotel normally would – and even if that problem were to be overcome, collections would come with its own share of oversight and processing costs. With the help of officials in neighboring Point Pleasant Beach, their Seaside Heights counterparts believe they will be able to solve the problem for the 2025 season with the help of the state Department of Taxation.

The process includes sending a copy of the borough’s short-term rental ordinance, which imposes the same 3 percent tax on short-term rentals that had been long imposed on hotel stays, to the state. The state then acts as the bridge between Seaside Heights and the digital booking services.

“What happens … is whoever at the Department of Taxation gets this letter has the job of calling Airbnb, VRBO – whatever short-term marketplaces are allowed to do business in New Jersey – and tell them to start sending Trenton the tax that Seaside is supposed to collect,” explained Borough Administrator Anthony Vaz.

The state maintains a list of services that are authorized to offer properties for rent in New Jersey, and officials at that level of government have the capacity to have Airbnb, VRBO and similar services add the 3 percent local tax to the checkout list, like state sales taxes or cleaning fees. The state then transmits the revenue to the borough, noting which properties generated what amount. That, in and of itself, makes enforcement of the tax fair for both taxpayers and homeowners.

“With the hotels and motels, we never saw what the owners were making at the properties,” said Vaz.

Seaside Heights’ ordinance setting the tax rate falls under Chapter 110 of the borough code, which was passed by the council in 2023. In addition to the traditional hotel-motel tax, a paragraph was added to reflect the proliferation of “transient space marketplaces” such as Airbnb and VRBO. The ordinance notes that the tax must be paid by the purchaser, not the property owner.

The annual Easter Promenade is just part of the fun. Get photos with the Easter Bunny, let the kids enjoy an animal show and more.

SEASIDE HEIGHTS, NJ — If part of your Easter celebration involves dressing up in your finest clothes, head over to the boardwalk in Seaside Heights and take part in the annual Easter Promenade.

The annual parade is one of several events on Sunday at Casino Pier in Seaside Heights.

The parade is from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

There will be cash prizes, bicycle raffles and free face painting. Get photos with the Easter Bunny as well.

Children up to 12 years old can participate in the best-dressed contest. There also are prizes for the best dressed twins, best dressed adult female, best dressed adult male and best dressed family.

Find out what's happening in Toms Riverfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Registration begins at 10 a.m. under the canopy on Blaine Avenue and the Boardwalk.

Check out the animal show from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the Casino Pier stage, presented by Rizzo's Wildlife World, with snakes, lizards, frogs, turtles, small mammals and even a baby alligator.

"This fun and informative presentation allows the children in attendance to learn about each animal; where they are from, what they like to eat," organizers said.

You can get photos with the Easter Bunny in the Casino Pier arcade from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The Easter Bunny will be on hand at Lucky Leo's as well. Those who check in by 11 a.m. at Lucky Leo's will get $5 in free game play and they are holding an Easter basket sweepstakes.

In addition, Casino Pier has its Easter sale going on ride tickets, game passes, Breakwater Beach, go-karts and more. See the options here.

This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Manchester|Local Event

RockTide Revival Debut at Hemingway's Cafe - Seaside Heights!

Fri, May 2, 2025 at 8:30 PM

Hemingway's Cafe, 612 Boulevard, Seaside Heights, NJ, 08751

More info here

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A Jersey Select Entertainment Event!

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