Roy Black’s yearly bash

A motley crew of South Florida characters and hoi polloi turned up at criminal defense lawyer Roy Black’s house for his and his wife Lea’s annual black-tie bash in support of Bay Point School, which serves at-risk youths.

The cast of characters included drag queen Elaine Lancaster, the rapper Loon, the late Victor Posner’s former girlfriend and business partner Brenda Nestor, Washington Redskins defensive end Bruce Smith, Latin pop singer Ana Cristina and asbestos attorney James Ferraro. There was even a rare sighting of a newspaper reporter in a tuxedo.

All told, 444 people gathered at Black’s lavish home across from the Granada Golf Course in Coral Gables. Rush Limbaugh, Roy Black’s latest celebrity client, did not attend. A VIP table for eight cost a cool $10,000.

“It looked like the bar scene from ‘Star Wars,’ ” quipped Joseph P. Klock Jr., managing partner of Steel Hector & Davis in Miami, who teaches at the Bay Point School every week and attended the fund-raiser with his wife, Susan.

The evening began with a performance for the 200 biggest donors inside Black’s 11,000-square-foot home by former Bee Gees singer and Miami Beach resident Barry Gibb and his band. Following a “Saturday Night Fever” medley by the disco star, the crowd emptied out into the Blacks’ acre-size yard. They joined the other guests outside, and everyone dined on donated delicacies from the Palm Restaurant, The Forge and Randazzo’s Little Italy.

Mrs. Black, who organized the event, said everything from the sound system to the flowers to the seemingly unlimited supply of liquor and wine was donated. “We can make so much because we get everything underwritten,” she said.

Following dinner, an auction was held that included a signed cowboy hat from Madonna, a Janet Jackson autographed outfit, Peter Maxx artwork and a signed guitar from Sting.

About $500,000 was raised for Bay Point School, Mrs. Black said. Bay Point is a boarding school founded in 1995 by Dr. Mary Louise Cole. It educates boys 13 and older who come to the school as court-adjudicated delinquents. According to the school, almost 90 percent of the boys go on to finish high school, attend college or find employment in a vocational career.

The Blacks have been sponsoring the annual fundraising party for the school for the past seven years. Mrs. Black said the event, which got rained on last year, is becoming increasingly popular each year. This year, she said, there was a waiting list because there was a limit to the number of people that the Blacks could comfortably fit in their house and yard.

“My husband is just going to have to work harder and get me a bigger yard,” Mrs. Black said. “It was so upsetting to turn money away.”

— Matthew Haggman