Stet News☀️Hello, Stetters! For you today, our annual breakdown of property values, ice rink backers ask for more time, Riviera Beach Mayor Doug Lawson’s listening tour and a renewed community center in Palm Beach Gardens.
Plus, Day 3 of hurricane season, and so far, so good. We have advice for the next 179.
🐌 Property values still rising, but not as quickly
As experts predicted, the nearly double-digit increases in the Palm Beach County tax rolls slowed this year after a three-year ride.
Why it matters: Local governments will use the valuations to determine the tax rate residents pay to cover the cost of police, fire, libraries, schools, garbage pickup and other municipal services. Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed eliminating property taxes without suggesting a way to replace the money to provide municipal services.
Catch up quick: Property values rose 7.7% countywide.
Yes, but: The increase is less than in the past three years when values rose 9.6% in 2024, 13.5% in 2023 and 15% in 2022.
- This year’s rise topped the 5.6% figure from 2021, before housing prices boomed after the COVID pandemic.
The calculations by Property Appraiser Dorothy Jacks show for the second consecutive year that the taxable value of new construction countywide topped $5 billion.
Zoom in: New construction countywide totaled $1 billion more in 2025 than in 2023.
Two of the leaders: West Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens combined have accounted for a fifth of new construction over the past five years.
The five-year new construction totals: West Palm Beach, $2.3 billion; Palm Beach Gardens, $2 billion; countywide, $22.5 billion.
Zoom out: This year’s valuations are preliminary because municipalities have a month to review them for accuracy and taxpayers have a chance to contest them before the end of the year.
Residents of cities typically pay taxes of $18 to $20 per $1,000 of their property’s taxable value in total to the various taxing bodies on their tax bill. Residents can look up their property and see last year’s tax bill on the Palm Beach County Appraiser’s website here.
Click here to see the taxable value for your city.
— Joel Engelhardt
⏱️ Gardens ice rink backers request delay
The backers of a proposed ice rink complex in Palm Beach Gardens are asking the city for a three-month delay to finalize the $40 million project’s financing.
Catch up quick: Under its April 2024 lease with the city to build the two-rink complex in Plant Drive Park, the nonprofit Palm Beach North Athletic Foundation needed its financing to be in place by July 3.
- Instead, the nonprofit is asking to push the deadline to Oct. 3.
Why it matters: The project faced sharp criticism from residents who objected to the city’s decision to give up an 8-acre park and demolish a skateboard park that had been there since 2002 to make way for the ice rink, supported by hockey luminaries including Wayne Gretzky.
- The delay and the request to extend a 15-month deadline to have the financing in place gives opponents an opportunity to renew the fight.
Under the existing contract, failure to meet the July 3 deadline would put PBNAF in default. The contract gives the nonprofit 30 days to cure the problem. By changing the deadline, the extension pushes back the default provision.
What they’re saying: PBNAF said in a statement that it is seeking the extension out of “an abundance of caution” at the recommendation of the city. The loan closing could still occur in July, and construction would start immediately afterward, the statement said.
The other side: Opponents point out that PBNAF failed to meet its financial thresholds in 2022, forcing the city to terminate plans to build the complex in the Gardens North County District Park.
- “They failed to meet financing at every level despite four extensions,” resident Rebecca McKeich said. “And here we are again.”
Zoom out: The facility has a $10 million pledge from billionaire hockey enthusiast Larry Robbins.
Of note: PBNAF is not asking the city to provide support for the bonds. To obtain tax-exempt status, it is asking for backing from the Florida Local Government Finance Commission, an entity created by local governments and overseen by the Florida Association of Counties.
Read more: Joel offers more details about the nonprofit’s request here.
— Joel Engelhardt
🎧 Riviera Beach Mayor Lawson on tour
Riviera Beach Mayor Doug Lawson is on a two-month listening tour of his city including stops at a church, a community center and a special session focused on education.
Why it matters: Lawson, who was appointed mayor, not elected, is taking these early weeks to build engagement and support.
Participating in Lawson’s May 19 session, on education, were School Board member Edwin Ferguson, school teachers, principals and parents.
- Lawson enlisted Kendra Spence Wester to moderate. She is the principal of 1251 Learning Essentials Academy in Lake Park and was one of 11 applicants for Riviera Beach mayor.
In the room: Lawson promised a welcoming platform. At the education session, he warmly greeted every speaker and shook their hand when they finished at the microphone. About 50 people attended.
Erik Range, the mayor’s aide, summarized the two hours of comments.
- Challenges include: Most Riviera Beach students are reading below grade level and school attendance is not universally valued.
- Opportunities include: Building on the success some Riviera Beach churches are having in coaching and tutoring young people. Speakers also urged community members to participate in school board meetings.
What’s next: Key points from this and the other sessions will become part of Lawson’s plan.
What he’s saying: “Our goal is to put together a report to actually give back to our residents,” Lawson said. “Not just for the pictures, not just for lights. It’s really to get feedback, engagement and to incorporate that into the programming that we’re doing in the community.”
– Carolyn DiPaolo
🎉 Gardens community center reopens after $30 million renovation
Palm Beach Gardens officials unfurled their $30 million rebuild Saturday of the 42-year-old Burns Road Community Center, opening to a crowd of families and excited children exploring new spots to play, meet and learn.
- City officials cut the ribbon at 2:52 pm and residents armed with Passport to Recreation books flowed into the building, stamping their books at each room along the way to earn a free day at the city pool.
Gone is the quirky entryway and the meeting room along the left side featuring a raised stage. They have been replaced by rooms that can be converted into many uses.
What residents saw:
- Two gymnasiums, one outfitted with inflatable bounce houses and kids games for the event, the other lined by tables where residents could learn about local institutions, such as the hospital or the chamber of commerce.
- A dance studio, with barres along one wall.
- A game room, lined by pinball machines, foosball and air hockey.
- Second-floor meeting rooms, dubbed Imagination and Inspiration, where they met artists Heather Bergstrom and Scott Klimek, who will be teaching art classes.
What they’re saying: “A city of our stature,” said former Council Member Mark Marciano, “it needs to have a facility that tailors to all the needs of the community.”
Zoom in: Leisure Services Director Charlotte Presensky helped persuade the City Council in March 2023 to borrow $10 million to add to $20 million in hand to start the renovation.
- The building closed and work started in August 2023.
“What you do in a room at 8 am is going to be very different than the class at 3 or the next adult class at 8,” Presensky told the council then.
Zoom out: Before members of the City Council cut the ribbon, City Manager Ron Ferris praised city staff and architects OLC and contractor Kast Construction for the work.
Of note: The building opened in 1983 at a cost of $1.5 million after residents gave the city the go-ahead in a 1980 referendum.
— Joel Engelhardt
🍊 The Juice
🤝 Florida legislative leaders said late Friday they have forged a budget deal and lawmakers will start budget conference meetings today. The goal is to pass the budget no later than June 16. (Politico)
🍽️ President Donald Trump pardoned Paul Walczak, the Palm Beach County-based nursing home operator sentenced in April to 18 months in prison, after his mother, GOP donor Elizabeth “Betsy” Fago, attended a $1 million-a-plate Mar-a-Lago fundraiser. Stet wrote about Walczak’s conviction here. (The New York Times free link)
🧑🏽⚖️ Everglades scientist Tom Van Lent will go to jail July 17 to serve a 10-day term imposed over his actions in a lawsuit brought by his former employer, the Everglades Foundation. (WLRN)
🥾 In a code enforcement shakeup, West Palm Beach fired four officers and shut down routine patrols and new inspections for two months. (The Palm Beach Post $$$)
🏛️ An official report outlining potential ethics violations by U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, whose district includes parts of Palm Beach and Broward counties, said there was probable cause to believe that she “accepted campaign contributions linked to an official action.” If proven, the allegation contained in a document released Thursday by the House Ethics Committee, could be a violation of House rules, standards of conduct and federal law. (Sun-Sentinel $$$)
🩺 Florida’s doctors report the state is experiencing a mental health catastrophe, with not enough beds for children in crisis to be admitted into a hospital, advocates said last week at the South Florida Behavioral Health Conference in Fort Lauderdale. The conference featured former congressman and mental health advocate Patrick Kennedy and Randy Scheid, founder and CEO of RGS Partners Consulting in Jupiter. (Sun-Sentinel $$$)
561NSIDER: 🌀 2025 Stet News hurricane roundup
Editor’s note: For years, Stet writer Jan Norris advised Palm Beach Post readers on how to prepare for a hurricane. This year, she updated her list of essentials to give Stet readers some ideas.
📝 The basics: Copy important insurance and ID papers, deeds, titles and medical records and pack them in waterproof containers.
- Secure valuables off property.
- Have a video of your house, inside and out, saved in the cloud.
- Have printed lists of phone contacts.
- For every person, have: water, food (pet food, too), medicines and clean clothing for a week.
- Keep your gas tank at least half full and have cash for transactions.
Practical and comfort items oldtimers swear by:
For power outages:
💡 Strap-on LED headlamps: They’re hands-free. Set them down just right, they’ll light up a small room.
- Idea: Bring rechargeable solar driveway lights inside at night — great for bathrooms, stairs and hallways.
🪭 Battery-operated fans: The O2Cool brand is a favorite.
☀️ Solar phone chargers: Or a battery-operated weather station or lantern with a USB plug.
🍳 Extra propane tanks for the grill. Or a butane-powered portable stove. Don’t forget extra cans of butane.
Keep reading for Jan’s kitchen supply and prep tips.
– Jan Norris
Hurricane headlines
💸 Because the state Legislature has not agreed on a budget, Floridians started hurricane season without their annual sales tax holiday. (WPTV)
⛈️ The National Hurricane Center will release forecasts and tracks for some storms further in advance than last year. (Axios)
And finally, a thoughtful look from ByJoeCapozzi.com at a strip of public waterfront land in Lake Worth Beach that is an urban oasis or a magnet for trouble depending on your point of view. Read it here.
