Stet NewsGood morning, Stetters! For you today, convention center clash, a campaigner’s complaint, preparing for the big detour, a death in the environmental family and Jupiter restaurateurs have a new project.
A special thank you to everyone who reads our newsletter each week or visits StetNews.org. June was our biggest month yet for online visits.
💥 Convention center hotel talks break down
More than a year after Palm Beach County selected Related Ross to build a 400-room hotel next to the county convention center, no deal has been reached and Related Ross has withdrawn its proposal.
Catch up quick: The megadeveloper run by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross disowned a follow-up proposal sent to the county in June. Related said it didn’t send the 14-page proposal even though it included details on how Related wished to structure the deal without property taxes.
- The county had rejected that approach because it ran afoul of the rules the county spelled out in 2023 to accept bids for the hotel, which could cost $290 million.
Why it’s important: The hotel is critical to the convention center’s growth and success. Without enough nearby hotel rooms, the convention center on Okeechobee Boulevard in downtown West Palm Beach is unlikely to bring in more outside groups for major conventions.
- Studies have shown the need for 1,000 nearby hotel rooms. The existing Hilton hotel, built by Related, has 400 rooms. The second hotel, a Signia by Hilton, also would have 400 rooms.
What they’re saying: “If we have more hotel rooms, the opportunity for national conventions is there,” County Mayor Maria Marino said. “We can’t even go to that market because we don’t have the rooms.”
Yes, but: Despite the stalemate over the hotel, the county is moving forward with plans for a 280,000-square-foot addition to the 20-year-old convention center.
Zoom in: The lead county negotiator on the deal also has been a key player in the drama surrounding the county’s selection of a new leader to replace Verdenia Baker as county administrator.
Isami Ayala-Collazo was among four finalists for Baker’s job. When county commissioners on June 17 selected Clerk and Comptroller Joe Abruzzo, Ayala-Collazo quit, effective Aug. 1.
What’s next: Negotiations are sure to continue after Abruzzo takes office.
Read more here about the on-again, off-again talks between Palm Beach County and downtown’s biggest builder at StetNews.org.
— Jane Musgrave
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📲 Asnani files election complaint
When text messages signed by a little-known political committee alerted West Palm Beach residents to a news story about a proposal in late March to sell 55 acres to megadeveloper Stephen Ross for a private school, Ross’ consultant Rick Asnani grew alarmed.
As a veteran campaign manager, Asnani believed that state law prohibits campaign-style text messages for issues that aren’t going before voters. He wondered who might have paid for such a campaign.
- In May, he took his concerns to the Florida Elections Commission.
Why it matters: The election complaint pits one of the state’s most well-established campaign managers, Asnani, against up-and-comer, Jennings DePriest of Bradenton. DePriest has ties to Melissa Power, wife of Florida Republican Party Chair Evan Power, and has publicly touted his text messaging prowess.
Catch up quick: Asnani, whose Cornerstone Solutions represents all West Palm Beach city commissioners, including the mayor, and has been on the receiving end of many election complaints, submitted his complaint against the Florida Committee for Accountability, DePriest’s Sarasota-based political committee that took credit for the text campaign.
What they’re saying: “I have no problem with someone who has a different opinion. At least you need to play by the rules,” Asnani told Stet News. “You can’t just drop in and pretend to be a citizen group doing the right thing and do something that could potentially be illegal.”
The text messages, signed in some cases by “Jane” or “Julie,” urged residents to contact their city commissioner and persuade them to reject the city’s land sale to Related.
- “This land deal feels rushed and hidden from the public with no transparency,” the texts said. “No open process? No thanks.”
What the complaint said: “The text messages were not for the purpose of influencing the results of an election since the sale of the land did not need to be submitted to the voters. … As a political committee, expenditures by the Florida Committee for Accountability must be for the purpose of influencing the results of an election.”
- As backup, Asnani attached Stet News’ coverage.
What’s next: The elections commission will review the complaint to see if it’s worth investigating before making any information public.
Keep reading at StetNews.org.
— Joel Engelhardt
🛤️ What we know about the CSX-Northlake shutdown
Stet told you last week about the potential traffic nightmare coming to The Acreage in late July or early August when the CSX Railway shuts down a key railroad crossing for up to eight days.
We’ve learned more since then. Here are the highlights:
- Work shutting down the Northlake Boulevard crossing just west of the Beeline Highway won’t begin before Friday, July 25. The only other option to get the work done before school starts is Friday, Aug. 1.
- Detour routes range from 20 miles to 35. One follows the perimeter of The Acreage, taking motorists from Northlake to Seminole Pratt Whitney Road to Southern Boulevard to Military Trail. The other cuts directly through The Acreage on Coconut Boulevard.
- Traffic counts from April 2024 show an average of nearly 45,000 vehicles per day in both directions along Northlake at the rail crossing. Peak hour eastbound travel is about 1,500 vehicles.
- CSX officials refused to postpone the closure for a year, when a northern route through Avenir is likely to be open, said Mel Pollock, senior project engineer with the Corradino Group. Corradino is managing the $150 million Beeline reconstruction project for the Florida Department of Transportation.
- Locomotive engineers have noticed a safety issue, a dip in the rails as freight and Amtrak-passenger trains cross Northlake, Pollock said. Replacing the rails all at once is the only viable repair option, he said.
- CSX isn’t saying much publicly. It stuck to a one-paragraph statement that did not mention rail safety, except to say “CSX invests heavily in railroad infrastructure maintenance and upgrades to ensure the safe and reliable movement of trains.”
What’s next: CSX has promised to give three weeks notice before closing the crossing. The deadline to announce a July 25 start date is Friday, the Fourth of July.
See the story published last week by Stet News here.
— Joel Engelhardt
Defender of environment Rich Walesky dies
Palm Beach County’s first and longest-serving Environmental Resources Management director died last month.
Rich Walesky, 76, passed away June 14 in hospice at Good Samaritan Medical Center after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
Why it’s important: Walesky built the department into a staunch defender of the county’s open spaces, helping preserve its waterways, coastline and tens of thousands of acres in 38 natural areas.
What they’re saying: “We live in a very special corner of the world, and it’s our obligation to future generations to be good stewards of what we enjoy today,” Walesky often said.
Under his leadership, the department grew from about 30 employees in its first year to more than 165 when he retired in 2011, managing annual operating and capital budgets that together surpassed $125 million.
- “He was very direct,” former County Commissioner Karen Marcus said. “He would come and tell us the truth… And if we were being idiots, he’d tell us and he’d steer us in the direction where he knew it was best for the environment.”
Zoom in: In Winding Waters Natural Area, a 548-acre preserve northwest of Military Trail and 45th Street with hiking trails and abundant bird life, a plaque was erected in Walesky’s honor in 2015.
What’s next: A Celebration of Life will be held at 6 pm July 12 at the Lake Worth Beach Golf Club, chosen for its scenic view of Snook Islands, a wetlands restoration project completed in 2005 under Walesky’s direction.
Read more about Rich Walesky and how he built his legacy at StetNews.org.
— Joe Capozzi
🍊 The Juice
🚨 “I was heading to my gardening job with five workmates when two ICE cars pulled us over. They asked to see my license and everyone’s IDs. They reviewed my record and told me I would be detained. I told them I had gone through court and done everything necessary to be here on a working permit so I didn’t understand why they were arresting me. But it’s hard to speak to them when they’re being so aggressive.” So begins one of five tales on the impact of the federal crackdown on undocumented immigrants in Lake Worth Beach. (The Guardian)
✍🏼 Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the state’s $117 billion 2025-2026 budget yesterday. He vetoed $567 million in projects. The veto list is here.
❓ The mystery buyer who is assembling $250 million in property in the middle of Palm Beach. (New York Post)
🐕 Developers Terra and the Frisbie Group paid $21 million for about one-third of Palm Beach Kennel Club land on Congress Avenue, north of Palm Beach International Airport. It is the first phase of a plan to build a residential and retail development on the 42-acre property. (South Florida Business Journal $$$)
🧑🏻🎓 Tracy Caruso was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday to the Palm Beach State College Board of Trustees. Caruso is married to state Rep. Mike Caruso (R-WPB), who is in the mix for a DeSantis appointment to county clerk or another office. Tracy Caruso is running for her term-limited husband’s state House seat. She joins former County Commissioner Michael Barnett as recent gubernatorial appointees to the state college board. (Governor’s office release)
🏙️ Trying to make sense of the state’s new condo law. (South Florida Sun-Sentinel$$$)
🙃 We Do Not Care Club. Melani Sanders, a 45-year-old mother of three and social media influencer in West Palm Beach, has gained a huge following for celebrating women of a certain age who have stopped trying to please everyone. (The New York Times gift link)
🤖 “Top of Mind Florida,” a podcast by former WPTV anchor Michael Williams and former Palm Beach Post political writer Brian Crowley, looks today at the promises, dangers and disruptions of artificial intelligence. Their guest is Alan Crowetz, president and CEO of Infostream.cc. (YouTube)
561NSIDER:🍹Goodbye, Catch. Hello, Paradise Tavern.
The Catch has barely closed, and already the restaurant owners who are replacing it are at work on the Lake Park property.
What’s happening: The lakeside spot at 766 Northlake Blvd. that was a locals’ seafood favorite will become Paradise Tavern, a cousin to the popular Hap and Hooch in Jupiter’s Bluff Square.
Co-owners Dan Newkirk and Cassidy Flannery, both from Wisconsin, are planning a three-part casual restaurant once walls are moved or cut out.
What they’re saying: “We’re opening up the whole space,” Newkirk said. “We’re taking advantage of the 2,000-square-foot building.” Part of it was a storage space that may serve as a private event room called the Bait Shop. “We’re not firm on exact plans just yet,” he said.
They took possession of the place June 27. “We signed a five-year lease. No one is doing 10-year leases any more.”
Zoom in: Cocktails will be given the treatment of bar chefs. Clear ice in specific shapes for each drink, foams and freshly squeezed juices are used. They make their own coconut cream for the crystal-clear piña colada, as well.
- “A lot of people were mad when they got it,” Flannery said. “It doesn’t look like the typical cocktail. We said, ‘Try it.’ Now it’s one of our signature drinks.”
Catch up quick: As Stet News reported last week, The Catch Seafood and Sushi is moving to Palm Beach Gardens.
What’s next: Paradise Tavern’s opening is planned for September.
Keep reading for what the reimagined space will be like.
— Jan Norris
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