Stet NewsHappy Tuesday! For you today, 31 million reasons to be excited about a Palm Beach public park, creative thinking in Palm Beach Gardens, developers compete for Riviera Beach property and The Catch restaurant comes ashore in Northwood.
Plus, get a first look at an important project we’ve been working on this year.
🐚 A milestone at Phipps Ocean Park
The $31 million rebuild of Palm Beach’s Phipps Ocean Park reached a milestone this month when the updated tennis facilities opened.
Work over the next year at the 18-acre park will include dune restoration and the addition or relocation of 80,000 native plants, moving the oldest schoolhouse in Southeast Florida and adding a plant educational center.
- Other updates include new beach pavilions, a lifeguard tower, restrooms and a scattering of benches and picnic tables.
Why it’s important: The land donated in 1948 by the family of Henry Phipps Jr., an early investor and partner of steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, has long been an oasis for public access to the ocean. More on the Phipps family legacy here.
What they’re saying: “We worked with the town to create this incredible project that really embraces the need to preserve the historic built environment, aka the schoolhouse, with the incredible ecological need for strengthening the shoreline and diversifying the plant species to make the park more resilient against sea-level rise and major storm events,” Preservation Foundation CEO Danielle Del Sol told Stet News. More on Del Sol here.
Zoom in: While the park is owned by the town of Palm Beach, the restoration efforts are led by the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach.
- The foundation received $7 million from Chicago and Miami-based hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin, who owns property on Palm Beach.
Among improvements:
- On the coastal side, a 22-foot-high oceanfront dune system will help control erosion and protect inland plants. The Little Red Schoolhouse, which frequently floods, will be moved to higher ground.
- Next to the schoolhouse, the new Kenneth C. Griffin Coastal Conservancy will serve as a plant nursery and hub for horticulture education. Nearby will be a playground designed by Danish firm Monstrum.
- On the intracoastal side, mangroves will be enhanced to stabilize the shoreline.
Of note: The Preservation Foundation established a $10 million endowment to provide for continued care of the park and to support programs at the Little Red Schoolhouse and the Coastal Restoration Center. So far $3 million has been raised.
Read more about the changing face of Phipps Ocean Park at StetNews.org.
For more on the Preservation Foundation’s new CEO, Danielle Del Sol, click here.
To learn more about the Phipps family and the lasting impression they made, click here.
— Janis Fontaine
↔️ Gardens widens span without rebuild
Workers are adding a lane to the bridge outside the Florida Power & Light office campus in Palm Beach Gardens without rebuilding the bridge.
Rather than extend to a five-lane bridge at Military Trial and Kyoto Gardens Drive, a project expected to cost $8 million, the city found a way to add a sixth lane without rebuilding the bridge.
- They’ll eliminate a sidewalk and build a stand-alone pedestrian bridge.
Why it matters: The solution puts in place a six-lane bridge to move traffic from the NextEra Energy/FPL office campus, which is expected to have up to 2,000 employees when a second building opens in a few years.
- The city now budgets $7 million for the bridge project. A budget document provided by the city shows that $1.8 million of that amount has not been allocated.
What they’re saying: “Through creative thinking from our Engineer Department and our city engineer there was a way to take the incoming traffic … increase the turn lanes from one to two and be able to do that with the existing bridge,” City Manager Ron Ferris told the City Council in August. “So it saved millions of dollars.”
Zoom in: The work will result in four westbound lanes on Kyoto Gardens, one more than before. Two will be dedicated left-turn lanes, one will be a left-turn or straight lane and one will be right-turn only. The straight lane takes motorists to a northbound Interstate 95 entrance ramp.
- While the bridge will retain its existing two eastbound lanes, the work also calls for adding a second left-turn lane on southbound Military Trail to go east on Kyoto Gardens Drive.
The road provides access to the 86-acre FPL site that the power company bought for $24 million in 2011. Over the years, Kyoto Gardens has been ripped up often as FPL has prepared the site for up to 1 million square feet of office space.
- The first office building opened in 2022 and a second is under construction.
Read more about plans for Kyoto Gardens and see photos of the construction work at StetNews.org.
— Joel Engelhardt
✋🏽 Five vie for old Miami Subs site
Five developers faced off last week for the chance to build a housing complex on public land in Riviera Beach’s urban core, a waterfront area that residential investors have long bypassed.
What happened: City Council members, acting as the Community Redevelopment Agency, selected Forest Development on Wednesday to build up to 450 apartments and 17,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space on about 2.2 acres at 1851 Broadway south of Blue Heron Boulevard.
Why it matters: The $325 million project’s approval is part of the city’s transformation into a boomtown. Forest pitched $3.78 million for the land but later agreed to match the highest competing bid of $4.5 million.
Context: The North Palm Beach-based developer is “days away” from completing the luxury high-rise Nautilus 220 condominiums just north of the city in Lake Park, Forest representative Wayne Richards said at the meeting.
- Forest also has approval to develop Oculina, two 25-story condominium towers south of Nautilus on Broadway in Riviera Beach.
What they’re saying: Council members Glenn Spiritis and Fercella Davis Panier questioned CRA staff about why all five developers were prepared to make presentations when the agenda called for approving the sale to Forest.
- In the end, the developers all made presentations.
- The council voted 3-2 to award the contract to Forest, with Council Chairperson Shirley Lanier and Vice Chairperson KaShamba Miller-Anderson voting no.
Catch up quick: Two years ago, Forest Development made an unsolicited offer to buy the Broadway property, which once housed a Miami Subs Grill. In response, the CRA opened the bidding to others.
- In August, Forest earned the highest score in a city staff ranking of five bids.
What’s next: The CRA will negotiate with Forest on the sale price.
Read more about the national players who pitched for the project at StetNews.org.
— Reported by Community Voices, a partnership between Inlet Grove Middle and High School and Stet News. Keep reading below for more on the program.
🐟 The Catch turns to Northwood
After moving out of a lakeside restaurant on Northlake Boulevard in June, the owners of The Catch Seafood & Sushi planned to reopen off of Donald Ross Road in Palm Beach Gardens.
But there was a catch. The deal fell through while Jorge Paz and Tara Barnes, the restaurant’s husband-and-wife owners, were on vacation in Hawaii. They quickly struck a deal to open in West Palm Beach’s Northwood Village.
- Renovations are moving quickly, including building out the palm-thatched roof on the patio and putting in sliding doors.
- They plan to open Dec. 1 at 529 25th St.
What they’re saying: “This has been a very quick turn,” Paz told Stet News. “Just three months after we decided to stop the deal on Donald Ross. … It worked out perfectly.”
Why it matters: It will be the second seafood restaurant to open this fall in the commercial section of Northwood, an area with many single-family homes, some dating to the 1920s, a few blocks west of the Intracoastal Waterway in West Palm Beach.
- Palm Beach Lobsters & Seafood opened in September at 2501 N. Dixie Highway. It is run by area divers John Kyle Christoffers and his father, Scott Christoffers.
Zoom in: The Catch will feature a raw bar, sushi and Peruvian-Asian entrees, including Tallarin saltado, stir-fried lo mein noodles served with a fish, shellfish and squid.
“We’re still tweaking the menu,” Paz said.
There’s more to the story at StetNews.org.
— Jan Norris
🍊 The Juice
🏆 Sonnenblick Development won the chance over rival bidder Forest Development on Monday to work with Riviera Beach on redevelopment of more than 80 acres of public land. The plan is to build a new City Hall, library, recreation center and housing north and south of 600 Blue Heron Blvd. and at 2215 Broadway. The Sonnenblick proposal estimates a total project cost of $480.6 million.
- The city has committed $20 million in sales tax money to the City Hall and $45 million in bond money to the recreation center.
- The council will appoint a negotiating team to pursue a deal with Sonnenblick.
✉️ As new apartment buildings and condos rise on Broadway in Riviera Beach, West Palm Beach’s Community Redevelopment Agency is seeking proposals to redevelop several parcels on its side of Broadway south of Riviera Beach. The properties, amounting to 2.64 acres, are at 5817, 5811, 5800, 5701 and 5706 Broadway, plus 607 57th St. and 611 56th St. (South Florida Business Journal $$$)
⚖️ West Palm Beach has spent $5.6 million, by its own estimate, fighting the extension of State Road 7 east of the Ibis community. More than half has been spent since 2021 in a losing effort to challenge the project’s environmental permit. (The Palm Beach Post$$$)
👎🏼 The county’s deal to convert a La Quinta Inn into housing for seniors on the verge of homelessness is dead. County commissioners made the decision after inspections revealed extensive water damage and mildew. (The Palm Beach Post $$$)
Developer Gatsby Florida said it plans to break ground in January on an eight-story, 220,000-square-foot office building in Palm Beach Gardens. The developers of the nearby DiVosta Towers would build on land it bought for $17.5 million in July 2022 from developer Dan Catalfumo next to The Marc apartments on RCA Center Drive. If Tri-Rail ever extends north, the station would go next to the office building. (South Florida Business Journal $$$)
🎁 A $7.5 million gift from Palm Beachers Alina de Almeida and John Paulson will go to the Cox Science Center and Aquarium’s new STEAM Studio. The contribution brings the expansion campaign to $133 million of its $150 million goal, the center said. (Palm Beach Daily News $$$)
🗓️ Stet and Joel’s former news site OnGardens.org have been covering the impact fee lawsuit between Palm Beach Gardens and Palm Beach County since the county filed the suit in May 2021. Now the court case is on hold. Circuit Judge James Sherman agreed Nov. 5 to stay pretrial hearings planned for this month after the city appealed his Oct. 20 dismissal of its counterclaim.
🇯🇵 Why Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, sitting in his Jupiter home, signed five baseball cards in Japanese characters. (The Athletic gift link)
📖 Boynton Beach author Ginger L. Pedersen will share her insight into Dr. Mabel Elliott, often called the Florence Nightingale of her time, at lectures in West Palm Beach, Lake Worth Beach and Boynton Beach starting Wednesday. Elliott is the focus of Pedersen’s latest book, “Unbreakable Healer.” (Lake Worth Beach Independent)
🎙️ “Top of Mind Florida” podcast hosts Michael Williams and Brian Crowley unpack the political theater behind Florida property tax-cut proposals and discuss affordability, hurricanes, Venezuela and the 2000 presidential election. (Listen now; watch after 4pm Wednesday)
561NSIDER: 🆕 Stet News and Inlet Grove launch project to cover Riviera Beach
Stet News is thrilled to announce a groundbreaking program that connects high school students and residents with civic life in Palm Beach County.
What’s happening: Inspired by a national model, Stet News’ Community Voices has partnered with Inlet Grove Middle and High School to train and pay students to report news about Riviera Beach government.
Members of the school’s Multimedia Club, led by respected journalist and teacher C.B. Hanif, have been spending their lunchtime working with Stet News co-founders Liz Capozzi and Carolyn DiPaolo for months of training before covering their first Riviera Beach meeting.
Why it matters: Local government leaders make decisions in hundreds of meetings each month, often without public scrutiny. Community Voices invites students into the rooms where their future is being shaped.
“By engaging high school students, we encourage civic-minded community members who understand how local government works and how to hold power accountable,” Capozzi said.
The pilot program for the 2025-26 school year complementsthe A-rated Inlet Grove’s emphasis on career development and community service.
What they’re saying: “Inlet Grove and Stet News share the same vision: developing college-and career-ready students who think critically, solve problems creatively, and engage fully with their community,” Principal Francisco Lopez said. “This program is shaping the next generation of journalists — young people who will help safeguard transparency and strengthen one of the key pillars of our democracy. We are honored to provide our students with this powerful opportunity.”
Context: Paying the students for their work is a key part of Community Voices.
“This initiative is about more than mentoring students,” she said. “We’re asking them to show up professionally and to produce professional work. And we’re setting a standard for civic journalism that tells the community we’re changing how local news operates in Palm Beach County.”
The Community Voices program is already getting attention.
“These teens aren’t just learning journalism,” Samantha Ragland, interim director of the American Press Institute, wrote after meeting the Inlet Grove students last week. “They’re claiming their right to shape how their community’s story gets told.”
Read more to learn what a student says about the initiative.
— Carolyn DiPaolo
Stet News, an IRS-certified nonprofit, underwrites Community Voices. We invite you to join us with a contribution as we build and grow the program.
