Stet NewsHappy Tuesday and Happy New Year! Here’s to a great 2026. We’re so glad you’re here.
For you today, the developer of the Nautilus condo project takes Lake Park to court, one more election decided without a single vote cast, nuclear energy firm sets up shop in Palm Beach County, Riviera Beach wants to make it easier to get around and good news to start 2026.
⚓ Marina deal sinking
Lake Park’s 2023 agreement to lease its waterfront to Forest Development is unraveling.
Catch up quick: The Nautilus developer sued the town last week, saying town officials were stalling to force Forest to renegotiate the deal.
- The town examined records at the request of a Forest representative and found it may have violated the state’s open meetings Sunshine Law when it selected Forest in 2021 and hammered out the lease.
- A recently released appraisal said the waterfront land could generate $1.3 million to $1.6 million a year. The 99-year lease calls for Forest to pay $300,000 a year for 10 years plus $1.2 million up front.
Why it matters: The rapidly changing events have spurred outcry from town residents, led by the nonprofit Lake Park Society for the Advancement of Civic Engagement. They are sharply critical of the lease, which puts Forest in charge of the town marina and calls for construction of a 260-room hotel, a 30,000-square-foot restaurant and a 280-boat storage facility.
What they’re saying: “The Lake Park Marina P3 (public-private partnership) is not simply controversial — it is legally compromised and reflects serious breakdowns in transparency, oversight, and public trust,” the society posted on Facebook.
Zoom in: Forest sued because the town has twice delayed appearances before the state Cabinet to remove a public-use requirement on a half-acre of underwater land the state gave the town in the 1960s. Forest blamed the delays on Town Manager Richard Reade.
“For two years … the parties worked collaboratively … and were aligned in their vision to modernize the marina,” Forest’s Miami-based attorney John Shubin wrote in the lawsuit. “That all changed in January of this year when the town suddenly had a bout of seller’s remorse that coincided with the start date of its new town manager, who has ignored the town’s contractual obligations and repeatedly sought to renegotiate the deal.”
What’s next: All the elements of the growing dispute will be on display Wednesday night, when Forest makes its quarterly report to the Town Commission.
Read the whole story at StetNews.org.
— Joel Engelhardt
🎖️ West Palm’s open seat closes
Steve Sylvester won a seat on the West Palm Beach City Commission when his lone opponent unexpectedly dropped out of the March race for the post now held by mayoral candidate Christina Lambert.
Catch up quick: Matt Ferrer said he withdrew because his bosses at the Orlando Utilities Commission ended work-from-home rules, forcing Ferrer to report to work in Orlando three days a week.
What he’s saying: “It was an exceedingly difficult decision,” said Ferrer, who has worked as a sustainability manager for the Orlando utility for 2½ years. “The three-day workweek was kind of the nail in the coffin because I can’t be away from my family for three days a week.”
Zoom in: Ferrer said he had spoken with Lambert about working on her campaign but, he said, he wouldn’t do so while running for office. He also is supportive of County Commissioner Gregg Weiss, who is running for mayor against Lambert and said he is open to working for either one of them.
- “If the Gregg Weiss campaign or the Christina Lambert campaign wants to talk to me about a position, I’d be open to it,” Ferrer said. But, he insisted, no formal job offer was made.
The bottom line: In the reporting period that ended Sept. 30, Ferrer had raised $4,658. Buoyed by contributions from developers, construction companies and the political action committee of the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches, Sylvester had raised $27,185.
- Like Mayor Keith James and all of the other commissioners, Sylvester is represented by the powerhouse campaign management firm headed by Rick Asnani, Cornerstone Solutions.
What’s next: On the March ballot, two-term Commissioner Cathleen Ward faces Martina Tate-Walker, who pulled out two years ago after receiving a job offer from a purported nonprofit. Commissioner Christy Fox faces Roger Jackson III.
- Sylvester joins more than 50 candidates who won election to a local commission or council in Palm Beach County without an opponent.
Read more about Ferrer’s reasons for withdrawing and Sylvester’s plans for the city at StetNews.org.
— Jane Musgrave
👉 Nuclear energy startup chooses Palm Beach Gardens
Energy startup Ampera has announced plans to develop and manufacture compact nuclear reactors in Palm Beach County.
Why it matters: The company is opening its headquarters west of Florida’s Turnpike in Palm Beach Gardens and intends to hire 2,500 people over the next five years to work on its prototype for the microreactor systems.
- The devices could power AI data centers, remote communities and defense operations, the company said.
What’s happening: Ampera will operate from buildings totaling nearly 100,000 square feet at 354 and 358 Hiatt Drive in the Gardens Innovation Center at PGA National Commerce Park, the company and the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County announced just before New Year’s.
- Kenneth Kahn’s LRP Properties owns both buildings.
- The announcements made no mention of taxpayer incentives to draw Ampera.
Catch up quick: In November, Ampera made public its plans to build a sealed microreactor that requires no refueling, produces no long-lived waste, and delivers power in a compact, deployable package.
In June, Super Micro Computer, a Fortune 500 cloud computer company and AI data center supplier, paid $6 million for an 11% stake in Ampera, Bisnow first reported. The San Jose, Calif.-based company reported in federal records that it holds one seat on the three-member Ampera board of directors.
What they’re saying: “There is strong demand worldwide for ultra-safe, nuclear reactors that are easily transportable and able to deliver clean, consistent power for decades without having to be refueled,” Ampera founder and CEO Brian Matthews said in a statement.
Matthews is a British entrepreneur and physicist who also leads Additec, a 10-year-old high-tech metal manufacturer based in Palm City.
What’s next: Ampera said it plans to hire its first 100 employees by the end of the year.
— Carolyn DiPaolo
⛴️ Getting around Riviera Beach
By Community Voices
Riviera Beach leaders have approved a nine-month study of how to make it easier for city residents to use public transportation.
Why it matters: As Riviera Beach grows, there will be more places to go and more traffic trying to get there.
What’s happening: The City Council serving as the Community Redevelopment Agency board approved the mobility study by a 4-1 vote on Dec. 10. Council Member KaShamba Miller-Anderson voted no, saying she supports a mobility study but not the consultant selected.
What they’re saying: “This project is probably as important or more important than bringing a building out of the ground,” Council Member Glen Spiritis said at the meeting. “Without this mobility project, we will have no development. It will never work.”
Council Member Fercella Davis Panier pointed to West Palm Beach’s Rose Trolley free pickup and dropoff service as an example of something that could work in Riviera Beach.
Miami Lakes-based E.L. Waters and Co., which has a $24,000-a-month consulting contract with the CRA, will lead the Riviera Beach study with the Miami-based Corradino Group planning firm. “The focus is the residents,” principal Elbert Waters told the board.
The big picture: Rivera Beach’s project comes at the same time as Palm Beach County’s$1 million transportation master planning effort and as cities throughout the county enact mobility plans to capture developer dollars to pay for improvements.
Of note: Planners will study the potential for a water taxi between the Marina Village and Singer Island.
What’s next: Two public workshops are planned this year to gather information.
- The CRA will explore ways to coordinate public transportation connections with neighboring cities, CRA Executive Director Gedel Merzius told the board.
Who wrote this story: This story was reported by Community Voices writer Abigail Guillaume.
What is CV: Community Voices is a partnership between Stet News and Inlet Grove High School. Stet News is underwriting the pilot to train and pay students to cover Riviera Beach.
Inlet Grove High School journalism teacher C.B. Hanif and Stet’s Carolyn DiPaolo contributed to this story.
🍊 The Juice
💰 Customers at Palm Beach County stores will see a half-percent lower sales tax as of New Year’s Day. The county sales tax rate dropped to 6.5% from 7% with the conclusion of a 10-year, voter-approved sales tax hike to pay for construction projects for the county, its cities and the school district. (The Palm Beach Post $$$)
At least 20,000 immigrants, including those with clean records, have been caught in Florida’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants. The true number is probably far higher. (Miami Herald $$$)
✂️ An assessment of how property tax reform in Tallahassee could change local governments. (The Coastal Star)
🍬 Wrigley chewing gum heir William Wrigley Jr. sold his Lost Tree Village home for $97 million to a company led by Ronald Clarke, the billionaire CEO and chairman of Atlanta-based payment company Corpay. (South Florida Business Journal $$$)
🦉 Florida Atlantic President Adam Hasner is putting a greater focus on the university’s 5,000-member Lifelong Learning Institute. (The Coastal Star)
📢 The Palm Beach Post is part of a new statewide news team created by its corporate owner, USA Today Co., formerly Gannett. “We are investing in specialized beats to build a newsroom that reflects Florida’s identity with new teams focusing on the state’s spectacular but fragile environment; the rising cost of insuring your home, going to the doctor and buying groceries; and how policies coming out of Tallahassee stand to impact you and your families,” wrote Wendy Fullerton Powell, vice president and editor of the USA Today Network – Florida Region, in an announcement Monday. (Yahoo.com)
Kristin Garrison, a member of the North Palm Beach Village Council since March 2024 and formerly a top planner for the county and the school district, died at age 64 on Dec. 31, the village announced. She had resigned from her seat a week earlier. (The Palm Beach Post $$$)
📺 Town and Country magazine weighs in on “Members Only,” the Netflix take on Palm Beach. (Town and Country)
🤖 Commentary: People in Palm Beach County won a temporary victory with the delay of a zoning vote on a proposed 1.8 million-square-foot AI data storage center at 20-Mile Bend, but the AI issue is popping up around the state. (Florida Phoenix)
🎙️ “Top of Mind Florida,” the podcast by Michael Williams and Brian Crowley, focuses on what could drive this year’s Florida governor’s race, including property tax battles, the AI threat to white-collar jobs and President Trump’s endorsement. (Listen now; watch now.)
561NSIDER: ❤️ Your record setting gifts
We’re happy to share a bit of good news to kick off 2026. Thanks to more than 250 readers who donated during our recent NewsMatch campaign, we exceeded our year-end fundraising goal and raised more than $60,000!!
🧮 That’s an increase of 160% over last year’s campaign.
Your financial support strengthens Stet News and helps build a better Palm Beach County.
A special thank you to NewsMatch, the LaFrance Project and other generous local donors who matched our reader contributions. And to our readers for believing in us and giving so generously.
When we launched Stet News in 2023, we believed Palm Beach County deserved accountability journalism that wasn’t exploitative and dependent on ad revenue or corporate owners.
We hoped the community would agree, and you did. In 2025, our email list grew 82%, and we welcomed about 83,000 visitors to our digital news site.
Our growing team published hundreds of original stories last year. A newsletter every Tuesday. A month-end wrap. Through our Community Voices partnership with Riviera Beach’s Inlet Grove High, we train and pay students to cover the city’s development boom. We’re not just reporting on the community, we’re investing in the next generation who will write its stories.
And you’re investing in us. We’re honored to have your support. Thank you for the love.
We’ll work hard for you in 2026.
– Joel, Carolyn and Liz
