Stet News🔬 Federal subpoenas, seeking records, that were delivered last week to Riviera Beach City Hall may have played a role in the city’s decision to postpone its selection of a developer to complete the reconstruction of the city’s Marina Village. (WPBF)
⏰ While many residents fighting the Project Tango data center proposal in Palm Beach County had high hopes for state legislation to limit data center construction, the bill backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis is stalled and likely dead. (Sun-Sentinel $$$)
🚔 In 107 traffic cases over the past year, Florida Highway Patrol Trooper John Petrofsky, who patrols Lake Worth Beach, did not identify a single driver as Hispanic. Petrofsky identified 87 drivers as white, 19 as Black and one as other. Among the white surnames: six were Hernandez, four were Martinez, four were Cruz, and three each were Perez, Rodriguez and Gomez.
- The Florida Immigrant Coalition’s Renata Bozzetto said the lack of racial or ethnicity data reflects poor training or an attempt to mask bias. (WLRN)
🛒 West Palm Beach agreed to sell Publix nearly an acre north of Banyan Boulevard at Sapodilla Avenue for $3.5 million to build a full-service grocery store to replace its smaller store in CityPlace. Developer Related Ross has assembled most of the rest of the block, as Stet reported in 2023, and also will provide land to Publix. (The Palm Beach Post $$$)
📋 The agency headed by Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, who criticizes counties for overspending and demands public accountability, has failed to fully post 200 contracts worth $342 million on a state website within 30 days as required by state law. (Florida Bulldog)
🛋️ As first reported by Stet in February 2025, The Breakers moved ahead with its purchase of 1.3 acres in West Palm Beach for employee housing, paying $8.5 million for property at 2460 and 2508 N. Australian Ave. The city previously agreed to sell 1.16 acres at 2410 N. Australian for $660,000. (South Florida Business Journal $$$)
🚚 An innovative mobile pantry program launched by the Lake Worth Beach-based Palm Beach County Food Bank is combining access to nutritious food with practical education at stops throughout the county. (Lake Worth Beach Independent)
🔨 Boynton Beach leaders are considering a range of redevelopment projects intended to put the city in the limelight, similar to efforts in West Palm Beach, Delray Beach and Boca Raton. They include a new city entryway on Boynton Beach Boulevard, an entertainment district on Ocean Avenue and expansion of Harvey E. Oyer Jr. Park on North Federal Highway. (The Coastal Star)
✨ Before it was Glazer Hall, the Royal Poinciana Playhouse was a political and social hub. On Friday, it will host the premiere of a film celebrating famed fashion photographer Bill Cunningham. (The Palm Beach Post $$$, Tickets)
📻 In “Top of Mind Florida,” podcasters Michael Williams and Brian Crowley talk about America’s 250th anniversary with American history professor Robert Watson of Lynn University. Watson breaks down the three Cs of the nation’s founding — cooperation, compromise, and consensus — and makes the case that today’s political environment has abandoned all three. (Listen now; watch)
