Stet NewsWelcome, fall! For you today, a multimillion-dollar transformation of the Jupiter Lighthouse’s waterfront; billionaire Jeff Greene’s next big thing; the latest on airport noise; a chance to have a conversation; and an anniversary in the Historic Northwest District.
🌅 The Jupiter Lighthouse’s new living shoreline
The $16 million transformation of the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse will take your breath away.
Catch up quick: The yearlong project is designed to stop erosion. The 120-acre parklike space surrounding the lighthouse, designated by Congress as an Outstanding Natural Area in 2008, has been losing 7 feet of land a year.
- The effort depends on riprap, a sheet-metal retaining wall and a concrete wall designed to harness gravity to resist the pressure of the soil pushing against it.
Why it matters: The lighthouse is among the top attractions in Palm Beach County. It dates to the Civil War era. But the property, under federal control, is jeopardized by the constant wave action of the Loxahatchee and Indian rivers, which border it on two sides.
Yes, but: While more limited, blocking some boat parking spots, the site retains access for boaters, sun worshipers and anglers. It adds 6,000 mangroves, preserves native plants and includes an 8-foot-wide walkway along 835 feet of Loxahatchee River shoreline.
- It offers a snorkel trail under Cato’s Bridge, a popular dive spot on the northeast side of the park.
- Also added: a tiki hut housing a canoe club and a vendor providing glass-bottom kayak tours.
Zoom in: The plan dates to before 2013, when Peter DeWitt became program manager overseeing the site for the federal Bureau of Land Management.
- “That very early plan just basically built a solid breakwater all the way along the shoreline that eliminated all boat access,” DeWitt said.
What they’re saying: “I understand not just the need for people to use and want to enjoy public lands but also the need for those places to be beautifully preserved,” DeWitt told Stet News.
- The finished site will have capacity to fit 15 to 20 boats. It used to have an average of 17 boats daily, a BLM study showed.
Stet teamed with Paul Dabill Photography to offer stunning aerial views of the work, which is expected to be finished in December.
Check out the photos and the full story at StetNews.org.
— Valerie Staggs
🐝 Wooden honeycomb could be rising
What looks like a giant honeycomb — a never-seen-before, 25-story addition to West Palm Beach’s skyline — is slated to rise atop century-old city history in a downtown neighborhood with building height limits less than half that.
Billionaire developer Jeff Greene is proposing “MiMar,” at Datura Street and South Dixie Highway, a tower that promises a sea view in each of the 366 units stacked on a structure that served as a city fire station in the early 1900s.
And it would be made from some retro material: wood, which the architect is calling “a hybrid mass timber and concrete structural system.”
Why it matters: Debate about its height is exempt under the state’s Live Local Act passed in 2023.
- An engineered timber and concrete structural system is slated to be used.
- That material brought it under the purview of the city’s building inspector.
- A Florida Building Commission vote in July failed to agree that wood products should be allowed for high-rises in the Florida Building Code.
What they’re saying: “In the collective imagination, Palm Beach is the antithesis of affordability,” said Carlo Ratti, founding partner of CRA and professor at MIT and the Politecnico di Milano, in a statement.
“Yet this is precisely what drew us to this project: Could we make coastal living accessible to all? And could we give everyone the same sea views?”
What’s Live Local? The law stops cities from rejecting housing proposals on land zoned for commercial or mixed-use because of height or density.
- It allows builders committing 40% of the project to workforce housing to build to the height of the tallest and densest development within 1 mile.
- Those units must be offered at rates affordable to those making up to 120% of the area median income.
- In West Palm Beach, that would be up to $108,000 for a household of one to $154,000 for a household of four members, figures from the Florida Housing Finance Corp. show.
For more about the proposal, see StetNews.org.
— Anne Geggis
🛫 When pause doesn’t mean pause
Question: When is a pause really a new beginning?
Answer: When it comes to the fight over the flight path at President Donald J. Trump International Airport.
Catch up quick: County commissioners voted 4-3 on Sept. 15 to continue to fight the changed flight path imposed because of security concerns over the president’s home at Mar-a-Lago. West Palm Beach and Palm Beach are going along, too.
Why it matters: To continue the fight, the governments decided to pause the federal litigation they filed in December seeking to block “temporary” restrictions. The Federal Aviation Administration has announced that it will soon be making those restrictions permanent. Once they do, the lawsuit can be resumed.
Zoom in: The rules require eastbound jets to curve north on takeoff. They impact thousands more homes in West Palm Beach and Palm Beach than the decades-old rules that sent jets over Mar-a-Lago.
- Those flights raised protests from Trump before he became president.
Yes, but: There’s a shift coming due to construction. Beginning in February, the main east-west runway will be closed for about six months for a major overhaul.
- During those six months, jets will use the shorter crosswind runway, which is angled from southeast to northwest. The change will impact an entirely different group of county residents — mainly those who live southeast of the airport.
County commissioners debated the lawsuit on Sept. 15, two weeks after having a closed-door session with their lawyers. The commission’s three Republicans — Sara Baxter, Marci Woodward and Maria Marino — said the county should drop the legal action.
Four Democrats — Gregg Weiss, Joel Flores, Bobby Powell and Maria Sachs — agreed to the pause to keep the lawsuit alive.
What they’re saying:
- “Fighting them with no real hope of providing relief to residents is just wasting money,” Mayor Sara Baxter said.
- “Before we took them to court we tried to get them (the FAA) to do the right thing and they didn’t,” Weiss said. “The only way to get them to talk to you is to have a way to force them to talk to you.”
Read more about how local governments and residents are fighting the new flight rules at StetNews.org.
— Jane Musgrave
🇺🇸 Meet your candidates at Election Expo 2026
Dozens of candidates in the Nov. 3 election are expected next week at the 2026 Election Expo.
Why it matters: There won’t be speeches. Instead, voters can meet one-on-one with candidates.
Twenty-seven incumbents and challengers from all parties have RSVP’d, said the League of Women Voters’ Joyce Sullivan, who created the expo in 2024.
- Candidates for state House and Senate, County Commission and School Board are expected. And experts will be at the expo to discuss Florida constitutional amendments, including the property tax reduction measure, and the referendums for Palm Beach County schools, parks, and libraries.
What they’re saying: “We’ve got all parties represented,” Sullivan, a longtime board member of the League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County, told Stet News. “Candidates still have time to register.”
The league, Palm Beach State College and Leadership Palm Beach County are hosting the event. Organizers are promising opportunities for networking, ice cream and coffee. The league encourages voters to bring the family.
If you go: The Election Expo is 5:30 to 7:30 pm Monday, at the Palm Beach State College Gymnasium, 4200 S. Congress Ave., Lake Worth.
- The event is free. Register here.
If you can’t go: The league’s digital election guide is live with races customized to voter addresses at vote411.org/ballot.
– Carolyn DiPaolo
🍊The Juice
💵 The Florida Senate is threatening the South Florida Sun Sentinel and the Orlando Sentinel with “civil or criminal legal implications” if they don’t shred a report that the Senate provided to the two news organizations under a public records request. The report offers details behind last year’s blockbuster release of a 2-year-old report showing that insurers hid profits through payments to affiliates. The more detailed account shows that 20 insurers paid fees to affiliated companies that a consultant said exceeded Florida’s legal standard of “fair and reasonable.” Overall, insurers claimed $432 million in losses while paying fees to affiliates that generated $1.3 billion in net income from 2017 to 2019. (Sun Sentinel $$$)
📚 It’s $100 million. That’s the amount developer Stephen Ross donated to Pine Crest School, which is planning a school on city-owned land off Roebuck Road west of Haverhill Road. “My commitment to Pine Crest reflects my long-term belief in this city,” Ross said in a statement. “A school of Pine Crest’s caliber choosing West Palm Beach proves the momentum this city has built can attract some of the world’s best civic institutions.” (South Florida Business Journal $$$)
🚫 Lake Worth Beach scrapped its city manager search last week and agreed to start over after interviewing four finalists. It also dumped its search firm, Sumter Local Government Consulting. (Lake Worth Beach Independent)
🔨 The developers of the delayed Gulfstream Hotel fired their contractor, Hogan Brothers Construction. The decision “follows persistent construction deficiencies and significant scheduling delays,” developer Restoration St. Louis said. Hogan said it was still on the job, which had been expected to be completed by year-end, and claims it is owed $1.7 million. (Lake Worth Beach Independent: Hogan terminated; Hogan fires back)
🗳️ Florida GOP has endorsed Amendment 3. The state’s urban planners association opposes it, as do many police and fire unions. (Florida Phoenix)
- Government watchdog group Florida TaxWatch urges a no vote. (WLRN, TaxWatch’s analysis of all three proposed constitutional amendments)
🌊 Palm Beach billionaire Jeff Greene said he has sold his Tideline Palm Beach Resort for $150 million. He paid $41 million for the oceanfront hotel in 2011 and completed a $20 million renovation in 2023. (The Real Deal)
🔎 While the Hope Florida grand jury report has been leaked to the public, still hidden are court records detailing efforts by state officials to keep the report secret, including the case number and docket sheet required for every court case. (Sun Sentinel $$$)
- The state spent nearly $200,000 on criminal defense attorneys representing a former senior DeSantis administration aide who had been deemed “not credible” by the Hope Florida grand jury. (Florida Trident)
🏌🏽♀️ PGA National Resort plans to replace its golf course in Bay Hill Estates with a members-only club. The resort’s new owners, including Miami-based Henderson Park, will give PGA National members first shot at memberships. (South Florida Business Journal $$$)
🏖️ County drops plan to charge $4 an hour for parking at 12 beaches. (CBS12)
✈️ What awaits Haitians deported to their homeland. (Florida Trident)
🕯️ Jon Small, a Grammy-nominated director of music videos and concert films, and an early bandmate and musical collaborator of Billy Joel, died this month in West Palm Beach. He was 79. (The New York Times gift link, email required)
🏡 Which $500,000 house would you pick? A Craftsman in Tacoma, Wash., a Colonial Revival in Parkersburg, W.V., or a Spanish-style house in West Palm Beach’s Northwood Hills. (The New York Times gift link, email required)
🎧 “Top of Mind Florida,” the podcast by Michael Williams and Brian Crowley, digs into Amendment 3 and why police, firefighters and local governments are fighting it while Realtors back it. Plus, the Florida governor and Senate races and Crowley’s own public-records showdown with a Florida sheriff’s department. (Listen now; watch after 4 pm today.)
561NSIDER: 1️⃣ One year in Styx Promenade
Just over a year ago, the owners of six businesses gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Styx Promenade in the Historic Northwest District, just blocks from downtown West Palm Beach.
Why it matters: The cluster of nine buildings, designed in the shotgun architectural style, is the home of a town-square collection of urban entrepreneurs.
Catch up quick: The Styx Promenade renovations were backed by a $2.6 million investment from the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency. It’s part of an effort to revitalize the historic Black neighborhood with local entrepreneur partners.
Here is a snapshot of the commerce that has become rooted on Seventh Street.
❤️ Craig Glover was the first to move his thriving business, A Better Way Home Care, to the Styx Promenade in November 2023. He has welcomed each business neighbor since.
- Things have been good since the move, he said. “There’s work we can do to increase our traffic, but we have each other.”
💐 Kimberly Weston, owner of Camile’s Flowers & Gifts, reports her second-generation business is flourishing.
- “One challenge is tariffs,” she said. Almost all of her flowers come from outside the country, so she is managing an increase in cost for the blooms as well as goods like vases and containers. As a delivery business, gas price increases have also been a challenge. Weston estimates her costs have increased by about 25% since opening in Styx Promenade.
💇🏾♀️ Yaneek Facey and Kimberly Winn, owners of Serene Beauty Suites, brought a full roster of clients when they moved from Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard to Styx Promenade, and they’ve attracted new faces through word of mouth.
- The biggest challenge for their clients has been parking, Winn said.
🧁 Greg Eaton, owner of the busy Eat ‘N Cake cafe and cupcake shop, calls his customers “Cupcake Baptists,” because they are “highly flavored people.”
- His biggest challenge is one many restaurants face: finding enough staff. “That’s just the restaurant business,” he said. “Unfortunately, a lot of the kitchens are revolving doors.” He has four employees now, and he would like to have twice that many.
- Eaton said he couldn’t be happier. “I love the neighborhood.”
📖 Pranati “Pranoo” Kumar owns Rohi’s Readery and operates the nonprofit Rohi’s Liberation Station, which work together to provide free literacy programs to neighborhood children. She said the Styx owners collaborate and encourage each other.
What they’re saying: “We care for each other like family,” Kumar said.
- “Before I even was able to move into this space, Mr. Glover was helping me figure out insurance and security and Wi-Fi.
- “Kimberly and her family have been supportive, making sure that we are sharing our events on social media.”
- Eaton at the restaurant and Facey and Winn at the salon share their professional skills with the young people who visit Rohi’s.
The latest: Kumar is leading two fundraisers this week to support the free community programs: an intimate dinner Thursday night and a community day Saturday at Cox Science Center and the Readery. Find more information here.
- Weston is co-hosting a community workout at 6 pm Saturday in Heart & Soul Park across the street from Wild Rose. The event for every fitness level features yoga stretching, a workout and a healthy dinner. All are welcome. Information here.
There’s so much more. Keep reading to learn the rich stories behind each of the six Styx Promenade businesses at StetNews.org.
– Janis Fontaine
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