Stet NewsGreetings, Stetters! For you today, eight things that raise questions about West Palm Beach’s new shuttle deal; four wins in quantum computing; five improvements planned at the Port of Palm Beach; two challengers for U.S. Rep. Brian Mast; three things to do at the Four Arts; and 1,000 friends at NAMIWalks.
And in case that’s not enough, the midterms are upon us: Early voting started Monday throughout Palm Beach County.
🚌 Irregularities in West Palm’s transit choice
West Palm Beach’s biggest investment in public transit, touted as key to persuading the public to give up their cars downtown, was made without City Commission approval and little public debate.
Unlike what was originally called for, the contract doesn’t allow the city to cancel it without a reason.
City codes do not require the commission to consider the contract, but other public agencies vote on contracts like this, especially when millions of dollars are involved.
Last month’s arrival of Tidewater Transit as the city’s new vendor turned on several irregularities — including the wrong vendor being told it won the contract, which is worth about $36 million over five years.
Why it matters: As development booms downtown, city leaders are shaping a plan to reduce traffic congestion and parking requirements for developers.
What they’re saying: “If we could get them out of their cars and develop a transit connection, we could end up decongesting a lot of the city,” said Bernard Zyscovich, a Miami architect whose team crafted the proposed downtown master plan update.
Yes, but: Irregularities surround the decision to choose Tidewater:
- The city mistakenly told its longtime transportation partner, Circuit Transit, the contract was theirs.
- A second request for bids was ordered because of an unspecified “scrivener’s error” in the first bid.
- A second, mostly new set of committee members did not see presentations from the bidders, as the first committee did, before they ranked the bids.
- The only person who served on both committees downgraded her ranking of Circuit by 21 points in the second round and gave the ultimate winner, Tidewater, 10 more points.
- Downtown Development Authority representatives, who oversee services in the busiest part of the city, were not included in the second committee.
- Because the second committee didn’t see the bidders’ presentations and the losing bidder challenged the result, the City Commission sent the bid back to the committee a third time, yielding the same winner.
- The least-expensive proposal was not chosen: Circuit’s cost came in at $1.3 million less over the life of the five-year contract than Tidewater’s.
- It’s unclear what accounts for the difference in prices because the city redacted what appears to be Tidewater’s price breakdown from its proposal. Circuit’s breakdown of price is not redacted.
For more about how the decision was made, see StetNews.org.
— Anne Geggis
⚛️ Palm Beach County bets on quantum computing
Local leaders are encouraging quantum computing’s top companies and customers to ride the field’s development wave to Palm Beach County.
Driving the news: The county’s top business recruiter, Kelly Smallridge, points to four steps in establishing the area as a player in what experts call the “second quantum revolution.”
Smallridge is CEO of the Business Development Board, the county’s public-private economic development agency. Two years into the BDB’s bet on quantum computing:
- D-Wave Quantum has announced it is moving its headquarters from Palo Alto, Calif., to Boca Raton. The company builds and sells quantum computers.
- Florida Atlantic University will spend $20 million to host a D-Wave computer on its Boca Raton campus.
- Palm Beach State College secured $7 million in state and federal grants to create a quantum business incubator and a job training program in West Palm Beach.
- In February, the BDB won a $1 million federal grant to support its quantum computing strategy.
Quantum computers use the physics of atoms and subatomic particles to quickly process information.
Why it matters: About $15 million in taxpayer money is committed in grants and incentives to the effort, including $7.1 million in state and city incentives to D-Wave. FAU’s $20 million purchase comes on top of that.
What they’re saying: “If this county wants to continue to be attractive to outside investment, we need to wrap our arms around technologies of the future,” Smallridge told Stet News. “We will incur some risk. What if quantum is not a thing? Although I don’t feel that way. With AI and cybersecurity, quantum is right there.”
She credits Florida Commerce Secretary Alex Kelly and U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach, for embracing the vision. Both lined up the state and federal money to help put Palm Beach County in the quantum game.
The big picture: Florida’s business-friendly tax structure and Palm Beach’s concentration of wealth is a powerful draw for entrepreneurs seeking capital.
What’s next: The Business Development Board and its partners, including Palm Beach-based Quantum Coast Capital, are convening the second statewide Quantum Beach conference Thursday in West Palm Beach to build on the momentum.
Keep reading to learn more about the potential impact of quantum computing here at StetNews.org.
— Carolyn DiPaolo
🛳️ Port of Palm Beach wants more cruise ships
Bigger cruise ships could bring more money to the Port of Palm Beach, and a $43 million project to attract and accommodate the vessels is in its early stages.
Why it matters: Opponents of the work the Port Commission approved Sept. 24, including Palm Beach residents, are alarmed that enhancements could drive increased vessel traffic, flooding risks, additional light pollution, noise and harm to manatees and seagrass.
What’s in it: The project calls for physical plant improvements, all of them on the port’s land, including:
- Expanding and modernizing the cruise terminal that opened in 2002.
- Constructing a 1,100-space parking garage and improving self-parking operations.
- Purchasing a new passenger loading bridge and gangway system.
- Increasing screening capacity and the baggage area.
- Adding mooring structures to accommodate longer ships.
What they’re saying: “The current terminal was originally designed to accommodate a ferry-type service, and today’s cruise operators have outgrown several aspects of the terminal,” Port Executive Director Michael Meekins said.
The plan does not propose widening or deepening the Lake Worth Inlet. Town of Palm Beach officials and residents say they fear that a quest for longer ships will lead to both.
- A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokesman confirmed there is no deepening project in the works for the port’s harbor.
By the numbers: The only cruise ship based at the port, the 1,680-passenger Margaritaville at Sea Paradise, is 723 feet long, the largest vessel ever based at the port.
- It handles more than 300,000 passengers a year, offering two- to five-night cruises to Key West, the Bahamas, Mexico and the Caribbean.
- Cruise activity makes up 32% of the port’s $25.6 million in yearly gross revenue.
What’s next: The port is seeking competitive bids for the project, which Meekins said would be paid for with port revenues and grants.
- Palm Beach Town Manager Kirk Blouin said the town intends to closely monitor the port’s plans and participate in public comment, regulatory reviews and intergovernmental discussions.
Keep reading for what’s at stake for the port and its neighbors at StetNews.org.
— Susan Salisbury
✅ 2026 midterms: Mast, Martin, Cooke vie for U.S. House
Republican Brian Mast faces two competitors for his seat representing U.S. House District 21 in the Nov. 3 election. Mast is running for his sixth two-year term in Congress.
Democrat James Martin is a U.S. Coast Guard officer from Hobe Sound who worked for former Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House.
Independent Alexander “Alex” Cooke is an investment adviser, founder of Optimist Capital and a former mayor of Juno Beach.
Why it matters: The district is home to nearly 770,000 residents in all of St. Lucie and Martin counties and portions of northern Palm Beach County including Tequesta, Jupiter, Jupiter Inlet Colony, Juno Beach, North Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Beach Shores, and parts of Riviera Beach and West Palm Beach.
What they’re saying:
- “From fighting to stop toxic discharges into the St. Lucie (estuary) to standing up for our veterans and defending our freedoms, I’ve fought every day to deliver results for the Treasure Coast and Palm Beaches,” said Mast on his campaign website. He did not respond to Stet News’ requests for an interview.
- “If Democrats do take back the House and particularly if we flip this seat, it is going to be because a lot of independents and Republicans went out on a limb and said, ‘I trust you.’ We need to deliver real results quickly,” Martin said.
- “My view is if ever there was a time to show that people can actually have individuals that are not beholden to a party, this is the time to do it,” Cooke said.
For more on their stands on the issues, see StetNews.org.
— Valerie Staggs
More Stet election coverage:
- Roth vs. Silvers for state Senate
- Baxter vs. Waldron for County Commission District 6
- Woodward vs. Calabrese for County Commission District 4
- What’s in the proposed $280 million Palm Beach County parks bond
- County library improvements are on the Nov. 3 ballot
🍊 The Juice
🚸 South Florida school districts fear voters supporting Amendment 3 may push back against a November ballot measure calling for an increase in school taxes that must be renewed every four years. If passed, the tax in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties of $1 per $1,000 of property value would continue to support higher teacher pay, school safety measures and mental health resources. (WLRN)
🗳️ What Florida voters need to know about Amendments 1 and 2. They will decide whether to increase the state’s rainy-day fund and exempt tractors and more from farmers’ property taxes. (WUSF)
- How Amendment 2 could provide a big tax break for marijuana growers. (Seeking Rents)
📺 To stop political ads criticizing Attorney General James Uthmeier, the Republican Party of Florida is threatening criminal prosecution of television stations and the Democratic Party for repeating a Leon County grand jury’s finding that high-ranking state officials diverted $10 million in the Hope Florida scandal. (Florida Trident)
📆 A prime 52-acre property, the long-shuttered jai alai fronton on 45th Street in Mangonia Park, goes on the auction block Oct. 30. Minimum bid: $55 million. Bankruptcy trustee Robert Furr thinks bidding will exceed $60 million. (South Florida Business Journal $$$)
❓ The mystery man who bought two land parcels on PGA Boulevard outside BallenIsles for $29 million in 2023, Jacob Wohlstadter, is behind the $27 million purchase of an 84,000-square-foot warehouse at 1114 N. Congress Ave. His company, Miso Scale Diagnostics, plans to create 100 biotech jobs at the site that used to be part of the Palm Beach Kennel Club north of Belvedere Road. (South Florida Business Journal $$$)
🥙 What constitutes a picnic? And what crosses the line into an illegal food distribution event? Advocates for the homeless are bracing for a law-enforcement crackdown Thursday in Lake Worth Beach’s Bryant Park. (Lake Worth Beach Independent)
🏨 West Palm Beach neighborhood groups sued Oct. 14 to block the city and county approvals of the Related Ross convention center hotel, following up on a lawsuit against the city filed Sept. 30, as Stet reported. The Grandview Heights Neighborhood Association and the West Palm Beach Neighborhood Alliance filed the suit. (South Florida Business Journal $$$)
⛱️ Palm Beach plans a community meeting at 2 pm Oct. 29 to share information about the planned seawall replacement at its Midtown Beach. The project would close the waterfront for 18 months starting in December. (WPTV, Flyer)
🌮 Restaurateur Martin Sprock has bought the former Rock Irish Pub in Lake Worth Beach. Sprock plans to open the downtown eatery after he launches RuRu’s Tacos & Tequila in an art deco building on the city’s north end. (Lake Worth Beach Independent $$$)
🌴 One year in Palm Beach, where entrepreneurs start again. (Forbes)
🎧 “Top of Mind Florida,” the podcast by Michael Williams and Brian Crowley, analyzes what Amendment 3’s property tax cuts could mean for homeowners, why local governments are against it and what will happen if it doesn’t pass. (Listen now; watch after 4 pm today.)
561NSIDER: 🎭 3 things to do this season at The Society of the Four Arts
The renovation of two buildings on The Society of the Four Arts’ 10-acre campus as part of its $250 million Centennial Campaign is shifting many programs to other locations, but the show will go on.
One of the biggest misconceptions about the Palm Beach cultural organization is that it is “members only.” Members get benefits that nonmembers don’t, but at least 30% of the programs are free. Others have a nominal cost.
Why it matters: Tickets for many events in November, December and January go on sale to the public at 10 am Thursday.
⛪️ Concerts in the Royal Poinciana Chapel
Grammy Award winner Paul Jacobs will perform a program of organ chamber music with Lun Li, violin, Dmitri Atapine, cello, and Jens Lindemann, trumpet, at 7 pm Jan. 20.
Tickets are $40.
🎬 The Friday Film Series at Palm Beach Day Academy
The popular Friday film screenings are moving to the campus at 241 Seaview Ave. Films begin Nov. 6 with “The Cycle of Love.” Tickets are $10.
📚 Florida Voices in the King Library
On Nov. 18, the library welcomes journalist and author Rebecca Fannin to discuss her new book, “The New Tech Titans of China,” a look at the companies driving China in its AI domination and superpower status.
Admission to this program, like the book clubs, including Page Turners, the Talk of Kings, the Biography and the Short Story book clubs, is free.
For a complete guide to The Society of Four Arts programs, visit fourarts.org.
Keep reading for an update on the Four Arts’ transformation at StetNews.org.
— Janis Fontaine
💚 Stet’s big day at NAMIWalks
What fun it was to gather with more than 1,000 NAMI friends and supporters this month at NAMIWalks.
We are happy to report that, with your help, our kind and competitive Stet News team raised $11,085 that NAMI Palm Beach County, the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, will use for local mental health programs and resources.
🎉 That exceeds our $10,000 goal and places the Stet News team at No. 1 among the nearly 100 Palm Beach County NAMIWalks teams.
Our Stet Team captain, Joel Engelhardt, serves on the NAMI Palm Beach County board.
CEO Katherine Murphy reports that, as of last week, the walk raised more than $171,000 toward a goal of $190,000. It’s not too late to give.
She said the county Clerk and Comptroller’s Office had the biggest group of volunteers at the walk. “It was wonderful to see so many supporters, some brand-new to NAMI, and some who have been involved for decades,” she said.
Thank you to everyone who joined our team, donated to the NAMI or visited with us before the walk.
- And thank you to NAMI PBC past board President and Advisory Council Member Cheryl Checkers for donating space for Stet’s table.
– Joel, Carolyn and Liz
Editor’s note: Last week’s Stet newsletter quoted County Mayor Sara Baxter saying the county’s investment in Israel bonds brings in $200 million a year. She did not specify the time frame. The county’s total return on all its bond investments this year was $200 million. The average interest rate on the Israeli bonds the county holds is 4.75%.
