$16 million Flagler Drive marina plan is off: Why West Palm killed the deal and what's next?

A groundswell of public opposition has snuffed out West Palm Beach's plans for a $16 million marina along the city's Flagler Drive waterfront.

The West Palm Beach City Commission voted unanimously Monday night to terminate the process it was using to have the marina built.

Monday night's vote — an abrupt and stunning reversal — came after city residents spent weeks blasting the idea of a marina and the process the city used to open negotiations with City Harbor for the construction and management of a marina.

Many of those who had called, written emails and letters to Mayor Keith James and commission members showed up Monday to tell them in person that they don't want a marina, which they argued would block views of and public access to the waterfront.

"The City Commission should not have approved a commercial development on a public park without ensuring prior public support," West Palm Beach resident Rick Rose told commission members.

Chastened commissioners acknowledged that they had not done enough to gauge the public's appetite for such a sweeping project.

"This is not an easy job," Commissioner Christina Lambert said. "I do everything that I can to make sure we're making the very best decision for our city. Do sometimes we have some learning opportunities? Sure. And I'm hopeful you all saw that your voices were heard and that I hope you all will continue to come out and to speak out and continue not only to blast us on social media — I'm not sure I want that to continue — but to continue with constructive feedback."

A media representative for City Harbor said Tuesday the firm would have no comment on the City Commission's decision.

The backstory: City Harbor said new marina would generate an estimated $324,000 annually for city

On June 5, the City Commission ranked City Harbor's marina proposal ahead of another from Safe Harbor and directed staff to open negotiations with City Harbor for the construction of a marina that the firm said would generate an estimated $324,000 in annual revenue for West Palm Beach over the life of a proposed 100-year management agreement.

James and commission members had praised the idea of a marina as a way to "unlock" the waterfront, giving residents more reasons to make use of it.

City Harbor, which had made an unsolicited bid in 2021 to build and manage a marina for West Palm Beach, touted its plans, which included opportunities for eco-tourism, water taxis, fishing, sightseeing, snorkeling, diving and children’s education.

But the long road to a marina was rocky from the very start.

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That June 5 meeting was a special meeting that offered no opportunity for members of the public to weigh in on whether they wanted a marina at all, let alone what they thought of the dueling proposals from City Harbor and Safe Harbor.

James said during that meeting and afterward that the city was only opening negotiations with City Harbor and that the public would have a chance to have its say.

West Palm residents: We were shut out of marina discussions

Residents, however, were angered by the fact that they'd only be allowed to weigh in after City Harbor was selected and the decision to build a marina had been made.

"The public meetings you are proposing without withdrawing the procurement process first would be tainted, knowing that the city administration wants the marina," Rose said Monday night.

Commissioner Christy Fox, whose district includes the downtown area where the marina would be built, had voted against opening negotiations with City Harbor, citing what she said was a lack of public input.

Adding to the project's woes was an official protest from Safe Harbor, which argued that City Harbor violated West Palm Beach's rules against lobbying during a bid or procurement process when it had groups tell commissioners they backed City Harbor's proposal.

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The city's procurement official initially determined that Safe Harbor's protest was filed too late, but a request to reconsider that decision was granted last week.

That reconsideration put on hold any negotiations the city would undertake with City Harbor.

Was the new marina going to block residents' scenic views on Flagler Drive?

Meanwhile, public opposition intensified.

Much of the opposition centered on the fear that a marina would serve as a docking station for view-blocking yachts of the super-rich at the expense of the general public.

"Everybody knows that the marinas are for a select few," West Palm Beach resident Mike Schmidt told commissioners Monday night. "Everybody knows that, if that marina is built, the public will not have full access to it but will have a very, very minimal access to it."

Schmidt added: "The guy with the 100-foot boat and the dirty martini, he's going to be totally digging it. The guy who builds the marina and manages the marina and pockets the fees for mooring there, he's gonna be digging it, too. But the public is not going to be enjoying it. They haven't asked for it. They don't want it. It's going to interfere with something that's been cherished for a long time."

Commissioner Shalonda Warren got that message loud and clear.

City Harbor: World-class marina in West Palm won't be just for the wealthy and their yachts

"I hear you," she said. "I'm listening to you. Your voices do matter."

Fox echoed that sentiment and reminded residents of her opposition to the marina negotiations.

"We want to be excited about what happens on the waterfront," she said. "We don't want it to just be a second thought about we're being told that this is happening and we're just able to pick what color the docks are going to be."

The final straw: One commissioner initially votes to postpone, then terminate discussions

By the time it was Commissioner Cathleen Ward's turn to speak, she had heard enough.

She first referenced a comment from someone who told her she was up for re-election and that, if she did not vote against the marina, her constituents would find someone to run against her.

"I don't handle threats very well, and, frankly, I don't make my vote off threats," Ward told the audience. "I make my vote off of listening to residents, reviewing facts, discussing things with staff, reading reports. What you send me, I read. I call people back. If there is somebody that you feel is going to represent you better, I am open to that because that's democracy."

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Ward then made a motion to postpone negotiations with City Harbor until the public had more of a chance to weigh in. After the city attorney and other commissioners wondered aloud whether City Harbor could sue on a claim that the city was not negotiating in good faith, Ward moved to terminate the entire process.

When the City Commission voted unanimously in favor of that motion, the audience erupted into cheers and applause.

Wayne Washington is a journalist covering West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach and race relations at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at wwashington@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: West Palm Beach kills Flagler Drive marina deal after public opposition