Palm Beach mayor talks building inspections, water quality, code review during State of the Town address

Jodie Wagner, Palm Beach Daily News
·5 min read
In an address to the Citizens' Association of Palm Beach Thursday, Mayor Danielle Moore highlighted several issues important to residents in the town's South End.
In an address to the Citizens' Association of Palm Beach Thursday, Mayor Danielle Moore highlighted several issues important to residents in the town's South End.

In her first address to the Citizens' Association of Palm Beach since winning re-election as mayor last year, Danielle Moore highlighted several issues she said were important to residents in the town's South End.

As part of her State of the Town address at the association's 2023 annual meeting Thursday at the Tideline Ocean Resort & Spa, Moore discussed building inspections, water quality, code review and other matters that were relevant to residents living south of Sloan's Curve. The Citizens' Association represents the interests of those residents.

Topping Moore's list was a proposed improvement plan from the Florida Department of Transportation for a section of South Ocean Boulevard between Lake Avenue and Ibis Way.

Town officials and South End residents oppose the plan, which includes widening a 1.7-mile stretch of roadway and expanding the nearby recreation path.

More:'Road to nowhere': Palm Beach Town Council rejects A1A widening proposal in South End

Moore wrote a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis in December asking him to limit the project to milling and resurfacing the present roadway at its current width, and rebuilding the pedestrian path with limited widening and lengthening.

The Citizens' Association also sent letters to the governor in support of town officials' stance on the project.

Town officials are against a proposed Florida Department of Transportation 'improvement plan' for a section of South Ocean Boulevard between Lake Avenue and Ibis Way.
Town officials are against a proposed Florida Department of Transportation 'improvement plan' for a section of South Ocean Boulevard between Lake Avenue and Ibis Way.

"As far as the A1A widening, we're going to continue to fight that," Moore said. "The town is going to continue to work toward milling and resurfacing only the existing roadway and bike path. That's important to the town. We're going to keep working on that. We are not going to forget."

Other issues highlighted by Moore include:

• Phipps Ocean Park revitalization: At its December meeting, the Town Council granted special exception and site plan approval for the Phipps Ocean Park redevelopment project.

Miami-based landscape architect Raymond Jungles is handling design development for the redesigned park, which will feature a new entrance, walking paths, a dune playground and a native plant propagation area.

More:Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach has raised $21M of $30M goal for park redo

The Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach is spearheading the project, and is working to raise the estimated $20 million project cost and establish an endowment fund of approximately $10 million.

"Phipps Ocean Park is going to be stunning," Moore said. "Not only do we want it to be stunning, which is the most important part for many of you, but (Town Manager) Kirk (Blouin) and the team want to make sure it's financially viable for the taxpayers. We're not leaving that part of the plan behind. It's important."

• Strategic Planning Board: Moore is chairing the town's eight-member Strategic Planning Board, which is working to develop a new long-range plan for the town.

The board, which has hosted focus groups and community engagement events, is close to wrapping up its work, Moore said.

The board's next meeting is at 2 p.m. March 3. A presentation of the strategic planning process will be delivered to the Town Council on April 3.

"It was interesting when we did the focus groups," Moore said. "Everybody's focused on the same thing."

A Coastal Restoration Center and nursery are planned for the redesigned Phipps Ocean Park, as shown in this rendering.
A Coastal Restoration Center and nursery are planned for the redesigned Phipps Ocean Park, as shown in this rendering.

• Water quality: The town's Finance and Taxation Committee, which consists of council members Maggie Zeidman and Lew Crampton, will review options for water feasibility at a meeting scheduled at 9:30 a.m. March 16, Moore said.

The town has been reviewing options to extend or replace its current water agreement with the city of West Palm Beach, which expires on Oct. 1, 2029.

Options include continuing the contract with West Palm Beach; continuing the contract with West Palm Beach and collaborating on a membrane-technology upgrade at its treatment plant; and contracting with the city of Lake Worth Beach to provide water.

"Obviously, while safe and secure water is what everybody needs, regardless of its source, whether it's Lake Worth Beach or West Palm Beach, all governments want to provide safe and secure water for their residents," Moore said.

• Code review: ''Design our Palm Beach Week'' gets underway Monday at the Mandel Recreation Center, Moore said, and it will include workshops, seminars and other events where updates to Palm Beach’s nearly 50-year-old zoning code can be discussed with the town's zoning consultants.

More:Designing Our Palm Beach Week kicks off as town seeks input on zoning updates

"We're trying to revise some of the town code, which was written in the late '70s and '80s," Moore said. "Many of you know that a lot of the stipulations in the code are no longer relevant 50 years later."

During its meeting Thursday, the Citizens' Association of Palm Beach named its executive board and directors for 2023.
During its meeting Thursday, the Citizens' Association of Palm Beach named its executive board and directors for 2023.

For information, visit https://pbzoning.org/.

• Building inspections: The town paused its building safety inspections and recertification program last year while the Florida Legislature debated a pair of condominium bills. But with those bills failing to pass, the town restarted discussions about creating a plan to provide safety inspections for town buildings.

Moore said town officials will wait to see what happens with Florida House Bill 5-D, which would subject older condominium and cooperative buildings to routine inspections and end the ability of association boards to waive owner assessments needed to pay for repairs.

"I'm sure the Citizens' Association will continue to update you on what exactly the parameters are," Moore said of the bill. "But it will include inspections on all buildings higher than three stories after 30 years of age. I think that's the good part. There are also parts that are a little squirrely, but I think it's important."

During Thursday's meeting, the association named its executive board and directors for 2023. They include: co-chairs Skip Aldridge and Donald Singer; vice chairs Stephen Jacobs, Bram Majtlis, Linda Sullivan and Richard Kleid; secretary Ronald Matzner; treasurer Gardiner Hempel; general counsels Stephen Jacobs and Ronald Matzler; and directors Aldridge, Guy Clark, Deborah Day, Gardiner Hempel, Stephen Jacobs, Fred Kamel, Kleid, Karen List, Majtlis, Ronald Matzner, Erick Reickert, Marilyn Rosee, Pamela Saba, Rick Salvadore, Dena Seigel, Greg Silpe, Singer, Sullivan, Rita S. Taca, Steve Tannenbaum, William Tucker ,Jane Waldman and Peter Wilson.

Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach mayor highlights issues of importance to South End residents