On the agenda at this year’s CNU Florida Summit: The Cottages of Lake Worth Beach take center stage!

The City of Lake Worth Beach will be featured by the Congress of New Urbanism (CNU) at this year’s summit to be held on October 6th–8th.

Later in this blog post is a link for more information and to get registered.

The CNU, “is the nation’s most innovative and influential organization promoting the building and revitalization of great urban places. We are a multi-disciplinary organization comprised of architects, urban planners, developers, investors, engineers, academics, elected and career governmental officials, and citizen advocates.”

On Friday, October 8th the CNU summiteers will be visiting Lake Worth Beach. On the agenda is a walking tour of our historic cottages:

Click on image to enlarge:

Lake Worth Beach Mayor Betty Resch will be the day’s Special Guest. Wes Blackman will conduct the walking tour of the cottages.

For more information and to get registered for this year’s CNU Florida Summit click on this link.

Interested in learning more about the City of Lake Worth Beach and its historic cottages? The Cottages hardcover book will be available for purchase during the upcoming walking tour.

The front cover:

To learn more about the book use this link. The first edition was published in 2016; the second in 2017. Worth noting is another historic event in this City’s history in March 2019: By voter referendum the City changed its name to become Lake Worth Beach!

Beach Scene in Lake Worth (now City of Lake Worth Beach), 1921, Courtesy of FAU Library.

This won’t take long. Doesn’t the Greater Bay plan in 2009 for our Lake Worth Beach look really good right about now?

However, the public was never allowed to see this plan. Why? Because a previous administration (see the “happy” photo below) thought they could come up with a better plan than Greater Bay did.

Because the contract with Greater Bay was broken that later cost the City a $1.6M settlement (how many potholes could that money have fixed?), countless bills for lawyers, embarrassment for the City of Lake Worth and “egg on our faces” as Mayor Pam Triolo, first elected in 2012, likes to say.

Note the location of Casino. The Greater Bay plan included a parking garage with a new pool facility to the north plus ample access for the handicapped and emergency/commercial vehicles.

The majority elected in 2012, Triolo, Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell, and Commissioner Andy Amoroso were left to pick up all the pieces.

In 2010–2012 “. . . it appears some corners were cut”, said the editor(s) at The Palm Beach Post. You ain’t kidding.

When Commissioner McVoy comes knocking on your door asking for your vote again, just say “I think I’ll pass.”

Commissioner McVoy, PhD (beaming, next to former City Manager Stanton) was once so pleased with himself. He was first elected in 2010. Are you ready to give McVoy a raise and 2 more years on our City Commission?

City of Lake Worth Beach, Florida, will host the 2020 NLC Small Cities Council Conference.

The National League of Cities (NLC) is a nonpartisan, “voice of cities, towns, and villages representing more than 200 million people.”

Lake Worth Beach is seeking sponsors for this important event. For more details about this conference at the end of this blog post is contact information.

Here is the message from LWB City Manager Michael Bornstein, two excerpts:


We are proud to announce the City of Lake Worth Beach has been selected as Host City for the 2020 National League of Cities (NLC) Small Cities Council Conference scheduled for July 15–18, 2020.

This conference will bring together mayors and city council members from municipalities with populations of 50,000 or less from across the nation to provide opportunities to learn and network through a variety of expert presentations, tours and best practices. The conference theme is SMALL CITIES IN BIG PLACES. By NLC definition, eighty-two percent of Palm Beach County's municipalities are small cities. We look forward to the opportunity to showcase Lake Worth Beach as well as our sister cities.

We ask for your support as a sponsor to make this event extraordinary. We know our efforts will go even further with your organization as a sponsor. We have categorized our needs into four (4) sponsorship categories (Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze).

and. . .

Your support and sponsorship is extremely valued and appreciated. With you by our side at this upcoming event, we are sure to highlight our community in a way that will make us stand out as a destination. We are hopeful your organization can collaborate with us as a sponsor. Please complete the application attached at your earliest convenience so we may begin including your logo on our marketing material.

Sponsorship information.

The sponsorships available are Platinum ($10K+), Gold ($7–10K), Silver ($3–7K), and Bronze (< $3K).

The Platinum sponsorship includes logo inclusion on event flyers and billboard, sponsor acknowledgement and distribution of promotional material during the event, recognition of business on City social media and additional benefits.

For more information contact Project Manager Jessica Savidge at 561-586-1674 or send an email to: jsavidge@lakeworthbeachfl.gov

Lake Worth Beach Bonfires. 2019–2020 Bonfire Season is nearly over.

Next Friday is the final
beach bonfire of the Season!

Please share this important and topical update
with all our loyal Snowbirds!

How to stay current with all the news and upcoming events in Lake Worth Beach? Very simple. Receive email updates and the latest press releases from the City by clicking on this link.

Saturday, May 16th, 2015: “Today at the Lake Worth pool”.

How the “charming” municipal pool at the beach
looked most of the time.

Should our City construct a new pool at the beach? Or somewhere else in the City? You decide. Enjoy the blog post below from four years ago prior to the pool being condemned:

I went for some self-paced water exercise today. The lanes are still in the north/south direction, which creates about nine 50-meter lanes for lap swimming. Two of the lane dividers were down for people who just wanted to enjoy the pool, so lap swimming lanes were reduced by two. There were 25 people inside the pool area but only about 10 in the pool at any one time. There was a mixture of families and individuals. This during the time from about 12:30 to 1:30.

It should be noted the pool facility is approved for a maximum occupancy of 312 people. At the most, and I go there two to three times a week, I’ve seen about 60 people. That amounts to about 20% of what the pool and surrounding areas could hold. Here is the sign that shows the capacity of the pool:

And you really have to keep in mind that if the pool is set up for lap swimming, the capacity is significantly reduced as only one or two people can really occupy one lane comfortably. Most of the time it is just one person in a lane. When the lane markers are switched east/west, you have a large area in the center that can be used for “free” swimming, but it’s 10 feet deep, frightening for many people.

So you don’t find parents with their children in this area of the pool unless they are using the diving board. There are more lanes in this configuration, but it’s this 25-meter distance which lap swimmers do not like as much; they have to turn around more frequently.

The question has to be asked: is such a large pool really the kind of pool the city needs going into the future?

One could call this blog post, “How not to do a project at the Lake Worth Beach.”

What you’ll see below is from:

April 13th, 2012.

So as we proceed forward let’s hope we never see anything like this ever again. . .


I took a drive up to the beach Friday afternoon [in April 2012] and captured these pictures. Below you will see a group of people trying to navigate the main walkway from the lower parking lot to the PEDESTRIAN ACCESS leading to the actual beach. I say “navigate” since the walkway was covered by water from some unknown source (this was before any of yesterday’s rain).

Click on all images to enlarge.

The former Casino had been demolished by 2012. And the new Casino was nearing completion. And officials said the Beach ‘was open’. 

Moving into the future, whatever is decided to do at the Beach, let’s make certain the Beach truly remains open for the public.

You can check out the video of these girls trying to negotiate the water covered path.

Benny’s on the Beach.

Historic Lake Worth Beach and Casino Pictures/Postcards

Click on images to enlarge.

Welcome Aboard!

Take the public bus to the beach in Lake Worth Beach!

Palm Tran bus Rt. 62 has returned public transportation to the beach following a ten-year hiatus. Rt. 62 runs east and west, anchored by the Village of Wellington and the Casino and Beach Complex at the beach in Lake Worth Beach (see map below).

Enjoy this thirty-second video produced by Palm Tran:



Here is the Rt. 62 map:

Click on map to enlarge.

Palm Tran bus Rt. 62 now runs seven days a week to the beach. For the daily, Saturday and Sunday schedule click on this link.

Sunday (tomorrow!) is a big day in Lake Worth Beach for public transportation.

So many in the public — especially those who use Palm Tran bus services — have been awaiting this news for a long, long time.

Palm Tran bus route 62 returns to the beach in Lake Worth Beach.

Here is the news from Palm Tran on Twitter (tweet will load momentarily):

Palm Tran goes to Lake Worth Beach on January 5, 2020.

Learn more details on our website: https://t.co/0jgApBU6w3 pic.twitter.com/VkdE47u5Wt

— Palm Tran (@palm_tran) December 17, 2019

There used to be a bus stop at the former Casino building but that service was discontinued about a decade ago during the ‘renovation’. Bus service east of Dixie Hwy. on Lake and Lucerne avenues ended soon afterwards. The restoration of Palm Tran bus service to the beach is a big deal.

Quick Quiz: Why doesn’t Palm Tran have a bus that goes to the beach in West Palm Beach?

Answer: Because West Palm Beach doesn’t have a beach. WPB never had a beach but they always wished they did. But they don’t ergo why there is no bus to a beach in West Palm Beach.

Here is the Sunday schedule so you can plan your Palm Tran bus trip to the beach in Lake Worth Beach (times in boldface are p.m.).

Click on schedule to enlarge:

For the new Rt. 62 bus schedule on Monday–Friday and Saturday’s schedule click on this link. The bus fare is $2 each way. The Palm Tran bus drivers are preternaturally helpful and courteous and will gladly help you and your friends for a trip to the beach. Now every day of the week!

Can you bring along pets, a beach umbrella or barbecue grill onto the Palm Tran bus? No! You cannot take these items onto a public bus.

But you can take on the bus to the beach food and beverages in sealed containers (but may not be consumed on the bus). Also allowed per Palm Tran, “Coolers, beach towels, flotation devices and other beach accessories may be brought as long as they fit on your lap or directly in front of you.”

Click on this link for more information from Palm Tran.

Lake Worth Beach, suburban Lake Worth and Greenacres: Help PBSO eliminate graffiti in your neighborhood.

PBSO Graffiti Eradication Unit.

NO COST TO YOU!
IT’S FREE!

Take back your street, neighborhood,
community and parks.

Help PBSO District 14 (Lake Worth Beach) and District 16 (City of Greenacres) and help PBSO in unincorporated Palm Beach County as well (e.g., places like John Prince Park in suburban Lake Worth and Lake Osborne Estates). . .

• If you see GRAFFITI IN PROGRESS call 911 immediately!
• Non-emergency number: 561-688-3400.
• Have a chronic graffiti problem? Call CrimeStoppers at 800-458-8477. Be eligible for a reward and remain anonymous.

How the PBSO Graffiti Eradication Unit came to be:

In early 2005 Sheriff Ric Bradshaw established this program to rapidly respond and remove graffiti within unincorporated Palm Beach County and select municipalities that now include the cities of Lake Worth, Greenacres, South Palm Beach and Palm Beach Shores.

It is very worth noting that Greenacres received high honors for “Safest Cities in Florida 2018” in Palm Beach County; however, the data from City of Lake Worth was late arriving to the judges showing a significant drop in crime.

The villages of Wellington and Royal Palm Beach — also patrolled by PBSO — were also ranked very high on the “Safest Cities” list as well.

Real estate news from the City of Lake Worth Beach.

Be in the loop with the latest news and press releases from the City!

Take just a few moments and join the City’s mailing list. Have the latest information delivered right to your email inbox: click on this link to get signed up.

A recent press release issued by the City’s public information officer (PIO):


Lake Worth Beach — In-Rel Properties, Inc., a long-term Lake Worth Beach resident has relocated its offices to downtown. This real estate investment firm recently purchased and renovated the former Chase Bank Building at 200 Lake Avenue, a two-story structure comprised of approximately twelve thousand square feet.

 
According to a company spokesperson:

“In-Rel has spent the last two years searching for new headquarter offices. Concerned by the possibility of leaving this wonderful area, we were elated to find this opportunity to remain in Lake Worth Beach. We brought new life to a significant downtown property, contributed towards preserving the local vibe, and secured facilities that will support our growth for years to come.”

In-Rel has now restored the building’s mid-century modern design, a subtle blend of 1950’s Art Deco and futuristic styles. The project preserved downtown’s culture, showing respect for the artistic community, while repurposing the property for new commercial uses. The avant-garde architecture is highly flexible. The interior offers generous open floor plates and high ceilings, making it easy to build out creative, modern, and functional spaces.

The building is situated between Lake Avenue and Lucerne Avenue, just west of the Intracoastal Waterway Bridge. It is in the heart of downtown Lake Worth Beach and within minutes of the Palm Beach Island communities across the bridge. This locale is ideal for a variety of office and retail tenants, including medical, wealth management, boutique law firm, wellness, art gallery, gourmet food market, and restaurant uses.

In-Rel now occupies the building’s top floor and has made up to six thousand square feet on the ground floor available for lease. A quick visit to In-Rel’s offices reveals the exciting possibilities for the use of the available space.


End of press release.


For more information about In-Rel Properties use this link.

The City’s PIO in Lake Worth Beach is Mr. Ben Kerr. For media inquiries contact Mr. Kerr at 561-586-1631; email: bkerr@lakeworth.org

About Lake Worth Beach:

Located in Central Palm Beach County, Lake Worth Beach is a dynamic, multi-cultural city with an individualistic style. People are drawn to the City by its acceptance of different cultures and lifestyles, historic districts, hip downtown and colorful arts district.


Remember! Public safety is a top priority. If you are planning a beach day in Lake Worth Beach leave the plastic straws at home and pack plenty of sunscreen:

BREAKING: The real BEACH plan, kept secret til now, finally exposed in Lake Worth Beach.

No way! Not on my watch. Keep your HANDS OFF OUR BEACH in LDub! Don’t change a thing!

Are you a member of the SRS platoon? Did you take your sign down? Put that thing back out in the front yard! Hurry!

And don’t forget about the pool either. “We don’t care if it’s condemned and crumbling because it’s ours! HANDS OFF all you vultures trying to fix our old, broken stuff!”

Hope everyone had a good laugh and, once again, Thank You for visiting today.