South Palm Beach was in the news last February, feature story by Dan Moffett in The Coastal Star.

The news from Mr. Moffett is more than surprising; closer to stupefying would be more like it.

The story was headlined, “South Palm Beach: Beach project appears dead after county backs out”. This highly interesting read by Moffett concludes with this paragraph,


To date, the county has spent a little over $1.3 million on studies and permit applications for the project, and South Palm has paid about $330,000. The number of staff hours invested in the effort is incalculable.


Another excerpt from the news in The Coastal Star and the link to read the entire story is later in this blog post.

Whilst on topic it was reported recently in the Sun Sentinel that Palm Beach County and ten municipalities including Lake Worth Beach have joined the Coastal Resilience Partnership (CRP). And if you are wondering if South Palm Beach is part of the CRP the answer is no.

And the Town of Palm Beach hasn’t joined the CRP either. But Boca Raton is a member and so is Delray Beach. Read more about this latest development a little later.

But many of you are probably saying to yourself, “Where is South Palm Beach?” The answer is in the map below courtesy of the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s Office.

Click on map to enlarge.

At top and in center of map (in airy yellow) is Town of Palm Beach. In verdant green is Lake Worth Beach:

In the map (bottom right; sea turtle green) is the ¼-sq. mi. Town of South Palm Beach located south of Lake Worth Beach and Town of Palm Beach (Intracoastal is to west and Atlantic Ocean to east; Town of Manalapan is to the south and shaded Verdenia red is Town of Lantana).

Back in April 2016 when The Palm Beach Post still believed they had the cred to rank towns, villages and cities in Palm Beach County in order from worst to best the Post ranked South Palm Beach #11 out of 38:


There is little youthful anything in South Palm Beach, a condo-canyon stretch of A1A that connects Lake Worth [Beach] with Palm Beach. It’s a snowbird paradise, with lots of people on the stroll along the paved path bordering the Lake Worth Lagoon.


However, if you look at the map above South Palm Beach is connected to the Town of Palm Beach. Palm Beach has a historical right-of-way north through Lake Worth Beach?


Now moving on. . .


Here are the opening five paragraphs in The Coastal Star by Dan Moffett. . .


For nearly 13 years, Palm Beach County and South Palm Beach have worked together on a controversial plan to use a network of concrete groins to relieve the town’s chronic beach erosion problems.

They spent $1.7 million and devoted countless hours to the joint venture, consulting with scientists and engineers, lobbying politicians and state officials, and twisting the arms of skeptical residents and neighbors.

Now, months before construction of the groins was scheduled to begin, it appears the project is dead in the water.

On Feb. 5, the county sent a letter to the state Department of Environmental Protection officially withdrawing a request for the permits needed to move forward. County environmental managers say the project has grown too expensive to make sense anymore.

“We have determined that the project is cost prohibitive,” said Michael Stahl, deputy director of the county’s Environmental Resources Management department.


To continue reading the entire story datelined February 27th click on this link.

As cited earlier in this blog post today — more information about the CRP as reported in the Sun Sentinel — news datelined March 12th. Two excerpts follow:


The Coastal Resilience Partnership consists of Palm Beach County, Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Briny Breezes, Delray Beach, Gulf Stream, Highland Beach, Hypoluxo, Lake Worth, Lantana and Ocean Ridge. It was formally created with a grant from the Florida Resilient Coastlines Program, an initiative by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to provide assistance and funding to coastal communities dealing with flooding, erosion and other changes.

Referring to CRP meeting held on February 28th. . .

. . . Coastal Resilience Partnership members discussed future planning efforts, such as infrastructure, social and economic issues and protecting vital natural resources. The coalition has future meetings planned for the Spring and Summer, but exact dates are not yet available.


Now briefly back to Lake Worth Beach and news in The Coastal Star published in August 2017, “Along the Coast . . . A line in the sand” by reporters Jane Smith and Michelle Quigley.

This news had the subheadline:

“At issue is whether building should continue east of Coastal Construction Line”

Click on screen grab from video:

Take note of the red north-south
Coastal Construction Control Line (CCCL).

To learn more about the CCCL and why a new municipal pool complex at the beach in Lake Worth Beach is not possible click on this link. Plus not once since the new Casino was constructed in 2012 has it ever faced a major hurricane like Frances and Jeanne in 2004 or Wilma in 2005.