Public response to West Palm marina: It ‘stinks of rotten fish’
Mayor Keith James defends decision to negotiate lease for downtown Flagler Drive marina; says public will have ample opportunity to weigh in
Six weeks after West Palm Beach city commissioners agreed to negotiate to build an 84-slip marina on the downtown Flagler Drive waterfront, there’s an upwelling of anger.
The proposal “stinks of rotten fish,” downtown resident Harriet Janensch told city commissioners July 10. “Let’s call it what it is: a water grab.”
The WPB Downtown Neighborhood Association received 701 responses as of July 13 to an ongoing survey, with the vast majority decrying the marina. Most notably, they wanted the public to have a say before the city entered into negotiations for the waterfront project.
“Our city commission has never approved a negotiation for a commercial development in a public park or space of this nature without PRIOR broad public support,” downtowner Rick Rose wrote to commissioners.
A Facebook page Rose started June 26 to “Protect the WPB downtown waterfront” has more than 290 followers.
He is distributing a petition to urge commissioners to halt negotiations with the boat show-linked developer, City Harbor.
As Stet reported July 4, City Harbor’s main presenter, Ray Graziotto, is a longtime board member of the non-profit that owns the boat show.
Mayor Keith James broke from the agenda at the July 10 City Commission meeting to address “a lot of disinformation that has been spread.”
“There will be ample opportunity for the public to weigh in on the specific proposal of City Harbor LLC before a contract is finalized,” James said. “I will ensure that there will be listening sessions.”
He referred to the city’s August 2021 resolution making public the city’s intent to pursue an agreement for “a city marina along the downtown waterfront between Palm Harbor Marina and the South Cove islands.”
Yes, but. The resolution was on the consent calendar, where noncontroversial items are grouped for approval with a single vote. It took 30 seconds to approve, with no discussion.
The proposal next came up publicly on June 5 when commissioners selected City Harbor. They had an option to postpone a decision or end the competition but did not.
What they said July 10th
The marina isn’t “meant to be exclusive or cutting off access to the waterfront,” James said in his July 10 rebuttal. “If anything we are looking to enhance our waterfront and to activate our waterfront so that there are activities for the public.”
He did not address Stet’s July 4 report that marina interests with ties to the boat show contributed $45,000 in February to one of his campaign committees.
Commissioners thanked the mayor for clarifying the city’s intent. Aware of the growing criticism, several said the decision to negotiate doesn’t guarantee approval of a marina.
“To me I think it is missing the point of the discussion … that this wasn’t final,” Commissioner Cathleen Ward said. “A contract negotiation doesn’t have to go to signature. My decision is not made for a marina or no marina.”
Added Commissioner Joe Peduzzi: “I have heard from a number of downtown residents and although it may have appeared that we acted prematurely in engaging in a selection process prior to hearing from the community and fully vetting this concept, I think the mayor in his remarks indicated that we are very early in this process and I agree with that. … I pledge to you and I promise you that my mind is not made up on this issue.”
What they said June 5th
On June 5, commissioners wondered whether it would be better to hold off on selecting a developer until the public weighed in. James urged them to make a decision that day.
Explaining that the boat show is important to the city, James said “I just believe we should move ahead at this time because I think delay is going to be a problem. I don’t think delay works for the boat show. We need to prioritize keeping that boat show in our city.”
Downtown Commissioner Christy Fox cast the lone vote against moving forward. She worried that she might be voting on something the public does not want.
“I haven’t had the chance to tell anyone about (the marina), to talk to them about it, to hear their concerns about how this will impact their quality of life in a different way than it will in the rest of the city,” Fox said.
When asked what kind of public discussion she anticipated, she answered:
“I think just any really.”
Peduzzi added: “What harm would there be in hearing from our constituents?”
City Attorney Kimberly Rothenburg explained that under state and local rules for reviewing the proposal “there is no provision for public input.”
“If the public objects to even that concept (of a downtown marina) I'm sure we will hear from them,” said James, who initially made the motion to move forward. “This is not like we will never have an opportunity to hear from the public on the concept.”
The mayor later added: “The point is if the public outcry is so great that we don’t want to continue, we terminate the process.”
What the downtowners’ survey says
Of note. The Downtown Neighborhood Association’s survey, which ends July 19, asked specifically about whether the public wanted to terminate the process.
The vast majority, 93%, said yes. The majority (380) answered: “Cease negotiations with all applicants and not pursue additional marina developments along the remaining, undeveloped proposed section of the downtown waterfront.”
Ninety-four percent said the city should not negotiate commercial developments on the waterfront without public input.
More than two-thirds said keep the downtown waterfront as it is while 21% said they were interested in improving and/or expanding the waterfront to engage the entire public, not just boaters.
Some of the respondents’ comments:
Flagler Drive is beautiful as it is. Not every place needs to be a circus or carnival.
Great cities are often defined by the beauty of their waterfronts. As taxpayers in the area, the public should have some input into this process rather than have a marina project jammed down its neck with no voice in the matter.
I think this will be a big improvement. Reduce Flagler to one lane there too.
I would like to see a beautiful new Marina. It will bring business to downtown WPB.
I would like to see a Whole Foods in the area as well.
I’m not against improvement, but the proposed development is selling the downtown’s residents most valuable asset. Our waterfront is a special part of our way of life and the beauty that we have all been drawn to. City decision makers should represent the best interests of their residents.
In addition to "garbaging up" our beautiful waterfront, the presence of so many megayachts also goes against the policy to keep the Lake (eg, intracoastal waterway) clean! We need MORE islands with oyster reefs, sea grass and mangroves, not stinky fossil fueled megayachts in WPB's water-rimmed front yard.
It is a designated public space and therefore should only benefit the public and not any other commercial entities unless they are providing a benefit to the public that either matches or outweighs their own benefit.
It is a ridiculous to build another marina off of flagler drive. It is beautiful as it is and a marina will ruin the vibe of flagler and downtown west palm beach.
It will destroy the waterfront area of WPB.
Update on bid protest
For those vying for the right to build the marina, a testy legal exchange is underway.
Safe Harbor, an industry giant, protested the city’s award to City Harbor. But the June 23 filing came too late, the city said. Safe Harbor’s attorney, F. Malcolm Cunningham Jr., asserted in a July 6 appeal it did not come too late and is awaiting a response from the city’s procurement officer.