🚊 Silencing trains
It's Tuesday. Let's make it a good one. For you, north county quiet zones, ballot choices become clear, a billionaire's vision for West Palm Beach, Sunset Lounge's fate and culture on the cheap.
Five north county cities are getting quiet zones. One isn’t.
Four northern Palm Beach County cities are closing in on silencing train horns, one has already silenced them but a sixth city is going down the opposite track.
Even as all its neighbors pursue quiet zones, Lake Park is setting itself up to be a holdout. Tequesta, Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens and Riviera Beach are finalizing the costly crossing improvements needed to meet strict federal standards. West Palm Beach is already there.
In all, federal grants are paying about $3.5 million for safety improvements that would enable Brightline and freight engineers to silence their horns, except in emergencies, in all of north county except Lake Park.
What this means: Trains could stay silent in some neighborhoods while their blaring horns disrupt residents in the very next town.
Lake Park is responsible for crossings at Park Avenue and Northlake Boulevard.
Stet News took a close look at the progress north county cities are making to match south county, which achieved quiet zone status along the Florida East Coast Railway tracks in 2018.
West Palm Beach has met federal standards and achieved quiet zone status for the entire city.
Riviera Beach expects to overcome the final hurdles and activate quiet zones in late spring at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, 13th Street, Blue Heron Boulevard and Silver Beach Road.
Lake Park decided Feb. 21 not to pursue quiet zones for its two crossings.
Palm Beach Gardens is adding more gates and expects the city’s quiet zone to become operational in November. The zone covers Richard Road, Lighthouse Drive, Burns Road, RCA Boulevard, Kyoto Gardens Drive and Hood Road.
Jupiter has no timeline but is pursuing $1 million in improvements to six crossings — Donald Ross Road, Frederick Small Road, Toney Penna Drive, Indiantown Road, Center Street and Riverside Drive.
Tequesta is moving forward with a quiet zone at its sole crossing, Tequesta Drive.
See — and hear — Brightline dash through north county here.
— Elisabeth Gaffney
Look for a Stet News special report from Elisabeth on Thursday with in-depth coverage of where all the cities stand and how much quiet zones will cost taxpayers.
🗳️ Two icons step down: Here’s who’s running to replace them
The matchups in a first-in-a-more-than-a-decade chance for Palm Beach County voters to pick a new state attorney are finally set.
Seven lawyers filed papers by noon Friday to officially qualify to replace three-term State Attorney Dave Aronberg, who announced last year he is stepping down from arguably the county’s most powerful post to seek other unspecified opportunities.
The race will be decided in November.
First, four Democrats — Assistant State Attorneys Alexcia Cox and Craig Williams, defense attorney Gregg Lerman and former sheriff’s Capt. Rolando Silva — will compete in the August primary. The top vote-getter will advance to the November election.
On the Republican side, Palm Beach lawyer Sam Stern, a New Jersey legal scion, and Boca Raton lawyer Forrest Freedman will face off for a spot on the November ballot.
The deciding election will feature three candidates as defense attorney Adam Farkas has no party affiliation and therefore won’t compete in the August primaries.
But wait: The state attorney’s post isn’t the only major shakeup in the county’s criminal justice system. For the first time since 2000, voters will also get to select a new public defender. Carey Haughwout, first elected in 2000, isn’t seeking a seventh term.
Two Democrats will vie to replace Haughwout, the longest-serving public defender in county history. Either Chief Assistant Public Defender Daniel Eisinger, Haughwout’s hand-picked successor, or former Delray Beach City Commissioner Adam Frankel will be chosen in August.
Why it’s important: The state attorney, who has the power to charge people with crimes or let them go free, impanel grand juries and decide whether to seek the death penalty, is a formidable force.
But the public defender is also a big player. Thousands of people who can’t afford lawyers rely on the tax-financed law firm each year for legal counsel. The public defender also keeps the state attorney in check and helps set important policy.
There’s more: Friday was also the qualifying deadline for all circuit and county court judges and for U.S. House and Senate candidates.
All 12 circuit judges and 10 county judges up for re-election were automatically swept back into office when no one filed to run against them.
Three lawyers, Palm Beach County School Board attorney Jean Marie Middleton and former prosecutors-turned defense attorneys Douglas Leifert and Lourdes Casanova will vie to replace retiring County Judge Ted Boras.
In the federal races, U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick automatically won her second full term to represent the sprawling district that covers wide swaths of Broward and Palm Beach counties.
While the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported last week that hip-hop artist Luther Campbell planned a challenge, neither he nor anyone else filed. So, the Democrat keeps the seat she first won in 2022 after the death of U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings.
Others weren’t as lucky. Republican U.S. Reps. Brian Mast and Democrats Lois Frankel and Jared Moskowitz all snared multiple challengers. One of them is familiar to county voters.
Former County Mayor Robert Weinroth, who lost his 2022 County Commission re-election bid and toyed with a run for the school board, switched parties and is running as a Republican against Democrat Moskowitz to represent the Coral Springs area in Broward County and a small slice of Palm Beach County.
— Jane Musgrave
Read Jane’s in-depth coverage of the candidates here.
🌆 How Stephen Ross wants to reshape West Palm Beach
Fortune magazine just published a look at Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross’ ambitions to make West Palm Beach a model city for the country.
Why it’s important: The article, reported with Bloomberg, pulls together the developments Ross is pursuing to make South Florida more like Manhattan.
What happened: The billionaire noticed that the Bristol luxury condo on Flagler Drive quickly sold out, the article reported. His office building at The Square, 360 Rosemary, was also booming.
“When I saw what was happening with COVID and saw how they were renting,” Ross, 83, told Fortune/Bloomberg, he said “There’s a real opportunity here.”
The story noted that Palm Beach County had a $7 billion net gain in adjusted gross income from 2020 to 2021, the most in the United States.
And that, as of the first quarter, Ross’ Related Cos. was building nearly two-thirds of the roughly 334,000 square feet of offices under development in downtown West Palm.
Related’s latest office project, One Flagler, has landed tenants including HighPost Capital and a firm tied to billionaire John Paulson, Fortune/Bloomberg reported. The developer is in talks to open a location of Eataly, the Italian food marketplace, in West Palm, a person with knowledge of the plans told the reporters.
Ross wants to develop more amenities for affluent newcomers, but said it isn’t easy. They include:
A big-time graduate school
As Stet News first reported, Ross is leading an effort to raise $300 million to lure Vanderbilt University to the downtown location where plans to build a University of Florida campus fell apart.
An elite prep school
Related and Frisbie Group have hired staff to better understand the business of education, but it’s been a challenging process, even with a slew of wealthy donors standing by, the article said.
Pine Crest, a top private school with a campus in Boca Raton, was exploring a West Palm location but isn’t moving forward, a person with knowledge of the situation told the reporters.
A private club
Throughout the area, golf clubs nearby are full, Fortune reported, so Ross is building a three-course club called Apogee 30 miles north of downtown West Palm in Martin County.
The bottom line: The man who developed The Square in 2000 is going all in to make West Palm Beach a new power center.
Read the paywalled article here.
Bloomberg summarized its reporting in this one-minute video.
❄️ Sunset Lounge talks turn frosty
More than a year after completion of the renovation of West Palm Beach’s historic Sunset Lounge, city leaders find themselves without an opening date.
What’s at stake: The city already has a $20 million investment in buying and improving the Sunset Lounge in the historic Northwest Neighborhood.
Operating costs for the closed building are more than $25,000 a month.
CRA Director Christopher Roog recommended that the CRA extend for 18 months the $27,000-a-month contract with JJL, the hospitality consultant that is helping negotiate on the city’s behalf.
What’s happening: On Monday, Roog recommended city commissioners sitting as the CRA terminate negotiations with West Palm Beach-based Vita Lounge to operate the concert venue and supper club.
He said that after more than 60 meetings with Vita since August, there is no agreement on several key points.
Roog added that the challenges in dealing with Vita led him to recommend continuing the JJL contract to assure the Sunset Lounge operates efficiently.
He didn’t say what the city would do if it dropped Vita, one of two companies that pursued the contract. The other one has dropped out.
What they’re saying: Vita representative Tony Brown expressed surprise at Roog’s recommendation that the city walk away.
“We are ready to go,” Brown said. “If we get the keys on Sept. 30, we can open on Jan. 1.”
“There are red flags, lights and sirens. I don’t think this is a problem that can be solved in two weeks,” said Mayor Keith James, who opposed the selection of Vita and fought it in court.
Commissioners went into overtime to decide what to do. They rejected the proposal to terminate negotiations and gave Vita until May 22 to agree to terms. James voted no.
🦩 The juice
🚨 U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said his sons almost drowned last year off Palm Beach. (The Hill)
🛤️ Miami-Dade is considering a $500 million deal for Brightline to build part of a Tri-Rail Coastal Link there. The commuter line has long been envisioned on the easternmost tracks to run from Jupiter to Miami. (South Florida Business Journal $$)
🔨 Longtime National Rifle Association Florida lobbyist Marion Hammer is out at 85 and emails show she is angry. (Florida Bulldog)
🎨 Norton Museum of Art makes national list of museums to visit this year. (The New York Times gift link)
☀️ Former Palm Beach Post reporter Tom Collins watched the weather reports and shifted from Texas to the White Mountains of New Hampshire for his family’s adventurous pursuit of the eclipse. (The Palm Beach Post $$)
🎭 561 insider: Culture is calling
Mosaic, a monthlong celebration of Palm Beach County art, performances and ideas, begins Wednesday.
Why it’s important: As the tourist season winds down, local attractions are offering deals to draw visitors.
Deals through May 31 include:
Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum. Buy one admission get one free.
Mounts Botanical Garden. Buy one admission get one free.
Boca Raton Museum of Art. Buy one admission get one free.
Norton Museum of Art. Buy one general admission get one free.
Of note: Check before you go. Some deals must be redeemed online; some in person.
There are also discounts for tours of Loggerhead Marinelife Center, Busch Wildlife Sanctuary and purchases at Resource Depot.
The highlight: Open Studios on May 18 and 19 is a chance to visit more than 90 artists’ studios and spaces across the county.
A map of artist studios is here.
Why it’s called Mosaic: The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County’s program name stands for Month of Shows, Ideas, Art and Culture.
Reply to this email and let us know if you go!
🎶 A Stet News cheer to SunFest, which starts Friday.
🌱 Help us grow by sharing this newsletter.
Stet News is a reader-supported publication. Join us with a free or paid subscription.