Two West Palm Beach neighborhood associations have sued Palm Beach County in the 15th Judicial Circuit, challenging the county’s Sept. 29 approval of a $26 million deal tied to a second convention center hotel. The Grandview Heights Neighborhood Association and the West Palm Beach Neighborhood Alliance filed the complaint Oct. 14.
The suit argues commissioners violated Florida’s open meetings law by voting with little public notice. The county placed the transaction on an “add-on” agenda item six days before the vote, a procedure the lawsuit says is reserved for emergencies. The complete 715-page file was not public until 8 a.m. the morning of the meeting. Commissioners got about 600 pages five days earlier. The board approved the 34-part deal 6 to 1, with Commissioner Gregg Weiss dissenting.
Under the agreement, the county will advance $26 million from its General Fund reserves to a Related Ross affiliate, then buy the finished 18-story, 400-room hotel at 940 South Rosemary Avenue and lease it back for up to 97 years. The hotel would sit roughly 45 feet from nearby townhomes and across L Street from the Grandview Heights Historic District.
The lawsuit also cites the county administrator’s acknowledgment that the county had verbally agreed with Related to vote in September, in part so the developer could break ground that month. The county attorney said state law requires only 24 hours’ notice.
The plaintiffs want a declaration that the approval is void and an injunction blocking the county from executing or funding the deal until it is considered at a properly noticed meeting. The county and Related Ross had not responded to the complaint in the source report.
