Terri Parker's Exclusive Story on the Marina
July 2, 2023
Channel 25 (WPBF) Investigative Reporter, Terri Parker had the exclusive story on Safe Harbor who filed a protest against the City of WPB for voting for a “world class marina.” Below are excerpts from Ms. Parker’s story, and the link can be found below.
“The lawyer for Safe Harbor – the world’s largest marina builder and operator filed an official protest against city commissioners’ choice of City Harbor to build a “world class marina” on the downtown waterfront.”
According to the city charter, the mayor may only vote in the case of a tie in a commission meeting.
While James characterized the meeting as a “evaluation committee” it was posted as a special commission meeting.
The protest also said a representative for Informa, which manages the yearly boat show, improperly lobbied commissioners and the mayor on behalf of City Harbor.
Informa designed the dock plan for City Harbor, according to the protest and was listed as a partner in visual handouts.”
Ms. Parker’s story can be read below, and I have included the link if you care to view the meeting which lasted for 3:34:40 and hear Andrew Duel from Informa the company that manages the boat show made a presentation. Time start 56:28.
City leaders are willing to give up our water views to a for profit company and allow them to build a marina for the wealthy boat owners and it’s a hot topic being watched by residents and the media.
Below you will read a letter to the editor of the PB Post by Mr. Mike Schmidt and an email sent to city leaders by Aaron Wormus. Both men have expressed their views on the marina. I thank them both for speaking up.
Now the rest of us that are upset about our possible loss of access to the water.
When the City Commission meet to discuss and vote on the issue, I’m betting Channel 5, 12, 25 and the PB Post will be present to report on the story. It’s a hot issue, and residents are concerned, but are we concerned enough to attend the meeting and speak up. If the city runs true to form invited guests will attend the meeting praising city leaders for their leadership.
Public speaking is a hard thing to do, believe me I know. When I first started to address the Mayor (Lois Frankel) and City Commissioners I was a nervous wreck, and hoped they couldn’t hear my knees knocking. When you stop and think city hall belongs to all of us and we allow leaders the use of the building for a few years hoping they will protect residents. Few do.
If you don’t agree with the city’s plans, please find the courage to attend the meetings and speak up. Your silence means acceptance.
Mike Schmidt letter to the editor P.B. Post.
“I read Kim Miller’s article in the Palm Beach Post about the City Council’s plan to permit a private business to build a for-profit marina at the waterfront park in downtown. It seems incredible that any attempt to take public parkland and sequester it for private, for-profit use of a very exclusive few would blithely proceed without any meaningful attempt to get the public’s opinion. Imagine if someone wanted to take a substantial chunk of Howard Park or Gaines Park and convert it for the exclusive use of the yachting class. There would be a tremendous public outcry of ‘gentrification,’ ‘elitism,’ ‘neo-colonialism,’ or whatever disparaging ‘ism’ you could possibly imagine.
Making matters worse is the obvious stealth and secrecy of the whole deal, a very deliberate attempt by mayor and council to NOT inform the public, which carries the reek of public officials thinking about their own interests and not the general public’s — or at the very least, the public officials appear to be the handmaidens of a very few self-centered profiteers.
Look, I’m not trying to be naive: the typical practice with development is to keep it on the downlow and get city approval before ‘public comment’ can have any meaningful effect. Then the city hosts a pointless, cosmetic meeting to give the appearance of democracy, listens to a bunch of objections with glazed eyes and nary a care, because the project is already approved and the public can stuff their objections.
It’s an old game, we’ve all seen it before. But if this is how the mayor and council are proceeding with this project, their credibility as public servants will be nil. Don’t be surprised if all city officials who shepherded this marina project are accused of lack of ethics, corruption, and a general contempt for their constituents. How else is the secrecy and stealth to be interpreted?
Let’s also not waste each other’s time or insult the public’s intelligence by trying to pretend that ordinary people will enjoy access to the marina once built. We all know that the people who own expensive boats have zero incentive to allow the public on their docks, and no expensive marina is an exception to that rule. There’s no escaping that a beautiful, unique park and view of the waterfront, designed and intended for the public and enjoyed by hundreds of thousands every year, will be substantially obstructed for the private pleasure of a scant few extremely wealthy folk.
Please don’t decide on this project without proper public input. Please don’t ruin the beautiful, tourist-friendly, existing waterfront that is a unique, irreplaceable, signature feature of downtown. Please don’t turn downtown West Palm Beach into the poorly-planned, helter-skelter mish-mash of gated marinas that is Fort Lauderdale.”
Mike Schmidt is a resident of West Palm Beach.
Aaron Wormus email to city leaders.
Dear Mayor James,
“I work at the Citizens’ Building overlooking the Downtown Waterfront, and I live in the South End – Every day I walk my dogs, Jackson and Pixel, along the beautiful Flagler Drive.
We are blessed that through the years West Palm Beach leaders have made choices that have protected, preserved and nourished our waterfront. Our beautiful lake attracted the first settlers, birthed our city 128 years ago, and IF protected will continue to be part of our veritable paradise for generations to come.
Please stop all negotiations for a new commercial marina on our downtown waterfront. It’s not worth it, at any price.
Thank you for your continued service to our community.”
Best regards,
Aaron Wormus
330 Winters St, West Palm Beach, FL 33405
(561) 809 8507
Terri Parker story can be read below.
Special City Commission Meeting held June 5, 2023, ran for 3:34:40, and presentation by Andrew Duel from Informa the company that manages the boat show made a presentation time start 56:28. Meeting can be seen & heard below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_Y1yWMn0LI
Before I close one more piece of information. Attorney Malcolm Cunningham who successfully defended Vita in the Sunset Lounge lawsuit is the attorney for Safe Harbor. Speaking of the Sunset Lounge how are negotiations coming along? That question for Mayor Keith James.
The end