ISSUE 6 · SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2026 · LIFE BY DESIGN, NOT DEFAULT
THE HERALD ✦ WEST PALM BEACH This Week |
Photo: Sharon Hahn Darlin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
The Commission approved the downtown plan on first reading. The Clerk’s Pass/Fail agenda for Monday, October 26, marks the Downtown Master Plan hearing approved and every consent item approved, including the call for the March 9, 2027 city election. Tuesday is the general election. And the draft agenda for November 9 is up: more time for Publix to close on its new downtown site, a 20-year restaurant lease in Currie Park, and the two CityPlace items moved from last week.
THE HERALD ✦ WEST PALM BEACH Liberty Watch |
Photo: Michael Rivera / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Approved Downtown plan, first reading | Tue 11/3 Election Day 7 a.m.–7 p.m. | $150,000 Currie Park restaurant base rent, year one | Nov 9 Next Commission and CRA |
What Monday’s Commission did (October 26). The Clerk’s Pass/Fail agenda marks the consent calendar “all items were approved”: the August 3, 17 and 31 minutes; Resolution 234-26, taking up to $150,000 from the Downtown Development Authority for homeless outreach; Resolution 243-26, the Veterans’ Day parade sponsorship with $17,399.32 in fees waived; and Resolutions 246-26 and 247-26, calling the March 9, 2027 election for Mayor and the District 2 and 4 seats, with a March 23 runoff if needed, and asking the county Supervisor of Elections to run it. The public hearing on Ordinance 5185-26, the Downtown Master Plan amendment, is marked approved; it now goes to the state, with the zoning rules in Article IV to come back after that review, tentatively February 2027. The two CityPlace items were continued to November 9. The meeting adjourned at 9:22 p.m. The Pass/Fail agenda and the city’s release do not give vote counts.
Tuesday is Election Day. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and early voting ends today, Sunday, at 7 p.m., according to CBS12’s report on Palm Beach County’s 28 early-voting sites. We could not read the Supervisor of Elections’ own site with our tools this week, so confirm your polling place and sample ballot at votepalmbeach.gov before you go.
On the November 9 draft agenda (draft, so it can change before the final posts):
• Publix, 202–206 N. Sapodilla Ave. Ordinance 5188-26, first reading, would push the outside closing date on the city’s sale of the 0.79-acre lot to Publix from December 1, 2026 to May 26, 2027. The agenda says Publix needs more time for its development approvals and wants to move its downtown supermarket there for a larger store.
• A restaurant lease for Currie Park, 2400 N. Flagler Dr. Ordinance 5190-26, first reading, approves a 20-year ground lease (one 10-year option) with Breakwater Hospitality Group for a two-story restaurant and event venue on the park’s north third: base rent $150,000 a year, rising 3% a year, plus 3% of gross revenue over $10 million. The tenant must show financing of at least $18,766,770, and the event space must be free to the city’s small-business office up to twice a month. A lease this long needs four-fifths of the Commission, per the City Code cited in the agenda.
• CityPlace, back again: Ordinance 5183-26 and Resolution 217-26 (small-business participation language, and an electric-only landing deck for air taxis on top of the Hibiscus Garage).
• Also: two Tony Cragg sculptures for 10 & 15 City Place, paid from the developer’s $3,487,500 public-art escrow; the 2026 Watershed Master Plan (see Mapping); and $146,000 in federal forfeiture money for police investigative space.
Monday’s Mayor/Commission work session is canceled, per the city’s meeting list. Results of the October 20 special CRA meeting on the three downtown developer proposals are still not posted on the Clerk’s October CRA page. The next CRA meeting is Monday, November 9, at 4 p.m.
| Your move: the Commission meets November 9 at 5 p.m., 401 Clematis St. To speak, fill out a comment card for each item before it comes up; comments are limited to three minutes. The final agenda usually posts a few days ahead on the Clerk’s November page. |
Sources: Oct 26 Pass/Fail agenda · City release: Oct 26 decisions · Nov 9 draft agenda · Clerk’s November Commission page · Clerk’s October CRA page · City meetings list · Work session notice · CBS12: early voting, Oct 19 · Supervisor of Elections
THE HERALD ✦ WEST PALM BEACH Mapping Our Community: King Tides and Your Flood Insurance |
Source: City Commission draft agenda, Nov 9, item 7.2
The city says king tides are running now and will continue through November 12, with more expected November 22–29 and December 22–27. From November 24 to 27, high tides are forecast to come within three inches of flood stage, where minor coastal flooding can begin. Coastal and downtown streets may flood, and storm drains can sit underwater at high tide, so rain then has nowhere to go.
The flood plan is on the November 9 draft agenda. The city takes part in FEMA’s Community Rating System, and its current Class 5 rating gives properties in the city a 25% discount on flood insurance. The agenda says the 2026 Watershed Master Plan, prepared by Collective Water Resources and modeling flooding for 2050, 2080 and 2100, is the last requirement for Class 4, which would mean a 30% discount. FEMA’s recertification audit is set for November 13.
The lens worth keeping: the discount is earned on paper and on the ground. The plan is what moves the rating; clear drains are what keep a street dry on a high-tide afternoon. The city asks residents to keep leaves and clippings out of drains, and HOAs and commercial owners to clear private swales.
| GO DEEPER The West Palm Beach record is being built. The Council on Local Relations publishes sourced city records — see how it works at councilonlocalrelations.org. Start here — the Primers: 01 The Long Flat Line (how the family changed) · 02 The Documents We Live Under (the written rules that limit power) · 03 The Household (what a household buys, priced in years of work) · all primers → From the Council: This week: Teach Me: Notes From the Seat That Sits Down to Learn (The Client); Wisdom That Does Not Transfer Dies (The Patron); Health Is a Project, Not a Prayer (The Physician); The Mortar Is the Part Nobody Sees (The Counselor); Before We Build Anything New, Someone Should Ask What Was Here (The Elder). Get them by email → |
Sources: City release: King Tides, Oct 30 · Nov 9 draft agenda, item 7.2
THE HERALD ✦ WEST PALM BEACH From the Council This Week |
 | MONDAY, NOV 2 · THE CHIEF OF STAFF I Hold the Map While You Run the Terrain |
Every piece, every figure linked to its source: councilonlocalrelations.org
THE HERALD ✦ WEST PALM BEACH Around the Block |
Photo: City of West Palm Beach
| Last day of early voting — 7 a.m.–7 p.m. at Palm Beach County’s early-voting sites (CBS12). | ||
| Election Day — polls open 7 a.m.–7 p.m. See Liberty Watch. | ||
| Stories in the Garden — 9–9:45 a.m., Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens, 253 Barcelona Rd. A library storytime for ages 2–5; registration required at 561-868-7703. | ||
| Creative Storytime with the Norton Museum — 4:30–5:30 p.m., Mandel Library Kids Programming Space, for kids in K–5, marking Native American Heritage Month. | ||
| Artist talk: Davina Semo — 10 a.m., Armory Art Center, 811 Park Place. Free with RSVP; she will talk about her bell-inspired work and her new commission for Currie Park, set to be installed in fall 2027. | ||
| Historic Northwest community meeting — 6 p.m., D’Best BBQ, 1022 N. Tamarind Ave. Listed by the CRA. | ||
| GreenMarket — 8:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m., 100 N. Clematis St., per the city’s hours page. | ||
| Veterans’ Day Parade — 2–4 p.m. on Clematis Street, hosted by VFW Post 4360’s Family for Friends Committee. |
Your move: RSVP for the artist talk through the link in the city’s release. Run a West Palm event? Send it by Thursday.
Sources: Library: Stories in the Garden · Library: Creative Storytime · Artist talk release · Historic Northwest meeting · GreenMarket hours · Oct 26 Pass/Fail (parade)
THE HERALD ✦ WEST PALM BEACH Prosperity Spotlight |
Rohi’s Readery
Rohi’s Readery is a bookstore in the Historic Northwest built around diverse, inclusive and culturally affirming books. Its website says founder Pranati “Pranoo” Kumar, an educator, named it for her grandmother, who advocated for girls’ education in colonial India. It began in 2021 as a children’s bookstore in CityPlace; in 2024 she won the bid for the building at 630 Seventh St., and the shop moved there in 2025.
Beyond selling books, the site lists free after-school programs, reading-readiness sessions, youth mentorship and paid internships, run with its nonprofit, Rohi’s Liberation Station. It’s a few blocks from Thursday’s Historic Northwest community meeting on Tamarind.
| Rohi’s Readery · 630 Seventh St., West Palm Beach · 561-408-3842 Mon–Fri 2–6 p.m. (fall hours, per its website); weekends for special events only · the shop warns that map apps may send you to its old location, so enter the address · rohisreadery.com Photo: Van Richardson, via Rohi’s Readery. |
Sources: Rohi’s Readery (own site) · About the Readery
THE HERALD ✦ WEST PALM BEACH Food Scene |
Illustration: Kitchen’s website
Kitchen
Kitchen, on Belvedere Road, belongs to chef Matthew Byrne and his wife, Aliza. Its website says the idea, conceived in October 2013, was simple: “buy the freshest, and do as little to it as possible,” in a small, intimate room. Byrne learned to cook with his grandmother at 13 and worked as a private chef in Philadelphia and Palm Beach, including for Tiger Woods.
The menu changes with the season. Dinner is Monday through Saturday from 5:30 p.m.; there are no Sunday hours. This year’s Thanksgiving takeout — turkey breast and braised short ribs with five sides, soup, salad and dessert — is $115 a person (two-person minimum, plus tax and 20% gratuity), for pickup on Thanksgiving by noon. A second location is in Palm Beach Gardens.
| Kitchen · 319 Belvedere Rd. #2, West Palm Beach · 561-249-2281 Dinner Mon–Sat from 5:30 p.m. (closing time not posted); no Sunday hours listed · kitchenpb.com/westpalm |
Sources: Kitchen West Palm (own site) · About Kitchen · Menus
✦ Trivia Question |
West Palm Beach has a birthday this Thursday. The city was incorporated on November 5 of what year, and did that come before or after Miami? (Answer at the bottom.)
✦ Quote of the Day |
“…wherever the people are well informed they can be trusted with their own government…” — Thomas Jefferson, letter to Richard Price, Paris, January 8, 1789 (Library of Congress)
✦ Secret Little Hack |
Want to know what passed without waiting for minutes? Look for the Pass/Fail agenda. A day or two after a meeting, the Clerk posts a copy of the agenda with each result printed in red beside the item. October 26’s version is on the Clerk’s October page, next to the draft and the final. It shows results, not vote counts.
THE HERALD ✦ WEST PALM BEACH Real Estate Pulse |
Source: PBP Real Estate (BeachesMLS), Oct 31 edition
+15.7% house median, Sept. vs. a year ago | −5.4% condo median, Sept. vs. a year ago | 530 houses for sale (5.1 months) | 1,136 condos for sale (7.6 months) |
House prices are up; condo prices are down. September’s median house sold for $625,000, up 15.7% from $540,000 a year earlier, while the median condo or townhouse sold for $210,000, down 5.4% from $222,000. Fewer homes changed hands that month (103 houses and 150 condos, against 123 and 155 in September 2025), but through September, sales are ahead of last year: 1,185 houses (+13.5%) and 1,379 condos (+11.6%). As of October 31, 530 houses and 1,136 condos were for sale; 40.3% of houses and 39.8% of condos have cut their price, by a median 5.0% ($31,500) and 7.1% ($11,000). Cash paid for 40.8% of house sales this year, up from 35.0% in the same stretch of 2025. Figures are PBP Real Estate’s analysis of BeachesMLS data, published by a local brokerage.
Sources: PBP Real Estate — West Palm Beach statistics (BeachesMLS), Oct 31 edition
THE HERALD ✦ WEST PALM BEACH Service Opportunities |
Photo: JLClibrarian / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Need help with groceries or benefits? The Palm Beach County Food Bank is at the Mandel Library on Tuesday, November 3, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Florida Room, 4th floor, helping walk-ins apply for SNAP, Medicaid and cash assistance in English and Haitian Creole (library listing). The city’s Homeless Outreach Team is at the library Wednesday, noon to 2 p.m., 4th floor (listing). Start something: the free “Launching Smart in Florida” startup workshop with the Florida SBDC at FAU is Wednesday, 6–8 p.m., 3rd-floor auditorium; registration is encouraged (city release). Or adopt: the county shelter on Belvedere Road has 122 animals listed on Adoptapet.
THE HERALD ✦ WEST PALM BEACH Adopt a Friend |
 | Meet Rusty Roo 2 years · Male · Mixed breed, medium Brown, 34 pounds on his listing (A2348540). His story section is still blank, so the best introduction is in person. The shelter lists its adult-dog adoption fee at $60. See Rusty Roo’s listing → |
| Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control · 7100 Belvedere Road, West Palm Beach · 561-233-1200 Mon–Fri 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Sat 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.–4 p.m. · adoption page |
THE HERALD ✦ WEST PALM BEACH Growth & Learning |
Illustration
Rent that grows: the proposed Currie Park restaurant lease starts at $150,000 a year and rises 3% each year. Ask your kids: what is the rent in year two? ($154,500.) And in year three? ($159,135 — 3% of a bigger number.) That’s compounding. More at unrivaledacademy.com.
THE HERALD ✦ WEST PALM BEACH Local Theory & Remnant Radio |
 | Now playing: Low Stress Living — Local Theory (March 24, 2026 · 20 tracks). Listen. Remnant Radio streams the whole catalog 24/7 at radio.thinkandactlocally.com · Spotify. Thirteen releases. Sovereignty through sound. In the Studio now: Made for America. Vote on the mixes. |
THE HERALD ✦ WEST PALM BEACH Weather Forecast |
Sun  Storms likely 81° 75° | Mon  Showers, storms 81° 76° | Tue  Storms likely 82° 76° | Wed  Chance storms 83° 75° | Thu  Slight chance storms 83° 74° | Fri  Sunny, slight chance storms 82° 73° |
A wet, windy start, then drying out. Showers and thunderstorms are likely Sunday (63%) with east winds of 21 to 28 mph, and Monday is the wettest day (84%). On Election Day Tuesday, storms are likely mainly in the morning and early afternoon (59%). The odds fall to 31% Wednesday, 26% Thursday and 15% Friday, with highs of 81 to 83. With king tides running through November 12, the city warns that heavy rain near high tide can leave water standing in low streets.
Sources: National Weather Service (MFL), generated Oct 31, 2:39 p.m. CT · City release: King Tides
✦ CrowdHealth |
 | David and his family left traditional health insurance for CrowdHealth — a community that funds each other’s medical bills. Bills get negotiated down first. See how it works. We earn a referral if you join. CrowdHealth is not insurance. David is a paying member. |
✦ Unrivaled Travels |
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✦ Unrivaled Marketing Solutions |
 | You built the business — now make sure your West Palm Beach neighbors can find it. Book a free 15-minute call with David: we’ll look at how your business shows up online and where customers may be slipping past. If you want us to fix it, that’s paid work, and David will go over the price on the call. Book a free 15-minute call. One of our own businesses. |
✦ Sponsor Spot |
This spot is open. Sponsor this spot — reach West Palm Beach neighbors every Sunday, in the one inbox they actually read. Reply to book it.
✦ They Told Him He Was Crazy |
David sold his metals. Not trimmed — sold. He kept the receipts, every decision sourced, so you can decide for yourself: conviction, or crazy? Read the filing →
David’s own site.
✦ Tuttle Twins: Money skills, starting in 4th grade |
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As a Tuttle Twins affiliate, TAAL may earn a commission if you buy through our link.
THE HERALD ✦ WEST PALM BEACH Community Voices |
A two-story restaurant is proposed for the north end of Currie Park. What would make you use it — or skip it? Hit reply with a sentence or two and we’ll run the best next Sunday.
✦ Take Action |
- Vote Tuesday, November 3, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at your assigned polling place; check it, and your sample ballot, at votepalmbeach.gov.
- Go to the Historic Northwest community meeting Thursday at 6 p.m., D’Best BBQ, 1022 N. Tamarind Ave.
- Read the November 9 draft agenda before the final posts, and fill out a comment card if you plan to speak on Publix or Currie Park.
- Keep leaves and clippings out of storm drains during king tides; report a blocked drain to Public Utilities at 561-822-2210, any hour.
- Line Clematis Street for the Veterans’ Day Parade next Sunday, November 8, 2–4 p.m.
✦ Submit Your Content |
Events, business features, volunteer calls, letters from West Palm Beach: david@thinkandactlocally.com. Deadline: Thursday 5 PM for Sunday.
✦ Answer to Trivia |
1894, two years before Miami. The city’s history page says West Palm Beach was incorporated November 5, 1894, “2 years before Miami” (City of West Palm Beach, History).
THE HERALD ✦ WEST PALM BEACH Keep the Herald Free |
No advertiser sets our coverage — readers keep it alive. The best thing you can do costs nothing: forward this to one neighbor who’d want to know what the Commission decides on November 9.
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The Herald is published by Think and Act Locally. Its facts come from the public record kept by the Council on Local Relations, which shares a founder with Think and Act Locally. Portions drafted with AI assistance and reviewed before publication. Reply anytime: david@thinkandactlocally.com.
