South Palm Beach is a town located in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The town is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida and is situated on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway. The entire town is approximately long along South Ocean Boulevard (Florida State Road A1A), its only street.
Shore stabilization
Development in the southern part of Palm Beach Island and storm impacts on the coastal system have irreparably transformed the native beach and dune system in areas R-132 to R-138, with an average shoreline recession of .
From 2003 to 2016, there were six shoreline and dune restoration projects for the town's beach. However, there was nothing to hold the shoreline and dunes in place, and with a nearly wholly armored shoreline, a more long-term solution was needed.
The Town of Palm Beach completed its beach nourishment projects in 2016, pronouncing its "coastline is in pretty good shape." No shore stabilization work was performed in South Palm Beach. Plans called for a $5.6 million "Southern Palm Beach Island Comprehensive Shore Stabilization Project" during 2019 and 2020 that was designed to rebuild about 0.67 miles of the town's shoreline.
With assistance from the Town of Palm Beach, a smaller beach nourishment option by trucking sand to feed the eroding town's beachfront may be possible in early 2019. After more than ten years and a devastated shoreline - with several properties only having seawalls remaining against the ocean waves - rather than a beach stabilization project, a restoration of the beach by trucking in sand was conducted in 2021.
A feasibility study and extensive engineering analysis indicated a series of seven low-profile groins with beach dune fill components providing a more stable shoreline with less frequent sand placement.
| align = right
| align-fn = center
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable"
|+South Palm Beach racial composition<br> (Hispanics excluded from racial categories)<br> (NH = Non-Hispanic)<br>
!Race
!Pop 2010
!Pop 2020
!% 2010
!% 2020
|-
|White (NH)
|1,100
|1,270
|93.94%
|86.34%
|-
|Black or African American (NH)
|5
|15
|0.43%
|1.02%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native (NH)
|0
|1
|0.00%
|0.07%
|-
|Asian (NH)
|9
|26
|0.77%
|1.77%
|-
|Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH)
|0
|0
|0.00%
|0.00%
|-
|Some other race (NH)
|0
|2
|0.00%
|0.14%
|-
|Two or more races/Multiracial (NH)
|3
|34
|0.26%
|2.31%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|54
|123
|4.61%
|8.36%
|-
|Total
|1,171
|1,471
|
|
|-
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, South Palm Beach had a population of 1,471. The median age was 67.5 years. 3.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 55.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 77.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 76.3 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 943 households in South Palm Beach, of which 6.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 35.3% were married-couple households, 19.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 41.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 51.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 31.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
According to the 2010 American Community Survey 5-year estimates, there were 763 households and 385 families in the town.
thumb|right|Town Hall and Police Department building (2003)
thumb|South Palm Beach Town Hall (west side)
2000 census
As of the census 0.14% Native American, and 0.57% Asian. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.29% of the population.
In 2000, there were 453 households out of which 2.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.6% were married couples living together, 3.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 56.7% were non-families. Households consisting of individuals were 52.1%, and 28.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.54, and the average family size was 2.14.
In 2000, the population age distribution in the town was spread out, with 2.6% under the age of 18, 1.4% between 18 and 24, 11.3% between 25 and 44, 30.5% between 45 and 64, and 54.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 67 years. For every 100 females, there were 75.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.0 males.
As of 2000, the median household income in the town was US$39,375, and the median family income was $47,250. Males had a median income of $41,591 versus $30,536 for females. The per capita income for the town was $38,456. About 15.3% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 15.9% of those age 65 or over.
As of 2000, English was the first language spoken by 92.96% of residents, Finnish by 3.90%, and French as a mother tongue made up 3.12% of the population.
Economy
Business
thumb|right|Palm Beach Oceanfront Inn (2009). The inn was demolished in April 2016.
Initially built in 1964, the Polynesian-inspired, 58-room Palm Beach Oceanfront Inn and its ocean-front restaurant Tides Bar and Grille, located at 3550 South Ocean Boulevard, made up the only commercial business establishment within the town of South Palm Beach. It was described as "one of the last vestiges of old Florida along A1A."
Kosova Realty bought the inn for $3.3 million in 2002. It was renamed to Palm Beach Oceanfront Inn. Known to locals by its former name, the Hawaiian Inn, the two-story motel lost most of its beach during Hurricane Wilma in 2005 and was not being maintained.
A proposal by the Paloka family-owned-and-operated realty company to replace the inn with a luxury resort-style 12-story condominium-hotel built over two stories of parking was unanimously rejected by the South Palm Beach Town Council in October 2007. The established comprehensive plan limits new buildings to six stories over one level of parking.
On September 18, 2009, the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council meeting expressed concerns about the redevelopment. It was recommended that the Town of Palm Beach respond to citizens' negative opinions before adopting the amendments and ensure that development approval conditions address problems with the use, height limits, and negative impacts on the beaches.
The Paloka family tried to change the town codes to allow a bigger building such as a 14-story condominium and "were willing to build the town a public safety building and new town hall to sweeten the deal." They increased business at the property during 2011 and were planning capital improvements, but foreclosure proceedings began.
In November 2012, the operation was purchased by Paragon Acquisition Group of Boca Raton, a distressed property development company, with plans to improve and revive the facility and "possibility of a development project in the future." DDG then partnered with investor Gary Cohen of Paragon on the development. According to the CEO of developer DDG, Joseph A. McMillan Jr., in 2012 a DDG affiliate paid $8.25 million for the site. Although the property has received minor renovations and is being managed as a hotel and restaurant, the long-term prospects for it are for condominiums according to the CEO of Paragon.
The current zoning for oceanfront property in the town allows 33 units per acre, while a more dense project would require a referendum. The old motel and restaurant on the site were demolished in April 2016. September 2019 marked the completion of the building.
References
External links
- Official Website for the Town of South Palm Beach Florida - community, departments, resources: agendas & minutes, calendar, documents, building department forms, etc.