Beachfront valet parking rejected as Lake Worth Beach leaders demand action on shuttered pool
To improve traffic flow at the casino complex, commissioners will consider changing the two-way oceanfront road to southbound lanes
A REJECTED PROPOSAL for beachside valet parking has intensified scrutiny of a hot-button Lake Worth Beach topic: the long-shuttered swimming pool at the city’s oceanfront casino complex.
The valet concept was part of a broader $390,000 proposal to change the traffic flow along the road between the casino and the beach to two southbound lanes. Currently, it is a two-lane road with one northbound and one southbound lane.
City commissioners Monday night rejected the valet plan but directed staff to draft a new proposal focused just on the southbound traffic circulation.
They also questioned the wisdom of introducing valet service at the beach before addressing more pressing issues at the casino complex such as the shuttered pool and the vacant second-floor ballroom.
“Putting in valet parking when we have this huge eyesore of an empty pool is kind of a mixed signal,’’ said Commissioner Sarah Malega said, who blamed the shuttered pool for stunting the casino complex’s growth.
Nine prospective tenants, responding to a city request for bids, recently toured the casino’s vacant second floor, but none submitted proposals, Malega said. She asked staff to publicly explain the lack of interest at a future meeting.
“Rip the Band-aid off. Let the public know why we’re not getting those offers and (that) we need to fix it,” Malega said. “We can’t keep ignoring it.”
Commissioner Anthony Segrich agreed.
“It’s the gaping empty hole,’’ he said. “It’s the fact that from the second story you see all of the sins of the casino complex.’’
Vice Mayor Mimi May also opposed beachfront valet service. She noted that the city already struggles to regulate downtown valet operators, who she said sometimes charge customers to park in free public spaces along Lucerne Avenue.
“I am not looking to add more valets anywhere in the city when we can’t even enforce the valets we have right now,’’ she said.
Public Works Director Jamie Brown said the beachside valet service was intended to be used not just by casino patrons but also by beachgoers who don’t want to carry their chairs and coolers from the lower parking lot.
He said the original traffic circulation proposal, including the valet parking, was drafted with input from casino tenants over the past two years.
“We do have tenants who have been very loyal and have been up there for quite a while,’’ Brown said. “When they tell us things they’d like to see, it’s nice to be able to address some of those.’’
When May asked if staff had sought public input before drafting the plan, Brown said the city planned to do that only if commissioners think the idea has merit. Monday marked the first formal presentation of the plan.
Brown briefly discussed it last year in at least one public meeting but did not mention valet parking.
The valet parking area would have been just north of Benny’s Oceanwalk, sister restaurant of Benny’s on the Beach at the pier a hundred yards south. It would have displaced two residential decal spaces close to the north traffic circle to new spots in the parking lot further away from the beach.
At Monday’s meeting, Segrich mentioned social media comments earlier in the day that “vilified” casino tenants who he said “had nothing to do with requesting this.’’
Some online comments suggested that the city proposed the valet parking idea to benefit its longtime casino anchor, Benny’s on the Beach, which is celebrating its 40th year on the pier.
“Just to clear up some public perception, this wasn’t primarily tenant-driven, correct?’’ he asked Brown.
“That is correct,’’ Brown said. “The primary driver was traffic flow and issues we as staff realized and recognized over the years. Obviously, we had to speak with tenants as well.’’
Benny’s on the Beach is celebrating its 40th year on the pier. Last month, commissioners approved a request by Benny’s to extend its lease through 2043.
Before it was extended, the lease had been set to expire in 2033. Commissioner Chris McVoy voted against the extension, saying he wanted the city to be in position to seek competitive bids for the pier space in 2033 to get the best possible deal for taxpayers.