LWB officials preparing to spread word about March 10 election
Four town halls in January are part of a tentative strategy to explain five referendums on charter changes, including two affecting redevelopment at the beach and downtown.
Lake Worth Beach officials will start the new year preparing to get word out about the city’s March 10 election.
Voters will be asked to consider five charter changes, including two that could affect future redevelopment at the beach and downtown. There are no commission seats on the ballot.
Since Jan. 30 is the day mail-in ballots are sent out by the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections office, city officials are working on strategies to educate city voters about the referendums as soon as possible. One option incudes hiring a marketing consultant.
“I’d like to kick this into high gear. It seems like it’s far away; it’s really not,’’ interim city manager Jamie Brown said Dec. 16 when commissioners voted to put the five questions on the March 10 ballot.
“What we don’t want is the election to come and people to feel they did not…know what this is, they are not educated on what this is,’’ he said.
The city will host four town halls where details about the ballot questions will be offered. Each town hall starts at 6 p.m. and ends at 9 p.m. The town halls will be open to all city residents:
Jan. 8 at the Peniel Haitian Baptist Church of Lake Worth at 2000 N. D St.
Jan. 12 at the Osborne Community Center at 1699 Wingfield St.
Jan. 22 at the Lake Worth Beach City Library downtown at 15 N. M St.
Jan. 28 at the Lake Worth Beach Casino Complex at 10 S. Ocean Blvd.
City officials also plan to share information on social media, the city’s website and the electronic marquee outside City Hall.
By law, the city cannot advocate for the referendums; officials can only share factual information explaining the ballot questions.
The referendums were a hot topic earlier this year, with some residents concerned the questions were being brought forth by staff too quickly and without input from a charter review committee.
Two referendums on the March 10 ballot ask voters to increase to up to 99 years the length of private leases on city-owned land at the beach and downtown.
The city charter now allows leases of less than 30 years on city-owned property east of A1A (essentially the beach) and less than 20 years west of A1A. Extending the lease terms would give the city options for new revenue streams if an appropriate project is ever presented, city officials have said.
The beach lease referendum, for land east of A1A, would prohibit hotels and lodging but allow for other development, a stipulation approved by commissioners in October after outcry from concerned residents about a private unsolicited proposal to build a Hyatt hotel on the south end of the beach.
Another question asks voters to require city officials to start looking for a permanent city manager within 90 days of the position being vacant. (Brown has been serving as interim for two years; commissioners hope to hire a permanent city manager next year.)
The two other referendums are minor procedural changes, according to city officials: Changing the charter to reflect that city election results are certified by the county elections supervisor, and removing from the charter sections about the city police and fire department, since the city no longer has those departments and gets those services from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and Palm Beach County Fire Rescue.
After March 10, the city’s next election will be in March 2027 when voters cast ballots for mayor and the district one and three commission seats, currently held by Betty Resch, Sarah Malega and Mimi May respectively.
Here is how the five referendums will appear on the March 10, 2026, ballot, according to a resolution approved by city commissioners Dec. 16:
1. The City utilizes the County Canvassing Board and the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections certifies election results canvassed by the County Canvassing Board.
Shall the City of Lake Worth Beach amend its Charter at Article III, Section 2 to reflect that the election results are certified by the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections?
Yes _____
No ______
2. City-property East of A1A
In order to encourage private investment in and redevelopment of City- owned property and reduce the City’s maintenance costs of City facilities, shall Article II, Section 3 of the City of Lake Worth Beach Charter be amended to allow City-property East of A1A to be leased for up to 99 years for purposes other than lodging and residential uses?
Yes _____
No ______
3. City parks and City-property downtown and West of A1A to the Lagoon
In order to encourage private investment in and redevelopment of City- owned property and reduce the City’s maintenance costs of City facilities, shall Article II, Section 4 of the City of Lake Worth Beach Charter be amended to allow City-owned property West of A1A that is restricted in the Charter to be leased for up to 99 years??
Yes _____
No ______
4. Filling a Vacancy in the Office of City Manager
Shall Article IV, Section 3 of The City Of Lake Worth Beach Charter be amended to require the process for filling a permanent vacancy in the Office of City Manager be started within 90 days of the vacancy and continue in good faith until the Office of City Manager is filled?
Yes _____
No ______
5. City Police and Fire Departments
In recognizing that the City no longer has a City Police or Fire Department and to eliminate any confusion, shall Article IV, Section 10 of the City of Lake Worth Beach Charter (Police and Fire Departments) be repealed?
Yes _____
No ______
Source: Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections
This story was updated at 4:58 p.m. on Jan. 2, 2026, to reflect the city’s release of finalized times and dates of the town halls.