Momentum.

That’s the word that comes to mind when I think about the last year and the progress, changes, and growth that we’ve seen in Downtown West Palm Beach. While the past two years were about enduring and recovering from COVID, this past year was defined by unprecedented investment and activity in our city’s center.

With such rapid growth comes a few challenges, too. Like every other expanding urban center, West Palm Beach must deal with some growing pains – traffic, competition for space, noise, and the need for increased maintenance. As our downtown has evolved, the DDA team has made sure our programs and services have continued to evolve to address these challenges.

Most notably, we have focused more than ever on public realm maintenance programs and enhanced services. This includes expanding beautification programs, increasing the frequency of cleaning and improving our monitoring of the condition of public spaces.

We have also added a new, free mobility service – Circuit – to help residents and visitors move around the downtown area more conveniently, without the need for their private vehicles. The program is a partnership with Brightline Trains and has exceeded our expectations, with an over 1000% increase in usage in the first year. Simply put, this electric vehicle shuttle service makes getting around downtown a snap.

However, residential quality of life is at the core of the DDA’s mission. As the population of downtown continues to grow, with thousands of residential units either under construction or planned in the next couple of years, the board and staff of the DDA are laser focused on issues that impact the neighborhood that is downtown. This includes working hand in hand with the City of West Palm Beach, private sector partners, and advocates to address challenges in our city.

I hope that you take time to read this report, summarizing the DDA’s work over the past fiscal year.

Sincerely,

Raphael Clemente