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County approves hotel deal over Gregg’s objection
At a September 29 Workshop, the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) voted 6-1 to approve a deal with Related Ross. This paves the way for an 18-story, 400-room hotel next to the County Convention Center. Gregg, who favored parts of the deal, voted against the proposal because he thought the presentation that preceded the vote was overly rosy when it assumed an annual growth rate of 5%. Gregg thinks the proposal does not provide adequate parking for guests and workers, and he expressed concerns about the deal’s structure that exempts the hotel from paying property taxes.
Here are the basics of the deal:
The county will spend $26 million to buy 1.8 acres from the developer. The developer will put down a $5 million deposit, so the county's net cost is $21 million. The developer will build the hotel. The county will own the land which it will lease back to the developer for up to 97 years. In return, the county will share in the profits of the hotel, provided that they exceed a threshold that increases annually. The developer will pay $1.1 million in base rent in year one, rising 3% a year. It will also lease parking spaces from the county’s garage for $1.8 million in the first year.
Gregg agrees that the hotel will help the convention center bring bigger conventions and more bed tax revenue and more visitor spending to the county. The profit sharing deal could pay off, but the devil’s in the details, and Gregg wasn’t sold.
Residents of the Grandview Heights Historic District spoke in opposition. They said the item was added to the agenda too late for the public to weigh in. That same group has also sued the City of West Palm Beach, arguing that the city did not follow its own code when it approved the hotel.
Want to learn more? Read the coverage by checking our Gregg In The News section of this newsletter.
Policy and pancakes
On Saturday, October 3, Gregg joined young professionals and community leaders for a variety of discussions at the Mandel Library. At the event, which was organized by the Urban League of Palm Beach County, participants talked about elections, housing, healthcare and education. Check out the picture in our Commish in our Commish in the Community section of this newsletter.
Gregg honored for his service
Praising his leadership in ACCESS 67, a program that helps expand reliable and affordable internet access across the state, and his involvement in promoting responsible use of AI in local government, the president of the Florida Association of Counties (FAC) on September 17 honored Gregg at the 2026 Innovation and Policy Conference in Jacksonville with the Marlene Young Presidential Advocacy Award for his outstanding contributions, unwavering dedication, and exemplary service to our communities. Check out the picture in our Commish In The Community section.
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