Mayor Delivers State Of The City, Says West Palm Beach Is United Against Adversity

From City of West Palm Beach:

January 28, 2021

At the virtual January meeting of the Chamber of Commerce of Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach Mayor Keith A. James delivered the annual State of the City Address. Mayor James delivered his televised remarks to almost 500 event registrants via YouTube from the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach. In delivering his remarks, Mayor James declared that our community is resilient and that, thanks to so many community members, better days are ahead.

“This morning, our community is on the rebound—a true testament to our resilience—thanks to the sacrifices of so many who gave so much, and whose grit, determination, sweat and tears are why we can say with confidence that the state of our city is strong and that better days, sounder days, safer days, and healthier days are ahead,” said Mayor James.

Joining Mayor for the presentation were Chamber CEO Dennis Grady, Chamber Chair Rick Reikenis, the City leadership team, sponsors, and First Lady Lorna James—all socially-distanced and wearing mandatory face coverings.

Mayor James dedicated his remarks to every healthcare provider and first responder on the front lines of COVID-19, including West Palm Beach Police and Fire and the staff at Good Samaritan, St. Mary’s and JFK Medical Center North. Mayor expressed disappointment and anger about the very slow provision of COVID-19 vaccine to our community. Mayor James also paused for a moment of silence in memory of the victims of COVID-19.

He also expressed appreciation to the many people helping our community to recover. Mayor thanked West Palm Beach residents who have sacrificed so much during COVID-19. He recognized the business community for their perseverance and innovation and for ensuring that West Palm Beach will weather the storm better and faster than other cities in the nation. Mayor lauded City Commissioners for their work as a part of the COVID Response Unit to ensure the provision of life’s necessities for those who might otherwise have gone without, and he expressed appreciation to 1700 city employees who kept the city operational during COVID-19.

“While we are all hoping to put COVID-19 in our rearview mirror as quickly and permanently as possible, may we never forget what we learned about ourselves and each other…about the fragility of life and the need to re-dedicate our own to making our City whole, vibrant, and vital-- that what we do here, and why, reflects on the very best in us.”

While acknowledging COVID’s devastating impacts to our cultural institutions, service industry, tourism and hospitality sectors, Mayor James noted West Palm Beach’s resilience:

• In the first quarter of this fiscal year, the city had the highest collection of business tax revenue of any quarter in its history: $3.3 million.
• Right now, almost $700 million in projects are under construction in our city.
• The demand for residential real estate is skyrocketing.
• There are now more than 230 financial services firms in our city of which most are located in the city’s Flagler Financial District.
• Developers remain bullish on demand for commercial real estate in our city. Related Companies reports that heavy demand for Class-A office space is why construction of 360 Rosemary is expected to be completed in the spring, why One Flagler is expected to break ground this year, and why the company has purchased Phillips Point for $282 million. Charles Cohen is moving forward with his proposal to develop the tent site with Class-A office space.

“Let me be clear. I am not just hopeful about our city’s economic future, I am resoundingly confident,” said Mayor James.

Mayor James highlighted progress in key areas of city operations:

• Public safety: 9% year-over-year decrease in the overall crime rate in 2020. In the last two years, the homicide rate has fallen 30%, when compared to the previous two years.
• Infrastructure: From filling potholes, to adding streetscape, to hardening our utilities, the City completed 42 infrastructure improvement projects totaling $45 million in FY20.
• Homelessness: The City is servicing homeless individuals through the Street Engagement Team by providing access to mental health services or offering placement in emergency housing. The Mayor noted the start or completion of 277 workforce housing units in the last year. He committed to not only meeting the goal of 300 units but also starting or completing an additional 200 units for a combined 500 units in three years.
• Customer service: Mayor announced the revamping of the city’s customer service infrastructure to include personnel and software as a part of the Neighborhoods First Initiative.

Mayor noted that, after the demonstrations of last summer and after realizing our country was at an inflection point, he established the Mayor’s Taskforce for Racial and Ethnic Equality-- the first of its kind in our city’s history-- to take a long, hard look at our city and make specific policy recommendations for consideration by Commission and the Mayor.

“I want West Palm Beach to be a part of it, the right way, as a civic beacon of openness, instead of an uncivil portrait of intolerance.”

“When the chapter about COVID-19 is finally written into city lore and the final page is turned, I want everyone to feel we persevered by uniting as one against an adversity out to spare no one… on behalf of everyone,” he said. “West Palm Beach is rising, after rising to challenge. And we’re not about to stop now.”

To read Mayor’s remarks, please see below. To watch Mayor’s remarks, please visit https://youtu.be/G9UD2le96LE or tune in to WPB-TV (Channel 18 on Comcast), where the State of the City will be rebroadcast.

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WPB: One City…United Against Adversity

Good morning.

Today, in a West Palm Beach first, I am delivering the State of the City virtually from the auditorium at the Mandel Public Library.

I am joined by Rick, Dennis, and our sponsors, as well as the city leadership team and, of course, my beloved wife Lorna.

Rest assured we are all masked-up and practicing social distancing!

It is truly an honor to be with all of you today, even if we are apart, and to be reminded that so many care enough about our City to want to hear more about where we are, where we’re going, and how we intend to get there.

I want to say a special “thank you” to the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches for hosting this morning’s event…and specifically to Chamber Chair Rick Reikenis and Chamber CEO Dennis Grady.

Thanks so much for your partnership, and for all you do to support not just our business community but every resident in the great city of West Palm Beach.

This past year has put all of us to the test, where lives were changed, businesses were hurt, and families suffered unimaginable loss. It challenged not just our economy and lifestyle, but also our character, conscience and faith.

Yet, for all the tragic stories of loved ones lost, there are also stories of courage and grit, of first responders putting others first before themselves, of front-line workers risking their health to protect others, of small businesses refusing to quit and big plans refusing to give way to big challenges.

While we are all hoping to put COVID-19 in our rearview mirror as quickly and permanently as possible, may we never forget what we learned about ourselves and each other…about the fragility of life and the need to re-dedicate our own to making our City whole, vibrant, and vital.

That what we do here, and why, reflects on the very best in us.

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The State of the City is an opportunity for Mayors to reference the achievements of the past year, the reality of the present, and the game plan for the future.

This past year, as you know, has been extraordinarily different and difficult.

So many of us have lost so much to COVID-19: friends, loved ones, businesses. To anyone dealing with such a loss, I know that words are not enough to ease your pain.

Know that you are in our thoughts and in our hearts.

Please join me in a moment of silence to remember the victims of COVID-19.

Thank you.

As I speak to you this morning and reflect on the past year and where we are today, West Palm Beach is writing its own story, and it is one replete with paradoxes: highs and lows, successes and losses, unity and division, rebirth and death, happiness and sadness, wisdom and foolishness, of closeness and (social) distance.

Or as Oscar Wilde once put it, the way of paradoxes is the way of truth.

While our community remains hopeful, we are still far from healthy. Although West Palm Beach remains ready, willing and able to administer vaccines, we still lack adequate supply.

And according to our partners at the State and Palm Beach County, the wait for vaccinations may prove unbearably long. Operation Warp Speed feels more like Operation Slow Moving.

Like you, I am disappointed and angered by this situation, as – with each passing day-- we are losing far too many for far too little reason.

As many of you know, Charles Dickens’ classic, “A Tale of Two Cities”, began with the words, “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.”

The way I see it… the West Palm Beach story isn’t a “Tale of Two Cities” but a “Tale of One City Overcoming Adversity”.

This morning, our community is on the rebound, a true testament to our resilience, thanks to the sacrifices of so many, who gave so much, and whose grit, determination, sweat and tears are why we can say with confidence that the state of our city is strong. That better days, sounder days, safer days, healthier days are ahead!

First, a special thanks to every healthcare provider and first responder on the front lines, including West Palm Beach Police and Fire and the staff at Good Samaritan, St. Mary’s and JFK Medical Center North. You are our heroes, and my address this morning is dedicated to each and every one of you.

Second, I want to acknowledge and thank our residents. I know it has not been easy. Whether wearing a face covering, sheltering in place, unexpectedly becoming an at-home teacher, or lending a hand to neighbors in need, you gave up so much to help us get to where we are today.

I extend my appreciation to our Chamber members and business community. You are the job creators who drive our region’s economic engine. Your perseverance and innovation are ensuring that West Palm Beach will weather this storm better and faster than other cities in the nation.

Thank you to our City Commissioners—Commission President Kelly Shoaf, Commissioners Cory Neering, Christina Lambert, Joseph Peduzzi and Christy Fox. As part of the COVID Response Unit, perhaps the first of its kind in the nation, you were there when our city most needed you to ensure the provision of life’s basic necessities, such as food and shelter, for those who might otherwise have gone without.

Thank you to our 1700 city employees who, despite tremendous obstacles, kept our city operational. I am so proud to work alongside you, shoulder to shoulder.

Finally, a special thanks to our non-profit community, neighbors who helped neighbors, and all the West Palm Beach Together Heroes. Whether by donating funds, volunteering for a food distribution line, or making hand sanitizer and face masks, everyone stepped up in a response our community hasn’t seen since World War II.

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The challenges we’ve faced reverberated throughout our city like shockwaves, crippling our cultural institutions, service industry, tourism and hospitality sectors.

As of August, our county lost more than $48-million dollars among 33-cultural organizations impacting almost 600 jobs. When you are the county’s cultural capital, that hurts.

Similarly, tourist visitation to the Palm Beaches was down 27%, and tourism spending was down 19% last year. When you have more tourism-dependent households than any city in the county, 4292 to be exact, that, too, hurts.

From big box stores at our major shopping destinations to the ‘mom and pops’—we lost businesses. We were sad to see them go!

Before CARES dollars were flowing, the City of West Palm Beach was there to provide a lifeline to our business community through expanded seating for diners, marketing support, and – with the DDA-- facilitating $443-thouand in microloans to 47-small businesses, some of which were one payment away from going under.

Our Office of Economic Opportunity awarded almost $13 million dollars to small businesses through competed procurements exceeding goals even in a pandemic!

We were there, and we still are. We are partners in the economic vitality of this City, and we will do everything we can to measure up to our side of the relationship.

Financial impacts were also felt at City Hall, where choices were narrowed and sacrifices were asked, across-the-board.

With unprecedented declining state revenues and increasing operating expenses, we suddenly faced a $10- million budget shortfall. Yet by working together, and getting creative, we passed a balanced $194-million general fund budget that kept the millage rate the same without layoffs to full-time employees.

While praying we never have to go down this particular road again, one upside is we elevated our game and avoided the fiscal storms now plaguing major cities across America. We’re not out of the woods yet, and we have more work to do. Therefore, we’ve become more frugal and vigilant about future impacts to our budget from current initiatives as part of our plan to address future budget challenges.

COVID-19 has also accelerated a trend seen here in our city for the last 20-years, of people and businesses escaping the high-tax northeast in favor of sunshine, low taxes and the business-friendly climate of West Palm Beach. They want to go beyond visiting here to moving here, staying here, and working here.

While Bloomberg and other national publications have written about the heavy interest in our city and region, the proof is in the data:

• In the first quarter of this fiscal year, the city had the highest collection of business tax revenue in its history: $3.3 million (in a pandemic!!!).
• Right now, almost $700-million projects are under construction in our city. Instead of slowing down, we are speeding up.
• The demand for residential real estate is skyrocketing.
• There are now more than 230 financial services firms in our city—hedge funds, small boutique firms, and family offices—most of which are located in our Flagler Financial District. This means Wall Street has found West Palm’s Main Street to be a car-less highway to continued success.
• Among the firms relocating their headquarters here: Paul Singer’s Elliott Management, a $41-billion company. This month, we signed a letter of intent with a financial services firm that is expected to bring 600 jobs to our city.
• I have had conversations with several developers who remain bullish on the demand for commercial real estate in our city.
• The Related Companies reports that heavy demand for Class-A office space is why construction of 360 Rosemary is expected to be completed in the spring, why One Flagler is expected to break ground this year, and why the company has purchased Phillips Point for $282 million.
• Charles Cohen is moving forward with his proposal to develop the tent site with Class-A office space.

Let me be clear. I am not just “hopeful” about our city’s economic future. I am resoundingly confident.

At City Hall, we continue to do our part to attract economic development and improve quality of life, by making investments in public safety, in our neighborhoods, and in our infrastructure.

As you know, I campaigned to make our city even safer. Today, I am proud to say that we are!

Because no matter in which zip code you live, you deserve to live in a neighborhood that’s safe and secure.

Far too many people have experienced the tragedy of violent crime. I hear their stories of heartbreak every time I visit the scene of a homicide.

Under the leadership of Police Chief Frank Adderley, our city’s crime rate continues to drop. In fact, we saw a 9% year-over-year decrease in the overall crime rate in 2020. In the last two years, the homicide rate has fallen 30%, when compared to the previous two years.

We also went after the gangs that taunt, threaten and terrorize, an effort that continues to this day.

I thank our brave men and women in blue who helped make this possible.

Although a new contract with our police and fire unions has reached an impasse, know that I will do everything I can to give them the support they’ve earned and the respect they deserve, while honoring my obligation to be fiscally responsible.

Despite COVID-19, the City of West Palm Beach is putting neighborhoods first.

From filling potholes, to adding streetscape, to hardening our utilities, we completed 42 infrastructure improvement projects totaling 45-million-dollars in Fiscal Year 20.

In the South End, plans for the new West Palm Golf Park are rapidly advancing through a unique partnership with PGA of America. The new South Olive Park tennis center is nearing completion, and we expect development of 8111 South Dixie to become a reality later this year.

In the North End, the renovated Sunset Lounge, Heart and Soul Park, and Styx Promenade are poised to inject new vitality into an area historically overlooked and ignored. Working through the Community Redevelopment Agency, we are ‘re-envisioning Currie Park.’

Badly needed workforce housing is coming to the Northwest soon in the form of The Grande, a $71-million project and the largest private investment in the Northwest’s history. The “Anchor Site” project is on track to breathe new life into Northwood Village.

In our Western communities, we remain fiercely protective of Grassy Waters Preserve, the source of our drinking water supply, and opposed to the lowering of Lake Okeechobee, which can adversely impact our source water. No one will mess with our water on our watch. No one.

Downtown, we are prioritizing and accelerating over $20 million in stormwater and drainage projects. We’ve also made progress on Banyan streetscape, celebrated $18 million in improvements to Clematis Street, and unveiled renovations to Centennial Fountain including a lights, water and music show.

If you haven’t experienced it, check it out!

We have also recommitted our help and energy to making the Latin Quarter – a vibrant economic and cultural asset – a major focal point of outreach and opportunity.

I’m proud West Palm Beach ranks among the top cities in the nation for inclusivity of our LGBTQ community and among the top cities in the world for climate leadership.

Today, I am pleased to announce that we are revamping our customer service infrastructure including personnel and software as a part of the Neighborhoods First Initiative.

Taking care of our neighborhoods means taking care of ALL our neighbors, including the homeless.

We are committed to helping them triumph over the challenges they are facing -- addiction, mental illness, financial setbacks – hardships that often make just getting through the day an achievement.

Under the guidance of our full-time homeless coordinator, we’ve made great progress by servicing homeless individuals through the Street Engagement Team, providing access to mental health services, and offering placement in emergency housing.

Homelessness is a humanitarian crisis—a human tragedy that will only be resolved by decency, empathy and humanity.

We must also respect the rights of ALL residents to enjoy our public spaces and a good quality of life.

One way we are preventing homelessness is by creating workforce housing. Housing prices in our city are far too high for far too many. I want to make sure that as the city continues to grow, no one is left behind.

Last year, during the State of the City address, I announced the ‘300 in 3’ initiative to break ground on, or complete, 300 units of workforce housing in three years. I am proud that we are almost there…way ahead of schedule. Last year alone, 277 units were added to the city’s housing stock.

We won’t just meet that goal, but shatter it!

Today, I am proud to announce that instead of 300 units in three years, we’re committing to 200 more, for a combined 500 units of workforce housing in three years.

With good fortune, I may be back next year to announce we’ll do even more than that.

One person, one family, one housing unit at a time, we are impacting hearts, minds, souls.. and our city’s future.

One city…united against adversity.

You know, the public health crisis has exposed all of societies’ flaws and vulnerabilities. For West Palm Beach, it really shone a spotlight on areas where we are strong, but also illuminated areas where we’re not.

The tragic events of last summer led to demonstrations and protests in cities nationwide, including West Palm Beach. The senseless killings of young Black men and women occurred at a time when many people of color were disproportionately adversely affected by COVID-19.

Thanks to the West Palm Beach Police Department, we were able to facilitate the peaceful demonstration of more than 4000 people without a single injury, avoiding the kind of violence that put too many other cities in the headlines for reasons they never wanted.

I think that speaks not only to the character and values of our city, but also to the sensible approach of our police.

The demonstrations and protests last summer reminded me of images I saw in Wichita, Kansas during the Civil Rights era. I was moved by the portrayal of Black marchers violently bitten by police dogs in Mississippi or hosed down with water in Montgomery, Alabama.

When I saw the demonstrations of last summer, though, I noticed there was something different. Unlike the protestors of the sixties, these participants were diverse. They were young and old, people of all colors and ethnicities, and backgrounds.

You know a cultural shift is underway, when NASCAR bans the Confederate flag and a Black man is cast as the lead in The Bachelor.

I often speak about creating a ‘community of opportunity for all,’ whereby anyone -- no matter what their background, race, ethnicity, or goals-- can realize their dreams in our city.

Last summer’s demonstrations in West Palm Beach reminded me that there are so many in our city who share that vision.

After so many years, after so much suffering for so many people-- it was no longer enough to just hope for change or talk about change. It was time to act. Boldly. Openly. And together.

In that vein, I established the Mayor’s Taskforce for Racial and Ethnic Equality, the first of its kind in our city’s history, to take a long, hard look at our city—its past and present—and make specific policy recommendations for consideration by the Commission and me.

I tapped attorney Michelle Diffenderfer and local Urban League CEO Patrick Franklin to lead the task force that is comprised of a diverse group of community members.

Our approach will be data driven, methodical and thorough. Doing this right is going to take time.

Thank you, Michelle and Patrick, the taskforce members, and the subcommittee members for caring so much about our city, to make this a priority.

Our country is at an inflection point, and I want West Palm Beach to be a part of it, the right way, as a civic beacon of openness instead of an uncivil portrait of intolerance.

When I reflect on where we are today and where we are headed, West Palm Beach stands as a shining example of what is possible when everybody comes together and works together to overcome an adversity that no one saw coming.

As the saying goes, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

Well, in so many ways, our city is stronger.

We are SAFER than before.

We are proving more ECONOMICALLY RESILIENT than before.

We are on our way toward becoming more EQUITABLE than before.

We are KINDER than before.

And, even though we’ve been forced to remain apart, as a community we are now CLOSER than before.

That’s because we don’t run from our challenges; we lean into them.

We don’t shirk our responsibilities; we embrace them.

We don’t seek to tear people down for their differences but raise them up for their commitment to the common good.

We don’t seek a future where the “haves” have more, and the “have-nots” less, but one where citizens can rise together by working together, pulling together, pulling for one another together.

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Because when the chapter about COVID-19 is finally written into City lore, and the final page is turned, I want everyone to feel we persevered by uniting as one against an adversity out to spare no one…on behalf of everyone.

A city’s greatness isn’t measured by what’s has been accomplished but, rather, by what has yet to be achieved.

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In closing, I would like to leave you with a quote from one of my favorite poems, Maya Angelou’s “And Still I Rise”.

“Leaving behind nights of terror and fear, I rise. Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear, I rise”

West Palm Beach is rising, after rising to challenge. And we’re not about to stop now.

Thank you. May God bless you. And may God bless West Palm Beach.

This press release was produced by the City of West Palm Beach. The views expressed are the author's own.