WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. —
Palm Beach County officials are developing a master plan to improve transportation countywide, and they are asking for the public’s help.
The county is hosting a series of public meetings to get residents’ input on everything from road projects to public transportation.
It’s all in an effort to relieve traffic congestion and improve mobility for residents.
“Transportation, roads, mobility, biking, pedestrian pathways, mass transit,” Palm Beach County Deputy Administrator Patrick Rutter said.
Starting Wednesday, Palm Beach County is hosting a series of eight public in-person meetings so residents can tell the county which types of transportation projects it should prioritize over the next several years.
It’s part of what they are calling the Palm Beach Countywide Transportation Master Plan.
“What are all of our future plans? How do we see ourselves growing down the road? What do we need to do to anticipate the next five years, 10 years, 20 years, etc.? It's a holistic look, something we've never done in Palm Beach County before,” Rutter said.
Rutter says they established the plan at the direction of the board of county commissioners.
“They hear from the residents, they hear from their constituents, they hear from their cities, and traffic/transportation is always one of those big issues,” Rutter said.
The board hired a consulting group to work with it to come up with a full report of its findings over a period of 12 months.
Rutter said this is the first phase, and input from the public is crucial.
“Palm Beach County is so big, so geographically diverse, and it's trying to aggregate all of the inputs, all the thoughts, all the feedback for people, what may be important to a Western community. It might not be the same thing that's important to an Eastern community,” Rutter said.
To pay for some of the new projects, county commissioners are considering asking voters to approve a penny sales tax increase at the ballot next November, but those plans have not been finalized.
“If/when our board wants to take up any discussion on that, they will. But we're focusing right now on working on setting the vision, setting the priorities, finding the projects, finding the work that's out there, getting all that feedback. That’s our focus with this,” Rutter said.
Times, dates and locations for the public meetings are as follows:
Meeting 1
Date: Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025
Time: Noon to 2 p.m.
PBC Library: Palm Beach Gardens Branch
11303 Campus Drive
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
Meeting 2
Date: Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025
Time: 6-8 p.m.
Palm Beach State College: Loxahatchee Campus
Lecture Hall in the LGA building
15845 Southern Blvd.
Loxahatchee, FL 33470
Meeting 3
Date: Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025
Time: Noon to 2 p.m.
PBC Main Library
3650 Summit Blvd.
West Palm Beach, FL 33406
Meeting 4
Date: Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025
Time: 5-7 p.m.
Arts Garage
94 NE Second Ave.
Delray Beach, FL 33444
Meeting 5
Date: Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025
Time: 1-3 p.m.
PBC Library: Canyon Branch
8915 Senator Joe Abruzzo Ave.
Boynton Beach, Florida 33472
Meeting 6
Date: Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025
Time: 6-8 p.m.
Government Center Chambers
301 N. Olive Ave.
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
Meeting 7
Date: Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025
Time: 2-4 p.m.
Riviera Beach CRA Community Center (Clean and Safe Office)
1229 E. Blue Heron Blvd.
Riviera Beach, FL 33404
Meeting 8
Date: Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025
Time: 6-8 p.m.
Palm Beach County — Vista Center
Hearing Room 47
2300 N. Jog Road
West Palm Beach, FL 33411-2741