Lawsuit Seeks to Void $26M West Palm Beach Hotel Deal With Related Ross

Two neighborhood groups are suing Palm Beach County and affiliates of developer Related Ross, arguing county commissioners rushed approval of a $26 million land deal that would pave the way for a 400-room convention center hotel without giving residents adequate notice.

The lawsuit challenges the Sept. 29 vote by the County Commission to purchase a 1.8-acre parking lot from Related Ross — led by billionaire and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen M. Ross — for $26 million and lease the site at 900 S. Rosemary Ave. back to the developer. That arrangement would clear the way for a 400-room Hilton Curio Collection hotel serving the Palm Beach County Convention Center, a project expected to cost the developer more than $300 million.

The Grandview Heights Neighborhood Association and the West Palm Beach Neighborhood Alliance filed suit Oct. 14, seeking to void the vote. The complaint names Palm Beach County, Related Ross affiliates CityPlace South Tower II and CityPlace Hotel, the Related Cos., CityPlace Retail, the CityPlace Community Development District, the city of West Palm Beach and the West Palm Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA).

Grandview Heights is a neighborhood of one- and two-story homes on the southern edge of downtown West Palm Beach.

According to the lawsuit, county officials placed the Related Ross hotel deal on the County Commission's agenda just six days before the Sept. 29 meeting, adding it as an emergency item. The full 715-page agreement between the county and the developer was not released until 8 a.m. the day of the vote, the complaint states.

The plaintiffs allege the county failed to provide adequate public notice under Florida law before the deal was approved, and argue the vote should therefore be voided. The lawsuit asks the court to bar the County Commission from voting on the deal again unless it holds a properly noticed meeting.

"Six days' notice of the item, and a mere ninety minutes to read its terms, is not a reasonable notice of a $26 million, 97-year commitment of public funds and public land," the plaintiffs stated in the complaint. "That is especially so because the county invoked an emergency procedure to add the deal to the agenda of the meeting on Sept. 29, yet no emergency existed."

The lawsuit also claims the Grandview Heights neighborhood would suffer harm from parking overflow, increased traffic, higher pedestrian volume and construction impacts if the deal moves forward.

Attorneys Stanley Casey and William A. Brewer III represent the plaintiffs. The same legal team has filed a separate writ of certiorari against the city of West Palm Beach, seeking to overturn the city's approval of the hotel project.

A Related Ross spokesperson declined to comment on the pending litigation but pointed to the company's broader record in the community.

"Our long-term commitment to West Palm Beach and its residents is measured by decades of partnership with the people, businesses, nonprofits and organizations that make this community extraordinary," the spokesperson said. "The recently approved convention center hotel is the latest example of that commitment, bringing new opportunities and jobs for local residents while contributing to our city's vitality."