Midtown Beach Closure and Palm Beach Seawall: What to Expect

"Those folks are going to go south, and you are going to have a potential overload there."

Council member Lew Crampton, who lives on the South End, said this at the Town Council's Sept. 8 meeting. He was talking about the people who swim, walk and sit at Midtown Beach every winter. Town staff expect construction on a new Midtown seawall to start in December and take about 18 months. If the town closes Midtown Beach completely, it would stay closed from December until spring 2028.

The timing is close. Phipps Ocean Park, closed for its own rebuild since May 2025, holds its grand opening on Nov. 19, a few weeks before the seawall work is expected to begin. For the next two winters, the island's main public beach will be at 2201 South Ocean Boulevard. Several decisions about how much of Midtown stays usable are scheduled before Thanksgiving.

Why the Wall Is Coming Out Now

The Midtown seawall runs 2,715 feet from Royal Palm Way south to Gulfstream Road. It is nearly 100 years old. Town officials say it is not about to fail, but it needs to be replaced. "We have multiple engineering reports that it is near the end of its useful life," said Jake Hurley, senior project engineer with the Public Works Department.

The start date follows the sand. The town recently finished renourishing the coastline just east of the wall. Hurley told the council that building right after that project lowers the cost, because the work needs sand dunes on the beach to protect the site during construction. The dune also explains the closure. The plan from the design-builder, Murray Logan Construction of West Palm Beach, calls for a dune that won't leave much room for beach access.

The project is expected to cost $20 million or more. That includes the $1.5 million the council set aside in July for design and planning.

Full Closure or Partial Access Is Still Undecided

As of the last public reports, the town had not chosen between a full and a partial closure. Hurley said leaving part of the beach open would "very likely" mean a longer project and higher cost. Staff will ask Murray Logan what partial access would involve and report back to the council. According to the Palm Beach Daily News, Hurley also said a partial closure would introduce variables and safety risks.

South Ocean Boulevard stays open to two-way traffic throughout the work. Hurley expects the closure to ease Midtown traffic. "We're not going to have individuals coming from off-island to park at the beach," he said. Crampton's concern is the other side of that. The beachgoers who no longer park in Midtown are the ones he expects to go to Phipps and to the beaches east of Sunrise Avenue.

Here are the dates that will settle the details:

1. Oct. 28. The Architectural Commission reviews the Midtown Beach Linear Park redesign, including the plan to preserve the park's palms.
2. Oct. 29. The town holds a public outreach meeting on how construction affects residents, including the beach closure and traffic. A location had not been announced as of mid-September, and staff said a flyer would go out beforehand.
3. Nov. 9. Staff hope to present Murray Logan's guaranteed maximum price at this council meeting. Drawings and a more detailed schedule are expected to come with it.
4. Nov. 19, 11 a.m. Phipps Ocean Park's ribbon cutting and grand opening, open to the public at no charge.
5. December. Seawall construction is expected to begin.

The Beach Taking the Load Has Been Rebuilt

Phipps is not the park it was before May 2025. The town owns it. The Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach led the redesign in partnership with the town, and Burkhardt Construction built it. The guaranteed maximum price contract is $31 million. The town is contributing $2 million, and the Foundation is paying almost all of the rest.

The project restores the dunes with about 80,000 native plants. It moves the Little Red Schoolhouse to higher ground and adds a coastal plant nursery and education center and a playground designed by Monstrum. The plans also include ADA-accessible walking paths, outdoor learning areas, beach pavilions, restrooms, a lifeguard tower and pickleball courts, plus renovated tennis courts.

The lifeguard tower matters this season. Midtown is one of only two public beaches in town with lifeguards. The tower is part of the Phipps project, but no lifeguard hours or regular park hours had been published for the reopening as of this writing.

The schedule moved once. In April, the town was still aiming for a September finish, and the Daily News reported that design changes made the timing uncertain. The Foundation now says the park stays closed to the public until November.

Parking is limited. The town's placard program brochure lists 100 spaces across the Phipps north and south lots, and cars must be gone by sunset. If Crampton is right about where Midtown's beachgoers will go, those 100 spaces will fill faster than they used to.

Where Else to Swim Through Spring 2028

The table lists the island and nearby options with the facts that have been published.

The town brochure lists placard permits at $165 for one month, $554 for four months, $777 for six months and $1,454 for a year. Permits are sold first-come, they apply to a specific area, and they do not guarantee a space. Annual and seasonal beach permits in Lake Worth Beach are only for eligible Lake Worth Beach residents, so island residents pay the hourly rate there.

Palm Beach County's guarded beaches generally have lifeguards year-round, seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 5:20 p.m. when the condition flag is flying. Peanut Island is one of the exceptions. The county also dropped a proposal to add parking fees at 12 county beach parks that are currently free. WPTV reported on Sept. 15 that those fees will not apply to anyone in the coming fiscal year.

Midtown's Next Version Comes After the Wall

The fence is the first phase of a larger change to Midtown. The town has budgeted about $4 million to redo the Midtown Beach Linear Park along the seawall, with work starting near the end of seawall construction. The Daily News reported in August that the park's construction is tentatively forecast for summer 2028.

Landscape architect Sean Twomey of Environment Design Group presented the concept, and Brian Marsh of Bridges Marsh & Associates is also involved in the project. The design adds 15,000 square feet of open space. That is 48 percent more than the park has today. One wider sidewalk would replace the current two. The plan also adds new benches and a beach access with stairs at Royal Palm Way. A terrace at the Worth Avenue Clock Tower would let people walk through the tower for a better ocean view. Traffic islands and more pedestrian crossings at Brazilian Avenue and Royal Palm Way would slow South Ocean Boulevard.

The park has 42 coconut palms. Town Engineer Patricia Srayer said the town plans to keep as many as possible. Palms that have to move will be preserved and replanted in the park, and some will likely need to be replaced. The Oct. 28 Architectural Commission review is the next public look at that plan.

Midtown isn't the only shared waterfront under construction. The Society of the Four Arts began its renovation in May, and the Lake Trail section that crosses its campus is closed during the work. Four Arts films have moved to Palm Beach Day Academy, and the O'Keeffe speaker series and Lambert concert series have moved to Royal Poinciana Chapel. The Friday Film Series opens there on Nov. 6 with The Cycle of Love.

If the seawall schedule affects your plans for the season, whether that's hosting guests, timing a rental, or getting a property near South Ocean Boulevard ready, Debbie Gross follows these Town Hall decisions as they happen and is glad to talk through what they mean for your address. Schedule a Free Consultation.