Q&A of the Day – Lake Worth Beaches 2026 Ballot Questions
Each day I feature a listener question sent by one of these methods.
Email: brianmudd@iheartmedia.com
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Today’s entry: Brian- there's a coordinated and seemingly well-funded campaign seeking to stop Lake Worth Beaches five ballot questions from passing. I know you’ve weighed in on ballot issues before. What are your thoughts about these?
Bottom Line: Next Tuesday is Election Day for 19 municipalities in Palm Beach County and as we’re heading down the homestretch of this local election season, the political campaigning is in full swing. This includes outside interest groups which will often seek to steer the outcome of local elections as in the case of what’s prompted today’s Q&A.
Unlike in other communities, Lake Worth Beach won’t be voting on candidates but rather on the ballot measures that hold the potential to steer the future of the community.
City officials have provided a Charter Referendum Guide and have held a series of town halls and meetings to attempt to rally support for the measures. Meanwhile, organized opposition has been led by former progressive city commissioner Kim Stokes, who heads up the left-wing activist group Lake Worth For All (LW4All) which advocates for open borders and an end to ICE activities, LGBTQ+ interests which it states are “under attack at a state and federal level”, defunding police activities and environmental justice – among other things. For their current campaign against the city’s proposed charter changes, they've taken a populist approach to the campaign focusing on themes such as “Hands off Our Beach” and maintaining voter control of growth.
With that in mind let’s breakdown the ballot questions in question...
1. Certification of Election Results
Ballot Question: The City utilizes the County Canvassing Board and the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections certifies election results canvassed by the County Canvassing Board. Shall the City of Lake Worth Beach amend its Charter at Article III, Section 2 to reflect that the election results are certified by the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections?
What it does: Updates outdated charter language. Since 1973, the county (not the city clerk) has actually canvassed and certified all Lake Worth Beach election results. This just makes the charter match reality and state law.
Impact if it passes:
- Purely housekeeping — no change in how elections are run, who counts votes, or how results are certified
- Makes the charter legally accurate and easier for the public to understand
- Reduces any theoretical risk of legal challenges over “outdated” language
My recommendation: Yes
2. Lease Terms – City-Owned Property East of A1A (Beachside)
Ballot Question: In order to encourage private investment in and redevelopment of City-owned property and reduce the City's maintenance costs of City facilities, shall Article II, Section 3 of the City of Lake Worth Beach Charter be amended to allow City-property East of A1A to be leased for up to 99 years for purposes other than lodging and residential uses?
Key change: Currently the charter requires a city-wide voter referendum for any lease longer than ~30 years on beachside (east of A1A) city land. This amendment would let the City Commission approve leases up to 99 years without putting it to voters (still only for non-hotel, non-residential uses: restaurants, event spaces, upgraded pavilions, parking structures, etc.).
Impacts if it passes:
- Makes it much easier to attract private developers who need long-term leases to get bank loans for big renovations
- City keeps ownership of the land forever, collects ground rent for 99 years, shifts maintenance/operations costs to the tenant, and gets upgraded public amenities
- Positions Lake Worth Beach competitively with neighboring beach towns that already allow long leases
My recommendation: Yes
3. Lease Terms – Parks, Downtown & West of A1A
Ballot Question: In order to encourage private investment in and redevelopment of City-owned property and reduce the City's maintenance costs of City facilities, shall Article II, Section 4 of the City of Lake Worth Beach Charter be amended to allow City-owned property West of A1A that is restricted in the Charter to be leased for up to 99 years?
Similar wording to #2, but for Article II, Section 4 — city-owned property west of A1A (parks, downtown sites, etc.) that is currently restricted in the charter.
Impacts if it passes:
- City hopes for private investment to upgrade parks (playgrounds, sports facilities, event spaces) and downtown buildings that the city budget can’t fully cover
- Could bring new jobs, foot traffic, restaurants, housing-adjacent amenities, and revitalization
My recommendation: Yes
4. Filling City Manager Vacancies
Ballot Question: Shall Article IV, Section 3 of The City Of Lake Worth Beach Charter be amended to require the process for filling a permanent vacancy in the Office of City Manager be started within 90 days of the vacancy and continue in good faith until the Office of City Manager is filled?
What it does: Adds a hard 90-day clock to begin a national search for a permanent professional city manager instead of leaving an interim in place indefinitely.
Impact if it passes:
- Prevents prolonged leadership gaps that can stall major projects, budgeting, and long-term planning
- Interim managers often have limited authority
- Aligns with best practices recommended by professional city-management associations
- Increases accountability on the commission to act promptly
My recommendation: Yes
5. Repeal of Defunct Police & Fire Sections
Ballot Question: In recognizing that the City no longer has a City Police or Fire Department and to eliminate any confusion, shall Article IV, Section 10 of the City of Lake Worth Beach Charter (Police and Fire Departments) be repealed?
What it does: Deletes obsolete charter language that still talks about the city operating its own police and fire departments. (The city has contracted with Palm Beach County Sheriff and Fire Rescue for decades.)
Impact if it passes: Pure cleanup.
- Removes confusing or contradictory language that could cause legal issues
- Makes the charter reflect current reality
- No operational change whatsoever
My recommendation: Yes
Three of the proposed charter amendments, 1,4 & 5 – shouldn't be controversial in the least and are just a matter of good and lawful record keeping and best practices. That the radical Stokes-led group opposes those three proposals too, speak loudly about their decision making generally. Regarding proposals 2&3 – they're exactly what Lake Worth Beach needs.
There’s an enormous amount of potential for an improved local economy, business district, tax base (which could lead to lower taxes in the future for residents) in addition to resolution to issues such as what to do with the community pool and more. However, investors have been reluctant to engage the community because of the lack of ability to conduct business in a way other communities do.
While it sounds nice on the surface for voters to decide what should happen with development within the city, in reality all it does is prevent meaningful investment from occurring within the city.
Yes votes on Lake Worth Beaches’ charter amendments are key to unlocking the potential of the community.