The scalloped wall along South Ocean Boulevard looks the same as it always has. It runs from Royal Palm Way to Gulfstream Road and passes the Worth Avenue clock tower. According to the town's project manager, almost none of what you see does any structural work. "The structural component of the wall is actually underground. Everything that we see above ground is decorative," he told WFLX at the Oct. 29 public outreach meeting. Engineering reports put the underground part at the end of its useful life.
Replacing it will close Midtown Beach for about 18 months. Two miles south, the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach and the town have set Thursday, Nov. 19 for the grand opening of the rebuilt Phipps Ocean Park. The two projects were planned separately, and they now overlap. Until the new seawall is finished in 2028, the island's public oceanfront park sits at 2201 South Ocean Boulevard.
What the Seawall Closure Takes Off the Map
The project covers about 2,715 feet of seawall that dates to the 1920s. CBS12 called Midtown the closest beach for West Palm Beach residents and a favorite of out-of-town visitors. Here is what changes during construction, as described at the outreach meeting:
- The three beach access points close. The town's project manager said there is no safe way to bring people from the roadway onto the beach while heavy equipment is working.
- The parallel parking along South Ocean Boulevard goes away. Construction workers will park inside the fenced work site.
- The shoreline stays partly walkable. "We can't close the ocean, so there will be times when you'll be able to traverse the beach north-south as long as you are more towards the water side," the project manager told WFLX. That walkable strip lies east of a berm, which keeps both sea turtles and people out of the job site.
- A new access point is planned at the north end. Project staff told WFLX they recommended it partly because people have been climbing over the wall.
The town's October newsletter said Midtown Beach would close in early November. Construction itself is expected to start this winter, with town staff pointing to December or January, and to run through 2028. CBS12 reported the cost at no less than $20 million. Town staff told WFLX the guaranteed maximum price would go to the Town Council in December.
Why the Whole Beach Closes at Once
The council had two options. One was a single continuous job with the beach fully closed for about 18 months. The other kept part of the beach open by building the wall in two phases, south segment first and north segment second, over about 32 months. According to the Citizen Portal recap of the October meeting, engineers estimated the phased approach would raise costs by 50 to 100 percent, and the council chose full closure.
Sea turtles set the timeline. CBS12 reported that crews can't work on the beach once nesting season starts, and the job can't be finished in a single six-month window. "We cannot be on the beach unless we have a berm already constructed there," the project manager told WFLX. He also gave a reason for starting now. The town just finished a beach renourishment cycle, so there is sand in place to protect the wall while it is being built. A town official at the meeting said that if the wall in front of the condominium stretch failed, "$7 billion of real estate is at stake."
The new wall is meant to look like the old one. Staff told WFLX they tracked down the original scallop molds from the 1980s and plan to match the color. The wall is expected to sit about six inches higher on average and to extend farther east. The clock tower is the reason for the eastward shift. The old wall sits right against it, so the town is permitted to build seaward, and a walking path around the tower's east side is under consideration. Once the wall is done, the town plans a roughly $4 million renovation of Midtown Beach Linear Park, with wider sidewalks, more green space, better crossings and new beach access, according to Palm Beach Now.
The Park at 2201 South Ocean Boulevard
Phipps Ocean Park has been closed since construction began on May 1, 2025, apart from the tennis center and its parking area, which were scheduled to reopen on Nov. 1, 2025. In April 2026 the Palm Beach Daily News described the work as a $31 million redevelopment. The town owns the park. The Preservation Foundation is leading the redevelopment and paying for most of it, and Kenneth C. Griffin gave $7 million in April 2024. The Phipps family gave the land in 1948 as a public beach and oceanfront park.
This is what the Foundation's plan puts on the site:
| Element | What the plan calls for | Who designed it |
|---|---|---|
| Landscape | Native planting, dune and mangrove restoration, rain gardens, a wildflower garden, accessible paths and a "Horizon Plateau" with ocean views | Raymond Jungles, landscape architect |
| New buildings | Coastal Restoration Center, beach pavilions, two restroom facilities | Fairfax & Sammons |
| Play | A custom dune playground | Monstrum, the Danish playground studio |
| Beach | Beach access, showers, drinking fountains and a lifeguard stand | Foundation plan |
| Courts | Renovated tennis center and two pickleball courts | Foundation plan |
| Parking | 18,000 square feet of lots paved with permeable pavers | Foundation plan |
So the beach that has to carry the island through Midtown's closure is also the one planned with a playground built into the dune, a lifeguard stand, showers and new restrooms.
The Schoolhouse Goes to Higher Ground
The Little Red Schoolhouse is the oldest landmark in Palm Beach and the first schoolhouse in Southeast Florida. The Foundation's plan moves the 1886 building to higher ground near the dune, where it will be better protected from frequent flooding and high winds. The move is meant to keep the Foundation's living history program running, which gives Palm Beach County fourth graders a day of 1890s classroom life. The state awarded a $442,195 historic-preservation grant for the move.
The plan places the new Coastal Restoration Center next to it, along with an outdoor classroom and a schoolyard garden. The center is designed as a nursery and propagation facility, with 12,400 square feet set aside for growing native plants that will support dune ecosystems in the park and across the town. The Midtown seawall project needs the same kind of plant work, though at a smaller scale. The town plans to relocate pieces of the vegetation along the wall during construction and replant cuttings once the replacement is done.
Palm Beach County's guarded beach parks include R.G. Kreusler Memorial Park in Palm Beach. Admission is free, and parking fees apply.
The Season's Dates, in Order
- Nov. 14, 2–4 p.m.: America250, a town celebration at Seaview Park with live music, Woody's Burger Bar and family entertainment.
- Nov. 19, 11 a.m.: Ribbon cutting and grand opening of Phipps Ocean Park, free and open to the public, with registration through the Preservation Foundation.
- Late November: The town releases 2027 Parkmobile permits and Residential Parking Permits through its Park in Palm Beach page. With the Midtown curb parking gone, these permits apply to fewer oceanfront spaces in 2027.
- December: The town expects to bring the seawall's guaranteed maximum price to the Town Council. The new Wells Road Park, on North County Road, is scheduled to open with a new tree canopy along North County.
- December or January: Seawall construction is expected to start at Midtown and run about 18 months.
- 2028: The new wall is finished, followed by the Linear Park renovation at Midtown.
Project officials told WFLX they will hold more community meetings as details are finalized, and CBS12 reported that the town is building a project website with frequently asked questions.
A seawall that protects $7 billion in property behind it is also something buyers and owners along South Ocean Boulevard end up asking about. Jared Nelson brings more than 15 years of home inspection experience to his real estate work, so the Taylor Kane Group reads coastal infrastructure projects like this one closely. If you own or are considering a property near Midtown or the South End and want to talk through what the construction schedule means for you, Schedule a Consultation.
