West Palm Beach sells land at Old Okeechobee Road to Property Works

West Palm Beach’s City Commission voted to sell land to a local business for $125,000 less than its most recent appraised value even as another potential buyer said he’d pay more for the quarter-acre parcel.

City staff members recommended Monday that commissioners approve the proposed $775,000 sale of a parcel of land located at 1100 Old Okeechobee Road to the owners of Property Works, a minority-owned business that provides landscaping and maintenance services to several city departments.

The city’s ethics officer issued an opinion determining that the transaction would not present a conflict.

The West Palm Beach City Hall in downtown West Palm Beach February 13, 2015. (Lannis Waters / The Palm Beach Post)

How did West Palm obtain the land at Old Okeechobee Road?

West Palm Beach obtained the land in 1990 through state contraband forfeiture laws, which allows for the seizure of property if it was obtained through ill-gotten means. Proceeds from the sale, which has not been finalized, must be directed to the city’s Police Forfeiture Fund.

A report prepared by city staff said the Okeechobee parcel, which has two structures on it, “has been vacant for some time and its not being utilized by the city.”

https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/local/westpb/2021/10/20/west-palm-beach-development-boom-presents-opportunities-challenges/8523052002/