
LAKE WORTH BEACH residents will have significant say – both at the polls and in public meetings — on whether an unsolicited proposal for a multimillion-dollar redevelopment of the city-owned golf course and oceanfront casino becomes reality.
On Jan. 16, a private investment group led by Copperline Partners and golf legend Jack Nicklaus submitted a public-private proposal for $200 million for two Hyatt hotels, one each on the ocean and city golf course, and $155.6 million for other projects including a renovated golf course, beach parking garage and new public swimming pool in the city’s Northwest Park.
City officials are still trying to determine the multiple changes to the city’s charter, comprehensive plan and code that would be required to accommodate it, assuming they want to proceed at all.
Based on their initial review, city officials said at a public meeting Jan. 21, the proposal could trigger at least five charter changes, each requiring voter approval.
For example, the proposal mentions “a mixture of land lease terms with different lengths and optional renewal periods,’’ but does not offer details. Any lease of city land east of A1A for 30 years or more must go before voters, as required by the city charter.
“There will need to be charter-related changes related to height (I don’t know the extent), to lease terms (some sort of change in the allowed length of leases), and possibly to address private, commercial uses of public lands,’’ William Waters, the city’s community sustainability director, said in an email.
In addition, the proposal would require significant amendments to the city's comprehensive plan, land development regulations and capital improvement plan, he said.

Changes to the land development regulations and zoning require City Commission approval. Multiple regulating authorities would be involved in reviewing any changes to the comprehensive plan.
“The public will have a huge amount of input into something like this,’’ Mayor Betty Resch said. “It is so big. It is really big.’’
The proposal calls for development in four areas of the city, two on the barrier island and two on the mainland.
On the barrier island:
A $105 million Grand Hyatt oceanfront hotel at the south end of the casino building. The 205-room hotel would serve as the anchoring centerpiece of the oceanfront project.
A four-level parking garage with 1,166 spaces, restaurants and stores on the existing surface lot at the southeast corner of State Road A1A and the main entrance to the beach casino.
An unnamed “marine-related” attraction — possibly an aquarium? — east of the new parking garage. A rendering makes it look like the attraction would be near the south end of the casino building.
A public park and green space on 5 acres of existing surface lots along the east side of A1A south of the proposed parking garage.
A water-taxi dock and kayak and canoe launch on the east side of the Intracoastal Waterway south of the east end of the Lake Worth Bridge.
No changes to the historic oceanfront casino building and the Lake Worth Pier, including the popular Benny’s on the Beach restaurant.

On the mainland:
A $22 million renovation and redesign of the 18-hole municipal golf course, overseen by Nicklaus’ design company. Nicklaus toured the city golf course a few weeks ago, according to two sources with knowledge of the visit.
A $95 million Hyatt hotel with 150 rooms and a conference center at the south end of the golf course, on the west end of the bridge at the northeast corner of Lucerne Avenue and North Golfview Road. The new hotel would be across the intersection from The Gulfstream Hotel.
A new entrance to the golf course somewhere along North Golfview Road between the bridge and Second Avenue North. The golf course’s current secluded entrance at Seventh Avenue North would be removed.
A new municipal swimming pool and water recreation facility with fountains and sprays at the city’s Northwest Park along 22nd Avenue North and North D Street in the Sunset Ridge neighborhood. The city’s current pool at the beach casino, shuttered since 2016, would be removed to make room for the oceanfront development.

It’s “a massive unsolicited proposal,’’ said Commissioner Chris McVoy.
The project was mentioned in public for the first time at a City Commission meeting Jan. 21, five days after Copperline Partners submitted it. Individual commissioners received the proposal within days after copies were dropped off City Hall on Jan. 16, a Thursday.
It was not on the Jan. 21 agenda, but it came up during a discussion, broached by McVoy, about whether the city needs to adopt a formal policy for dealing with unsolicited proposals.
The Copperline plan is the second major unsolicited public-private partnership proposal submitted to the city in nearly a year. In February 2024, a developer who owns the Wiener Museum of Decorative Arts pitched plans for a new downtown museum with an apartment complex and parking garage.
Commissioners agreed the Copperline project would boost the city’s profile as a tourist destination, inject millions into the tax base and economy, and offer long-needed renovations to the golf course.
But, in a city with a track record of fending off ambitious development plans for the beach and casino, officials vowed to take their time considering the proposal.
“We have no obligation to rush it,’’ Resch said. “This is interesting but we haven't even looked at it.’’

Some city officials even chuckled at the proposal’s unrealistic timeline for lease agreements by June, permits and approvals by November and construction starting in December.
“This isn’t something that can roll out as is,’’ Interim City Manager Jamie Brown said.
“If everything in there were to come to fruition, there are definitely some things we would have to do on our side,’’ he said.
Commissioners indicated they’d be open to the investment group formally presenting their proposal at a commission meeting at some point.
“We have public assets and we can only make these decisions probably once,’’ Commissioner Mimi May said. “I think that it's exciting but not overly exciting because we have to be cautious.’’

In addition to Copperline Partners, Nicklaus and Hyatt, the development group includes deep-pocketed Fortress Investment, a major investor in Brightline, and Stiles Construction, a longtime major builder out of Fort Lauderdale.
Copperline Partners, a family-owned real estate company led by Richard Schlesinger and his three sons, owns the Brazilian Court luxury hotel in Palm Beach.
Through another company they once operated, the Schlesingers in 2005 owned The Gulfstream Hotel in downtown Lake Worth Beach with plans to renovate it. An economic downtown, fueled by Hurricane Wilma, forced the hotel to shutter. It was subsequently sold to another investor group. A new renovation plan, by Restoration St. Louis, is underway.
Unfiltered social media reaction to the Copperline project included one inaccurate Facebook post that prompted Resch to offer a comment emphasizing that the city has taken no action since receiving the unsolicited proposal.
“At this time, no one has any idea if there is interest in it. Talking about something doesn’t mean it’s going to happen,’’ she wrote.
“The public will have enormous input, if it gets that far. So please everyone, take a deep breath.’’

© 2025 ByJoeCapozzi.com All rights reserved.
Please help support local journalism by clicking the donation button in the masthead on our homepage.
About the author

Joe Capozzi is an award-winning reporter based in Lake Worth Beach. He spent more than 30 years writing for newspapers, mostly at The Palm Beach Post, where he wrote about the opioid scourge, invasive pythons, the birth of the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches and Palm Beach County government. For 15 years, he covered the Miami Marlins baseball team. Joe left The Post in December 2020. View all posts by Joe Capozzi.