Palm Beach Gardens, Bus Shelters, Biotech

"Palm Beach Gardens’ $500,000 Investment On Its Image as a Unique South Florida City Far From Being a Waste of Money" v. johns

I just finished writing a post on the importance of the marketing and branding of the South Florida region (Please scroll down and read it). In addition to the article in the Palm Beach Post on FPL Group’s rebranding itself as NextEra Energy, I also took note of an article regarding Palm Beach Gardens city council getting shaky on spending money to upgrade its bus shelters and simultaneously boost its image as a city of art.

I think it would be disastrous for Palm Beach Gardens to NOT invest in their city’s aesthetic qualities. With so many other South Florida cities nearly looking the same from over-development and rampant gentrification, Palm Beach Gardens actually stands out among many of them with its unique, unassuming skyline, its palm-tree hidden flyovers and overpasses and its overall visual appeal as a peaceful place that beckons to be lived in. I love driving through there at night when the bridge spheres are lit on the PGA Blvd./A1A overpass bridge. And while I like Lake Worth, I miss taking art classes on Palm Beach State’s Eissey campus. It’s smaller and easier to walk around.

I blame WPBF, one of my favorite South Florida newscasts, for all this second guessing. I like WPBF News. But they had no business, a few weeks ago, getting involved in how the City of Palm Beach Gardens has decided to spend money that can only be spent for the purpose it has been designated for… art. All they’ve done is stir up unnecessary controversy about nothing. Not like them at all. Instead of picking on pre-approved art funds, they should be going after pain clinics and corrupt state officials who seek to cripple the state’s education system just to get rid of the unions...

In my opinion, this matter is VERY important for Palm Beach Gardens. Their image as a city of art must be backed up by none other than… you guessed it… art. While “being seen as a highfalutin city that wants to spend a half-million dollars on bus shelters during a recession” (as Councilman Joe Russo told the Post) only happens once, being seen as a city of art and learning and biotech prowess must happen every day. When Scripps Florida leaves its Jupiter campus for a permanent Palm Beach Gardens headquarters across the road, the city is going to have to really stand out and be recognizable the world over in order to keep its allure and keep the biotech buzz and growth going. It’s got a good start already. Why not let them keep it up?

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CORRECTION (Mar. 29): I made a mistake in saying that Scripps Florida was moving to palm Beach Gardens. Thank you Mr. Keith McKeown, Vice President of Communications for The Scripps Research Institute, for clarifying that the permanent campus is on the Jupiter side of Donald Ross Rd. and that "The property on the other side of Donald Ross Road is reserved for potential Scripps Florida expansion and for biotech companies and services."