Riviera Beach planning board unanimously recommends adoption of public art ordinance and master plan

The Riviera Beach Planning and Zoning Board on Aug. 28 voted unanimously to recommend that City Council adopt Ordinance 42-83, a city-initiated amendment to Chapter 32 that adopts a public art master plan and revises the city's Arts and Public Places code.

Principal Planner Suneet Simon told the board the ordinance aligns Chapter 32 with a proposed master plan developed with consultant Designing Local LTD and local residents. "Tonight, we will be adopting amendments to chapter 32," Simon said, adding the changes are intended to guide where the city places public art and how the program operates.

The amendment package makes multiple definitional changes, including replacing the word "tangible" with "original creations" in the definition of artwork and adding definitions for "local artist," "maintenance" (for artwork and for property that contains artwork), "mural," "public art collection," "temporary artwork," "project," and "unit" (to clarify planned unit developments). The draft ordinance also creates a new section, 32-12, to formally adopt the master plan and adds section 32-13 with program policies and procedures for the Public Art Advisory Board.

Simon and staff also told the board they clarified financial language: the code will reference "construction cost" rather than the broader word "budget" to define the base used for the public art contribution. Simon said the change is intended "to not burden our developers" and to clarify that the public art fee is calculated from construction costs. Staff described the fee mechanism as part of the ordinance text; at the meeting Simon referenced a 1% calculation in explaining what the contribution is taken from.

The ordinance also clarifies how phased developments will remit the public art fee and removes language the planner described as "muddled." The Public Art Advisory Board's duties and expected time commitments are expanded in the draft to give the advisory board clearer direction on calls for artists, evaluation criteria and community engagement.

Board members asked about program details including whether the city will hire a public art coordinator (Simon said the city does not currently have one and the position is among the recommendations), how artworks will be selected and sited, maintenance responsibilities, and timing. Simon said artworks sited on private property will remain the owner's maintenance responsibility; artworks on city property would be maintained by the city. On selection, staff said proposed artworks will be evaluated against a checklist included in the policies and that professionals across art fields will advise recommendations sent to City Council.

Simon said staff hopes to take the ordinance to City Council in October, with a possible first reading in September. She told the board that some public-art items tied to site-plan review will return to the Planning and Zoning Board for review before council consideration.

After discussion and several members' questions, a board member moved to recommend approval of Ordinance 42-83. The motion was seconded and carried by a unanimous vote of the members present.

Votes at a glance: Planning and Zoning Board recommendation on Ordinance 42-83 (Arts and Public Places) ' Outcome: recommended for approval (unanimous). Recorded votes: Board member Brown, Board member Gallen, Board member Burgess, Board member Joseph, Board member Shepherd, Vice Chair Fernandez, Chair Wiley ' all recorded as yes.

The board also discussed related business items during the meeting, including follow-ups on contractor hiring reports tied to certificates of occupancy and a request to schedule a future presentation from code enforcement; those items were discussed as board direction or requests for staff rather than formal actions.