Palm Beach Gardens council approves technical amendment for Plant Drive athletic facility but denies timing extension

The Palm Beach Gardens City Council on June 11 approved a narrow amendment to Section 14 of Exhibit B of the public‑private partnership agreement with the Palm Beach North Athletic Foundation (PBNAF) while declining to grant the foundation a requested extension of time to meet financing and construction milestones for an indoor recreational facility at Plant Drive Park.

City Attorney Max Lohman told the council the amendment “has to do with the carrying term of the required surety post construction” and that the only question before the council that evening was whether to grant “the request for a 90 day extension of time to the financial and construction milestones.”

The council vote approved only the revision to Section 14 — language tied to post‑construction surety — and did not extend the schedule for the foundation’s financing or construction deadlines. Mayor Maria Tinsley recused herself from participating in the item and passed the gavel after disclosing a potential conflict related to her husband’s employment and buy‑out payments from a firm that had performed survey and site work for the project.

Why it matters: Residents of Plant Drive and surrounding neighborhoods spoke for nearly an hour during public comment and urged council members not to give another extension to PBNAF. Speakers said the group has received prior extensions on an earlier site and that the city should enforce contract deadlines rather than repeatedly amending schedules. PBNAF representatives…