Consultants present Palm Beach County tourism master plan with 50 recommendations and 10 "big ideas"

Palm Beach County commissioners received a two-year tourism master plan that recommends 50 actions across nine categories and identifies 10 "big ideas," five of which the consulting team recommends advancing to feasibility analysis.

Emmanuel Perry, executive director of the Tourist Development Council, introduced the team and framed the plan as guidance to support long-term growth, sustainability and competitiveness for the county's visitor economy. "The plan was created and developed by Conventions Sports and Leisure International, CSL, for the benefit of Palm Beach County," Perry said during the presentation.

Richard Cutting Miller of CSL summarized the approach: site visits and a two-week familiarization tour, more than 100 stakeholder interviews, focus groups in six locations, resident and visitor surveys including roughly 1,700 participants, and benchmarking against peer destinations. "I've led a team of 12 world class experts ... over the last 2 years to develop the tourism master plan for Palm Beach County," he said.

The consultants described nine planning categories—branding and marketing, tourism sustainability, community-first initiatives, tourism infrastructure, data and technology, workforce and education, planning and zoning, strategic governance, and product and experience development—and highlighted five priority "big ideas": a state-of-the-art indoor multipurpose sports complex; convention center expansion with a second hotel; pursuing international events through regional partnerships; a flagship immersive experience venue (examples cited included Vegas Sphere and Meow Wolf); and a high-profile attraction in the Glades region.

Commissioners asked for more details about sites, funding, public-private partnerships and equity across the county. Consultants said the plan includes a 525-page technical report with initial capital and operating estimates, KPIs and monitoring approaches; each big idea is recommended to undergo its own feasibility study. They also noted alignment with Florida Statute 125.0104, which governs use of tourist development taxes to promote tourism-related infrastructure and facilities.

Why it matters: commissioners and staff said the plan will guide a multi-decade effort to convert tourist tax revenues into destination assets, marketing, and workforce development while balancing resident impacts such as traffic and access. Commissioners asked staff to return with funding options and schedule for feasibility and implementation work.