Commission authorizes ITN to explore uses for the Casino second floor and north end

The Lake Worth Beach City Commission authorized publication of an Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) April 21 to solicit proposals for potential uses of the Casino building’s second floor (the ballroom) and adjacent north‑end space. The decision follows extended public comment and debate about whether the ballroom should remain primarily a community space or be repurposed to generate more reliable revenue.

Staff described three ITN options — retain ballroom as community/event space, pursue mixed community/commercial solutions, or convert a portion for commercial restaurant/retail uses — and said the ITN was drafted to allow respondents to propose any of those approaches. Commissioners and members of the public urged broader outreach (listing on commercial real‑estate platforms such as LoopNet/CoStar) and recommended engaging a commercial real‑estate broker or consultant to assist with marketing and evaluation.

Some commissioners urged delay until a consultant (Zizkovich) working on a larger asset‑management study reports back in July; others said the ballroom space has been vacant for years and starting the ITN now would begin a long process of attracting proposals. Staff confirmed the ITN includes all three options and that an evaluation committee (including staff and consultants) can be appointed; the commission asked staff to add floor plans, clarify ADA/utility issues and consider hiring outside commercial real‑estate expertise for evaluation.

Outcome: The commission approved publication of the ITN as drafted (with staff to incorporate commissioners’ technical clarifications and to consider outside broker/consultant support during evaluation). The ITN process is intended to be broad and to return proposals for later commission review rather than commit to a single development path.