What will finally happen to the empty oceanfront parcel at 4705 South Ocean Boulevard, where cars were parked on the grass in early October? Palm Beach County bought the land in 1987 to build a public beach park. The town went to court, then signed a settlement, then accepted a series of delays. Through all of it the question was always whether a park would be built. That question has been answered. The questions left are when, and in what order, and the answers now sit in county agenda items more than in courtrooms.
What the October 6 Vote Paid For
On October 6, 2026, Palm Beach County commissioners approved $85,000 for preconstruction work on Cam D. Milani Park, according to CBS12. The money goes to Kaufman Lynn Construction for cost estimates and scheduling. The vote does not authorize construction.
The county's October 6 agenda spells out how this works. Kaufman Lynn is under a construction-manager-at-risk contract, and the preconstruction task order is the first piece. Before anyone can build, a separate guaranteed maximum price amendment has to come back to the commission for a vote. The county's early construction estimate is $8.65 million.
So the park now has a designer, a builder under contract, and a budget estimate. It does not yet have an approved construction price. Commissioners still have to take that vote, which is why the timing remains open.
Thirty-Nine Years in Nine Dates
The county's project history for Milani Park shows how each legal question closed, one after another:
- 1987. Lucia Milani sold the 5.29-acre property to the county for $3.9 million on the condition that it become a park named for her husband, Cam D. Milani. Highland Beach sued to stop the purchase, citing traffic and safety, and the county won.
- 2002 to 2008. Milani Holdings filed a separate suit over a condominium easement. The county won in 2006, and an appeals court affirmed in January 2008.
- April 27, 2009. The town approved the county's special-exception application with 43 conditions.
- May 18, 2010. A stipulated settlement with the town ended the litigation over those conditions. It deferred development for ten years and allowed two optional five-year extensions.
- October 22, 2019. Commissioners voted 4 to 3 to use the first extension, as The Coastal Star reported. The county's history records that extension as running from June 1, 2020, through May 31, 2025.
- July 27, 2023. The county notified the town that it was starting design and permitting.
- April 17, 2024. The county gave notice that it intended to resume development.
- September 26, 2024. Commissioners hired Brooks + Scarpa Architects for design, permitting, and construction administration.
- September 2025. County and town leaders agreed to build a smaller first phase of parking.
The ninth date changed the town's position. As The Coastal Star reported, County Commissioner Marci Woodward and County Administrator Joe Abruzzo met with Mayor Natasha Moore and Town Manager Marshall Labadie and worked out the phased parking plan. "It's the best outcome we could get based on the circumstances," Moore told the paper. Woodward called it "a collaborative agreement to bring the most palatable option for a small, peaceful park in a small, peaceful town."
That compromise came out of a meeting of leaders and leaves the 2010 settlement's terms in place. County staff designed it so the settlement would not have to be reopened, since the settlement still requires 100 spaces on the west side of A1A.
The Next Step Is an Archaeological Survey
With the lawsuits settled, the oceanfront parcel itself is what slows the schedule now. The county's October 20, 2026 commission agenda included an emergency contract up for ratification. The contract is with the Archaeological and Historical Conservancy, Inc., a nonprofit based in Davie, for up to $1,007,228.74 to carry out a Phase III archaeological assessment of the site.
The agenda says the same group already finished a preliminary archaeological investigation, and that work fed into a design the county describes as "nearing completion." The Phase III work is advance exploration. It supports the site plan, meets conditions the town attached to its approval, and reduces the risk of harming cultural resources during construction, as Chapter 267 of the Florida Statutes requires. The money comes from Park Impact Fees.
The contract's ceiling is more than ten times the preconstruction task order commissioners approved two weeks earlier. In October 2025, Woodward described the current plan as one that helps preserve the east side's historical and archaeological significance.
The schedule has already moved once. In October 2025, Woodward told The Coastal Star that the heaviest construction was planned for summer, when fewer residents are in town, and the paper said work could start as early as summer 2026. That summer has passed with only preconstruction approved. No construction start date has been announced.
What Would Sit on Each Side of A1A
The park spans both sides of State Road A1A at the town's south end. The parcel borders Boca Highland Beach Club and Marina. Here is how the design described in county documents and local reporting divides the site:
| West of A1A | East of A1A | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Parking and open space | Beach access and park amenities |
| Phase one | 46 spaces: 38 general, 4 accessible, 4 staff | Elevated boardwalk, restrooms, lifeguard building or station |
| Later | 54 more spaces, timing up to the county | Not specified |
| Access control | Guardhouse and gated parking | Not specified |
The county's October 6 agenda also lists landscaping, without saying which side of the road it covers. The deferred spaces explain the open lawn in the plan. Woodward told The Coastal Star the western part of the parking area would be "a large grassy area" with trees around it. She also said county parks staff believe 46 spaces will be enough, while admitting "we just don't know" how much use the park will get.
Crossing A1A is the part of the plan that matters most to people who walk the shared-use path. Everyone who parks on the west side has to cross the highway to reach the sand. At a community forum in March 2025, as The Coastal Star reported, the county described a street-level crossing with distinctive pavement markings, marked landing points, extra signs, raised sidewalks inside the lot, and possibly lighting. A pedestrian bridge was not in the plan then, although the county said it was open to exploring one with FDOT. Residents have raised concerns about traffic and about people crossing A1A, according to CBS12.
The same forum report said parking would be paid through an app. A full-time attendant would manage safe entry and close the park once the lot fills. Neither the parking fee nor the park's hours have been published. Palm Beach County Parks says guarded swimming areas at most county parks generally run from 9 a.m. to 5:20 p.m. year-round, depending on conditions.
The crossing is also changing for reasons that have nothing to do with the park. The town's October 2026 manager's update says the townwide repaving of the shared-use pathway and in-ground lighting at all eight crosswalks are moving ahead with help from state funding. A July 2026 Coastal Star report described the work as milling, regrading, and repaving the 3-mile path. The town is also considering rules for e-scooters and other motorized devices on the path.
Until Then, the Guarded Beaches on Either Side
For now, the Milani parcel is not a public beach entrance. The nearest guarded public beaches are just past the town line in each direction. To the north, Delray Beach's Atlantic Dunes Park at 1605 S. Ocean Blvd., one block north of Linton Boulevard, has lifeguards, metered parking, restrooms, a boardwalk, and a nature trail. To the south, the county's South Inlet Park at 1100 S. Ocean Boulevard in Boca Raton has 850 feet of guarded beach and paid parking.
On Highland Beach's own shoreline, the town started a beach-condition program on June 22, 2026. Safety flags, weather, and water-quality advisories are updated daily online and in the app, and flags are posted at both town entry signs and at Fire Station 120.
The town's Natural Resources Preservation Advisory Board is hosting a free dune-restoration breakfast on November 18 at 9:30 a.m. at Delray Sands Resort, 2809 S Ocean Blvd. RSVPs are due October 30, and valet parking is $10.
The next county step for Milani Park is the guaranteed maximum price amendment. That construction price has to come back to the County Commission for a vote before any work can begin at 4705 South Ocean Boulevard.
If you'd like to talk through what the park's next steps could mean for your stretch of A1A, or for a property near the south end of town, Laura Gallagher and Terri Berman follow these decisions closely and are happy to help. Contact Us.
