PALM BEACH, Fla. — Palm Beach leaders are considering new fees for hotels and private businesses that place chairs, umbrellas and other amenities on public beaches after complaints from beachgoers who say public access is being impacted.
Palm Beach Police Chief Nicholas Caristo told the Town Council that at least five hotels are currently placing furniture on municipal beaches, including at Midtown Beach. He said the issue has become more noticeable as businesses expand beach services for guests.
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Town officials voted to direct staff to draft an ordinance that would create an annual fee structure for businesses using public beach space. According to Caristo, revenue generated from the fees could help pay for beach maintenance, lifeguard services and other public beach operations.
The proposal comes as South Florida beaches remain crowded during the summer and tourism season, increasing concerns about public access and shared use of shoreline space.
“It's so peaceful. The water is always clean. It's well taken care of,” beachgoer Ingrid Kamimura told WPTV.
Hotels using public beach space
Caristo said beachgoers have complained about private hotel setups taking over portions of public beaches and making visitors feel unwelcome near reserved chairs and umbrellas.
“What we're seeing is more and more hotels are using our municipal beach at Midtown and elsewhere to put their beach furniture down,” Caristo told council members during a recent town meeting. “At least five hotels out there now. It's not that intensified, but as the season comes in, it gets a lot more.”
Fitness influencers Lesly Sablon and Lazaro Serrano, who said they visit Palm Beach weekly, told WPTV they have encountered situations where hotel setups appeared to limit access.
“When you cannot walk past, and then you feel like you're not part of that environment, of course you feel left out,” Serrano said. “And if this is a public beach, it should be for everyone.”
Why Palm Beach leaders want fees
Instead of banning hotel beach setups outright, town officials are considering a system that would allow businesses to continue operating while contributing financially to upkeep of the public beaches they use.
Town leaders said the proposed fees could support maintenance, cleanliness and beach safety services as demand on Palm Beach beaches increases.
Kamimura, who said she has worked in hospitality for five years at a Miami-based hotel, said she understands why hotels want beachfront setups for guests but believes public spaces should still remain accessible.
“I think it's only fair that the city charges it as well because guests like me who are not at a hotel can also have a nice, clean public area to come park their cars and enjoy as well,” Kamimura said.
Other beachgoers echoed support for the proposal.
“Yes, 100%,” Sablon and Serrano said when asked whether hotels should pay fees for using public beach space.
What happens next
Palm Beach staff will now work on drafting the ordinance before it returns to the Town Council for further discussion and possible approval.
If approved, the ordinance would establish rules and annual fees for hotels and private businesses operating beach furniture services on public beaches in Palm Beach.
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