WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Palm Beach County has officially pulled the plug on a proposal to purchase and convert the La Quinta Inn on Okeechobee Boulevard into housing for seniors and veterans on the verge of homelessness. The decision comes months after the County Commission initially voted in March to move forward with buying the 114-room hotel for $16.8 million.
County officials now say the deal is dead after inspections revealed significant structural and safety concerns inside the building. According to the county, the hotel had water-logged floors and ceilings, mold growth, and multiple other hazards, making renovations far more costly than originally anticipated.
Because of those findings, commissioners voted this month to terminate the contract. Officials emphasized that no taxpayer dollars were spent before the decision to withdraw.
Commissioner Maria Sachs, who opposed the project from the beginning, said the hotel was never a suitable solution for vulnerable residents.
“The most important thing is that when we realized as a county government that this was not going to work, we withdrew from the contract… we were not going to put our people in a place that was not suitable for them,” Sachs said.
She previously argued that dignity “doesn’t come from a motel room,” and maintains that the county must pursue better long-term options.
With the hotel plan abandoned, county leaders say they are turning their attention to alternative approaches to address homelessness. Sachs noted that tiny homes are among the ideas currently being explored, with more discussions expected in the coming weeks.
