The city of Palm Beach Gardens recently proposed to annex more than 1,350 acres with more than 8,300 residents.

The proposed annexation includes a variety of diverse communities in the local vicinity. It not only includes open neighborhoods without any HOAs, but also gated and waterfront communities in higher end neighborhoods.

Currently, Palm Beach Gardens boasts nearly 61,000 residents and ranks the 49th largest city in the state. With a complete annexation, the city would grow by more than 10% and at that point, only three other cities in Palm Beach County would have more people:  West Palm Beach, Boca Raton and Boynton Beach.

There are mixed feelings in the community on this proposal. The City’s proposal promises owners of homes valued at $411,250 or less will have lower taxes due to restructuring its payments. However, homes with a higher value may experience an increase in taxes due to restructuring their payments.

This would also affect neighborhoods with no HOAs since the city’s code enforcements are stricter than what current residents outside of the city may be used to. There is no guarantee for any resident to be “grandfathered” into any new enforcement.

The City Council must vote in favor of the ballot question twice – November 2, 2023 and December 6, 2023. If approved by the City Council, residents can expect to see this on their ballot on March 19, 2024.

While there has always been some sort of voter-backed support to expand the city’s boundaries in the past, it has never reached this point. Ultimately, the decision will be up to voters whether their respective zone will enter the city.

You can find more information and a map of the proposed areas here: https://pbgfl.com/861/Annexations