Palm Beach County Mayor Sara Baxter is taking heat after attending the college-football national championship at Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 19 and watching from a private suite owned by billionaire developer Stephen Ross. The timing is touchy: Ross’ company, Related Ross, is seeking county approval for a major hotel project on county-controlled land, and Baxter could be asked to vote on the final deal. Critics and a primary challenger say the optics are rough and raise fresh questions about how close elected officials should be getting to the developers who want their votes.
Who Was There And How She Got To The Game
As reported by The Palm Beach Post, Baxter watched the Miami-Indiana title game from Ross’ private box and told the paper she paid for her ticket, though she would not say how much it cost. The Post also noted that Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputies drove Baxter to and from the stadium as part of a security detail that the commission had recently approved, a perk opponents are calling an inappropriate use of taxpayer money. The visit also comes on the heels of an earlier ethics complaint over a reimbursement check, a bit of backstory that has revived broader scrutiny of commissioners’ travel, gifts and perks.
The Hotel Deal At The Center Of The Controversy
Ross’ Related Ross is pushing a roughly $310 million Curio by Hilton hotel next to the county convention center, with a structure that would involve selling the county a site at 900 South Rosemary Avenue for $1 paired with a 99-year leaseback, according to The Real Deal. In February, county commissioners voted to let staff negotiate the proposal, and under the leaseback the county would reportedly collect about $2 million a year in rent. If a final contract lands on the dais, Baxter will be one of the commissioners asked to sign off.
Campaign Cash And Calls To Recuse
Ross and donors tied to Related have given roughly $30,000 to Baxter’s reelection campaign, and her primary challenger, Elizabeth Accomando, has argued that Baxter should sit out any votes involving Ross’ companies, according to The Palm Beach Post. Accomando faces Baxter in an Aug. 18 primary, and the stadium suite dustup has quickly become a marquee campaign issue as voters debate ethics, access and developer influence. Local officials and activists say the flap highlights how murky recusal rules and disclosure standards around gifts and hospitality can get when big money projects collide with local politics.
Watchdogs Weigh In
“Accepting high-value tickets raises ethical concerns,” Ben Wilcox, research director of Integrity Florida, told The Real Deal, noting that suite and hospitality packages for the championship can run into the tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars, while basic resale tickets started at several thousand. Ethics experts say public officials are supposed to steer clear of even the appearance of favoritism when developers have active proposals pending before local government, and the timing of Baxter’s night at Hard Rock has put every future vote she takes involving Ross squarely in the spotlight.
