What Went Wrong with the University of Florida’s Planned Expansion to West Palm Beach
Botton Line: For over a year it’s appeared the University of Florida would be expanding into the Palm Beaches with a planned graduate school campus in West Palm Beach. Most of the pieces of the plan began to come together in the summer of 2021 when an agreement in principle was reached for a location in West Palm Beach. UF knew what it wanted, a 12-acre site consisting of land in the vicinity of Datura, Fern, Evernia and Tamarind. And the parties which owned the property involved knew what they wanted. The University of Florida’s expansion into our area in the case of Palm Beach County and West Palm Beach. Naming rights in the case of developer Jeff Greene. The expansion had already been a given, the Florida Legislature approved $100 million for the UF expansion, the question was only a matter of where the campus would go. The breakdown of the agreed to site included:
- 5 acres to be donated by Palm Beach County
- 5 acres to be donated by Jeff Greene
- 2 acres to be donated by West Palm Beach
In August of 2021 the Palm Beach County Commission unanimously approved the motion to donate the land for the site. Likewise, the vote was unanimous with the West Palm Beach City Commission. And as for Jeff Greene, he’d agreed rhetorically to be included in the naming of the campus. That piece, which became the sticking point, took a more formal step last February when UF Foundation Vice President Thomas Mitchell put in writing a plan to name “All divisions, departments, centers, institutes would be at the Jeff Greene School of Technology and Innovation”. Greene tentatively agreed but then demanded minimum student counts, building expectations, timelines, etc., with land ownership reverting back to him if all conditions weren’t met. As the months passed and the stipulations grew, so too did the notion that naming the campus after Greene was a good idea. In January outgoing UF President Kent Fuchs said naming the campus after Greene would reduce private donations for the school and prevent other naming opportunities.
Seemingly, the increasing demands of Jeff Greene coupled with push back regarding the extent of his influence over the project, both in stipulations and by name, became more than UF was comfortable with by Tuesday. That’s when they announced an official “pause” of the plan which has been nearly two years in the making. So, what happens now? That’s a good question. It appears Greene would have to back off of his position significantly for the existing deal to go through. Otherwise, another site will need to be identified. That could happen anywhere within the state. Steven Ross immediately stepped up saying “we don’t need Jeff Greene”. Seemingly suggesting his willingness to contribute to the project at a different location in the city. Ross’ Related Companies is largest owner of commercial space in West Palm Beach and would have the potential footprint to accommodate UF’s needs. To be continued...