On Wednesday, Nov. 4, the Brazilian Avenue entrance to Midtown Beach reopened after erosion and rough surf had kept the beach closed for more than a week. The Chilean Avenue stairs stayed closed. Chief lifeguard Craig Pollock told the Palm Beach Daily News that the sand around them was still washed out. In its Nov. 6 update, the Town listed Chilean Avenue as closed until further notice.
That short closure was a preview. Construction on a new Midtown seawall is scheduled to start in January 2027 and run through summer 2028. Normal beach access will be closed the whole time. The finished wall is designed to look almost exactly like the one there now, so what residents will notice is a year and a half without the beach, and a few new spots at its edges.
The Wall You See Is the Decorative Part
The wall runs 2,715 feet, from Royal Palm Way south to Gulfstream Road, and it is nearly 100 years old. Jake Hurley, the senior project engineer running the work, told WPTV that the part beachgoers lean against and sit on is not what holds the line.
"The structural component of the wall is actually underground. Everything that we see above ground is decorative," Hurley said.
The new version is built to match. Hurley said the plan is for it to be the same color as the current wall, and the project team found the original molds for the scalloped pattern, which he believes went in during the 1980s. The design is not final, but he expects the new wall to stand about six inches higher on average and to sit farther east than the current one.
So from Worth Avenue in summer 2028, the scallops should look the way they do now. Most of the work happens underground, and most of the cost to residents is the time the beach is closed.
Why the Town Chose One Long Closure
This was the main argument this fall, and it was settled faster than many people expected. In late September, the Palm Beach Civic Association reported that the Town Council had not yet decided whether to close the beach partly or completely. Council member Lew Crampton, a South End resident, said the council needed more discussion first. By late October, according to WPTV, the council had voted to replace the wall all at once. The Town said building it in sections would have taken twice as long and cost twice as much.
| Late September forecast | Late October plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Construction start | December 2026 | January 2027 |
| Finish | Spring 2028 if fully closed | Summer 2028 |
| Beach access | Partial or full closure, undecided | Normal access closed |
| Method | Under discussion | All at once, not in sections |
Hurley gave WPTV two reasons for the timing. Engineering reports say the wall is at the end of its useful life. And because the Town just finished a beach renourishment cycle, there is enough sand to protect the wall while it is being rebuilt. Sea turtles shape the schedule too. "We cannot be on the beach unless we have a berm already constructed there," Hurley said. The Town has been working on funding and permits since 2020.
What the Beach Looks Like Once Work Starts
Hurley said normal access will close because there is no safe way to get people from the road, past the heavy equipment, and onto the sand. He also told WPTV that "we can't close the ocean." At times, people may be able to walk the beach north and south along the water side of a berm that separates the shoreline from the work zone. The berm keeps nesting turtles out of the construction area, and fencing will keep people out of it as well.
South Ocean Boulevard will keep two-way traffic throughout construction, according to the Civic Association's account of the September council meeting. Hurley predicted traffic would get better, since "we're not going to have individuals coming from off-island to park at the beach."
The sharpest summary came from Bridget St. Laurent, owner of Palm Beach Beauty Lab, who told WPTV: "It's my life, it's my backyard, I grew up here, and the fact I can just take a five-minute drive to the ocean means so much."
The Edges That Will Change
The wall will look the same, but several things around it will not. Each one comes from a specific problem with the current layout.
- The Worth Avenue clock tower. The old wall runs right up against the clock tower, so the new one can't follow the same line without damaging it. Hurley said the wall is permitted to go seaward at that spot, and the Town is considering adding walking space around the tower's east side.
- A new north-end access. The project team is recommending a beach access at the north end. Hurley acknowledged that "a lot of people" climb over the wall there now.
- The plantings along the wall. The Town plans to move vegetation during construction and replant cuttings afterward.
- The Midtown Beach Linear Park. The Town has budgeted about $4 million to redo the park along the wall. Plans include more green space, more landscaping, safer crosswalks and a wider sidewalk, with work starting near the end of the seawall project. Town Engineer Patricia Srayer said the Town wants to keep as many of the park's 42 coconut palms as possible. Palms that must move will be relocated and replanted, and some will likely be replaced.
For scale, the seawall is expected to cost $20 million or more, including $1.5 million the council set aside in July for design and planning. The final figure is a guaranteed maximum price from the design-builder, Murray Logan Construction of West Palm Beach. Hurley told WPTV the Town hopes to bring it to the council in December.
Where the Swim Moves in the Meantime
The Civic Association reported Crampton's prediction from the September meeting. "Those folks are going to go south, and you are going to have a potential overload there," he said, pointing to the beaches east of Sunrise Avenue and to Phipps Ocean Park.
Phipps is the closest option, and the timing works out. The Town set a ribbon-cutting and grand-opening ceremony for the rebuilt park, hosted with the Preservation Foundation, for Nov. 19 at 11 a.m. We covered how the new Phipps Ocean Park is laid out, from the dune to the mangroves when its opening date was set.
Farther south on the island, R. G. Kreusler Memorial Park at 2882 S. Ocean Blvd. is a Palm Beach County guarded beach, with automated parking at $4 an hour, tax included. According to Palm Beach County Parks, county guarded beaches are generally staffed year-round, seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 5:20 p.m. when the tower flag is flying, though staffing can change without notice.
On the Town side, the Nov. 6 notice said 2027 ParkMobile and Residential Parking Permits would be available in late November. For anyone who expects to drive to the South End beaches more often next year, those permits are the next thing on the Town's calendar.
This Winter's Calendar, Start to Finish
- Nov. 4, 2026. Midtown Beach reopened at Brazilian Avenue. Chilean Avenue stayed closed.
- Nov. 19, 2026, 11 a.m. Phipps Ocean Park ribbon-cutting.
- Late November 2026. 2027 Town parking permits expected to become available.
- December 2026. The guaranteed maximum price for the seawall is expected to go to the Town Council.
- January 2027. Construction scheduled to begin, and normal Midtown Beach access closes.
- Summer 2028. Planned completion, with the Linear Park makeover starting near the end of the seawall work.
That leaves the rest of November and December for normal Midtown Beach, with Brazilian Avenue as the way in. Project officials told WPTV they plan more community meetings as the details are settled.
If you own along South Ocean Boulevard or near Worth Avenue and want to know how a long public works project could affect your plans for the next two seasons, Greg Forest Group follows these timelines block by block. Request a private market consultation, and we will go through the Midtown schedule with you as it relates to your property.
