Hoping to deter crime, Palm Beach shuts down overnight access to all town-owned parks
In an effort to deter criminal activity, the Palm Beach Town Council voted Tuesday to prohibit overnight access to all town-operated parks.
During their regular meeting at Town Hall, council members gave final approval to amended legislation that closes all 14 parks from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. each night, with some exceptions.
Previously, just two town-owned parks — Lake Drive Park and Bradley Park — were closed overnight.
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Additionally, the council on first reading approved a modified ordinance that closes the Lake Trail between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Previously, the popular recreation trail was closed from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.
The vote was 4-1 on both measures, with Council Member Ted Cooney dissenting. He expressed concerns about the 10 p.m. enforcement time, saying it was too early for some residents.
The Lake Trail measure will return to the council next month for final approval. The new ordinances approved Tuesday amend previous ordinances passed in 2022 and were meant to address concerns about late-night criminal activity at Bradley Park and the Lake Trail.
In advocating for the legislation, Police Chief Nicholas Caristo told the council that it would provide the town's police department with a significant tool for detaining and investigating suspicious people in those areas.
Many of the town’s burglaries and thefts over the years have been associated with culprits traveling the Lake Trail late at night in an attempt to hide their activities from police, he said, and Bradley Park serves as a convenient hub and access point for that type of activity.
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"The Lake Trail is right off the middle (Royal Park) bridge and the north (Flagler Memorial) bridge, and it's an easy place to go undetected from law enforcement if law enforcement is not on the trail," he said. "Bradley Park is a great hub to go to because there's a lot of spaces. Once it becomes dark, it becomes even more beneficial for criminals because they can go undetected."
The amended legislation will continue to increase community safety, according to town documents.
"Previous amendments have been successfully used by the Police Department as a proactive measure to deter criminal activity in these locations during the overnight hours," Caristo wrote in a May 2 memo to the town.
Both ordinances contain exceptions for some residents, property owners, and marina customers and guests.
For town-owned parks, exceptions include town personnel working on behalf of the town; holders of special permits issued by the town that grant specific authorization for after-hours use; and registered town marina customers and guests who must travel through Lake Drive Park for dock or vessel access when it is not open forpublic use.
Town-operated parks are Inlet Park, Palmo Park, Boyd Park, Dean Park, Wrightsman Estates Park, Crescent Park, Park Avenue Mini Park, Bradley Park, Phipps Plaza, Lakeside Park, Town Hall Square, Peruvian Park, Phipps Ocean Park and Ibis Isle Park.
For the Lake Trail, exceptions include town personnel working on behalf of the town; and property owners withdeeded access to the Lake Trail and/or their docks.
The 5.5-mile Lake Trail runs from South Lake Drive near Peruvian Avenue to just north of the Sailfish Club.
Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach closes overnight access to all town-owned parks, Lake Trail
