Lantana Beach Is Getting a New Boardwalk. The Dune Deck Is Meant to Stay.

Lantana Beach Park, the town's public beach on Hypoluxo Island, is getting a smaller redesign than the one the town first drew. The plan that survived 2026 still demolishes the boardwalk, the pavilion and the Dune Deck Café building. And the business inside that café building is the one the town wants back.

A large concept went in front of the public in the spring. Residents pushed back, a survey put numbers on the pushback, and the council redrew the first phase around the request for less. Everything still open about the project, from money to timing to the shape of the boardwalk, comes out of that sequence.

The plan residents saw in March

At a community workshop on March 14, CPZ Architects' conceptual plan for the beach included shops, a relocated café, a parking garage, a pier on the south side, a splashpad, a volleyball court, an amphitheater and a picnic area. The Coastal Star reported that more than 30 people spoke, and most opposed added development they felt could wear away the beach's small-town character.

The beach being protected here is small. The town's own facility page for Municipal Beach Park describes 750 feet of beach with playground equipment, a children's rock-wall climb, sand volleyball, swings, grills, picnic tables and a small pavilion you can reserve. Alcohol is prohibited in the park. Put a garage, an amphitheater and a pier on a stretch that size and it becomes a different place.

What 689 survey responses asked for

A March survey of 689 residents and visitors gave the council something firmer than workshop testimony. The Coastal Star's coverage of the results breaks down like this:

The amenity rankings matter more for what comes next. Respondents put showers and restrooms, a restaurant with a terrace, and the picnic area near the top of their list. If costs forced cuts, many were willing to drop the second-floor event space, the lookout tower, the volleyball courts and casual-food options.

So people asked for working basics plus one good place to eat looking at the water. That's close to the Phase 1A the council later chose, with one exception covered below.

Phase 1A, in the order the council wants it

According to the Town of Lantana's adopted FY 2026/27 budget, the council told staff to design Phase 1A of the Beach Master Plan, estimated at $9.5 million. It covers:

1. A full replacement of the boardwalk
2. A new two-story restaurant and event space
3. A new restroom building on the north end
4. Demolition of the existing restaurant and pavilion

At the Aug. 10 workshop the council narrowed the sequence further. It agreed to remove the pavilion without saving its deck, get cost estimates for replacing the entire existing boardwalk and building the proposed new section, and design the new restrooms as a separate track.

The Coastal Star's report on that workshop explains why the boardwalk moved to the front. The town had planned to rebuild it in two phases, with an extension reaching north toward the Imperial House condos. The council wanted the whole job done at once because the deteriorating boardwalk is a safety problem. Council member Kem Mason told the paper, "Safety is the first issue in my mind and go from there."

Two parts of the record point different ways on the boardwalk's shape. The budget says the council supported keeping the existing boardwalk footprint to make permitting easier, and it also says the council wants estimates that include the proposed new section. Whether the rebuilt boardwalk will extend toward Imperial House will be settled when the formal site plan comes back to the council.

The two-story restaurant and event space is the exception mentioned earlier. The survey named it among the first things to cut if money got tight. It stayed in Phase 1A anyway, tied to the restaurant residents ranked near the top.

Why the Dune Deck Café is coming down and the Dune Deck is staying

The café building will be demolished. The business is meant to move into the new restaurant. The budget records that the council supported keeping Dune Deck as the preferred anchor tenant, along with a Bahamian/Key West architectural theme. CPZ Architects is refining the design and preparing a formal site plan for the council to review later.

The Dune Deck Café describes itself as family-owned and operated, and it has served customers since 1991. Its site lists breakfast and lunch on weekdays and brunch on weekends and holidays, served alfresco with a view of the ocean. The town calls Dune Deck Café, Inc. its beach snack-stand lease partner. On June 13, 2022, the council approved a five-year lease renewal, and the FY 2026/27 budget expects $67,281 in lease revenue from it.

That's what holds the plan together. Residents asked for a restaurant with a terrace and a beach that keeps its scale. The council's answer is a new building for an operator that has worked this beach for 35 years. Town Manager Brian Raducci described the goal to The Coastal Star: "I think when people see it, hopefully they'll embrace it. They'll embrace the project, and they'll see that we're not overdeveloping the beach."

The money question that sets the timeline

The town has no debt. A project this size would still be hard to finance, The Coastal Star reported, especially with property tax reforms on the November ballot. So staff proposed doing the work in pieces instead of waiting for more funding, even if that costs more over time.

"Ideally, we would like to do everything simultaneously, but it's just not financially feasible to do that. If you wait for perfect timing, you're never going to get there."

Town Manager Brian Raducci, as quoted by The Coastal Star

The budget figures show how early the project still is. The adopted FY 2026/27 capital table lists $73,365 under the general heading "Master Plan projects." The project update in the same document repeats the $9.5 million Phase 1A estimate and gives no construction schedule. The town announced that the budget and final millage rate were approved after public hearings on Sept. 8 and Sept. 17.

The town is also looking at another funding route. The current town charter makes leasing or selling town property slow, because those deals need voter approval. The council backed further work on a charter referendum that would make those deals easier. According to the town manager's report, the town held a community meeting on proposed charter ballot questions on Sept. 28. Until a funding path is settled, Phase 1A will move one piece at a time. The boardwalk is first in line.

The beach as it stands this month

Until construction starts, the current beach is the one you'll use, and one thing has already changed. On Oct. 1, 2026, metered parking at Lantana Municipal Beach went from $2 to $3 an hour. The same rate now applies at Lyman Kayak Park, Bicentennial Park and Sportsman's Park, all town-owned lots. The town budgeted $604,000 in metered-parking revenue for FY 2026/27. Parking is one of the more dependable revenue lines in a town working out how to pay for a $9.5 million first phase.

Parking is free this Friday. The town manager's report says beach parking will be free for the Haunted Nature Preserve event on Oct. 23 at the Lantana Nature Preserve, 440 E. Ocean Ave. The preserve is the quieter neighbor to the beach. The town's Nature Preserve page lists bird-watching, hiking and photography there, and food, pets and alcoholic coolers aren't allowed.

The next step on the beach is a formal site plan from CPZ Architects with updated costs. When it reaches the council, it will settle whether the boardwalk stays on its current footprint or reaches toward Imperial House. It will also show what the new building for the Dune Deck looks like.

For an owner, the town's plans for a shared amenity like this beach belong in a building's long-term story the same way its own amenity upgrades do. If you'd like help thinking through what the Lantana Beach plans mean for your Hypoluxo Island residence, Sharon Sweet offers a private consultation.