Benny's Is Set Through 2043. The Pier Under It Is Still a Study.
October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
At the east end of Lake Avenue, the city owns almost everything a beach day involves. That includes the sand, the Casino building at 10 S Ocean Blvd, the pier, and the parking lots. The city's own FAQ calls the complex "a vital and irreplaceable public asset" and says Lake Worth Beach does not intend to sell it. Benny's on the Beach has run the restaurant on that pier since 1986. It held a three-day 40th anniversary celebration in late July with live music, a community cookout, and a beach cleanup.
This fall, the town's oldest landmarks are all being decided on the same schedule. The business that operates each one is settled years in advance. What happens to the building or site under it is still open. Benny's, the golf course, and the Gulfstream Hotel downtown each follow that order, and it shapes what the next few months look like for anyone who uses those places every week.
On September 15, city commissioners approved an extension that can keep Benny's on the pier until 2043. The current lease doesn't expire until January 2033, so the vote came about seven years early. The extension is an option. Benny's has to give written notice by January 12, 2032, or the lease ends on schedule in 2033.
The rent numbers are clearer side by side:
| Current lease | Extension period, 2033 to 2043 | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly rent | More than $32,000 in 2026 | Just under $40,000 starting in 2033 |
| Increase schedule | 3.5% per year | 5% every other year |
| Effective annual increase | 3.5% | 2.5% |
The Lake Worth Beach Independent reported those figures, including the point that rent will grow more slowly after 2033 than it does now. The Palm Beach Post reported the city expects more than $5.5 million in rent over the 2033 to 2043 decade.
Sources don't agree on the exact last day. The city staff report and the Independent say February 10, 2043, while the unsigned draft amendment on the agenda says January 11, 2043. "Through 2043" is the safe way to put it.
Public comment was split. At the June meeting where commissioners first told staff to negotiate, one resident said she couldn't think of "any benefit to residents for extending this lease like this." Commissioner Anthony Segrich called Benny's the city's "highest-paying tenant." Owner Dylan Lipton said the restaurant employs more than 100 local residents and spends about a million dollars a year on maintenance, repairs, and improvements, CBS 12 reported. In September, Vice Mayor Mimi May pointed to Benny's sponsorship of city events. That included $15,000 to be presenting sponsor of this year's Fourth of July drone show.
"The relationship with Benny's is not one way." — Vice Mayor Mimi May, September 15, 2026
The timing matters because of what's on the calendar a month later. The Independent noted that the vote came a month before an October 15 commission workshop, where commissioners will discuss a consultant's assessment of the beach complex's condition. The city homepage lists that workshop for 6 p.m. on October 15.
The Municipal Beach Complex Study covers the beach, the Casino building, the pier, the parking areas, and related public amenities. When it's done, it is supposed to produce cost estimates, conceptual designs, funding options, and a phased plan. The city says it has no agreement, negotiation, or development plan with any developer, and the study isn't tied to any specific proposal. It also says no funding decisions have been made.
So the restaurant on the pier has a clear path to 2043. The pier itself, and the Casino next to it, are about to get their first formal public look at options. One practical note: the study's own page still says no public meetings are scheduled, even though the homepage lists the October 15 workshop. Check the city's live calendar before you go.
Some public events on that oceanfront are already set. The city's Friday bonfire series returns to the Casino and Beach Complex at 6 p.m. on these dates:
The same order plays out about a mile west at the city golf course. The Lake Worth Beach Golf Club was established in 1926. Its Centennial Gala is Saturday, November 14, from 5 to 11 p.m., with tickets at $100 per person and 1920s attire encouraged. Cocktail hour runs from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Lake Worth Beach Club Restaurant, 1 7th Ave N. Trolleys then take guests to the Casino Ballroom for dinner, live entertainment, and dancing from 6:45 to 11 p.m. Proceeds go to the city's Junior Golf League.
That trolley ride links the two city-owned waterfront properties whose futures are most open right now. The golf course's clubhouse restaurant is on a shorter timeline than Benny's. The Beach Club Bar and Grill, run by E.R. Bradley's Lagoon Saloon, had its arrangement extended only through April 30, 2027, while the city prepared to look for a new operator. The city's solicitation, ITN #26-101, asks for a clubhouse restaurant and beverage-cart operator for a long-term lease starting May 1, 2027. Whoever wins takes on redesigning and improving the restaurant.
In June, one resident told commissioners that people were "watching the way that you're treating the Beach Club, and they're watching the way that you're rolling out the red carpet for Benny's." The city's answer in September was that the golf restaurant had a service-provider contract, not a lease. It also said staff had been told to negotiate a tenant-style lease once the operator agreed to follow the contract's terms. No operator for after April 2027 had been named in anything we found.
The Gulfstream Hotel is the one landmark where the order flips. The brand and the building are set, and the opening date is the open question. Marriott lists it as a Tribute Portfolio hotel, "Coming 2026." Marriott's dining page names The Big Fin LWB Restaurant and The Big Fin LWB Bar. Its event rooms include the Parrot Cove Rooftop and the Bryant Park Boardroom. The first phase is 90 rooms, a pool, and a lobby restaurant.
The schedule has moved more than once. In March, the target for the first phase was "this summer." On September 16, owner Restoration St. Louis said it had ended its construction contract with Hogan Brothers Construction. It said it was in advanced talks with a local replacement contractor and still hoped to open by the end of the year. A day later, the Independent reported that Hogan Brothers says it is owed $1.7 million and has placed a lien on the hotel.
The pink you see on the building is "Gulfstream Coral Dream," a custom paint color picked through a community poll. The name itself was settled by an earlier public vote, and it stays Gulfstream Hotel. An addition is set to start once the hotel opens, with 50 more rooms, 83 apartments, a 273-space garage, a rooftop restaurant, a spa, a gym, and a ballroom.
Smaller downtown projects are following the same lease-first pattern. Man Ray, the Subculture Group restaurant at 522 Lucerne Ave, held its downtown debut on August 12 and planned a full-menu opening for August 19. The new owner of 716 Lake Ave plans to turn the former antiques-storage building into space for up to four shops or restaurants. CRA staff recommended matching grants that would only be fully paid once at least two tenant leases are signed.
These are confirmed between now and the new year:
Of everything above, the October 15 workshop is the first time the public will see what the consultant found about the Casino, the pier, and the parking.
If you own near the beach, the golf course, or downtown and want to know how these decisions could affect what your home is worth, Ryan Gritters can walk you through it in plain terms. Request a free home valuation, and we'll start with the facts on your street.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
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