The Palm Beach County government agency that collects taxes and issues automobile and boat registrations, state IDs and licenses is putting a stake in the ground in the fast-growing City of Westlake to better serve residents in the central portion of the county.
The Palm Beach County Tax Collector’s Office has submitted plans to the city to build a 23,735-square-foot service center that will replace the current facility in Royal Palm Beach. The agency acquired the 4.63-acre site from Minto Communities U.S.A., which is developing the Westlake master-planned community.
The Westlake parcel is located on Town Center Parkway South adjacent to Palm Beach County Fire Station 22, which opened in January 2020 on a site donated by Minto.
The Palm Beach County Tax Collector’s Office is constitutionally authorized to collect taxes for local government agencies authorized to levy them. As an agent for the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the office is responsible for issuing driver’s licenses, state ID cards, and titles and registrations for cars and trucks. It is also responsible for issuing state hunting and fishing licenses.
“I want to commend our tax collector, Anne Gannon, for having the foresight to secure a foothold in the community now so her office will be prepared for the population growth we expect over the next decade or so,” said John Carter, vice president of Minto Communities.
“We are excited to be moving to Westlake,” Gannon said. “The increase in population in the western communities has necessitated a broad view of how best to provide services in the community. For every new home built, there is an increase of 2.3 people that our office is required to serve. We are unable to do that in the Royal Palm Beach office. Westlake provided a gateway to better service for these communities.”
The 3,800-acre Westlake community is approved for 4,500 homes and more than two million square feet of commercial space. Home sales continue to beat projections, as Minto has sold more than 560 single-family homes since opening in October 2017. A census report in July 2019 showed that the City of Westlake is the fastest-growing city in Florida.
Minto is now selling Phase 2 of its second single-family neighborhood, The Meadows, priced from the low $300s. The developer’s first neighborhood, The Hammocks, is nearing sell out.
As home sales remain brisk, so does the pace of non-residential development. In addition to the fire station opening, Christ Fellowship Church has started building an 800-seat worship center off of Seminole Pratt Whitney Road. Construction is scheduled to begin on a new 7-Eleven gas station and convenience store soon, and Florida Power & Light has completed a 400-acre solar energy center.
Last year, Wellington Regional Medical Center opened a new stand-alone emergency room and, a few months later acquired an adjoining 35 acres for a future medical campus.
Westlake is located at 16610 Town Center Parkway North in the City of Westlake, on Seminole Pratt Whitney Road between Southern Blvd. and Northlake Blvd. For more information on the community, call (888) 299-3628 or visit www.westlakefl.com.
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