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Magical Transformation or Illusion of Grandeur: The Development of Downtown West Palm Beach, 1985-2015

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Date Issued:
2017
Summary:
From 1985 to 2015, local politicians like Kenneth G. Spillias, Jan Winters, and Nancy M. Graham reshaped downtown West Palm Beach. They promised to eliminate urban blight, and turned a crime-ridden area of the city into an upper-middle class entertainment zone frequented by wealthy pleasure-seekers from throughout Palm Beach County. However, much of this transformation was an illusion. These politicians eliminated local taxpayers from the decision-making process by circumventing their votes, but subsequently taxed them to pay for the improvements. Furthermore, blight was not eliminated downtown, merely relocated to areas surrounding the entertainment zone. This resulted in ongoing tension between the mostly white patrons and business owners in the redeveloped area, and the primarily black residents in the dilapidated neighborhoods surrounding this development.
Title: Magical Transformation or Illusion of Grandeur: The Development of Downtown West Palm Beach, 1985-2015.
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Name(s): Fine, Jeffrey G., author
Rose, Mark H., Thesis advisor
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Department of History
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Created: 2017
Date Issued: 2017
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 88 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: From 1985 to 2015, local politicians like Kenneth G. Spillias, Jan Winters, and Nancy M. Graham reshaped downtown West Palm Beach. They promised to eliminate urban blight, and turned a crime-ridden area of the city into an upper-middle class entertainment zone frequented by wealthy pleasure-seekers from throughout Palm Beach County. However, much of this transformation was an illusion. These politicians eliminated local taxpayers from the decision-making process by circumventing their votes, but subsequently taxed them to pay for the improvements. Furthermore, blight was not eliminated downtown, merely relocated to areas surrounding the entertainment zone. This resulted in ongoing tension between the mostly white patrons and business owners in the redeveloped area, and the primarily black residents in the dilapidated neighborhoods surrounding this development.
Identifier: FA00004825 (IID)
Degree granted: Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017.
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Includes bibliography.
Subject(s): Palm Beach County (Fla.)--History, Local.
Palm Beach County (Fla.)--Social life and customs.
West Palm Beach (Fla.)--History, Local.
West Palm Beach (Fla.)--Economic conditions.
West Palm Beach (Fla.)--Politics and government.
Urban renewal--Florida--West Palm Beach--History.
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Sublocation: Digital Library
Links: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004825
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00004825
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.