Know how your city works.

Start here

How West Palm Beach city government works

West Palm Beach is governed by a Mayor and a five-member City Commission, each elected from a district. Land-use and development decisions move through advisory boards and the Commission in public meetings. This page is a plain-language guide for residents — a work in progress.

Content in progress — the Coalition’s civics deck is being adapted into this page. Official links are provided below in the meantime.

Districts

Commission district map

West Palm Beach has five commission districts, each represented by one commissioner. Find your district and commissioner on the city’s official map.

Contacts

Commissioner contact information

Contact information for the Mayor and each district commissioner. (We’ll publish a clean table here; verify against the city site.)

Transparency

Public records request guide

Florida’s public-records law (Chapter 119) gives residents broad rights to inspect and copy government records. In general:

1. Identify the record you want as specifically as possible (dates, department, topic).
2. Submit a request to the City Clerk or the relevant department — in writing is best for tracking.
3. You do not have to say why you want the records.
4. The city may charge reasonable copying/labor fees for extensive requests.
5. Records should be produced within a reasonable time.

City Clerk / records ›

Process

How development is approved

Most major projects follow a public path before they’re built:

1. Application & staff review — the developer files plans; city planning staff review them against the code and Comprehensive Plan.
2. Advisory boards — depending on location and type, the project may go to the Planning Board and/or the Downtown Action Committee (DAC) for recommendation.
3. City Commission — the elected Commission holds public hearings and makes the final decision on rezonings, variances, and major approvals.
4. Public comment — residents may speak at these public meetings; agendas are posted in advance.

Boards

Understanding the DAC (Downtown Action Committee)

The Downtown Action Committee reviews projects within the downtown district and makes recommendations on design and development consistent with the Downtown Master Plan. It is an advisory body — final decisions rest with the City Commission. Agendas and dates are posted on the city’s Planning Division pages.

Boards & committees ›

Boards

Understanding the Planning Board

The Planning Board reviews rezonings, future land-use changes, and major development proposals citywide, then makes recommendations to the City Commission. Like the DAC, it is advisory; the Commission casts the binding votes.

Jurisdiction

County vs. City responsibilities

It helps to know who decides what:

• City of West Palm Beach — local zoning and land use, city streets, water/sewer utilities, city parks, police and fire-rescue, code enforcement.
• Palm Beach County — county roads, the Property Appraiser and Tax Collector, the Supervisor of Elections, county courts, and services in unincorporated areas.
• Regional / other — the Transportation Planning Agency (TPA) for regional mobility; the School District for public schools.

Directory

Local organizations & government

Quick links to the agencies, boards, and organizations residents work with most.

Know a resource we should add? Let us know.