By Brian Biggane
What began as a relatively confrontational meeting between officials from Lantana and South Palm Beach ended with the two sides agreeing to work toward a resolution of a territorial dispute that has been brewing for years.
The disagreement concerns who controls dock permitting in the narrow Intracoastal Waterway channel between Lantana’s Hypoluxo Island and the western shore of South Palm Beach.
Lantana claims it has jurisdiction over the waters between the two towns, thus giving it say over all permitting of docks and other structures constructed in those waters — including those for properties in South Palm Beach. However, South Palm Beach, which was incorporated in 1955, insists it established domain over the waters along its shores in 1959.
Lantana Town Attorney Max Lohman expressed confidence in Lantana’s position at an Aug. 17 Lantana Town Council meeting, going so far as to state he was “dumbfounded” by the stance South Palm Beach was taking and vowing to take the town to court and even file suit if necessary. South Palm Beach officials were equally adamant, with attorney Lyman Reynolds saying early during the Sept. 18 joint meeting at Lantana Town Hall that the differences were so great that the town was ready to hire a mediator.
The latest installment of the ongoing disagreement began in September 2025 when Lantana first approved a permit request from the Concordia condominiums at 3555 and 3560 S. Ocean Blvd. in South Palm Beach to build a dock, then withdrew the authorization two months later. After South Palm Beach passed an ordinance Aug. 11 saying it controlled dock permitting for its residents, Lantana voted to challenge its neighbor’s action, setting up a legal challenge that required the joint negotiating meeting.
Reynolds’ proposal to go to mediation appeared to catch Lantana Town Manager Brian Raducci and Lohman by surprise, with Lohman pointing out the rules of the meeting mandated each side present its case and see if an interlocal agreement could be reached before mediation was needed.
And after more than an hour of back and forth between the two towns, an agreement appeared possible.
Raducci was particularly intent on reaching a quick resolution, repeatedly asking, “So what is it that you want?”
Lohman remained adamant throughout that South Palm Beach would have to align its regulations with those of Lantana before a compromise could be reached. South Palm Beach Mayor Rafael Pineiro, meanwhile, went through the history of his town’s efforts going back to 1959 to establish its domain over permitting on docks along the waterway.
“That disagreement hasn’t gone away,” Pineiro said after the meeting. “Our founding documents take us to the middle of the lake, and in 1959 they (Lantana officials) reaffirmed their boundaries come to our shore, so there’s an overlap. So the interlocal agreement would allow us to do permits but that doesn’t mean we are relinquishing our claim. That’s a fight for another day.”
South Palm Beach Town Manager Jamie Titcomb said he felt the meeting amounted to “a win for both sides.”
Lohman, meanwhile, sounded pragmatic, saying, “We are going to be neighbors for years, right? We have a lot of issues to work through; this is just one of them. It behooves us to have a good working relationship with all of you.”
At the conclusion of the meeting, Raducci made an offer for Lantana to work up an agreement and send it to South Palm Beach for consideration. “At least we’ll start with that,” he said.
Just what that agreement will stipulate regarding issuing permits remains to be seen. What both sides agreed on is that regulations regarding docks in the two towns and the waterway in between them need to be uniform.
“It’s going to be something you can work with, obviously,” Raducci said. “Because you’re not going to sign it if it’s not.”
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