In West Palm Beach, Ross pledges support for Bradley's in park uproar

• The Coniglio family, owners of E.R. Bradley's Saloon, alleged they were being pressured to sell their property for the park project.
• West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James initially considered using eminent domain but later stated it was no longer an option.
• A revised plan would build a park around Bradley's, but owners still oppose the plan.

The developer Stephen Ross on April 23 stated an "intention to work" with existing businesses in a section of Flagler Drive being considered for a park under a plan quietly in the works since 2025.

The developer's statement was followed by a video issued by West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James, who along with the Related Ross firm had pursued the idea since last year.

In the video, James said Related Ross had offered $30 million in private money to build the park, which would turn parts of Flagler Drive into a lawn. The plan also involved Ross' purchase of property owned by private businesses near Flagler to add to the park.

Throughout his four-minute video, James stressed that the plan "was an early-stage concept" despite under-the-radar talks that have taken place for months.

The Flagler Drive plan, envisioned as a way to create a Central Park-like public green space, was disclosed by The Palm Beach Post on April 22.

A rash of public comment then ensued, with most of the posts pushing back against what was said to be a pressure campaign against an iconic eatery at the location, E.R. Bradley's Saloon.

In Ross' statement, he, like Mayor James, publicly supported cooperating with affected businesses as the plan moved forward.

"Our intention has always been to work with the landowners, and the proposed park design keeps E.R. Bradley’s as central to the experience alongside the other neighboring businesses, each preserved as integral to what makes this waterfront special," Related Ross statement said in the April 23 statement.

"We are committed to that vision," the statement added, "should the city move the idea forward and the community support it.”

In his video, James pledged to seek "community input every step of the way."

What does West Palm Beach's Flagler Drive park plan entail?

The plan involves moving Flagler Drive west to Narcissus Avenue, between Banyan Boulevard on the north end and Fern Street on the south. Ross and James also wanted to create park space out of properties along Clematis Street where it meets Flagler.

Among those properties is Bradley's Saloon, at 104 S. Clematis Street.

But the Coniglio family, which owns Bradley's, fought back against what they say were strong-arm efforts by Ross and James to sell their land.

Now the latest plan would surround Bradley's with a park. The design still makes the Coniglio family unhappy because it would provide only a thin road to the eatery from Narcissus Avenue.

In an April 21 statement, Related Ross said it just wanted to contribute to the city by creating a park, at no cost to taxpayers.

The Post's public reveal of the plan sparked intense commentary on social-media platforms.

"Stop making WPB NYC," another Instagram user said.

There were a few comments of support for the park plan.

"Great idea a park there would be a beautiful improvement," one Instagram user wrote.

"A park would be a fantastic addition," another Instagram user wrote.

In response to social-media speculation about Ross' intentions, Related Ross' April 23 statement said the park plan would not give the company any development rights. James' video affirmed that the park would remain public and belong to the city.

Ross, a Palm Beach billionaire and owner of the NFL's Miami Dolphins football team, has worked during the past six years to add new high-rise office towers, bring thousands of jobs and build for-sale and rental residences in West Palm Beach.

Bradley's under pressure to bend to Ross, West Palm, family says

Members of the Coniglio family say they have been under pressure for months to sell their Flagler Drive holdings to Related Ross, which would then donate the properties to the city for the park.

The properties include the Bradley's site, a nearby building that houses the Avocado Grill and a surface parking lot

If the Coniglios agreed, Related offered to build the family a new restaurant elsewhere on the water, Nick Coniglio said.

If they did not, the Coniglios said they were threatened with losing control of their holdings through an eminent domain action by the city.

Eminent domain is the government's power to take private property if it is for a public purpose.

While some nearby property owners have indicated interest in selling to Related Ross for the city park concept, the Coniglios have not.

"They've come at us so many different ways," Nick Coniglio said in an April 20 interview with The Post.

Eminent domain now off table, West Palm Beach mayor says

Last year, Coniglio said he received a phone call from Ross, who said he wanted to buy the Coniglio properties for a city park "and telling me, 'This is what's happening.' "

Ross, Coniglio said, offered to build a new restaurant on the waterfront at Fern Street, on what is now Flagler Drive.

Subsequently, Coniglio said he and his mother, former Palm Beach Mayor Gail Coniglio, were asked to meet with James, who echoed Ross' description of the park plan.

In that meeting, the Coniglios said James "loosely threatened us" with eminent domain, a tactic they say shocked them.

The family rejected Ross' purchase offer, and consulted with lawyers on the eminent domain threat.

"It's very confusing for us," Nick Coniglio said April 20, of the Ross-James pressure campaign.

"We have been good stewards and good partners. We've had so many people meet and fall in love here at Bradley's, generations of staff members," he said.

In an April 20 interview, James said he was not moved by the Coniglios' reaction.

"Listen, they can feel however they want," James said. "I've got to look at this from the city’s perspective and what opportunity is being presented to the city. So are there going to be some hurt feelings? There may be."

James also did not refute the idea he has considered eminent domain for the Coniglio properties.

"Here is where the eminent domain comes in," James said. "When there is a unique, I think once-in-a-lifetime, opportunity to create that kind of asset in our city, I would certainly consider it."

"But I don't think that's on the table anymore," James then added about eminent domain.

The next day, the mayor further drew away from the eminent domain idea.

"The city is not considering, pursuing or planning to use eminent domain as part of this effort," a city spokesperson said in an April 21 email. 

James reiterated that statement in his April 23 video.

E.R. Bradley's could be circled by a park in downtown West Palm

The new plan, to build a park around Bradley's, would "landlock" the restaurant, cost the eatery business and make it hard for vendors and customers to visit, Nick Coniglio said.

He also would create a "nightmare for our community" when it comes to traffic. That's because turning Flagler Drive's pavement into grass would eliminate an eastern bypass of the city, while funneling more cars into the downtown, he said.

In his video, James said any park plan "must enhance, not disrupt, mobility and access."

Alexandra Clough is a business writer at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at [email protected]. X: @acloughpbp. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.