South Florida Fair plans Expo Center expansion; county to contribute $1 million

Palm Beach County commissioners have agreed to contribute $1 million toward an expansion of the South Florida Fair.

In exchange, the county will be able to use the expanded Expo Center for a shelter to house those with special needs during emergencies such as hurricanes.

The county’s contribution, limited to the $1 million, will be used to design plans to build a third Expo building at the fairgrounds along Southern Boulevard just east of Florida’s Turnpike in suburban West Palm Beach. The South Florida Fair & Palm Beach County Expositions will pay for construction costs.

Former County Administrator Robert Weissman, the chair of the Fair’s board of trustees, said the Fair will return to the commission in the summer with detailed cost estimates and design plans. He said it is not yet clear what the construction costs will be or how many additional square feet will be added.

“That is something that we need our architect to prepare,” Weissman said.

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South Florida Fair would raze five smaller buildings to make way for Expo Center expansion

Currently, the East and West Expo Halls of the Expo Center offer 84,750 square feet of usable floor space. Weissman said the plans are expected to call for a third Expo building.

Five of 10 smaller adjacent buildings would be razed to make room for the third Expo facility. The total square footage available for vendor use on the fairgrounds is nearly 200,000 square feet.

The annual fair, one of the larger ones in Florida, attracts more than 500,000 people. Another 500,000 attend other events on the 136-acre fairgrounds throughout the year. According to a study released in 2018 by Markin Consulting, the South Florida Fairgrounds generated a total economic impact of $102.7 million in 2016.

South Florida Fair project will provide emergency shelter for those with special needs

Weissman said there is a need for the additional Expo building to accommodate vendors who want to lease space at the Fair.

He noted that the project will benefit by having a larger special emergency needs center.

The 2024 version of the fair, now in its 111th year, will take place Jan. 12-28, with the aquatic theme of “Dive Into The Fun.” For ticket information, go online to www.southfloridafair.com.

Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach…