BOYNTON BEACH – Boynton Beach city officials donned their construction helmets and swung golden sledgehammers at the walls of the former Inn hotel, officially beginning demolition to put to rest the property’s troubled history.
At a December 17 demolition ceremony for the existing vacant hotel building, located at the corner of the Interstate 95 exit and Boynton Beach Boulevard, Mayor Rebecca Shelton called the building an “eyesore” and explained that its scheduled demolition marks a turning point for the city’s future.
“This building has been a burden on our city’s resources for far too long, and its removal sends a clear message: owners who neglect their properties and allow unacceptable conditions and crime will not define our community,” Mayor Shelton said at the ceremony.
Boynton Beach officials Thomas Turkin, Aimee Kelley, Rebecca Shelton, Angela Cruz, and Woodrow Hay, holding their sledgehammers with the former Inn hotel behind them at the demolition kickoff ceremony on December 17.
The city recently bought the property from the hotel owner for $8.1 million to raze the hotel, with support from a $75,000 grant from the Palm Beach County Solid Waste Authority’s Blighted and Distressed Property Cleanup Program.
The Mayor of Boynton Beach wants ‘something beautiful’ for the site
Development plans have not been announced. However, Shelton told The Palm Beach Post that once the site is cleared, there will be opportunities for community input on the future of the property, opening the door for possible developers to pursue their redevelopment ideas.
“The only thing we don’t want is to tear down more apartments in Boynton. We want this to be somewhat of a destination that comes into our town,” Shelton added. While plans are not set, she envisions something “beautiful” for the site.
Boynton Beach Commissioner and Community Redevelopment Agency board member Aimee Kelley said during the ceremony that the hotel property has long been a nuisance, affecting not only the surrounding neighborhood but the city as a whole.
The demolition of the former Inn hotel is a step towards erasing its reputation as a crime hotspot and improving safety for residents. With its visibility from I-95, Kelley noted that the site has the potential to become a gateway feature, attracting visitors to Boynton Beach and ultimately boosting the city’s profile.
The development, along with the I-95 interchange upgrade, will help revitalize Boynton
Boynton Beach purchased the Boynton Inn property for $8.1 million and on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, city officials donned their construction helmets and swung golden sledgehammers into the walls of the former Inn hotel.
In an effort to renew the surrounding area, the Florida Department of Transportation recently began a $64 million project to improve the I-95 interchange at Boynton Beach Boulevard. The work is expected to improve safety, reduce congestion, and improve traffic flow in the area.
City officials also plan to use the property to improve the Boynton Beach Boulevard corridor, which stretches from the former Inn site to the Florida East Coast Railway tracks leading to the downtown district and other major city destinations.
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The Master Plan of the City of Boynton Beach and the vision of the Community Redevelopment Agency aim to redevelop the downtown district through multiple mixed-use projects currently underway, building the area into a hotspot.
Officials at the groundbreaking ceremony described the event as an important step, emphasizing the city’s future rather than its past. The redevelopment of the former hotel site is part of the wider vision to uplift the city as a whole.
Michael Cook is a freelance journalist for The Palm Beach Post.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boynton Beach officially begins demolition of old Boynton Inn