Residents of Palm Beach are expressing outrage over proposed development initiatives that they believe could transform their exclusive community into a uniform and uninspired area.

Leading the charge against these plans is Bettina Anderson, a socialite, model, and influencer who is also engaged to Donald Trump Jr. Anderson is vocally opposing the transformation of historic structures into residential and commercial spaces.

“Palm Beach should not resemble a master-planned shopping center. Its charm is rooted in its diversity!” Anderson exclaimed to her 116,000 Instagram followers earlier this week, punctuating her message with an exploding-head emoji to emphasize her point.

The controversy is particularly focused on the proposed demolition of a former bank building located at 180 Royal Palm Way, known for its iconic Mediterranean Revival architecture. The plan is to replace it with a mixed-use development that Anderson argues is devoid of personality.

“Our community’s allure lies in its uniqueness,” Anderson asserted.

‘Varied awnings, distinct facades, and architectural character that reflects DECADES of layered history – not one long uniform strip.’

Her second target is the transformation of the relatively unadorned former Saks Fifth Avenue store at 150 Worth Avenue into shops and offices.

In follow-up posts, Anderson said, ‘This is Palm Beach not Boca – a cutting reference to Boca Raton, the heavily developed city to the south that has become a cautionary tale of traffic congestion, rising density and infrastructure strain.

Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson’s engagement to Donald Trump Jr., announced at a White House holiday party in December 2025, has only amplified her influence

She has railed against the redevelopment of the former Saks Fifth Avenue store at 150 Worth Avenue into a mixed-use complex of shops and offices

Palm Beach, Anderson argues, was never meant to follow that path.

Palm Beach’s aesthetic roots stretch back to the Gilded Age, when tycoons like Henry Flagler turned a sparsely populated island into a winter playground for America’s elite.

Grand estates with red tile roofs, stucco walls, courtyards and varied facades came to define the town. No two buildings were meant to look the same.

Anderson warned that turning iconic streets into continuous, homogeneous developments would erase ‘what makes Palm Beach Palm Beach.’

O’Connor Capital Partners, which is redeveloping the Worth Avenue site, and Frisbie Group, behind the Royal Palm Way plan, did not respond to requests for comment.

Neither did Fairfax & Sammons Architecture, the design firm involved in both projects.

The combined plots at Royal Palm Way are worth $26 million. The buildings that make up The Esplanade complex were worth some $150 million in 2014 and have doubtless jumped in value since.

In past statements, Fairfax & Sammons has insisted its work aligns with Palm Beach’s architectural heritage and improves on what is already there, saying it supports the ‘enduring value of charm and beauty.’

On its website, O’Connor describes its new retail project ‘The Esplanade’ as a place to ‘experience a taste of local Palm Beach life,’ and its renderings of the project are relatively attractive, albeit slightly characterless.

Palm Beach’s powerful Architectural Commission, a volunteer board that effectively decides what the town will look like, has already weighed in.

Anderson is no fan, but other residents say plans for the Worth Avenue site are in keeping with Palm Beach style

Anderson says The Esplanade project on Worth Ave looks like another ‘master planned shopping plaza’

Anderson railed against the bank redevelopment project to her legions of Instagram followers

On December 19, 2025, the commission voted 6-1 to approve the Worth Avenue redevelopment, subject to minor changes.

Members praised the proposal as a long-overdue upgrade to what they viewed as a bland stretch of the historic street.

Commission member Katherine Catlin said she loved ‘the life that this project brings,’ according to the Palm Beach Daily News.

The decision followed a December 10 vote by the town council, which approved a zoning variance allowing the project to proceed.

Council member Ted Cooney, a former chairman of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, said the proposed design was ‘such an improvement’ over the old Saks building, which he described as a box that failed to engage the street.

Renovation work has been underway since summer 2025, with crews gutting the interior.

The Royal Palm Way project – located in Palm Beach’s historic Bankers Row – has also cleared zoning and planning hurdles. Construction crews are now preparing the site.

Those in favor of development note that many Palm Beach properties are due for upgrades in a state that is increasingly battered by hurricanes, floods, and climate change.

Approval has only fueled resentment.

Palm Beach’s year-round population is just 9,000, but that number swells to roughly 20,000 during winter, when snowbirds arrive to shop on Worth Avenue, dine at Mar-a-Lago and occupy multimillion-dollar homes.

Median home prices now exceed $3 million. Commercial rents rank among the highest in the US. Longtime residents say redevelopment accelerates the squeeze – pushing out small, town-serving businesses in favor of luxury retail.

A recent softening of Palm Beach property values likely marks a stabilization of the market after the pandemic boom, but may be linked to new construction and aggressive sales tactics from developers. 

Those in favor of upgrades note that the new developments raise the square footage of property in a state that’s seen massive price hikes from the population booms.

An Instagram account bearing the names Susan and Jock Wanamaker-Leas, a prominent Palm Beach socialite couple, blasted the Royal Palm Way project.

‘Better left alone,’ the post read.

‘The one-story, Main Street-like intersection here is darling, and on a wonderful human scale,’ it added, warning the town risks becoming a ‘refined Mediterranean Disney World.’

‘Soon this town will lose its sense of place,’ the post said.

Anderson is also outraged by plans to replace a ‘Bankers Row’ property at 180 Royal Palm Way with bland retail and residential units

The Royal Palm Way site will become a mixed-use residential and retail strip that Anderson says lacks character

Columbia University graduate Anderson has devoted years to environmental causes in Florida

Palm Beach’s roots stretch back to the Gilded Age, when tycoons like Henry Flagler turned a sparsely populated island into a winter playground for America’s elite

Anderson says Palm Beach is in danger of becoming bland and charmless, like nearby Boca Raton

Others focused on what could be lost. Alexis Robinson Waller, a luxury real estate professional and fourth-generation local, warned that rising rents would wipe out everyday businesses.

‘It is a shame to redevelop a site that’s the heart and hub of this town,’ she wrote, noting that stores serving local families – including places to buy school uniforms – are at risk.

‘Rents go up we lose all the town serving stores and restaurants,’ she said.

Waller accused developers of prioritizing profit over community.

‘All these developers are just so greedy,’ she wrote. ‘They don’t care about the people who actually live here.’

Anderson’s involvement has taken the dispute to another level.

A Columbia University graduate, she has appeared on the covers of Palm Beach Illustrated and Quest Magazine and has devoted years to environmental causes in Florida, including Everglades conservation and disaster recovery.

Her engagement to Donald Trump Jr., announced at a White House holiday party in December 2025, has only amplified her influence – giving her unprecedented access and a national megaphone.

Supporters say she is standing up for Palm Beach’s soul. Critics say she is weaponizing status to block change. The battle lines are clear. On one side: developers promising revitalization and modernity. On the other: elites determined to preserve a fragile, carefully curated past.