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Thursday, November 5, 2026

Riviera Beach digs out from record rain; Amendment 3 passes

Plus, what Amendment 3 means for your homestead exemption and when you'll see savings.

The 5AM Palm Beach Gardens team2 stories18 sources5 min read

FloodingTop story

Record rain flooded Riviera Beach's Lone Pine Estates, and officials say recovery will take time

Record rain swamped Riviera Beach and the county

About 15.5 in.
of rain fell on Riviera Beach
More than 50
people rescued from Lone Pine Estates
7.39 inches
at the airport Nov. 2, breaking an 1888 record

Sources: WFLX, WPBF, The Palm Beach Post

If you live in or near Riviera Beach, here's what happened. About 15.5 inches of rain flooded homes in Lone Pine Estates, and city officials called it roughly a 1-in-1,000-year rainfall event, with 15 to 20 inches falling within six hours. The city said more than 50 people were rescued.

The rain reached well beyond the city. The National Weather Service in Miami said the stretch from DJT Airport up to Palm Beach Gardens got about 18 to 19 inches over three days, according to the Palm Beach Post. Brightline service between West Palm Beach and Orlando was suspended.

  • Non-emergency help: 877-257-2374 instead of 911
  • Shelter: Therapeutic Recreation Center in Lake Worth
  • Affected: , Turtle Cave, 1000 Oaks, Indian Trace, Woodbot
  • Supplies: city coordinating water and meals with Palm Beach Harvest

Record rain Nov. 2 leads to an expected Thursday road reopening

  1. Nov. 2Airport records 7.39 inches of rain, breaking an 1888 daily record.
  2. Nov. 3Riviera Beach emergency crews stop entering flooded areas after 6 p.m.
  3. Nov. 5Blue Heron Boulevard is expected to reopen in both directions.

Sources: WPTV News Channel 5 West Palm, WPBF, The Palm Beach Post

Mayor Douglas Lawson cautioned that the damage won't disappear when the water does: "This is not an overnight recovery," he said. Westbound Blue Heron Boulevard closed at Congress Avenue because of a water main break, and the city expects both directions to reopen Thursday.

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Taxes

Florida's Amendment 3 passed, and homeowners with a homestead exemption don't need to reapply

If you already have a , you don't need to call or file anything. Property Appraiser Dorothy Jacks said her office will apply the changes. Voters approved Amendment 3 Tuesday with about 62%.

Amendment 3 cleared the 60% bar with about 62%

62%About 62% of voters approved Amendment 3

Source: WTVX

View as table
Value
About 62% of voters approved Amendment 362%
Needed to pass60%

The homestead exemption for non-school taxes rises to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, with inflation adjustments beginning in 2029. The annual cap on assessed-value increases for rentals, second homes and commercial properties drops from 10% to 5% for non-school taxes. The changes won't touch 2026 bills.

  • First look: TRIM notices in August 2027
  • Still owed: school taxes and non-ad valorem fees
  • Questions: pbcpao.gov or 561-355-2866
  • First-time applicants: must still apply and meet eligibility requirements

Amendment 3 changes arrive in stages through 2028

  1. Dec. 31Homeowners must claim homestead to be eligible for the new exemption.
  2. Jan. 2027Amendment 3 changes take effect.
  3. Aug. 2027Higher exemption first appears on TRIM notices.
  4. 2028Non-school rises to $250,000.

Sources: WFLX, WTVX, WPTV

Cities and counties will see less tax revenue, and Gov. Ron DeSantis has said he'll call a special session to work out the details. Amendment 2, the farm equipment measure, failed.

News Notes

Schools

Six Palm Beach County schools stay closed Thursday, Nov. 5: Egret Lake, Grassy Waters, Sandpiper Shores and Washington elementaries, Jeaga Middle and West Boca Raton Community High, WPEC reported. Nine schools were closed Wednesday, and all public schools in St. Lucie and Indian River counties also stay closed Thursday. WPECWFLXWPBF

Six Palm Beach County schools stay closed Thursday

Palm Beach County schools on Thursday, Nov. 5, as of 6:28 p.m. Wed.

✕6 Closed Thursday

  • Egret Lake Elementary
  • Grassy Waters Elementary
  • Sandpiper Shores Elementary
  • Washington Elementary
  • Jeaga Middle
  • West Boca Raton Community High

Source: WPBF

View as table
NameStatus
Egret Lake ElementaryClosed Thursday
Grassy Waters ElementaryClosed Thursday
Sandpiper Shores ElementaryClosed Thursday
Washington ElementaryClosed Thursday
Jeaga MiddleClosed Thursday
West Boca Raton Community HighClosed Thursday

Emergency

Gov. Ron DeSantis expanded Florida's flooding state of emergency Wednesday, adding Glades, Hendry, Lake, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, Seminole and Volusia counties. WTVX

Cleanup

Riviera Beach got more than 20 inches of rain from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, the Palm Beach Post reported. As of Wednesday evening, residents can flush toilets and do laundry again, but remains significantly flooded with residents still trapped. The city had activated its Emergency Operations Center to Level 2, WFLX reported Tuesday. The Palm Beach PostWFLX

School tax

Palm Beach County voters renewed the school district's 1 mill referendum Tuesday, with 76.88% in favor and 750 of 813 precincts counted. The renewal continues the existing tax of $1 for every $1,000 of taxable home value through June 30, 2031. WPBF

Health plans

Palm Beach County residents on Centene health plans could lose in-network access to the Palm Beach Health Network as early as Jan. 1 if the two sides don't reach a contract by year's end. Roughly 70% of the Centene members who rely on local Tenet hospitals and doctors are Medicaid enrollees. Florida Hospital News and Healthcare Report

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Asked

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Asked

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Quoted

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Things to Do

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Palm Beach Gardens, FL

Thursday, Nov. 5

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Around the Block

Around the Block

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Neighbors

My last scam caller was extremely skilled and almost convincing...

“claiming to be from American Express asking if I charged $4,000 He even recited my actual SS# to me and my email address and my home address to me. He probably got it from the dark web after a corporation was hacked. I told him the SS# was incorrect even though it was correct just to hopefully defer him. I told him…”

— A neighbor, The Landmark

36 likes · 12 comments

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The Wrap

Hiding in plain sight on US 1 in Lake Park, The Carving Station is an all-you-can-eat buffet that a Palm Beach Post piece calls "an absolutely delicious, bang-for-the-buck value". It's easy to drive past hundreds of times without ever going in. Time to finally pull in and fill a plate.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Riviera Beach flood recovery, polling place moves and Brightline

Read yesterday’s edition

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Every source in this edition18 links · 10 outlets
  1. The Weather Channelweather.com
  2. WFLXwflx.com
  3. WPTV News Channel 5 West Palmwptv.com
  4. WPECcbs12.com
  5. WPBFwpbf.com
  6. The Palm Beach Postpalmbeachpost.com
  7. WFLXwflx.com
  8. WTVXcw34.com
  9. WPTVwptv.com
  10. WPECcbs12.com
  11. WFLXwflx.com
  12. WPBFwpbf.com
  13. WTVXcw34.com
  14. The Palm Beach Postpalmbeachpost.com
  15. WFLXwflx.com
  16. WPBFwpbf.com
  17. Florida Hospital News and Healthcare Reportsouthfloridahospitalnews.com
  18. Palm Beach Gardens events calendar5ampalmbeachgardensfl.com

Past issues

  1. Sat., Nov. 7Drier skies return after the flooding, and Mizner Park gets a familiar owner
  2. Fri., Nov. 6Palm Beach County joins Florida's flooding state of emergency
  3. Wed., Nov. 4Riviera Beach flood recovery, polling place moves and Brightline
  4. Tues., Nov. 3Parts of Palm Beach Gardens saw 15 inches of rain; polls open at 7 a.m.
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5AM Palm Beach Gardensto me · Thurs., Nov. 56:00 a.m.

Riviera Beach digs out from record rain; Amendment 3 passes

Plus, what Amendment 3 means for your homestead exemption and when you'll see savings.

The TLDR

  1. Riviera Beach recovers after record flooding hit Lone Pine Estates
  2. Amendment 3 passed: no need to reapply for homestead
  3. Six Palm Beach County schools stay closed Thursday
Read this edition

More stories this week

From 5AM Palm Beach Gardens’ other editions

All the news
WeatherDrier air arrives after days of flooding, with a few showers possible SaturdayIf you've been waiting on a dry day, this weekend is it. The storm system that dumped rain on Palm Beach County from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 has moved away, and The Palm Beach Post says drier air is bringing mostly sunny skies for the weekend.Saturday’s editionRead BusinessMizner Park in Boca Raton has been sold to its original developer, CP Group, and partnersMizner Park has new owners, and one of them built it. WPBF reports that Brookfield Properties sold the downtown Boca Raton complex to CP Group and The Georgetown Company, with ACRE and StepStone also involved. CP Group developed Mizner Park in phases between 1991 and 1999.Saturday’s editionRead FloodingDeSantis adds Palm Beach County to Florida's flooding state of emergencyIf you live in Palm Beach County, the state's flooding emergency now covers you. Gov. Ron DeSantis amended his Monday executive order on Wednesday to add seven counties: Glades, Hendry, Lake, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, Seminole and Volusia. The Florida Division of Emergency Management said the move strengthens the state's ability to keep deploying critical resources.Friday’s editionRead

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From WPBF, WPEC and 2 more newsrooms, gathered by 6AM News, 6AM City’s local news service.

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