Rachelle Litt elected, Dana Middleton re-elected to Palm Beach Gardens Council

Voters in Palm Beach Gardens kept one sitting City Council member on the dais and elected a former member to rejoin the panel Tuesday.

After polls closed, incumbent Dana Middleton took 57% of the vote to defeat challenger Damien Murray and keep her Group 5 seat.

In a race for the panel’s Group 3 seat, former Council member Rachelle Litt outpaced two others — Heather Deitchman and David Levy — with 45% of the vote. She will replace Council member Chelsea Reed, who must leave office due to term limits.

Palm Beach Gardens, an affluent, suburban municipality in northern Palm Beach County with approximately 65,300 residents, has a plurality system for its elections, meaning candidates need only secure the most votes in a given race to win outright.

Runoffs are only called in cases of an exact tie.

As was the case in many South Florida localities, the dominant issue in this year’s City Council race was how to manage rapid growth without overwhelming infrastructure.

Residents, elected leaders and candidates frequently pointed to worsening traffic congestion along PGA Boulevard and Northlake Boulevard and the strain on roads and utilities as development pushes west of the Turnpike, with most saying that while growth is inevitable, the city must better manage it so transportation networks, neighborhoods and public services keep pace.

Another closely related concern was housing affordability, with candidates debating zoning changes, density bonuses and public-private partnerships to expand workforce housing for teachers, nurses, first responders and younger residents.

Governance and transparency also emerged as top-of-mind issues, with several candidates arguing that longtime City Manager Ron Ferris holds too much influence over political decisions and that the Council should exercise stronger oversight.

Questions about public engagement have intensified following the city’s decision to lease Plant Drive Park for a proposed ice rink complex and the failed attempt to annex nearby communities, which voters overwhelmingly rejected in 2024.

Group 3

The race for Group 3 pitted two former City Council members against a candidate making her first run at public office after years of local civic involvement.

Litt, a 70-year-old retired pharmacist and pharmaceutical sales representative, hoped to return to a panel she left in 2023 due to term limits. In 2024, she ran as the Democratic Party’s nominee for House District 94, but lost to Republican Rep. Meg Weinberger.

This cycle, she framed her candidacy around her city government know-how and long-standing community involvement, promising a “levelheaded, measured, and experienced” approach to governance.

During her prior tenure at City Hall, Litt supported long-range planning initiatives on transportation and workforce housing, arguing that growth must be carefully managed so infrastructure and public safety keep pace.

She vowed, if sent back to the Council, to ensure Palm Beach Gardens continues to implement those plans while preserving the city’s quality of life, protecting essential services and maintaining stable city finances, including holding the line on the city’s property tax rate.

Addressing governance debates at City Hall, Litt pushed back on criticism that the Council lacks oversight of Ferris. She said members frequently challenge staff behind the scenes, even when disagreements are not visible at public meetings.

The political newcomer was Deitchman, a 45-year-old private school educator and tutoring director with no party affiliation.

She entered the race boasting more than two decades of experience in education and program leadership, according to her campaign website, including current service as President of her homeowners’ association and as the social media manager for the Astronomical Society of the Palm Beaches.

She decided to run after opposing the city’s plan to lease Plant Drive Park for a proposed ice rink complex, arguing residents were not adequately informed or involved. That dispute helped shape the centerpiece of her campaign: greater transparency and public participation in city decision-making.

She argued Palm Beach Gardens must manage growth more carefully while addressing traffic and infrastructure pressures. She also supported expanding workforce housing.

Levy, a 65-year-old Democratic business owner, environmental geologist and longtime resident of Palm Beach Gardens, also sought a return to the City Council, where he served from 2004 to 2016, including as Mayor and Vice Mayor.

A partner at NFA Solutions Group, owner of Risk Management Services and adjunct professor at Palm Beach State College, Levy has served as Chair of the Palm Beach County Water Resources Task Force and Loxahatchee River Management Coordinating Council.

His campaign this cycle stressed his experience and fiscal management, citing his prior work on cutting waste, reducing energy costs, keeping taxes low, and protecting parks and open spaces. He argued the Council needs seasoned leadership like his as the city grows.

He also emphasized the need for growth management and work to address traffic congestion, calling the latter one of the city’s most pressing challenges.

The balance of power at City Hall was also an issue, he said, contending that the Council has ceded too much authority to Ferris and should reassert itself.

Group 5

Middleton, 55, entered Election Day as Palm Beach Gardens’ Vice Mayor. She recently switched from having no party affiliation to the Conservative Party of Florida, according to state records.

A nearly 20-year city resident, Middleton worked in private life in corporate roles specializing in human resources, sales, marketing and operations before co-founding a local business called Intelligent Office that she and her husband later sold.

She also served in regional civic roles, including leadership positions with the PGA Corridor Association and Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce.

Her campaign emphasized her leadership experience and strong business community ties while focusing on public safety, parks and recreation, protecting natural resources and improving transportation infrastructure as priorities.

She pointed to traffic congestion, particularly in western neighborhoods near Avenir, as a central issue, saying she would work with state and county agencies to advance road projects and signal improvements. She also supported continued collaboration with Ferris and defended the city’s planning process, while acknowledging that officials could improve public outreach on future projects.

Murray, a 56-year-old longtime Democrat-turned-independent, is a sales executive with FedEx and a longtime resident. Born in Ireland and naturalized as a U.S. citizen, he is known locally for running the Palm Beach Gardens Predators youth soccer club for the better part of two decades.

He described himself in campaign messages as a community leader focused on youth sports and neighborhood engagement. This election marked his first attempt at winning office.

Murray’s “residents first” campaign leaned into a message of independent, accountable leadership. He promised to bring transparency and fiscal responsibility to City Hall, arguing that Palm Beach Gardens’ decisions should prioritize residents over special interests.

He said his experience organizing youth sports and community initiatives taught him how to listen to residents and bring people together to solve problems.

Traffic congestion is a major problem, he said, as is strain on the city’s infrastructure, particularly along PGA and Northlake boulevards. As a solution, he proposed adaptive traffic signals and better coordination between city and county transportation agencies.

He also supported responsible growth and the expansion of workforce housing. Palm Beach Gardens must balance development with protecting neighborhoods and the current quality of life residents enjoy, he said.