Spotlight On: Verdenia Baker, County Administrator, Palm Beach County
September 2025 — Verdenia C. Baker, county administrator of Palm Beach County, sat down with Invest: to discuss how economic development has been flourishing in Palm Beach County, how the county is balancing economic growth while still maintaining a high quality of life for its residents, and initiatives that are in the works to continue to attract more tourism, visitors, and leisure travelers.
You recently retired after more than 10 years of service as county administrator of Palm Beach County. What have been some of the highlights for you?
Some of my proudest moments have been dealing with economic development and housing. I have had the opportunity to work with the business development board and department of housing and economic development to retain, expand, and develop businesses here in Palm Beach County. Over the years, we have worked on developing partnerships with banks, the business community, and legal teams to create various funding resources for our businesses. Cash flow is a major issue for small businesses, so the county was instrumental in the creation of loans and a CDFI to help get them started. I was a lead negotiator of the Scripps Research Institute moving to Florida. Since then, Max Planck has expanded to the county from Germany and the BioLife Science industry has expanded. We continue to diversify our economy and are booming with the financial wealth industry. We have also had other small businesses relocate and expand to Palm Beach County.
In response to COVID-19, a minimal number of industry operations were suspended, which allowed our economy to recover at a faster pace than other communities. During COVID-19, people were looking for places to work remotely and found a haven in Palm Beach County. Many have moved here due to our quality of life and business-friendly community. Our banking industries, professional services, education, and tourism are thriving as well. We have turned sports tourism into one of our major industries. We have two major league baseball spring training stadiums with four MLB teams. When teams are not utilizing those stadiums, our sports tourism industry and community hosts various activities in the facilities.
We have programs in place to help move the county forward in terms of affordable/workforce housing. The cost of living is expensive here when it comes to housing because of the quality of life and high demand to live here; however, to remain a sustainable community, we must ensure ample housing, housing for our workforce.
To what extent are PPPs a key aspect in bringing economic development to Palm Beach County?
Palm Beach County is fortunate to be a AAA bond-rated county. This allows us to borrow money at a very economical price. Nevertheless, we do partner with the private sector on some projects. We work closely with non-profit and for-profit organizations as it relates to our housing challenges. The Board of County Commissioners was instrumental in increasing density and intensity to provide incentives for additional workforce housing units. There is a place for partnerships, but we look at opportunities to make sure we are maximizing the public investments.
How is Palm Beach County balancing economic growth and a thriving business environment while maintaining quality of life for its residents?
We have had to address both opportunities and challenges in these areas. We are in a position where the Board of County Commissioners make decisions on what our strategic priorities and goals are for each year and long term. We do not have to settle for any project that comes along. The BCC can choose which projects they wish to pursue. The state statutes and some of the laws recently passed hinder some decisions. The county has made it a priority to ensure infrastructure is in place for growth while following the law and doing our best to not overburden our taxpayers.
What new amenities, services, or initiatives is Palm Beach County looking to offer in order to provide residents with the best quality of life?
Currently, the county is working on a master plan for countywide transportation. Because we have grown so fast, it takes a lot of planning and effort to move people around a county our size. We must ensure that we have proper road infrastructure in place and mass transit to connect one end of the county to the other end. The plan will include bus routes, Lyft and Uber transportation, as well as train lines. In addition, the county invited representatives from our League of Cities to participate in the planning process and will invite the business community and other community groups to assist in the development of this plan.
What measures or initiatives is Palm Beach County implementing to attract more tourism, visitors, and leisure travelers?
Along with our transportation initiatives, there is also a master plan being developed for tourism. The consultant is currently going through the process of getting input from the community, businesses and governments. We are looking at where the focus and investments should be and how best to maximize the impact. Sports tourism has significantly grown and we predict this growth will continue; to meet the demand, the county will need more hotel rooms. The county will continue to invest and market the county as a tourist destination.
From your perspective, what makes Palm Beach County an ideal place to live, work and play in?
Palm Beach County demographics are diverse, and the economy continues to diversify and grow with an exceptional quality of life. The county has levels of service we invest in to support our quality of life. We are a nationally accredited parks and recreation system. We work with our municipalities to ensure that all residents of Palm Beach County have access to those parks. We have 47 miles of shoreline allowing everyone an opportunity to visit our beautiful beaches. We are continuing to grow our educational system and institutions. Today, we have six universities within the county and are in negotiations with Vanderbilt University to expand its campus here as well. We live in Palm Beach County, better known as paradise.
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