BOYNTON BEACH — Boynton Beach city officials put on their construction helmets and swung their golden sledgehammers against the walls of the Former Inn Hotel, officially beginning demolition work to end the property’s troubled history.
During a Dec. 17 demolition ceremony for the existing vacant hotel building 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 marked a turning point in the city’s future.
“This building has long been a strain on our city’s resources, and its demolition sends a clear message: Our communities are not defined by property owners who neglect their properties and allow unacceptable conditions and crime,” Mayor Shelton said at the ceremony.
Boynton Beach officers Thomas Turkin, Aimee Kelley, Rebecca Shelton, Angela Cruz and Woodrow Hay hold sledgehammers during a demolition kickoff ceremony on Dec. 17, with the former Inn Hotel behind them.
The city recently purchased the property from the hotel owner for $8.1 million, with the support of a $75,000 grant from the Palm Beach County Solid Waste Management Authority’s Dilapidated and Distressed Property Cleanup Program, reducing the hotel to ashes.
Boynton Beach mayor wants ‘something beautiful’ at site
Development plans have not yet been announced. However, Shelton told The Palm Beach Post that once the site is cleared, the community will have an opportunity to provide input on the future of the property, opening the door for possible developers to come up with redevelopment ideas.
“The one thing we don’t want is to tear down more apartments in Boynton. We want this to be a destination in our city,” Shelton added. While plans are yet to be finalized, she envisions something “beautiful” for the site.
Boynton Beach Commissioner and Community Renewal Agency board member Aimee Kelley said at 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 is a step towards eradicating its lingering reputation as a crime hotspot and improving safety for residents. Kelly noted that with visibility from Interstate 95, the site has the potential to become a gateway feature, drawing visitors to Boynton Beach and ultimately enhancing the city’s image.
Development, I-95 interchange upgrades will help transform Boynton
Boynton Beach purchased the Boynton Inn property for $8.1 million, and on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, city officials donned construction helmets and swung a golden sledgehammer into the walls of the former Inn property.
In an effort to transform the surrounding area, the Florida Department of Transportation recently launched a $64 million project to improve the I-95 interchange at Boynton Beach Boulevard. The work is expected to increase safety, reduce congestion and improve traffic flow in the area.
City officials also plan to use the property to upgrade the Boynton Beach Boulevard corridor, which stretches from the former hotel site to the Florida East Coast Railroad tracks that lead to the downtown area and other major urban destinations.
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The vision of the City of Boynton Beach’s Master Planning and Community Renewal Agency is to redevelop the downtown area into a hotspot through multiple mixed-use projects currently underway.
Officials at the demolition ceremony described the event as a milestone that emphasized the city’s future rather than its past. The redevelopment of the former hotel site is part of a wider vision to enhance the entire city.
Michael Cook is a freelance writer for The Palm Beach Post.
This article originally appeared in The Palm Beach Post: Demolition of the old Boynton Inn Hotel officially begins in Boynton Beach