Publix is planning to open another market close to Hollywood’s sea shore, as indicated by city authorities. This one will be on Hollywood Beach near Ocean Drive and just south of Hollywood Blvd.
The Lakeland-based merchant would possess a three-story building on a 1-acre vacant parking lot at 3100 S. Ocean Drive, flanking the Intracoastal Waterway, on the western side of State Road A1A and north of The Diplomat Beach Resort, as per public records.
In a Facebook post back in Nov. 2018, Mayor Josh Levy said Publix plans to have bistro tables on Ocean Drive and a dock for boaters to pull up and purchase everything they need to eat and drink for their day on the water.
“Great amenity for the beach and for Hollywood boaters!” he wrote.
City representative Raelin Story said plans are estimated to go before Hollywood’s Technical Advisory Committee in December. The Committee reviews projects for technical compliance with the zoning and land development code, before being sent to the Planning and Development Board, which gives a proposal to the City Commission.
Development could be finished by late 2020, as indicated by the application letter, which also indicated the first two floors will be parking, with the market residing above it.
“We believe that the location of a well-known and high quality supermarket on the beach will be a direct benefit to city residents who will no longer need to travel off of the barrier island to serve their daily needs,” wrote Graham Penn, lawyer for the proprietor of the land, in a letter to the city.
Publix has in excess of 1,187 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia, South Carolina and North Carolina and operates almost 240 liquor stores. It opened another store in Oakland Park back in November, in a previous Safeway building.
We hope to have an update on the status of the development soon.