Palm Beach County Commissioner Sara Baxter says she will vote with her constituents.

“If residents don’t want it, I’m not going to support it,” Baxter told the Town-Crier in June, referring to West End Crossing, a proposed plaza that commissioners will vote on soon.

So do residents want it?

Baxter asked them herself earlier this year via a public survey. Yet for reasons she declined to explain, her survey results remained private until now.

The survey origins

In March and April, Baxter polled the public about a gas station slated for West End Crossing.

The District 6 commissioner — and Palm Beach County vice mayor — used Google Surveys to conduct the survey, titled “Gas Station Rezoning.”

Shortly thereafter, Baxter fell silent about the survey, and it was removed from the web, according to Acreage Landowners Association (ALA) President Bob Morgan.

“For a couple months after, we heard nothing,” Morgan said. “Commissioner Baxter never posted the results.”

The ALA represents residents of The Acreage/Loxahatchee, where West End Crossing would be built. So on June 30, Morgan submitted a public records request for Baxter’s survey results.

More than two weeks later, Morgan said he was still waiting for the results with no explanation as to why.

Baxter fulfilled his public record request only after a local journalist questioned her about why she needed weeks to turn over a single electronic document.

Now Morgan believes he knows why it took her so long: The survey respondents overwhelmingly oppose the gas station.

Baxter’s response?

The journalist subsequently reached out to Baxter on behalf of the ALA, seeking comment for this article. Baxter was given three full calendar days, including one full business day, to answer two questions by her choice of phone or email.

As of publication time, Baxter had not responded.

Incidentally, Baxter has supported West End Crossing historically and has already voted in favor of it once.

At a public hearing of the Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 5, the commission’s staff recommended against allowing the West End Crossing project to proceed.

“… staff does not concur that this amendment is suitable, appropriate, or compatible,” the public hearing results state. “In addition, the site is within the Acreage Neighborhood Plan (ANP) and does not meet the minimum size recommendations and includes a use (gas station) that is recommended to be prohibited.”

Despite this, Baxter initiated a vote to advance West End Crossing to the next step. Five other commissioners voted with her, so the motion passed 6-1. (Only District 7 Commissioner Bobby Powell Jr. voted not to advance West End Crossing.)

Baxter is also running for a second term — with backing from the land development industry. The Palm Beach Post reported that industry players donated to her 2026 campaign before Baxter was even sworn into office in 2022.

“Most of the money donated to the ‘Friends of Sara Baxter’ political action committee came from land-use lawyers and planners who regularly appear before the county commission,” the Post’s Mike Diamond wrote. “Other contributors included developers and landscapers looking to change the county’s zoning code.”

The survey results

The first question in Baxter’s survey was, “Do you support the proposal to rezone the property for a gas station?” The responses to this multiple-choice question included:

• 48 instances of “Yes“
• 489 instances of “No“
• 12 instances of “Undecided“

Another multiple-choice question asked respondents if they “believe the community needs a gas station in this area.” Only 53 out of 549 said “Yes.”

In short, less than 10% of respondents favor rezoning the southeast corner of Northlake Boulevard and Seminole Pratt Whitney Road or believe the area needs a gas station.

That’s in line with the ALA’s petition against West End Crossing, which had more than 775 signatures as of publication time.

The ALA is publishing the full results of Baxter’s survey here. The email addresses therein were redacted out of respect for residents’ privacy.

The document is otherwise as it appeared when Morgan received it via Baxter. Some responses are cut off and the document is difficult to navigate due to inadequate formatting of the PDF provided by Baxter.

How residents can make their voices heard

For residents of The Acreage/Loxahatchee who oppose West End Crossing and want to make sure their opinion is heard, options include:

• Sign the ALA’s West End Crossing petition. Visit www.ala-petition.com to sign it. Read this ALA article to learn more about it.
• Contact commissioners directly. All seven commissioners will vote on West End Crossing, so tell them all how you feel. Click here for their email addresses and phone numbers.
• Speak at commissioners meetings. As of publication time, they were scheduled to vote on land use and zoning for West End Crossing on Aug. 28.

• Vote in local elections. In particular, when the District 6 commissioner seat is on the ballot, vote for the candidate with the best track record for putting their constituents first.
• Join the ALA as a full member ($20/year) or a free member (no cost), and follow the grassroots nonprofit organization on Facebook.