PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Palm Beach County, the town of Palm Beach and the city of West Palm Beach will be implementing road closures and heightened security measures as Election Day quickly approaches.
Starting Nov. 4, South Ocean Boulevard will be closed between South County Road and Southern Boulevard by Mar-A-Lago.
The closure will be in effect until further notice.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and West Palm Beach Police will be implementing heightened security measures in downtown West Palm Beach as former President Donald Trump has his watch party at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.
Watch below the press conference on Palm Beach County security efforts for Election Day:
"I'm keenly aware that the eyes of the world will be focused on West Palm Beach this week, particularly election night, because of the decision of the former president to hold an election night event here," West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James said. "We want our residents and visitors of our city to know they are safe at West Palm Beach."
When, where you can expect road closures in West Palm Beach
West Palm Beach police said downtown traffic will be hampered through early Wednesday due to security measures and the expected crowd at the convention center.
From 10 a.m. Monday to 6 a.m. Tuesday, Okeechobee Boulevard will have up to two eastbound lanes closed from Parker to Rosemary avenues for the placement of security barriers and fencing.
At 6 a.m. Tuesday, three eastbound lanes are scheduled to remain open but reduced from four for the duration of the event.
Westbound traffic does not have any scheduled disruptions as of this advisory except U-turns and left turns may be impacted from Parker Avenue to South Quadrille Boulevard.
Sidewalk access on the south side of Okeechobee Boulevard from Parker to Rosemary Avenues will be blocked to pedestrians. The north sidewalk on Okeechobee Boulevard will remain open as a detour for east-west foot traffic.
Police said the best suggestion is to avoid the area around the Convention Center unless you "absolutely have to go there."
Driver should consider Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard to the north and Belvedere Road to the south as better east-west routes.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said that, as of now, no major roads will be closed during the event.
"All in all, we are expecting a smooth evening and we are prepared to do whatever we need to do," Bradshaw said. "I think it's going to go very well."
There will be a designated area for protesters near the area, and West Palm Beach interim police chief Antonio Araujo asked everyone to be respectful.
"If you're going to join us, be lawful, we'll be courteous, please be courteous in return," Araujo said.
