JUPITER, Fla. — All eyes were on Jupiter on Tuesday as President Joe Biden stopped by the Pelican Club to fundraise for his campaign.
"When I heard the president was coming to Jupiter, I said why would he possibly come to Jupiter? I'm thrilled though," John Fay, who was grabbing a drink at Schooners, said.
"I think Jupiter is already like a popular place, but I feel like now it’s more put on the map," Kaitlyn Scharkopf, who works at Schooners, said.
The seafood restaurant was just down the road from where the president held his event as a motorcade escorted him from the Palm Beach International Airport.
"Did you get caught in the traffic? Were you delayed?" WPTV reporter Joel Lopez asked.
"Yeah, yeah everyone I know was delayed," Dave Jones, who lives part-time in Delaware.
"That's where Joe Biden has his summer house so I'm used to the motorcade. You get in a traffic jam like that. Just be patient," Jones said.
For Jones, the exposure that the presidential visit had on Jupiter, with a population of 60,000, is a con rather than a pro
“We’re trying to hide Jupiter to be honest with you," Jones said. "It’s a special place, a little piece of paradise down here."
Businesses like Blueline Surf & Paddle Co. said the traffic is worth the trouble.
"It was pretty impressive, there were a bunch of people walking by checking it all out so it’s always great," manager Jermaine Vaine said.
He said the exposure is a lifeline, keeping businesses like theirs afloat.
"Were you hoping that Biden would’ve made a stop here?" Lopez asked.
"Yeah, you know we would love to get him out on the water, put him in a kayak, showcase everything," Vaine said.
Discover the Palm Beaches said tourism brings in approximately $10 billion to the local economy, supporting 85,000-plus jobs.
"How quickly can we start seeing the effects from the visit today?" Lopez asked.
"So certainly, it will bring a component in terms of visitation, human resources, the need for transportation, the need for rooms and other services that will impact the county immediately," Milton Segarra, the president and CEO of Discover the Palm Beaches, said.
Tourism is Palm Beach County's second-largest economic engine, producing $78 million in bed-tax revenue and approximately $1.3 billion in lodging sales, according to Discover the Palm Beaches.
"This type of publicity always helps to bring top of mind your name at this moment in which a lot of people are considering where to go and spend a few days now in winter and perhaps summer," Segarra said. "Jupiter is one of our most beautiful gems as part of the Palm Beaches, and the fact that it will get that additional exposure will certainly keep promoting and build up occupancy and visitation for the upcoming months and the summer ahead of us."
Segarra said Tuesday's great weather and the ability to host a sitting president will encourage other businesses and conventions to host their events locally during the offseason when he said tourism tends to be the slowest.
"We're seeing that we are maintaining a good level of demand for the destination, and we feel very comfortable that at the end of the year we'll have another solid performance for the industry and the many thousands of people that depends on tourism in our county," Segarra said.
