TO: Mayor and Commissioners
FROM: Anthea Gianniotes, Development Services Director
THROUGH: Terrence R. Moore, ICMA-CM
DATE: July 21, 2026
Title
RESOLUTION NO. 108-26: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF DELRAY BEACH, FLORIDA, CO-DESIGNATING A SEGMENT OF NW 12TH AVENUE, A PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY, BETWEEN WEST ATLANTIC AVENUE AND NW 2ND STREET, AS NW 12TH AVENUE / WEATHERSPOON WAY, AS MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED HEREIN; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
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Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Consider Resolution No. 108-26, establishing a dual name for a portion of NW 12th Avenue, a City-owned right-of-way (street) between West Atlantic Avenue and NW 2nd Street, to refer to the street segment as NW 12th Avenue / Weatherspoon Way.
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Background:
The request is to rename NW 12th Avenue between West Atlantic Avenue and NW 2nd Street as NW 12th Avenue / Weatherspoon Way, in honor of Rev. L.C. Weatherspoon.
The street was originally platted in 1925, as recorded in Plat Book 13, Page 77 of the Public Records of Palm Beach County, Florida. Reverend L.C. Weatherspoon, a minister and contractor who moved to Delray Beach in 1940 and became a foundational figure in the city’s Black community for over four decades. Rev. Weatherspoon worked as a bulldozer operator before establishing L.C. Weatherspoon Paving in the 1960s, where he employed migrant farm workers and paved many of Delray Beach’s streets. As a contractor and real estate owner, he provided jobs and housing to community members throughout his career. In 1977, he founded and built Community Primitive Baptist Church at 33 NW 11th Avenue. He served as a lifetime member of the Delray Beach Voters League beginning in 1974, where he worked to increase voter registration and civic participation among Black residents since the 1940s, and received the NAACP Community Service Award in 1987. His son, Jimmy Weatherspoon, entered local politics in 1984 and went on to serve as Vice Mayor of Delray Beach.
NW 12th Avenue does not continue to the north of NW 2nd Street, and the subject right-of-way represents NW 12th Avenue in its entirety. The proposed street name meets the criteria in Section 5.4, “Street Name Requirements” for naming a street after a person. The dual name of NW 12th Avenue / Weatherspoon Way is proposed because there are approximately 30 properties in this segment of the street, and renaming the street would create a host of issues related to mortgages, deeds, and property owner accounts.
Planning and Zoning Board voted 6-0 to recommend approval of the request at its June 15, 2026 meeting.
City Attorney Review:
Resolution No. 108-26 is approved as to form and legal sufficiency.
Funding Source/Financial Impact:
Not applicable.
Timing of Request:
Resolution No. 108-26 would be effective immediately, if approved.