Polo West Golf Course Wellington: New Homes Plan and the Infill Law

Could Polo West Become Homes? What a New State Law Means

The Polo West Golf Course, the 150-acre former course off South Shore Blvd. that has sat mostly unused for years, has a new owner with plans for a luxury single-family community. What makes this attempt different from the ones before it is a new Florida law, the Infill Redevelopment Act, which can let qualifying projects skip public hearings entirely. Supporters see a long-neglected property finally getting fixed. Others worry about losing open space and neighbors losing their say. Here's what we know.

Polo West at a glance

The land: About 150 acres north of South Shore Blvd. and east of Greenview Shores Blvd., originally the Greenview Cove Golf Course, built in the 1980s
New owner: Miami-based BH Group, which bought it for $20.8 million after settling a lawsuit with the prior owner in May 2026
The plan: A luxury single-family community, according to the company; no detailed plan has been made public
The law: Florida's Infill Redevelopment Act (SB 1434), signed May 21, 2026
Status: Early talks; BH Group has given the Village documentation on how it says the site qualifies under the new law

Years of plans that went nowhere

Polo West hasn't operated as a golf course in more than a decade. Since then it has mostly hosted temporary activities like polo training and jumping events, and the Town-Crier reports it has racked up code violations and maintenance issues over the years.

2017: The Village Council unanimously rejected then-owner Glenn Straub's request to change the land to broader commercial recreation, after what the Town-Crier described as overwhelming opposition from neighbors.
2019: Dr. Scott Swerdlin, founder of the Palm Beach Equine Clinic, bought it for $16 million and held listening sessions with residents in 2020.
2022: A land-use change was filed that could have allowed up to 125 single-family homes. It never moved forward, and Straub later regained control of the property.
2026: BH Group took ownership after its lawsuit over a purchase agreement was settled in May.

How the new state law works

The Infill Redevelopment Act applies only in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. According to a summary by the law firm Holland & Knight:

It covers certain parcels of at least 5 acres next to residential zoning, including contaminated sites and closed recreation sites like golf courses. A closed golf course has to be surrounded by homes and out of operation for at least 12 straight months.
Qualifying projects must be approved administratively, "without commission votes or public hearings."
Density is capped at the lower of the average density of the neighboring residential zoning or 25 homes per acre.
Projects next to single-family homes need at least a 20-foot open-space buffer.
For closed recreation sites, adjacent owners get 90 days to buy the land and keep it as open space, and a developer that proceeds must pay double the parks impact fee.

If BH Group uses the law, the project "will likely not need to undergo the village's full public hearing process," the Town-Crier reported, though Village staff will still check that any plan meets local development standards and the law's requirements.

The case for redevelopment

Fixing a problem property. "A redevelopment proposal for the former Polo West Golf Course represents one of the most significant redevelopment opportunities in Wellington in many years," Village Manager Jim Barnes said. "Unlike development on previously undeveloped land, this property has remained largely vacant and underutilized since golf operations ceased."
Using what's already there. "The village has consistently supported the responsible redevelopment of underutilized properties, particularly when redevelopment can strengthen established neighborhoods and make productive use of existing infrastructure," Barnes said.
Homes fit the area. Back in 2022, Planning, Zoning & Building Director Tim Stillings said, "Single family is not an incompatible use as to what is around it."
More housing. The state passed the law to put vacant and underused land in South Florida's three most populated counties to work for housing.

The case for concern

Losing open space. The course is part of the original Wellington PUD's open space. "We need to evaluate what this change would do to our overall inventory," Stillings said in 2022, adding that the Village would need to look at the impact on infrastructure.
Neighbors lose a vote. Past plans for Polo West drew strong opposition at public hearings. Under the new law, residents may not get that chance.
Local control. Leaders elsewhere in the western communities have pushed back on the law. Royal Palm Beach Village Manager Ray Liggins called the state's approach to golf course redevelopment without public hearings "inconsistent with everything that I was to understand with development in Florida," the Town-Crier reported in October, as a developer eyes the Village Golf Club there.
Traffic and schools. The site sits near Wellington High School and South Shore Blvd., where new homes would add cars and families.

What happens next

BH Group is still early in planning. If it files under the Infill Redevelopment Act, Village staff will review the application administratively. If it takes the traditional route instead, any land-use and master plan changes would go through public hearings before the Village Council. For a related state-law debate, see how the Live Local Act is bringing apartments to Wellington.

What do you think?

Would luxury homes be the best use for Polo West after all these years, or should Wellington fight to keep it as open space? And should state law let projects like this skip public hearings? For another big decision about Wellington's land, see the K-Park debate.

Frequently asked questions

Who owns the Polo West Golf Course in Wellington?

Miami-based developer BH Group, which acquired the roughly 150-acre property for $20.8 million after settling a lawsuit with the prior owner in May 2026, according to the Town-Crier.

What is planned for Polo West?

BH Group has said it intends to build a luxury single-family community. No detailed plan has been made public yet.

What is Florida's Infill Redevelopment Act?

A 2026 state law (SB 1434) for Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties that requires administrative approval of qualifying residential projects on certain vacant or underused land, including some closed golf courses, without commission votes or public hearings.

Will there be a public hearing on Polo West?

If the developer uses the Infill Redevelopment Act, the project likely won't go through Wellington's full public hearing process, though Village staff will still review it. A traditional land-use change would require public hearings.