2024 predictions

A new year is nearly upon us! What’s in store for 2024?

For the December Power Poll, we asked our Palm Beach influencers to offer a few predictions about news events big and small that will make headlines in the new year.

Let’s get started with the results, which came with a response rate of 32 percent.

Joseph Biden will be elected again to another term as president in November, according to 55 percent. Twenty-seven percent predicted part-time Palm Beach resident Donald Trump will win, while another 13 percent said someone other than Biden or Trump will be the next president.

An interesting local election race pits Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw against his former long-time chief deputy, Michael Gauger. While Gauger represents Bradshaw's most formidable challenger in 20 years, Palm Beach influencers don’t think he can beat Bradshaw, who has held the position he was first elected in 2004. Sixty-six percent think Bradshaw will win another term while 24 percent predict Gauger will pull off an upset.

Palm Beach County was spared a hit by a hurricane in 2023, and a majority of influencers think the county will be spared again next year. Just 21 percent think the county will get hit by a hurricane in 2024 while 46 percent do not. Another 32 percent had no opinion.

For a hyperlocal question, we decided to focus on the future of the historic Gulfstream Hotel in downtown Lake Worth Beach. The hotel has sat vacant since 2005. But city officials have approved an ambitious plan to renovate and expand the hotel, and groundbreaking could take place in early 2024, The Palm Beach Post reported.

Power poll influencers, however, have mixed views on whether the project will break ground in 2024: 39 percent think it will, 37 percent think it won’t.

“I do expect the project to move forward,’’ said West Palm Beach computer consultant Jim Kovalsky, “but I don’t believe construction could get started in 2024, even with a full go-ahead on January 1.’’

For the second time in as many months, we asked if the Miami Dolphins will play in Super Bowl LVIII in February. Influencers were a little bit more optimistic about that than they were in October.

For the December poll, 28 percent said the Dolphins will play in the big game while 55 percent said they would not.

In October, 13 percent predicted the Dolphins will reach the Super Bowl and another optimistic 10 percent say they will win the big game while 52 percent of our influencers predicted the Dolphins will reach the playoffs but go no farther than the AFC Championship game.

“Dolphins fans have been Charlie Brown for years, getting hopes up, only to watch Lucy pull that football away time and time again,’’ said Michael Napoleone, Vice Mayor for the Village of Wellington.

“Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas,’’ he added, “and Happy New Year to all!”

Well said, vice mayor!