Overview
Highland Beach, Highland Beach
Highland Beach is a 3-mile barrier-island town of roughly 4,300 residents wedged between Delray Beach and Boca Raton — one of the few South Florida municipalities that has held the line against commercial sprawl. Outside a handful of retail fronts, the entire town is residential: oceanfront condominiums on A1A, and a discreet inventory of single-family estates fronting either the Atlantic or the Intracoastal Waterway. Town review enforces strict height limits and massing rules, and every oceanfront parcel is governed by Florida's Coastal Construction Control Line, which drives elevation, foundation, and wind-load design far beyond standard code. Transactions on direct oceanfront consistently clear $15M, with the top of the market well north of $40M.
Why Sabal in Highland Beach
Why Sabal in Highland Beach
Sabal delivered 4005 S Ocean Blvd to the Highland Beach standard — a teardown-to-rebuild on one of the town's most scrutinized parcels. We've worked the permitting pathway for CCCL-side work, coordinated with the town's review staff on exterior materials and massing, and managed the foundation and flood-elevation engineering that oceanfront Highland Beach demands. For owners evaluating a teardown or new construction here, that delivered-project history is the only reference that matters.
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Our work in Highland Beach
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Frequently asked
Building in Highland Beach.
- What distinguishes Highland Beach from adjacent barrier-island towns?
- Highland Beach is almost entirely residential — a 3-mile stretch of barrier island with roughly 4,300 residents, strict town-wide height limits, and no commercial sprawl outside a few small retail fronts on A1A. Compared to Delray Beach immediately north, Highland Beach has no downtown corridor and no historic-district layer; compared to Boca Raton immediately south, no gated country-club submarkets. It is a pure residential enclave.
- Are there single-family lots on the Intracoastal as well as oceanfront?
- Yes. Highland Beach has two residential waterfront types: direct oceanfront on A1A (the Atlantic side) and Intracoastal-facing parcels on the western side of A1A (Intracoastal Waterway side). Oceanfront parcels trigger Florida's Coastal Construction Control Line, which drives foundation, scour, and elevation engineering. Intracoastal parcels require seawall and dock permits instead. Some owners acquire both for through-lot control, though it is uncommon.
- What does it cost to build on Highland Beach oceanfront?
- Construction costs for new-build single-family residences on Highland Beach oceanfront run $1,000 to $1,800 per square foot, excluding land, architecture, landscape, FF&E, and pool/dock. Transactions on direct oceanfront consistently clear $15 million, and the top of the market — represented by 4005 S Ocean Blvd, which sold at $30 million — sits well north of $40 million on the largest parcels.
- What permitting applies to Highland Beach new construction?
- Oceanfront parcels require a Florida DEP Coastal Construction Control Line permit in addition to the town's standard building permit. The CCCL permit governs foundation type, wave-load engineering, dune protection, and finished-floor elevation relative to FEMA flood maps. CCCL review typically runs 90 to 180 days and should be filed in parallel with the town's design review — running them sequentially adds 4 to 6 months of avoidable delay.
- Has Sabal delivered oceanfront projects in Highland Beach?
- Sabal delivered 4005 S Ocean Blvd as a teardown-to-rebuild on one of the town's most scrutinized oceanfront parcels, which sold for $30 million in November 2023. That project exercised the full CCCL permitting pathway, the town's exterior-materials and massing review, and the foundation/flood-elevation engineering specific to Highland Beach oceanfront. For owners evaluating a new mandate on the island, that delivered-project history is the closest available reference.
