Palm Beach Daily News/The Shiny Sheet: “Royal Poinciana Plaza Earns Beauty Prize”

Palm Beach is a beautiful place by any metric.

The streets are adorned with large, gorgeous palm trees. Many of the buildings were designed by world-famous architects. And the island is flanked by the vast, blue Atlantic Ocean.

So winning an award for beauty in a place such as Palm Beach is special, said Up Markets head Samantha David, who accepted the Palm Beach Civic Association’s Town Beautification Award on behalf of the Royal Poinciana Plaza Monday at the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum.

“Everything on this island is beautiful,” David said to the hundreds of people in attendance. “If we were winning this in Boston, I don’t think we’d be so excited. (It would be a) much lower bar.”

For years the shopping center just over the Flagler Memorial Bridge was a mostly-vacant plot with minimal businesses. It was a “tired, worn-out plaza,” said award presenter and the Civic Association’s Beautification Co-Chairman John David Corey.

Up Markets transformed it into a vibrant gathering place with well-groomed courtyards and 50 businesses, providing a reason for people to drive over the north bridge.