The A1A Ocean Corridor
North of Boca Raton, State Road A1A leaves the mainland and runs up a narrow barrier island for roughly fifteen miles. Four small towns sit on it: Highland Beach, Gulf Stream, Ocean Ridge and Manalapan, with Lantana and the Delray and Boynton beachside blocks either side of them. Together they hold most of the oceanfront condominium stock in southern Palm Beach County, and almost none of it is new.
This is the stretch I work. What follows is what each town actually is, what things cost as of November 11, 2026, and the four questions owners and buyers here ask me most: can I lease it out, can I bring my dog, what are the monthly fees, and what are these condo inspection laws going to cost me.
The four towns, compared
| Town | What it is | Active listings | Range |
|---|
| Highland Beach | An all-residential island town of oceanfront and Intracoastal condominium buildings, nearly all built between the mid 1960s and the early 1990s. The densest concentration of condo towers in the corridor | 126 condos | From about $315,000 up to about $15 million |
| Gulf Stream | Oceanfront estates, the Polo Drive blocks and Place Au Soleil west of A1A. Very little inventory, very high values, and only two small condominium buildings | 18 of all types | From about $525,000 up to about $79 million |
| Ocean Ridge | The broadest spread on the island. Late-1960s low-rise condos and mid-century cottages sit on the same road as oceanfront estates | 51 of all types | From under $200,000 up to about $60 million |
| Manalapan | A town of roughly 450 residents, split between ocean-to-Intracoastal estates and Point Manalapan. Essentially no condominium stock | Low single digits to low teens | Generally $1 million and up |
Across all four towns there were 159 active condominium listings as of November 11, 2026, averaging roughly $1.27 million and about $715 per square foot. Gulf Stream's average sits far above the others because its handful of listings are nearly all estates rather than condos.
Can I lease my unit out?
This is the question I get most, and the honest answer is that it varies building by building and the association's documents are the only authority. What I can tell you from the MLS is which buildings currently have units on the rental market, which is direct evidence that leasing is permitted there.
In Highland Beach as of November 11, 2026 there were 63 active condominium rental listings, asking roughly $3,200 to $20,000 a month and averaging about $8,000. Buildings with units actively listed for lease included 45 Ocean, Coronado at Highland Beach, Aberdeen Arms, the Ambassadors buildings, Braemar Isle, Regency Highland Club, Highland Beach Club, Ocean Pines, Ceaire, Toscana, Penthouse Towers and the Townhouses of Highland Beach.
What that does and does not tell you. An active rental listing shows that leasing happens in a building. It does not tell you the terms, and the terms are what matter: most buildings along this coast set a minimum lease length, commonly in the range of three to six months, frequently cap how many times a unit may be leased per year, and often impose a waiting period after purchase before an owner may lease at all. Short-term and seasonal letting is restricted in many buildings even where annual leasing is permitted. The Town of Highland Beach separately requires vacation rentals to be registered, and its own form makes clear it is the owner's responsibility to verify that short-term rentals are permitted within the community. Get the lease provisions out of the declaration and the current rules before you buy a unit you intend to rent, and before you sign a lease as an owner.
Which buildings allow pets?
Of the 126 active Highland Beach condominium listings on November 11, 2026, 54 were marketed as permitting pets - a little over 40 percent. Those 54 averaged about $1.82 million against about $1.35 million for Highland Beach condos overall, so on this stretch pet-friendly inventory skews toward the higher end of the market. Newer buildings are generally the more accommodating ones.
Why I will not publish a definitive building list. The pet field in the MLS is completed by the listing agent for that unit, not by the association, and it does not capture the restrictions that actually decide whether your dog can live there - breed limits, weight limits, how many animals, and whether pets are permitted for tenants as well as owners. I have seen MLS entries conflict with what a building's own documents say. Published lists of pet-friendly buildings on this coast also go out of date quickly, because associations amend these rules at owner votes. If a specific building matters to you, ask me and I will get the current rule in writing from the association rather than guess from a listing field.
Separately, and importantly: assistance animals and service animals are treated differently from pets under federal fair housing law, and a building's pet policy does not determine how a request involving one must be handled. If that applies to you, raise it with the association directly or with your attorney.
What are the monthly fees?
Higher here than most buyers expect, and for a reason worth understanding before comparing two buildings on fee alone.
Of the 126 active Highland Beach condominium listings, only nine carried monthly association fees under $1,200. Those nine averaged about $689,000 and roughly 1,120 square feet, and were concentrated in the older, smaller buildings - Seagate of Highland, Monterey House, 45 Ocean, Coronado and Highland House among them.
A low fee is not automatically the better deal, and a high one is not automatically bad. On an oceanfront building the monthly figure typically carries the master insurance policy, which on this coast is the single largest line item and has risen sharply, plus water, sewer, cable, staffing, elevator and generator maintenance, and reserve contributions. Two buildings with a $900 difference in monthly fees may be charging for very different things, and the one with the higher fee may be the one that has actually been funding its reserves. The questions that matter are what the fee includes, what the reserve balances are against what the reserve study recommends, and whether a special assessment is in prospect.
Fees also vary within a single building, usually by square footage, so there is no one number for a building - only a range.
The condo inspection laws, and why they matter more here
Florida now requires a milestone structural inspection and a Structural Integrity Reserve Study for condominium buildings three or more habitable stories tall. The milestone inspection is triggered by building age, at 30 years or at 25 where local conditions call for it - and proximity to salt water is exactly such a condition, which on a barrier island means effectively every building here.
Look at the dates: Highland Beach's buildings run from 1964 to 1991, with only Highland Beach Club in 1997 and the Toscana buildings from 2000 onward falling outside that span. Gulf Stream's two condominium buildings date from 1971 and 1976. Ocean Ridge's low-rise condominiums are largely 1969. Every one of those buildings is already past both age triggers.
Owners can also no longer vote to waive reserves for the structural components a completed study covers, and associations that previously waived them generally had to begin funding from January 1, 2026. The practical consequence is higher monthly fees, special assessments, or borrowing - and it is reshaping values building by building along this coast right now.
I have written this up properly, with the requirements, the deadlines, a building-age table and what to do depending on whether you own, you are buying or you sit on a board:
Highland Beach, building by building
The condominium buildings with active listings as of November 11, 2026, with the year each was completed. I am building out individual pages for these, starting with the largest.
| Building | S Ocean Blvd | Completed |
|---|
| Carlton House | 2701 | 1964 |
| Townhouses of Highland Beach | 2575 | 1981 |
| Wiltshire House | 2909 | 1974 |
| Ocean Pines | 3009 | 1975 |
| Penthouse Highlands | 3100 | 1969 |
| Penthouse Towers | 3101 | 1970 |
| Monterey House | 3114 | 1970 |
| Ocean Terrace North | 3115 | 1981 |
| Villa Costa | 3210 | 1991 |
| Villa Mare | 3211 | 1991 |
| Ambassadors East, V North and V South | 3215, 3221, 3301 | 1975 |
| Seagate of Highland | 3310 | 1970 |
| Coronado at Highland Beach | 3400 and 3420 | 1983 |
| Clarendon | 3407 | 1982 |
| Casuarina | 3450 | 1986 |
| Villa Nova | 3505 | 1987 |
| Highland Beach Club | 3594 | 1997 |
| Toscana North | 3700 | 2000 |
| Regency Highland Club | 3908 | 1976 |
| Ceaire | 4310 | 1980 |
| Highland House of Palm Beach | 4408 | 1980 |
| 45 Ocean | 4505 and 4511 | 1974 |
| Carron House | 4600 | 1982 |
| Braemar Isle | 4740 | 1982 |
| Aberdeen Arms | 4750 | 1971 |
Thinking of selling on this coast?
Values here now turn on your building's compliance position as much as on your unit. Start with the instant estimate and I will follow up personally with what your specific building is doing to the number.
What is my unit worth?
Talk to Damara
Damara Cohn, founder and broker, Mangrove Realty · 25+ years in the business, over 35 years in Florida
Email: brokerdelray@gmail.com · Office: (561) 637-4559
Frequently asked questions
Which Highland Beach condo buildings allow rentals?
Leasing is permitted in a good number of them, and buildings with units actively listed for lease as of November 2026 included 45 Ocean, Coronado at Highland Beach, Aberdeen Arms, the Ambassadors buildings, Braemar Isle, Regency Highland Club, Highland Beach Club, Ocean Pines, Ceaire, Toscana, Penthouse Towers and the Townhouses of Highland Beach. The terms vary by building, with minimum lease lengths commonly in the three to six month range, annual limits on how often a unit may be leased, and waiting periods after purchase. Verify the lease provisions in the association's declaration and current rules before relying on this.
Are there pet friendly condos in Highland Beach?
Yes. Of 126 active Highland Beach condominium listings in November 2026, 54 were marketed as permitting pets. Pet policies are set by each association and typically carry breed, weight and number restrictions, and they change at owner votes, so confirm the current rule with the association for any specific building.
What are condo fees in Highland Beach?
Most are above $1,200 a month. Of 126 active listings in November 2026, only nine carried fees under that figure, and those were in the older, smaller buildings. Fees on oceanfront buildings typically include master insurance, water, sewer, cable, staffing and reserve contributions, and vary within a building by unit size.
Is Highland Beach a good place to buy a condo?
It offers direct oceanfront living between Boca Raton and Delray Beach at prices well below comparable frontage in Palm Beach proper. The trade-off is building age: almost the entire stock predates 1992, so the inspection and reserve position of the specific building matters more than it would in a newer market.
Which towns are on the A1A corridor in Palm Beach County?
Running north from Boca Raton: Highland Beach, the Delray Beach beachside blocks, Gulf Stream, Ocean Ridge, the Boynton Beach barrier island, Manalapan and Lantana.
Related pages
Listing counts, averages and price ranges on this page are a dated snapshot taken from live MLS data on November 11, 2026 and will change. Building completion years are drawn from active listing data and should be confirmed against county records for any specific building. Association rules on leasing, pets and fees are set and amended by each association, are not uniform within a building in every case, and are not warranted here - confirm them in writing with the association before you rely on them. This page is general information and is not legal, engineering, insurance, tax or accounting advice. Mangrove Realty, Inc. is a licensed Florida real estate brokerage and an Equal Housing Opportunity brokerage. We do business in accordance with the Federal Fair Housing Act and Florida law and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin.
