Juno Beach's Four Corners Has Changed Owners Faster Than It Has Changed Menus

At U.S. 1 and Donald Ross Road, the northwest corner is the five-story Caretta building, still wrapped in construction. A CVS holds the northeast corner. The Holiday Inn Express and The Fish House share the southeast corner. Juno Beach Cafe and Thirsty Turtle sit in Juno Square on the southwest corner, and Pulte crews are building townhomes on the lot behind them that used to sell Christmas trees.

Over the past year, land has changed hands on three of those four corners and a building has gone up on one of them. Over the same stretch, the intersection lost one restaurant and has one confirmed on the way. The ground under the Four Corners is moving much faster than the menus on top of it.

The land sold, and the kitchens stayed open

The biggest deal at the intersection didn't close a single dining room. Stet News reported in January that companies led by Josh Simon, a former owner of Abacoa Town Center, paid $13.5 million in May for the 108-room Holiday Inn Express. They paid another $2.6 million in October for The Fish House property, giving them 4.5 acres on the southeast corner.

Simon told Stet he had no plans to redevelop and was happy to let the hotel and the restaurant keep operating. "Just investing," he said. "Boring stuff." After the story ran, The Fish House's owner contacted Stet so readers would know the restaurant is not closing, adding that he is pursuing improvements and plans to stay. WPTV updated its own coverage on January 28 with the same correction: the land sold, and both businesses kept their current operators.

So for anyone deciding where to eat tonight, the southeast corner is the same place it was a year ago. The Fish House still advertises its landscaped terrace and covered patio. No dated renovation has been announced yet.

Across U.S. 1, Juno Square has stayed just as steady. Juno Beach Cafe serves breakfast, brunch and lunch. Its site highlights the Uncle Eddie pancake recipe, calls the migas a local favorite and promotes Sunday brunch with live music. Thirsty Turtle at 13981 US-1 lists its hours as 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday. The main site promotes its award-winning wings and fresh seafood.

Where the corner lost a table

The one restaurant the intersection lost was in Plaza La Mer, the 111,361-square-foot center at 803–901 Donald Ross Road, just west of Caretta. The Palm Beach Post reported that County Line Pizza closed on December 14, 2025. According to the Post, the owner did not renew the lease into 2026 amid lease negotiations and uncertainty over the plaza.

As of this month, no replacement tenant for that space has been announced. Bucksbaum Properties of Chicago bought the center for $27 million in September 2023 and, per Stet, has shown no desire to rebuild it. WPTV reported that the mayor met with Plaza La Mer tenants on January 21 to talk through their concerns about possible development.

That uncertainty comes from the zoning, not from any filed plan. Town rules let commercial property be up to 75% residential as long as 25% stays commercial. A draft from the Town's ongoing Four Corners master plan showed what that ratio could allow on the Plaza La Mer site. That draft is not a proposal from the owner.

The one new table is going into the building people argued over most

Here is what makes this season unusual. The only confirmed new restaurant at the Four Corners is going into Caretta, the building that drew more debate than anything else at the intersection. It also happens to be one of the more closely watched restaurant debuts in the country this year.

Big Mamma Group, the Paris company behind Pink Mamma, Gloria Osteria in Milan and Carlotta in London, picked Juno Beach for its first restaurant in the United States. Forbes put it plainly in May: "It is not New York or Los Angeles. It is Juno Beach, Florida." The group runs more than 35 locations across nine countries. Markets of Tomorrow reported in June that the restaurant will be inside the new Caretta condominium and retail building off U.S. 1.

According to Forbes, the U.S. launch is a 50/50 joint venture with Ballyhoo Hospitality, the Chicago group whose Ryan O'Donnell and Jon Farrer brought the partnership together. Part of the local footing comes from Carmine Giardini of Carmine's Gourmet Market and La Trattoria. Giardini has been importing Italian products into Palm Beach County for nearly 40 years, and Forbes says his network gives the group a ready supply route from Italian producers to the Juno Beach kitchen.

Forbes also outlined the menu. It won't copy any existing Big Mamma restaurant. The plan includes 48-hour proofed pizza dough, focaccia baked every morning, handmade regional pastas including lesser-known filled shapes, and a grill section that runs from fish to Fiorentina using South Florida seafood. Gelato will be made in-house daily, and co-founder Tigrane Seydoux hinted at coastal, fruit-forward flavors suited to the climate.

The group's jobs page describes the place as "an Italian trattoria in Juno Beach, Florida," and says it will be "just steps away from the waterfront" and "entirely unique to South Florida." The page lists opening-team roles, including a Pastry Lead.

This is the corner residents debated most. As Stet News reported in March, the Town approved Caretta in 2022 after changing its rules so the project could be 95% residential and 5% commercial. The rules were later rolled back to the 75/25 split, and the building was a frequent topic in this year's council election. Caretta's reported total of retail, restaurant and office space is 22,000 square feet, according to The Real Deal. That small commercial ground floor is where the intersection's one new restaurant is headed.

What "late 2026" means as of mid-October

The announced target is still "late 2026," a date set in the May coverage. Here's what the official pages say right now:

None of those pages gives a date, and there is no public record yet of the building being finished. Until the group names the restaurant or opens reservations, the opening date is unconfirmed.

Meanwhile, the season's gatherings are still on Town property

Big Mamma's dining room isn't open yet, and Plaza La Mer has an empty storefront. This fall's community calendar is still run by the Town of Juno Beach, mostly at Town Center:

• Oktoberfest: Thursday, October 22, 4 to 7 p.m., Town Center Courtyard
• JBPD Lights and Frights: Friday, October 30, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
• Veterans Day Celebration: Wednesday, November 11, 8 to 9 a.m., Town Center Courtyard
• Christmas by the Lake: Friday, December 4, 5 to 7 p.m., Town Center Backyard Area
• Hanukkah Celebration: Thursday, December 10, 5 to 7 p.m., Town Center Courtyard

The Juno Beach Pier is also still open, though partly blocked off as work moves along it in sections. Loggerhead Marinelife Center's pier update says the refurbishment began June 1. Work was scheduled to resume October 5 between the pier house and the first shade structure, after more panels were built offsite. The project is phased to avoid a full closure whenever possible, and the center's current estimate is about six months in total. The center posts weekly notes on which sections will be closed, so check them before heading out with a rod.

Curious how all this change at the Four Corners affects what your home is worth? Janet Cordero has followed this intersection for more than 25 years and can show you how nearby sales and new construction like Caretta factor into your home's value. Request Your Free Home Valuation.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.