A new Vanderbilt University campus is officially coming to South Florida.
Following months of discussions, Palm Beach County commissioners approved on Tuesday for a graduate campus to be built in West Palm Beach.
Many are excited for the benefits of having the prestigious school in town, including Palm Beach County Mayor Maria Sachs.
"We won't be known necessarily just for our golf courses and our beautiful beaches and our shopping but now for the caliber of our students, who are going to be coming into our business world as top notch," Sachs explained. "The university that's in the top 20 in the country has chosen us, Palm Beach County, to be their site for graduate school and artificial intelligence and computer literacy school."
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However, there are some people in Palm Beach County who oppose the project.
"I don't want to waste taxpayer money. I'm very sad about it," resident Alexandria Larson told NBC6 affiliate WPTV. "There are other areas we could expand that won't be detrimental to the traffic, the time, patience and the taxpayers."
Mayor Sachs responded to the concerns, saying the focus should be on how this project will help the county long-term.
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"My message to them is, this isn't a giveaway. This is an investment. It's an investment in our students, our children, our grandchildren of tomorrow. I'm excited," Sachs told WPTV.
Vanderbilt has said it expects economic benefit of $7 billion in the first 25 years from annual operations and student spending, $14 billion in the first 50 years, and $24 billion in the first 75 years.
Local students will also be eligible for scholarship opportunities, according to the university.
Vanderbilt is set to begin teaching graduate-level courses in Palm Beach County in 2026.
