Royal Inn Hotel Resort - Owner
Jess R. Santamaria arrived in the western communities in 1974 and since then has been involved in countless civic and business activities, too numerous to include in this biographical sketch. Among his accomplishments is performance as builder/developer of some 3,000 homes and nine commercial projects, some of which he currently owns and manages with his lawyer son, Chris. Santamaria has a chemical engineering degree and a master’s of business administration from the prestigious Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania. He is a founding member and 2000 president of the Central Palm Beach County Chamber, where he also served as chairman of the Chairman’s Club. Santamaria has received numerous “Man of the Year” and “Hall of Fame” awards from many Palm Beach County organizations, and he has been honored as “outstanding citizen” by both the villages of Royal Palm Beach and Wellington. In 2006, Santamaria was elected Palm Beach County commissioner for District 6, which includes the western communities. He has been married to his wife, Victoria, for 44 years, and the couple has three children (two lawyers and a computer specialist) and three grandchildren.
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