Percy Lee was a transformative civic leader whose vision and determination reshaped opportunity and public life in Palm Beach County, Florida. For nearly two decades, Lee served as Executive Director of the Urban League of Palm Beach County, guiding the organization through a period of profound growth, institutional stability, and expanded community impact.
Under Lee’s leadership, the Urban League evolved from a modest service organization into a cornerstone institution. He secured a permanent headquarters on Australian Avenue near Roosevelt Middle School, strengthened long-term funding, and expanded programs focused on employment, housing stability, and economic self-sufficiency. Among his most enduring contributions were initiatives that helped low-income residents weatherize their homes, conserve energy, and stabilize rent and mortgage payments—practical solutions that reflected his belief in dignity through self-empowerment.
Lee was widely respected for his uncompromising professionalism and his insistence that public service institutions reflect the communities they served. Earlier in his career, while working within Palm Beach County government, he challenged exclusionary hiring practices and played a quiet but decisive role in integrating county departments, including public safety. His leadership demonstrated that institutional change could be achieved through persistence, preparation, and principle.
Colleagues and community members alike remembered Percy Lee for setting a tone of respect and accountability. Visitors to the Urban League were treated with dignity, a reflection of Lee’s belief that compassion and excellence were inseparable. His legacy extended beyond programs and policies; it lived in the confidence he instilled in others and the pathways he created for future leaders.
Percy Lee’s death was widely mourned, but his influence endures in the institutions he strengthened, the neighborhoods he helped stabilize, and the generations of civic leaders inspired by his example. His life stands as a testament to the power of steady leadership, moral clarity, and an unwavering commitment to community uplift.
