Boca Raton City Council Workshop: Government Campus Update & Public Input – October 14, 2025

The October 14, 2025 workshop of the Boca Raton City Council focused on the proposed government campus redevelopment partnership with Terra Frisbee (one BOCA), the status of the Save Boca charter amendment petition, and public concerns over parkland, trees, and wildlife. The council heard from the developer, city staff, and over 20 public speakers, and addressed financial clarifications, environmental surveys, and next steps.

Public Comments & Testimony

• John Pearlman (Save Boca) reported that 7,700 certified signatures were submitted for a charter amendment to protect public land. He criticized the city for spending $267,000 on consultants for a project he called a "failed plan."
• Ellie Gascoigne and Emily Gascoigne (students) opposed the project, citing destruction of softball fields, gopher tortoise habitat, and Memorial Park. They urged the council to stop the plan.
• Bob Tucker expressed support for the one BOCA mailer and said the project could bring long-term value, urging opponents to consider compromise.
• Martha Parker called for more transparency in the public-private partnership (P3) terms, including financial disclosures and a campaign contribution prohibition.
• Brianna Hayquist (Coach Houses community) said the city failed to reach out to nearby residents. She claimed to have found three live gopher tortoises with burrows in the Sugar Sand Park area, contradicting a city survey.
• Mike Liebelson questioned the financial viability of the deal, estimating the land lease value at $500 million versus $100 million in tax benefits, and asked about Terra's litigation history.
• Mac Johnson told a story about a fictitious city to illustrate the loss of public parks to private development.
• Michelle Grau (CPA) said the city lacks independent verification of economic impact claims and warned of hidden liabilities.
• Pam Paci questioned the city's distribution of parks relative to population and opposed high-density housing on public land.
• Joe Mages argued the city has $677 million in reserves and could build facilities itself without a private partner.
• Martin Bell said the opposition is not fear of change but fear of giving away control of public land, and asked the council to defer decisions on Sugar Sand Park until after the March 2026 referendum.
• Diane Borghard (former city environmental planner) stated that the northwest sector of Sugar Sand Park was environmentally sensitive and that gopher tortoises were present there.
• Scott Prey said he personally relocated gopher tortoises to the park within the last year and challenged the city's survey findings.
• Judy Morrow (former teacher) criticized the one BOCA mailer as misleading—omitting 740 apartments and retail—and asked to preserve the tennis courts at Memorial Park.
• Lisa Mahal requested that the city restore the campaign contribution ban in the Terra Frisbee contract and noted that her public records request for nonprofit leases was not properly fulfilled.
• Jonathan Unj supported moving forward with the scaled-down plan, saying the current parking lots are underutilized and that the city should work with the developer to create a better outcome.
• Buffy Tucker said the process was done backwards—citizens should have voted on public land use first—and that the adversarial tone stems from mistrust of the council.
• Zachary Plotkin asked the mayor to commit to not attending the Rotary Club Mayor's Ball (sponsored by Terra Frisbee) until after the referendum; the mayor responded that he would attend as a private ticket purchaser.
• Ivan Zumtobel (journalist) called the one BOCA mailer unethical and misleading, and said the city website should link to both sides of the issue.
• Shannon Otto urged the council to use taxpayer money wisely and to keep Memorial Park as green space.
• Richard Warner said the project is unnecessary and will only add heat and congestion; he asked the council to consider whether the change is truly beneficial.

Discussion Items

• Developer Presentation (Rob Frisbee, one BOCA): Frisbee announced a scaled-down plan: private development would be limited to approximately 7 acres on the east side of 2nd Avenue, built on existing surface parking lots and defunct buildings. The west side would remain as a world-class Memorial Park, with all banyan trees preserved and green space increased. He reported two community open houses (Sept 29 and Oct 6) with over 200 attendees, and a third scheduled for Oct 22 at Spanish River Library. He said a revised proposal will be presented at the Oct 27 workshop and Oct 28 council meeting.
• City Staff Clarifications:
  • City Manager Sohaney corrected misinformation about the police department site (19 acres, 80% pre-developed, not an urban forest) and Sugar Sand Park (47 acres of conservation area are protected; no active gopher tortoise burrows found in the proposed softball complex area).
  • CFO Jim Zervis clarified the city’s financial position: as of Sept 30, 2024, total cash across 22 funds was $601.8 million, not $677 million. The general fund had $96.2 million, of which $25 million is for hurricane reserves and $25 million for fiscal emergencies. Annual revenue is $456.5 million, not $500 million. He explained that the $80 million transit-oriented community project in the CIP is a planning document with no spending authority yet; only $24 million is budgeted for this fiscal year, and no money has been spent. An independent fiscal analysis by PFM (consultant) is underway and will be made public when the project scope is finalized.
  • City Attorney Kaler stated that Terra Frisbee complied with all legal requirements in the RFP process, including disclosure of litigation history, and that the council has full discretion to continue with the project.
• Council Discussion on Recreation Relocation: Councilmember Thompson proposed pausing all preliminary work on moving recreation (e.g., softball fields) to Sugar Sand Park until after the March 2026 referendum. He argued that the city should not be doing surveys or site work before voters decide. Other council members (Wigder, Naklicki, Drucker, Mayor Singer) disagreed, stating that preliminary surveys are necessary to gather facts, inform the public, and comply with the interlocal agreement with the Beach and Park District. The consensus was to continue non-invasive surveys and environmental assessments, but not to proceed with any construction until after the referendum.
• Councilmember Wigder presented photos of King Tide flooding at Wildflower Park and the boat ramp, and suggested the city conduct a seawall survey. He also showed the police station site (currently a staging area with existing roads and parking) to counter claims that it is an urban forest.

Key Outcomes

• No vote was taken on the interim agreement extension with Terra Frisbee; the council will hear a revised proposal at the Oct 27 workshop and Oct 28 meeting.
• The city attorney confirmed that the Save Boca charter amendment and identical ordinance will be presented to the council at the Oct 28 meeting, with the charter amendment to appear on the March 10, 2026 ballot per the Supervisor of Elections.
• The council will proceed with environmental surveys and tree assessments at Sugar Sand Park and the police station site, but will not undertake any physical construction or relocation of recreation until after the March 2026 vote.
• Staff will obtain a commercial market value appraisal of the land parcels involved in the proposed development (both the full 31 acres and the smaller 7-acre footprint).
• The city reiterated its commitment to tree preservation and replacement, noting that 8,000 trees were planted last year and that policy will continue regardless of the project outcome.
• The council agreed to improve communication with affected neighborhoods, particularly the Coach Houses community near Sugar Sand Park.