Boca Raton City Council Workshop – October 27, 2025

The Boca Raton City Council held a workshop meeting on Monday, October 27, 2025, from 2:10 PM to 4:22 PM. The agenda included a presentation of the LEED for Cities Gold Award, interviews for several city boards, public requests, a review of agenda items including an update on a historic rainfall event, a discussion on placing the citizen-sponsored parks protection referendum on the January 13, 2026 special election ballot, and a detailed presentation of the revised Government Campus Redevelopment Partnership proposal from the One Boca (Terra Frisbee) team.

Proclamations/Presentations

• LEED for Cities Gold Certification – Sustainability Manager Christina Bato Jennings announced that the City of Boca Raton earned Gold certification (64 out of 110 points) in the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Cities program. Karen Jernigan of USGBC presented the certificate, noting Florida leads the world in LEED-certified local governments. The award reflects efforts in clean transportation, waste diversion, affordable housing, stormwater management, and public health. The city’s climate goals include a 63% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net zero by 2050.

Board Interviews

• Boca Raton Housing Authority – Ben Nyberg interviewed. He shared his personal connection to public housing and expressed support for expanding housing opportunities. (One other applicant, Ms. Wright, was unable to attend.)
• Civil Service Board – No applicant present.
• Environmental Advisory Board – No applicant present.
• Executive Employees’ Retirement Plan – Chrissy Gibson, a current board member and deputy city manager, and Chris Helfrick interviewed. Both expressed interest in continuing to serve. Appointments will be made at the regular meeting on October 28.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Christina Escalante – Requested transparency regarding the city police department’s 287(g) agreement with ICE, asking for policies on profiling and officer identification to be posted on the city website. She noted her family’s positive history with law enforcement.
• John Perlman (Save Boca) – Urged the council to adopt the parks protection ordinance outright, stating the 12,009 petition signatures demonstrate a loss of public trust. He argued the council is representing developer interests, not residents.
• Jonathan Unger – Supported Mr. Perlman’s comments and emphasized that the ordinance should be considered by council before a referendum, noting the potential impact on leases and projects.
• During the Government Campus discussion:
  • Judy Morrow – Expressed concerns about the project’s scale, environmental impact, traffic projections, and questioned the accuracy of revenue projections. She noted that many community suggestions (e.g., private land alternatives) were not addressed.
  • Julia Stagner – Praised the revised plan’s attempt to bring the outdoors in, but criticized the steel-and-glass architecture as inconsistent with Boca Raton’s charm and Addison Mizner’s legacy.
  • Mike Liebelson – Argued the city could build the park itself without a public-private partnership, and called for detailed guarantees and performance bonds before any deal. He urged selling the land outright for property tax revenue instead.
  • John Perlman (Save Boca) – Claimed the citizens “saved Memorial Park” through petitions and urged the council to reject any private development on public land. He stated new leadership will be elected in March 2026.
  • Pam Pashki – Opposed a 99-year lease (suggesting 50 years maximum), questioned building heights (140 feet), parking, and traffic impacts on 2nd Avenue. She advocated for free parking and a meaningful public hearing notice.
  • Jonathan Unger – Noted the revised plan is more palatable but reminded that the downtown has long had development rights. He suggested city hall remain a police station for safety and proposed remote public comment options.

Discussion Items

• Storm Update (October 26-27 Flooding) – Councilman Nakless requested an update. City Manager Sahaney and Public Works Director Zach Beer reported that an extreme rainfall event (6-7 inches in two hours, approximately one billion gallons) overwhelmed parts of the system but the stormwater infrastructure performed as designed. 950 police calls and 100 fire rescue calls were handled; no water in residences reported. Staff discussed swale preservation, coordination with Lake Worth and South Florida Water Management District, and outreach via MyBoca.us and alert systems. An after-action report will be prepared. Council members emphasized resident safety and avoiding unnecessary travel during storms.
• Referendum Ballot Timing – The Mayor noted a special election (District 87) has been called for January 13, 2026, and the Supervisor of Elections confirmed the city can join that ballot for the parks protection petition question. City Attorney Kaler stated two resolutions (159 and 160) originally set for March would be amended to January 13. Council reached consensus to place the question on the January 13 ballot, with several members citing the petitioners’ desire for a timely vote. Cost details are not yet available.
• Government Campus Redevelopment Partnership (One Boca/Terra Frisbee) – Rob Frisbee presented a substantially revised plan following community engagement (three open houses, ~300 attendees). Key changes: no private development west of 2nd Avenue; leased area reduced from 31 to under 8 acres (east of 2nd Avenue); public recreational space doubled from 7.6 to 15.4 acres. The plan includes 769 rental units, 186 condominium units (on private land), a 180-key hotel, 150,000 sq ft office building, retail, a pedestrian promenade, new city hall, community center, tennis courts, children’s playground, and a central memorial park. 10% affordable housing included. Phasing: phase one includes office, hotel, some residential; phase two follows after police station relocation. Revenue projections: over $2 billion gross, $200 million net present value. Council members asked about building heights (max 140 feet), parking, connectivity, small business opportunities, and continued public input. The Mayor and Council thanked the team for listening to community feedback. Public comment was taken (see above). Mr. Frisbee agreed to provide more financial details at the next meeting.

Key Outcomes

• Consent to amend referendum date: Council agreed to change the date for the parks protection charter amendment vote from March to January 13, 2026, and will introduce resolutions to that effect at the regular meeting on October 28.
• Board appointments: Will be made at the October 28 regular meeting; interviewed applicants need not attend.
• Storm response: Staff will produce an after-action report and continue outreach. Council directed an update on school zone camera expansion.
• Government Campus: No binding decisions made; the presentation and public input were received. Council will continue discussions at upcoming meetings, with more detailed financial and traffic analyses expected by end of December. The item remains in negotiation.

Council Member Reports and Announcements

• Deputy Mayor Nakless – Reported on Florida League of Cities committees: housing (Live Local Act, ADUs) as a legislative priority, and CRAs as a policy position.
• Councilwoman Drucker – Announced the name change of the Transit Planning Agency to Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO); reported on the Florida League of Cities Intergovernmental Relations Committee efforts on SB 180 (emergency recovery) and EV surcharges; and promoted the Pepsi National Battle of the Bands coming to Boca Raton in January 2026.
• Councilman Wigder – Highlighted threats to home rule from state preemption, notably the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) bill that would allow building without local zoning approval, and several property tax reform bills that could reduce city revenue. He attended the Jerusalem Ballet at FAU.
• Mayor Singer – Announced the opening of 18 covered pickleball/padel courts at Patch Reef Park and a new private facility, Padel X. He reminded residents to sign up for city alerts and stay safe during the ongoing rain event.