Boca Raton City Council Workshop - February 9, 2026

The Boca Raton City Council held a workshop meeting on February 9, 2026, at 2:10 PM. The meeting covered board interviews for several advisory committees, discussion of future agenda items, public requests, and detailed updates from the city manager on the Town Center CIMD amendment and a traffic mobility plan. Several council members reported on state and federal legislative activities. The meeting adjourned at 3:37 PM.

Consent Calendar

• No consent calendar items were discussed; the review of regular agenda items was deferred to the regular meeting on February 10, 2026.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Jonathan Unjin (6501 Congress Avenue) spoke during public requests. He raised concerns about the special magistrate appointment process, arguing that it is a paid position appointed by council and may pose a conflict of interest. He also urged that the freestanding emergency room ordinance (Item 10a) not be postponed, arguing for a vibrant public discussion at the first reading on February 10, with second reading on February 24. He stated that the delay deprives the public of input and that the property owner (HCA) had already identified a suitable site, which had been challenged incorrectly. He also noted the need for emergency care access for the thousands of workers and future residents in the LERP area.

Discussion Items

Board Interviews

• Citizens Pedestrian and Bikeway Advisory Board: Applicant Barry Apfel (2504 NW 66 Drive) expressed interest, citing 30 years of residency, a cycling background, and safety concerns from his career as a pharmacist seeing vehicular injuries. He was informed of financial disclosure requirements and said he had no issues with that. Council expressed appreciation and will make appointments at the regular meeting on February 10.
• Marine Advisory Board: Two reapplicants spoke:
  • JP Dixon (245 S. Country Club Boulevard) highlighted the dredge return, efforts to address unauthorized commercial charters at Silver Pond Boat Ramp, and other board contributions.
  • Gene Fulton, chairman since the board's 2001 inception, discussed board work on waterways, parks, bridges, the inlet, anchoring, derelict vessels, and variances. He noted unresolved recommendations regarding commercial vessels at Silver Palm Park.
• Special Magistrates: Three reapplicants were interviewed:
  • Kevin Wagner (15 years of service) emphasized upholding city code and encouraging compliance.
  • Judith Setcher (7 years of service for parking and code enforcement) noted her experience on the bench and desire to continue.
  • Harry Hipler (6 years of service) stressed listening to respondents and explaining rulings; he also serves as magistrate in five other cities.

Future Agenda Matters – Freestanding Emergency Room Ordinance (Item 10a)

• Councilmember Wigder requested postponement of Ordinance 5767 (freestanding emergency rooms) from the February 10 agenda to February 24, citing necessary amendments not yet included. He proposed amendments: adding LERP as a conditional use, a one-mile radius restriction between facilities, requiring primary road access (not secondary/tertiary), and prohibiting proximity to school zones due to safety conflicts.
• Mayor supported postponement, noting the ordinance had been requested a year and a half ago and LERP was initially excluded but now should be added after discussions with stakeholders. He confirmed staff would be ready by February 24.
• Councilmember Drucker agreed, emphasizing that freestanding ERs should be placed in appropriate areas for public safety and access, not banned. She supported deferral.
• Deputy Mayor Nacklas stated that including LERP made sense from the beginning and did not oppose a two-week delay.
• The council informally agreed to postpone the item to February 24 via a motion at the regular meeting; no formal vote was taken at the workshop.

City Manager Report – Town Center CIMD Amendment Update

• City Manager Sohaney introduced the item, emphasizing that the CIMD (Commercial Industrial Multifamily Development) program strategically places residential in commercial areas to reduce commute times and support commercial viability.
• Development Services Director Brandon Shad presented an overview: the CIMD ordinance was adopted in early 2024 with a 2,500-unit cap (574 units remaining after approvals, exempting Tri-Rail station). So far, 2,187 units have been approved (including 220 affordable and 87 workforce) across seven projects, but none have permits issued yet. Three pending applications would add 517 units, leaving only 147 units remaining if approved.
• Town Center Mall requested 400 additional units be added to the unit bank, designated exclusively for the redevelopment of the former Sears parcel (mixed-use project). A level-of-service analysis would be updated.
• Council discussion:
  • Deputy Mayor Nacklas suggested this should be part of a larger conversation about the overall vision, including increasing affordable/workforce housing requirements (e.g., 15% affordable + 15% workforce), improved walkability/bike infrastructure, and updating the cap holistically.
  • Councilmember Wigder noted the Town Center Mall property (over 100 acres) could potentially develop more units under the state's Live Local Act without local approval, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and concurrency. He supported further discussion but wanted to ensure level-of-service and transit demand management (TDM) are considered.
  • Councilmember Drucker agreed that the Town Center area (midtown) is ripe for controlled residential growth, supporting the need for workforce housing and strong infrastructure planning. She expressed openness but wanted more conversation.
  • Councilmember Thompson had no immediate comment but requested staff provide additional context: the original recommended unit cap, how the request fits with other sites, and analysis of dedicating units exclusively to the mall.
• Staff will come back in a few months with further analysis and direction from council.

City Manager Report – Traffic Mobility Update

• Public Works and Engineering Director Zach Beer presented the city's transportation and mobility progress:
  • Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Program: The city has won three federal grants (2022, 2024, 2025) totaling $5.8 million with $1.6 million local match ($7.4 million total) for Vision Zero, bike/pedestrian investments, and signal/opticom technology. The Vision Zero Action Plan will be presented on the consent agenda.
  • Crash Data: Over the past six years, Boca Raton averages 7 crashes per day and 4 serious injury/fatal crashes per month. The majority of serious/fatal crashes (67%) occur on state and county roads (6% and 8% of center line miles) rather than city roads (86% of center line miles, but fewer crashes). The high-injury crash network comprises 7% of roadway miles (27 corridor segments, 63 intersections).
  • Planned Countermeasures: Speed management, protecting vulnerable road users, site-specific measures, policies/programs. Specific projects include downtown pedestrian enhancements, Palmetto Park Road traffic calming, roundabout evaluation, school flasher upgrades, and education/outreach (bike rodeos, safety fairs).
  • Mobility Plan: A year-long effort to identify multimodal needs through 2050, supporting concurrency standards and a potential mobility fee. The plan will inform the countywide transportation plan.
  • Councilmember Drucker praised the work and noted her roles (MPO chair, NLC committee) advocating for federal funding. Councilmember Nacklas highlighted the need for safe routes to school, speed feedback signs, and continued enforcement/countermeasures for speeding. Councilmember Wigder discussed AI signal timing, coordination with railroads, and potential for autonomous vehicles. Staff will evaluate corridor-by-corridor improvements and continue data-driven approaches.

Council Member Reports

• Councilmember Drucker reported on her reappointment to the NLC transportation committee, upcoming DC advocacy for reauthorizing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, MPOAC meeting, FDOT wrong-way driving detection on I-95, and monitoring state legislation (SB 1220, property tax bills, local government spending bill). She also announced the Tri-Rail link groundbreaking on February 13.
• Councilmember Wigder mentioned attending the Palm Beach County League of Cities trip to Tallahassee and will provide additional details at the regular meeting.
• Mayor noted potential discussion on the downtown campus plan enabling ordinance, possibly requiring future council approval for including additional parcels, to address neighborhood concerns about traffic and scale.

Key Outcomes

• Board Appointments: All appointments to the Pedestrian and Bikeway Advisory Board, Marine Advisory Board, and Special Magistrate positions will be made at the regular meeting on February 10, 2026. Applicants were told they need not attend to be considered.
• Freestanding Emergency Room Ordinance: Council informally agreed to postpone Ordinance 5767 from February 10 to February 24, 2026, to allow staff to incorporate amendments (including LERP as a conditional use, radius restriction, access requirements, and school zone prohibition). A formal motion will be made at the regular meeting.
• Town Center CIMD Amendment: Council directed staff to conduct further analysis (updated level-of-service, holistic review of unit cap and affordability requirements, and implications of dedicating units to the mall) and to return for discussion in a few months. No deadline was set.
• Traffic Mobility Plan: Staff will continue implementing the Vision Zero Action Plan, deploy AI-coordinated signal timing on additional corridors, pursue federal grants, and develop the mobility plan over the next year. The consent agenda on February 10 will include a work order for the countywide transportation plan.
• Legislative Monitoring: Councilmembers will continue to track state and federal legislative developments affecting local government spending, transportation funding, and property taxes, reporting back as needed.