OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Boca Raton City Council Regular Meeting - May 12, 2026

Boca Raton Public Meetings — Tuesday, May 12, 2026
BodyBoca Raton, Florida
SessionBoca Raton Public Meetings
DateTuesday, May 12, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:42:21
Transcript — Verbatim
0:02

Welcome everybody to a regular meeting of Eurobook Raton City Council.

0:05

The day is Tuesday, March, beg your pardon.

0:08

May 12th, 2026.

0:09

The time is now 6 p.m.

0:11

First order of business is the invocation for which I'll ask Mr.

0:14

Perlman to deliver.

0:19

We are thankful today that we have the opportunity to conduct the city's business on behalf of the residents and work to improve Boca Raton for the benefit of all.

0:28

We are truly blessed to live here in this beautiful city.

0:32

Let us listen intently to one another, show each other respect and kindness, and demonstrate reason, common sense, and integrity as we make decisions today for the best interest of all the residents of Boca Raton.

0:45

Amen.

0:46

Amen.

0:46

Thank you, Mr.

0:47

Perlman.

0:47

If we can all now rise for the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:51

Pledge allegiance.

1:02

With liberty and justice for all.

1:07

Thank you all.

1:08

Ms.

1:08

Sittens, could you please call the roll?

1:09

Mayor Thompson?

1:11

Thankful to be here.

1:11

Deputy Mayor Crow.

1:13

Here.

1:14

Councilmember Drucker?

1:15

Here.

1:15

Councilmember Perlman?

1:17

Here.

1:17

Councilmember Sippel.

1:18

Present.

1:19

All present.

1:20

Thank you.

1:21

Next we have amendments to the agenda.

1:22

I had mentioned yesterday that I was going to be asking to postpone the discussion on the downtown civic engagement task force.

1:32

So if it's the pleasure of the body, I think it may make sense to amend the agenda to remove that item.

1:38

So I would make a motion to remove item 10A.

1:42

And just for folks who weren't paying attention yesterday, the idea being that the decision was made a couple weeks ago for this body to hire a consultant through an RFP process to help us with civic engagement, among other things.

1:57

And we thought it made sense, or I thought it made sense to have any task force associated with that civic engagement process.

2:05

We should at least consult with a consultant on their views as to whether such a task force was necessary or not, not to say that they will decide that they won't, but at least have the ability to advise us as to the merits of having a task force for purposes of civic engagement.

2:21

And so with that all in mind, I think it might make sense as a result to move that we remove item 10 A from our agenda and take it up again when we get to the point when our consultant has been hired following the RFP process.

2:36

So with that, is there a second to the motion?

2:39

Second.

2:41

Any discussion on this matter?

2:42

Uh motion for discussion.

2:44

Okay, don't need to move.

2:45

You can you can discuss.

2:46

Go ahead.

2:50

We have a consultant.

2:52

We have a task force.

2:55

At what point do we do our jobs?

2:58

We're paying taxpayers money to put layers and layers between us and them.

3:04

I came here to serve, not to delegate.

3:09

Right now, we're about to hire a consultant to pay them hundreds of thousands to to listen to residents.

3:18

We can do that ourselves.

3:20

Let's go have some town halls.

3:23

I don't know why we need to have a consultant listened listen for us.

3:31

We don't need a dais.

3:32

We can go to gymnasiums, we can go to churches, we can go into communities, we can speak with the residents directly.

3:40

And we don't need I honestly I've lost track of how many layers we have now between us and the residents.

3:46

Maybe the clerk could tell us.

3:52

If you don't want to do this as a city council, and you you want to pay some consultant to listen to the residents for us and have them put it in a report for hundreds of thousands of dollars, then I'm I'm more than willing myself to go into the community into the community and listen to the residents directly.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████21%
Affordable Housing████████████████16%
Real Estate Acquisition████████████12%
Transportation Safety███████████11%
Board Appointments██████████10%
Public Engagement████████8%
Parks and Recreation███████7%
Public Safety████4%
Community Engagement███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Boca Raton City Council Regular Meeting - May 12, 2026

The Boca Raton City Council held a regular meeting on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at 6:00 PM. The meeting included agenda amendments, board appointments, approval of the consent agenda, a quasi-judicial public hearing on a Holiday Inn conversion to residential and commercial use, combined regular public hearings on the "Save Boca" land protection ordinance and charter amendment, introduction of a lobbyist disclosure ordinance, and public requests. The meeting adjourned at 8:42 PM.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved unanimously (5-0) the consent agenda, which included items 9A through 9J: intergovernmental agreements for sodium hypochlorite, utility services, security services; resolutions authorizing work orders and agreements for construction, maintenance, and equipment for various city projects; and acceptance of a board resignation.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Quasi-Judicial Hearing (Item 11A): Multiple residents spoke in favor of the Holiday Inn & Suites CIMD conversion, citing reduced traffic, no variances, and the addition of affordable housing. No opposition was voiced. Speakers included Richard Warner (questioned removing a hotel given hotel construction elsewhere), Mike Liebelson (supported the project), and Meredith Madsen (supported the conversion).
  • Regular Public Hearings (Items 12A/12B): Several residents spoke on the Save Boca land protection measures. Dr. Lorraine Blank expressed support but raised concerns about exceptions (2C and 2D) allowing potential loopholes. Mike Liebelson strongly supported passage and urged a special election sooner than March 2027. Robert Ducate questioned whether "lease" includes concession agreements, citing a beach and parks district example. Martha Parker supported the ordinance but urged fiscal responsibility by waiting for a regular election. Harold Chaffee criticized the beach and parks district for using the word "concession" to circumvent similar restrictions. Richard Warner praised the achievement and urged a separate election to avoid entanglement with council elections.
  • Public Requests: Several residents addressed other topics: Dr. Robert Otto requested removal of a non-binding resolution related to a prior First Amendment lawsuit. Robert Ducate criticized the beach and parks district's plans for Jeffrey Street and 28th Street changes. Michael Schneider opposed a skate park and Boys & Girls Club near residential areas. Lorraine Blank criticized the scope of the downtown consultant RFP for excluding key parcels. Judy Morrow requested funding for Gumbo Limbo turtle hospital and improvements to the tennis center. Brianna Hackquist spoke on behalf of gopher tortoises and opposed a skate park and cell tower in Sugarsand Park. Martha Parker advocated for a downtown task force and a comprehensive recreation study.

Discussion Items

  • Agenda Amendment (Item 10A Removal): Council Member Perlman moved to remove Resolution No. 49-2026 (repealing the Downtown Civic Engagement Task Force) from the agenda, deferring until a consultant is hired. Motion passed 4-1, with Council Member Perlman opposed, arguing against adding layers between council and residents.
  • Board Appointments: Council made appointments to the Airport Authority (East of I-95: Folden, Nobles, Pollock; West of I-95: Fogle; At-Large: Tucker), Citizens Pedestrian and Bikeway Advisory Board (Dinner), Environmental Advisory Board (Gray), and Historic Preservation Board (Bernier). All were approved with recorded votes. The Marine Advisory Board vacancy was carried over.
  • Quasi-Judicial Hearing - Resolution 45-2026 (Holiday Inn CIMD): The council considered converting a 183-room hotel into 125 residential units (10% affordable, 5% workforce), a restaurant, and retail. Staff and Planning & Zoning Board recommended approval. The applicant voluntarily proffered five parking spaces for public access to the El Rio Trail, with hours subject to approval by the Development Services Director. Council discussed EV charging and transit passes. After public comment, the motion to adopt as amended passed 4-1, with Council Member Perlman voting no, citing that the CIMD designation allows fewer affordable housing units than the Live Local Act would require.
  • Regular Public Hearings - Ordinance 5784 and Resolution 35-2026 (Save Boca Land Protection): Council considered an ordinance and charter amendment requiring voter approval for lease or sale of city-owned land over 0.5 acres, with limited exceptions. The language was developed with the petitioners' committee. After public comment, Ordinance 5784 passed 5-0. Resolution 35-2026 (submitting the charter amendment to voters at the next available election, no later than March 2027) passed 4-1, with Council Member Drucker voting no. Discussion included timing of the election (some wanted a special election sooner) and the exceptions for non-profit leases, utility easements, city use, and temporary recreational activities.
  • Introduction of Ordinances: Ordinance No. 5785, establishing lobbyist certification and disclosure requirements for development applications, was introduced by Council Member Grow.

Key Outcomes

  • Item 10A Removed from Agenda (motion passed 4-1).
  • Board Appointments approved as follows: Airport Authority (Folden, Nobles, Pollock; Fogle; Tucker); Citizens Pedestrian and Bikeway Advisory Board (Dinner); Environmental Advisory Board (Gray); Historic Preservation Board (Bernier).
  • Consent Agenda approved unanimously (5-0).
  • Resolution 45-2026 (Holiday Inn CIMD) adopted as amended with voluntary proffer of five parking spaces for trail access (passed 4-1).
  • Ordinance 5784 (code-level protection of city-owned lands) adopted unanimously (5-0).
  • Resolution 35-2026 (ballot resolution for charter amendment) adopted (passed 4-1), setting special election no later than March 2027.
  • Ordinance 5785 (lobbyist disclosure) introduced for first reading.
  • City Manager Report: Noted enhanced traffic enforcement (over 800 traffic stops, 1,100 warnings/citations, 150 speeding tickets on May 12); police chief interview process underway (8 candidates, selection expected early June); hurricane preparedness reminder; Memorial Day ceremony scheduled for May 25.
  • Council Reports: Included updates on Brightline and Tri-Rail funding, congratulations to graduates, and continued discussion on the downtown consultant RFP scope regarding inclusion of parcels east of Northwest Second Avenue.

Meeting Transcript

Welcome everybody to a regular meeting of Eurobook Raton City Council. The day is Tuesday, March, beg your pardon. May 12th, 2026. The time is now 6 p.m. First order of business is the invocation for which I'll ask Mr. Perlman to deliver. We are thankful today that we have the opportunity to conduct the city's business on behalf of the residents and work to improve Boca Raton for the benefit of all. We are truly blessed to live here in this beautiful city. Let us listen intently to one another, show each other respect and kindness, and demonstrate reason, common sense, and integrity as we make decisions today for the best interest of all the residents of Boca Raton. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Mr. Perlman. If we can all now rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. Pledge allegiance. With liberty and justice for all. Thank you all. Ms. Sittens, could you please call the roll? Mayor Thompson? Thankful to be here. Deputy Mayor Crow. Here. Councilmember Drucker? Here. Councilmember Perlman? Here. Councilmember Sippel. Present. All present. Thank you. Next we have amendments to the agenda. I had mentioned yesterday that I was going to be asking to postpone the discussion on the downtown civic engagement task force. So if it's the pleasure of the body, I think it may make sense to amend the agenda to remove that item. So I would make a motion to remove item 10A. And just for folks who weren't paying attention yesterday, the idea being that the decision was made a couple weeks ago for this body to hire a consultant through an RFP process to help us with civic engagement, among other things. And we thought it made sense, or I thought it made sense to have any task force associated with that civic engagement process. We should at least consult with a consultant on their views as to whether such a task force was necessary or not, not to say that they will decide that they won't, but at least have the ability to advise us as to the merits of having a task force for purposes of civic engagement. And so with that all in mind, I think it might make sense as a result to move that we remove item 10 A from our agenda and take it up again when we get to the point when our consultant has been hired following the RFP process. So with that, is there a second to the motion? Second. Any discussion on this matter? Uh motion for discussion. Okay, don't need to move. You can you can discuss. Go ahead. We have a consultant. We have a task force. At what point do we do our jobs? We're paying taxpayers money to put layers and layers between us and them.

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