Boca Raton City Council Workshop – September 8, 2026

The Boca Raton City Council workshop convened at 10:26 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, and adjourned at 10:51 a.m. No minutes were included with the agenda. The agenda consisted of Community Appearance Board interviews, no proclamations or presentations, public requests, future agenda matters, city manager/city attorney reports, and council member reports. No formal votes were taken during the workshop.

Board Interviews

• The council interviewed three applicants/reappointment candidates for the Community Appearance Board: Richard West, Ayres Barnur (also addressed as Mr. Barnerdi), and Joe Peterson. Council members asked no questions of the candidates.
• Richard West, a Delray Beach resident and a CAB member for about 10 years, said the last two years have been positive in board and staff communications, expressed his intent to continue serving, and noted the board has six members while seven were originally authorized.
• Ayres Barnur, a landscape architect, asked to be reappointed in order to continue helping review projects and preserve the character of the city.
• Joe Peterson, a landscape architect and lifelong Boca Raton resident, asked to be reconsidered for appointment.
• The mayor said appointments would be made at the regular council meeting later that day.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Brianna Hanquist, speaking on behalf of her gopher tortoises Thaddeus and Ted, expressed support for parks, green space, and wildlife, praised the National Wildlife Federation Community Wildlife Habitat Program, and requested city workshops to help residents choose plants and designs that attract wildlife.
• Mike Liebelson, speaking for the newly formed BOCA Citizens Alliance (a 501(c)(4)), commended city staff and the Boca Raton Police Department and expressed full support for the police facility bond issue. He said Boca Raton property owners send an estimated $80 million a year through county taxes to fund Palm Beach Sheriff's Office road patrols in unincorporated Palm Beach County, costing an average household about $900 a year, and urged the council to advocate for the county's proposed law enforcement MSTU so the money could return to Boca and pay off the police station bond in about a year and a half. He also encouraged Councilmember Drucker to champion the MSTU.
• Earl Starkoff urged the city to update its strategic plan through broader community conversations involving residents, businesses, and community-minded developers. He proposed a 'one Boca'/'Boca first' approach linking growth, housing, traffic, infrastructure, and quality of life, and asked staff to report on plan progress as a regular 10-minute workshop item leading to a refined strategic plan by the council's spring strategic planning session. He directed the public to his website, Earl Starkoff.com.
• Richard Warner said the public forum had become a place for candidates to 'pontificate,' expressed skepticism that developers and residents seeking to preserve Boca Raton can reach a 'Kumbaya' consensus, and said the council and CRA must make hard choices between continued development and preserving what remains of the city's character.
• Jonathan Unjin raised concerns about the city's economic development record, citing Project Blue Beam and Project Turtle. He said the city gave about $500,000 to a company that promised perhaps 100 jobs, while Project Turtle could have delivered up to 2,000 jobs but reportedly received an offer of about $1 million. He asked staff to explain what happened with Project Turtle and questioned the economic development manager's tie to the board of a property being sold and the appearance of a farmers market in the same parking lot.

Discussion Items

• The council discussed future agenda matters and clarified the $80 million county law-enforcement funding issue. Councilmember Sippel said the county tax is not levied by Boca Raton, that the county voted 5 to 2 in July 2026 to eliminate the municipal contribution to Sheriff's Office road patrols, that final approval is scheduled for September 15, and that the change would not take effect until October 2027.
• In response to a council question about Project Turtle, the City Manager and staff said the company's decision to pause incentives discussions was not a failure by the city's economic development team. Staff said the company had made progress and retreated before, that the business development board was discussing the level of city financial support, and that the company postponed its decision, partly because of the city's requirements on new versus transferred jobs. The mayor added that the company is still proceeding with a move to Boca Raton, but is not currently pursuing economic development incentives.

Key Outcomes

• No formal votes were taken; board appointments were deferred to the regular meeting later on September 8, 2026.
• No proclamations or presentations were made; no city manager report, city attorney report, or council member reports were given.
• The council received public comments and directed staff clarifications on county law-enforcement funding and Project Turtle.
• The workshop adjourned at 10:51 a.m. Eastern time.