Boca Raton City Council and Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District Joint Meeting Summary - October 26, 2026

On October 26, 2026, the Boca Raton City Council and the Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District held a joint meeting at 6500 Congress Avenue Auditorium. Mayor Andy Thomson and District Chair Robert K. Rollins, Jr. presided. The agenda scheduled the meeting from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.; discussion continued to roughly 8:20 p.m. The last joint meeting was in 2023. Public comment was moved up before council and board discussion so attendees could be heard. No formal votes were taken.

Parks, Recreation & Community Investment Presentation

• City Manager Mark Sahaney and Deputy City Manager Amy Lucasik introduced the presentation and noted strong staff-level collaboration between the city and district. Lucasik described the present as a 'crossroads moment' for recreation, with many aging parks and major upcoming capital projects.
• Recreation Services Director Greg Stevens and District Executive Director Brianne Harms explained the partnership: the city is a five-member elected council that owns and operates recreation assets, while the district is an independent special taxing district created by a 1974 special act of the Legislature, with a five-member elected board and a service area that includes unincorporated areas. The district owns several parks, funds city-owned parks, and funds operations and capital projects.
• The district's history included protecting Red Reef Park from development, acquiring Patch Reef Park, Sugar Sand Park, the Swim & Racquet Center, and Ocean Strand, and helping fund Countess de Hoernle Park. North Park, formerly the Ocean Breeze property, was purchased by the district in 2018.
• The partnership is governed by multiple interlocal agreements (ILAs) adopted over decades. Staff said the framework works but is inconsistent; they are inventorying ILAs, identifying gaps and conflicts, and developing a framework to simplify, modernize, and make administration consistent - not to renegotiate them. Gumbo Limbo's ILA was inherited from the school district, and the dog park at Maisner Bark has no ILA.
• Current projects presented included: North Park east side under construction with trails, playground, dog park, fitness pavilions, restrooms, skate park, pump track, and Boca Paddle; soil mitigation and permits are underway, with coordination on the Jeffree Street construction project. The renovated Patch Reef Community Center opened as the Community Accessibility Program Center; 26 families visited on its first Saturday. Patch Reef pro shop/tennis court work, Sugar Sand multi-sport rink shade, Willow Theater improvements, fuel load reduction, playground resurfacing, and trail signage were also listed. At the Swim & Racquet Center, the pedestrian bridge is being replaced and six tennis courts are being lit. De Hoernle Park is seeking architect/engineer firms for design.
• City projects included the Gopher Tortoise Preserve, a $700,000 grant-funded project opened July 27, 2026, with 11 acres of scrub habitat, a quarter-mile nature trail, 900 feet of ADA-accessible paths, parking, bike racks, and an educational kiosk; the $1.2 million Lake Wyman Park Playground, a 10,000-square-foot ADA-compliant playground opening in late October/early November 2026; and Gumbo Limbo Nature Center improvements, including a $330,000 decking replacement opened September 10, 2026, a new wild backyard exhibit, ADA pathways, aquarium lighting, and concrete/window repairs.
• Lucasik outlined the future 'BOCA Forward' recreation system assessment and master planning process: phase one is listening, learning, and assessing community needs, existing assets, utilization, capacity, and future demand; phase two is a master plan to prioritize capital and programming investments. He said Memorial Park planning and the district's golf sustainability analysis would feed into this process.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Larry Milkey urged the city to add golf at North Park, saying golf was promised years ago and residents need an affordable place for grandchildren and families; he asked for at least nine holes and opposed being directed to Red Reef.
• William Beakley and Anna Munoz Gregory, co-presidents of Club Athletes Without Limits at St. Andrew School, supported an indoor athletic pavilion/field house, citing full programs, disabled athletes on waitlists, volunteer readiness, and economic benefits from youth sports travel.
• Robert Ducate supported 18 holes of golf at North Park, citing tee-time shortages at the Boca Raton Golf & Racquet Club and citywide survey results listing trails, green space, and golf as top priorities.
• Harold Chaffee, president of Keep Golf in Boca, said golf has been forgotten, urged a decision to use North Park/Ocean Breeze's remaining green space for golf, and criticized years of talk without action.
• Kennedy Rask, a student, asked for more affordable places for middle-school-age kids to hang out, including rock climbing and golf.
• Joel Rask supported a field house and golf for kids, saying youth programs are using school space, the need has been delayed for years, and further studies are a waste of time and money.
• Adam Beakley, a director of the Boca Raton Basketball Club, supported a field house; he said the club grew from 800 to 1,200 kids, with 85 percent district residents, and that limited gym space has pushed volleyball privatization.
• Michelle Haggerty, founder of Power of Sports, proposed a state-of-the-art indoor field house and offered to explore a naming-rights partnership called the Power of Sports Field House, emphasizing access for children of all abilities, tournament economics, and public/private/philanthropic funding.
• Brian Clinton supported rescuing the Boca Jets Lacrosse program, saying a plan was prepared after administrative issues and that without immediate action hundreds of families could leave the city.
• John Pellegrino supported golf and asked the city to work with other jurisdictions on a dangerous U-turn issue near Costco and Boca Club.
• Michael Schneider supported a nine-hole golf course with an internal control at the 10th hole, a community center, park closing times, and FAU financial participation.
• Bobby Epstein supported a nine-hole course with a lit driving range, clubhouse, wedge/practice area, and putting green at North Park; he cited $7-9 million construction estimates, $68 million from the municipal course sale with about $49 million remaining, revenue potential, and FAU interest.
• JP Pilot supported golf at North Park, comparing Ann Arbor's seven city courses to Boca's two and calling it a multigenerational opportunity.
• Earl Starkov asked the city and district to make urban forestry an ongoing capital improvement program with a five-year plan and annual funding, citing the 2021 Tree Canopy Assessment and Boca's 'city in a park' identity.
• Greg Galanis, president of the Boca Golf Association, said the city lost nine holes when it sold Boca Municipal for $65.7 million, that golf demand has grown more than 20 percent while population grew by over 4,000 residents, that golf capacity fell 25 percent, and that existing courses are over capacity and in disrepair.
• Tom Whitmer supported golf at North Park, describing the loss of the executive course and an estimated 7,500-10,000 lost rounds, and the need for a middle-ground course for seniors and juniors.
• Dave Morantz supported a public golf course as a legacy amenity and said publicly owned courses should be part of the community.
• Linda Morganstarn asked the city to review recreational noise, especially pickleball conversions, and suggested a committee or professional study addressing setbacks, sound standards, hours, acoustical studies, and mitigation.
• Chase Maher supported a community/family golf center at North Park, saying his family currently drives to West Palm Beach and Lake Worth because Red Reef lacks the practice/putting amenities.
• Monica Mazgo said the city is becoming too development-focused and that active listening should not rely only on QR codes; she described her HOA fight over noisy pickleball and warned of lawsuits.
• Martin Bell asked the city to keep and refurbish the downtown skate park, citing 50 years of skateboarding history, and proposed creating green space at the old library/base building parcel instead of a police station.
• Fran Knackless, a new golfer, supported golf at North Park and said the city and district should work together to create a welcoming course like the one in West Palm Beach.
• Mickey Gomez supported annual joint meetings and vouched for Brian Clinton's Boca Jets Lacrosse program, noting CEOs wanted lacrosse for college scholarship opportunities.
• Mark Griffith said a previous 'Boca National' golf plan was derailed by a donation from Mr. Dell; he supported a field house if kept available to the community.
• Kathy Fernley supported golf but suggested a YMCA-style indoor facility as a more affordable alternative if golf is not built.
• Charles Boyd supported more public/executive golf, noting the loss of the Boca Raton Executive course and that he now travels to Delray Beach.
• Judy Morrill supported golf and lifelong sports, and asked for four covered tennis courts for the community.
• Shannon Otto praised Boca's outdoor parks and asked the city to continue preserving natural green space.
• Brianna Hanquist advocated for underserved recreation: an e-bike trail, paddle ball courts, flag football for girls, and sports programs for differently abled residents of all ages.

Council and District Board Discussion

• City Manager Mark Sahaney listed current city priorities: Memorial Park work with consultant Chen Moore, a police headquarters bond referendum in March, and a joint city-district recreation master plan to be developed by March.
• Council members expressed support for more frequent joint meetings, with one suggesting at least twice a year. Several supported a field house and called for action on golf rather than more studies. One council member said the city should honor the commitment to bring golf back after selling the municipal course and asked staff to explore city participation in a district field house. Another council member said golf is needed but the type of course must be assessed, and noted budget uncertainty from Amendment 3.
• District Chair Rollins highlighted the new Community Accessibility Program Center and the district's recent work, and said the board has discussed a facilities assessment of existing golf courses and a possible short course at North Park.
• District commissioner Aaron credited staff for successful projects, asked the city to streamline permitting for district projects, and said the district's current top two funded priorities are a field house and phase two, each with $10 million set aside, with no money currently allocated for golf. Aaron also cited 65 percent resident utilization at Red Reef and the Boca course and said the district is assessing what type of golf best fits the remaining green space, including increasing resident utilization.
• Another district commissioner asked for resident-utilization data to be broken out to include district residents in the unincorporated service area. A third commissioner emphasized guiding principles of low-cost access, support for volunteers, and a possible Beach & Park District role in Memorial Park. A fourth district commissioner said she had received more than 60 emails supporting golf and other recreation, offered volunteer professional help, and suggested a joint city-district field house could free up funds for golf.
• Mayor Thomson said he is open to a golf component at North Park, but does not see the city paying for it because the district owns the property and the city does not fund district projects. He pointed to the West Palm Beach park as an example of a privately funded family-friendly golf course, with $55 million raised from private donors, and said he would welcome a similar model. He supported exploring a joint field house with the district and noted interest from Michelle Hagerty in a philanthropic/naming partnership.

Key Outcomes

• No formal votes, ordinances, or resolutions were taken at the joint meeting.
• Staff will continue reviewing and modernizing the interlocal agreements and will proceed with a joint recreation system assessment and master planning process under the 'BOCA Forward' umbrella.
• The district will continue its golf facilities assessment, including the existing courses and the potential for a short/executive course at North Park; the city will revisit golf feasibility after Amendment 3 and the recreation master plan are clearer.
• The city and district will explore a jointly supported field house, including philanthropic/naming-rights participation, with the district having $10 million allocated for a field house.
• The city and district agreed to hold joint meetings more regularly, with at least one to be scheduled in the near term.
• Chen Moore was scheduled to present the Memorial Park community engagement plan to the City Council on October 27, 2026.