Save Boca starts new petition, not trusting that vote will be held

Terra and Frisbie Group’s latest renderings of the proposed buildings on the east side of Second Avenue show restaurant and other retail on ground floors, pedestrian promenade, protected bike lanes and shaded sidewalks. Rendering provided

By Mary Hladky

With the outcome never in doubt, Boca Raton City Council members approved the major components of a public-private partnership with developers Terra and Frisbie Group to transform a portion of the 31.7-acre downtown campus.

The 4-1 vote approved a master partnership agreement with Terra/Frisbie, a 99-year lease of 7.8 acres of city-owned land, and a management and construction agreement.

The deal will take effect only if city voters approve it in the March 10 election. A majority “no” vote will kill it.

Council members, under pressure from the Save Boca residents group that opposes the downtown campus project, promised residents in September they would get that vote.

But Save Boca founder Jon Pearlman doesn’t trust council members to keep that promise. He fears they will cancel the March 10 vote and vows not to let that happen.

The day after the council’s Jan. 20 vote, Save Boca members began circulating petitions calling for council members to repeal the ordinance that approves the agreements and lease.

If the council does not do so, the City Charter allows residents to vote on the matters, Pearlman contends. So a vote would be held even if the scheduled one is eliminated.

“What we are doing is to guarantee that the people will have the ability to vote and this is the only way to ensure that,” Pearlman told The Coastal Star in a text message.

But City Attorney Joshua Koehler said what Pearlman seeks would cause voter confusion, potentially create two elections that duplicate each other and turn the March 10 vote into an inconclusive result.

Volunteers for Save Boca count signatures in front of the Downtown Library recently. The group is asking residents to sign a petition to undo the City Council’s agreement with Terra and Frisbie Group, saying the city might cancel the March 10 vote. However, council members say the vote will be held and is binding, so the petition is unnecessary. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Backlash to petition
Pearlman’s actions prompted the City Council to hold a special meeting on Jan. 27 where members passed a resolution directing the City Clerk not to accept any petitions collected by Save Boca.

In February, they are scheduled to pass a measure that affirms that voters will have the final say on the redevelopment project.

“If voters say ‘no,’ there is no deal,” Koehler said.

But Pearlman insisted at the special meeting that the council can’t be trusted. “We are up against deep pockets and very motivated politicians,” he said.

“Shame on you,” Mayor Scott Singer told Pearlman. “Please, for the love of the community… please stop the misstatements.”

Everything “is contingent on the vote of residents,” Singer said. “There are no tricks, no funny business.”

In a surprising turn of events, some Save Boca supporters criticized Pearlman’s actions.

The ordinance and related documents state they are null and void if voters don’t approve the redevelopment project. So if the ordinance is repealed, that protection disappears, they said.

Two vocal Save Boca members, Joe Majhess and Richard Warner, voiced objections to Pearlman’s stance at the special meeting.

Majhess said the ordinance includes a “binding contract” to allow residents to vote on March 10. “Stop trying to undermine it,” he said.

The notion that the city is trying to scuttle the vote, he said, “is a lie.”

“I don’t understand the need for this petition,” Warner said.

Speaking after the meeting, Majhess referred to a recent Save Boca email that said in part, “This is our recourse to guarantee we can vote on this.”

“The implication is somehow you don’t have the right to vote yet,” Majhess said. “And that is incorrect.”

The successful Save Boca fight to give residents a vote “is a huge win,” he said. But the petition now in circulation is “not taking a win.”

He and another Save Boca member, who declined to be interviewed at this time, have been blocked from posting on Save Boca’s Facebook and Instagram pages since opposing the ordinance repeal, he said.

Asked if Save Boca is fractured, Majhess said, “I don’t necessarily think it is. I think it is a superficial wound. I think the fundamental mission is still there,” which is the protection of public land and having a March 10 vote.

Pearlman acknowledged taking down social media comments. “If there are attacks on Save Boca … we usually remove that because… we want to have things that are positive to the movement there.”

But he denied any friction. “Save Boca has thousands of supporters across the whole city. Everyone is behind what we are doing. …”

The project includes five residential buildings, a hotel and an office building. The residential would include 77 workforce housing units. Rendering provided

Downtown transformation
Before these events, council members on Jan. 20 explained why they are for or against the development project.

“I am optimistic this plan meets the best vision of what we can achieve and the moment is now,” said Singer, who voted in favor of the ordinance with three council members who strongly support the project.

He cited “the way this opportunity has to transform the downtown” just as Mizner Park did 35 years ago.

Singer also cited revised calculations by the city’s consultants that the project will generate more than $4 billion in revenue for the city over the course of the 99-year land lease.

And he got in a dig at Pearlman, who is running for a council seat in March.

“There have been a lot of comments about saving Boca,” he said, “some from an individual who has yet to vote in a city election.”

Deputy Mayor Fran Nachlas, though, thanked Save Boca members. “You pushed and pushed and helped make this project a better project,” said Nachlas, who is running for mayor March 10. Singer could not run again because he was term limited.

In extensive comments, Council member Andy Thomson, who is also running to become mayor, noted that the city will have to pay upfront the $201 million cost of a new City Hall, Community Center, police substation and other improvements on the west side of the city land and will not recoup that money for many years from the revenue generated by the land lease.

A more typical public-private partnership requires the developer to pay those costs, said Thomson, who has opposed the project from the start and voted against the ordinance.
This creates too much risk for the city, he said. “I don’t believe this plan constitutes a responsible use of the city’s resources.”

Are the changes enough?
He also criticized the project’s density, which has changed little even though Terra/Frisbie has scaled the project back several times in response to Save Boca opposition.

Now, it will be 1.2 million square feet of development squeezed on to 7.8 acres, down from 1.5 million distributed throughout the downtown campus, he said.

The project originally was to encompass the entire downtown campus. But after Save Boca opposed that, Terra/Frisbie agreed to leave nearly 17.3 acres west of Northwest Second Avenue largely as recreation and park space, although it would also include a new City Hall, Community Center and police substation.

Much remains to be decided about what happens with that land. If the city agrees, Terra/Frisbie is willing to go ahead with its plans that include creating a memorial for military service members.

But there is also strong support for the city’s taking the reins on the west side land. If that happens, the Terra/Frisbie plans for that side could be scrapped with the city taking over the design and likely building less expensive buildings.

The 7.8 acres the developers would lease are on the east side of Second Avenue, also called Boca Raton Boulevard. Another 6.7 acres on the east side would remain in city control.

Terra/Frisbie would build seven buildings — five residential (including one condo), a hotel and an office building. The residential would include 77 workforce housing units for those who earn no more than 120% of the county’s average median income.

The city would build a $30 million garage with about 600 parking spaces.

No plans have been announced for privately owned parcels that flank those buildings.

One Boca
Terra/Frisbie has branded itself as One Boca for its role in the project. Over the past two months, it has become much more active in communicating directly with residents and promoting the benefits of the public-private partnership with the city.

In January, One Boca released new conceptual renderings of its proposed buildings on the east side of Second Avenue which will include restaurant and other retail on the ground floors along with a pedestrian promenade, protected bike lanes and shaded sidewalks.

The renderings proposed contemporary architectural styles for its buildings in response to some residents who wanted them based on those created by celebrated architect Addison Mizner. They are “modern Mizner,” “modern Mediterranean” and “modern mid-century modern.”

Ocean Ridge prepares for own blast of sand

Jim and Ann Frank, visiting from Houston, look on as dredging begins Jan. 29 on the north end of Delray Beach. The $19.2 million beach renourishment project will restore 2.65 miles of coastline. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By John Pacenti

“Delray Dave” has seen plenty of beach restorations during his 40 years of watching the sand ebb and flow while visiting the city's beach volleyball courts.

Dave Posta, a local volleyball legend, spoke on Jan. 26 within feet of heavy equipment prepared to pump sand back onto Delray Beach for $19.2 million. 

Just to the north, Ocean Ridge was also gearing up for its $9.4 million beach restoration project with a contract awarded and surveying commenced.

The long-term fate of the beach is ultimately “up to God and Mother Nature,”  said Posta, a former pro volleyball player who is now a coach. “It could go away right away.”

Posta recalled past projects where the sand washed away in as little as a month and others that held for a couple of years. He noted one dredging about a decade ago that vanished after a single storm, and earlier major projects in the 1990s and 2000s that transformed the beach enough to support dozens of volleyball courts and pro tournaments.

People who haven’t experienced a beach renourishment need to know it’s a massive project, he said.

“The pipes run all the way up and down the whole beach,” he said. “They literally have to build these little ladders for people to get over them.”

In the meantime, just off Casuarina Road, the large pipes, a bulldozer and generators were sitting in wait until they were moved north up the coast about a half-mile. There they were hooked up to a “subline” already in the water that will go out to a barge taking sand from a borrow pit, said a Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company worker keeping sentinel. 

Though he wouldn’t give his name, the worker said that he had to make sure kids don’t climb on the pipes or homeless people don’t find shelter in them. The worker, though, was living it up with an umbrella and chair in the sun, knowing the hard work was just a few days away.

“This is unbelievable,” he said. “Our last job was in New Jersey and when we left it was 12 degrees with the wind. We get down here, it’s 65 degrees.”

The crew typically works seven days a week, 12 hours a day, he said.

The barge temporarily returned to port in West Palm Beach at the beginning of February due to rough seas from high winds brought by the recent cold front, but it was expected to return after a few days.

Gavin Koerth, a survey rodman working with Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company, assists a survey at the north end of Delray Beach prior to the project. 

Here comes the sand

There will be 1.3 million cubic yards of sand poured on the beach. To put that in perspective, that is enough sand to cover 200 football fields a yard deep, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has said.

The beach is expected to be widened by about 250 feet with the coverage area stretching from the city's border with Gulf Stream to south of Atlantic Dunes Park. The completion deadline is April 30.

“We’re making every effort to get it completed before the onset of turtle nesting season,” said Delray Beach Public Works Director Missie Barletto.

The federal government pitched in $13 million of the $19.2 million through the Fiscal 2025 Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. The city has allocated $5.4 million for the project.

The critical erosion to Delray Beach occurred during the 2022 hurricane season with storms Nicole and Ian. Though only a Category 1 storm that made landfall near Vero Beach, Nicole’s massive size and long duration created a relentless storm surge and pounding waves that battered Florida’s east coast. Ian created a compounding effect.

Some areas on the beach, such as near the pavilion, have eroded to only a few feet.

Barletto reassured residents and visitors that the beach will remain open during the restoration, though portions will be temporarily closed for active work. She urged beachgoers to use alternative access points around active work areas.

Ocean Ridge preparations

To the north in Ocean Ridge, information was scarce. Town Manager Michelle Heiser said she only knew that surveying was being done in January.

According to the Dredging Today news outlet, Weeks Marine from Covington, Louisiana, has won a $9.4 million firm-fixed-price contract for the U.S. Army Corps project. Roughly, 500,000 cubic yards of sand will be placed on the beach just south of the Boynton Inlet to about Thompson Street.

Like the Delray Beach project, Ocean Ridge aims to be done with its restoration by May so as not to affect the peak of turtle season.

Get your shells here

Barletto noted a local perk that has accompanied past dredging work: crews often filter shells and lay out piles for the public to search.

“In the past, they’ve kind of laid those out in an area for shell hunters to go through and see what they can find,” she said, adding that the city asked Great Lakes if it would repeat that public service for this project.

Back with Delray Dave, he said the restoration project will affect the posts that hold up the volleyball nets.

“See what we’re going to run into now, they’re gonna build the sand up 3, 4 feet. We don’t have 3, 4 feet more on our pole. So we’re gonna have to pull the poles out, but we are aware of that,” he said. 

Turtle time is coming, so let’s talk elections.

March marks the start of the annual sea turtle season, when beach lighting dims and stakes marking buried turtle nests begin sprouting along the shoreline.

It’s also municipal election season, when local voters head to the polls — if they haven’t already cast their ballots through the mail — to choose their town and city leaders.

However, unlike sea turtle nestings, which come year after year no matter the weather or the danger from predators, local elections are often canceled due to lack of competition. 

So, yes, there will be elections along Palm Beach County’s southern coast this year, with 12 candidates and two major referendums on the March 10 ballot in Boca Raton, seven candidates in South Palm Beach, six in Gulf Stream, and a pivotal three-way race to be decided in Delray Beach.

But that’s not the case in other coastal towns — such as Manalapan, Lantana, Ocean Ridge and Highland Beach — where there won’t be an election because incumbents have already retained their seats without opposition. And it’s not like Gulf Stream has an abundance of candidates, as its six candidates — five incumbents and one newcomer — are vying for five open seats, which sounds more like a single round of musical chairs.

Nor will there be an election in Briny Breezes, even though only one of its three open seats has been filled. No one is running for mayor or a second open council seat — even the incumbents didn't file. It’ll be up to the reconstituted Town Council to find and appoint willing residents to fill those vacancies after March 10.

There are two competing possibilities for the lack of competition many of our communities experience. The negative one: apathy. The positive: a general feeling among residents that their town is being run well.

In Gulf Stream, where the route to a seat on the Town Commission typically involves a promotion from the town’s Architectural Review and Planning Board, having any election at all is newsworthy. The upcoming election will be only the town’s fifth in the last 50 years. 

Gulf Stream’s last two contested elections were in 2017 and 2014. Before that, you have to go back to 1993 and then to 1978.

Sometimes, people just need a reason to run. In Boca Raton, the reason this year appears to be about how — or if — the city’s downtown campus will be developed, while in South Palm Beach opposition has mounted over plans to build a new Town Hall.

Still, even in Delray Beach, which is in ongoing political upheaval, no one came forward to challenge incumbent Commissioner Angela Burns. The three candidates there are seeking to replace former Vice Mayor Rob Long, who was sworn in as a state representative in December. That race could be critical given that the City Commission is currently split 2-2 on many key issues. 

If you’re looking for The Coastal Star’s endorsements in the local races, you won’t find any because we don’t make any. In this edition, we’ve put together election stories and candidate profiles to help inform you about the various choices. After that, it’s up to you. 

I think it’s time for you to be like one of those determined sea turtles and show up (if there’s an election where you live), either on election day at the polls, or through mailing in your ballot in time for your vote to be counted. 

And start thinking ahead to when sea turtle season ends on Oct. 31, because soon after that, candidate qualifying for the 2027 municipal elections will be held. Could that be your time to run?

— Larry Barszewski, Editor

A man rides his e-bike on a State Road A1A sidewalk in Delray Beach. A proposed state law would limit speeds on sidewalks if pedestrians are nearby. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

Florida’s laws governing new methods of transportation have been moving slower than a 3-year-old on a tricycle as the number of electric bikes on roads, bicycle paths and sidewalks throughout South Florida and elsewhere in the state continues to explode.

“The technology has gotten ahead of us,” said state Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman (R- Highland Beach), pointing out that there are now several types of e-bikes, electric scooters and e-skateboards. “It used to be just cars, trucks and motorcycles.”

With the Florida Legislature now in session, lawmakers are hoping to finally address e-bikes on a statewide basis, with a bill that Gossett-Seidman co-sponsored wheeling its way through the legislative process.

The current version requires the creation of a state task force to study the issues surrounding e-bikes and make recommendations. The bill, which is still a work in progress, also requires the state to improve the processes used to collect data regarding e-bike crashes.

Another provision in the bill — and one that will have the most impact on pedestrians and bicyclists in the area — requires the rider of an e-bike to slow to 10 miles per hour when within 50 feet of a pedestrian on a sidewalk or pedestrian path.

“It’s about time,” said Emily Gentile, president of the Beach Condo Association of Boca Raton, Highland Beach and Delray Beach. “It will help the pedestrians quite a bit.”

Gentile said that quick-moving e-bikes make it difficult for some pedestrians, especially older walkers, to step aside.

“People are complaining that they’re riding on the sidewalks and scaring the heck out of them,” she said.

Gentile said that while the proposed legislation is welcome, she believes the key to its effectiveness will be enforcement.

She’s not alone.

“It’s a wonderful start, but how are they going to enforce it?” asked Rich Garrett, president of the Florida Bicycle Association, who would like to see the legislation go even further.

He would like to see a 10-mph speed limit on e-bikes on sidewalks all the time.

Garrett believes that the number of crashes involving e-bikes has been significantly under-reported, an issue that the proposed legislation addresses to some degree.

The legislation would require law enforcement agencies to report the date and time of the crash, the class of e-bike involved — there are three classes based on maximum speed and whether it has a throttle — the age of the rider and whether that rider has a license or permit.

An earlier version of the bill would have required e-bikes capable of going faster than 29 mph to be classified as e-motorcycles and require operators to have a license or permit.

That provision was withdrawn in committee, Gossett-Seidman said, because lawmakers wanted more data.

“We don’t want to pass a law that’s not fully researched and doesn’t take into account all the different counties,” she said. “Some areas like Boca have many electric bikes and others have hardly any.”

The task force that would be created should help provide the data lawmakers need, she said.

While Garrett supports the legislation in its proposed form, he is a strong advocate for education and would like to see all e-bikers required to take an education class.

“They should all have to know the rules of the road,” he said.
In addition, he believes the weight of an e-bike should be a consideration in legislation.

Garrett said he would like to see the Florida Bicycle Association have a seat on the task force that would be created under the proposed legislation.

Safety is a key concern for Garrett and for Gossett-Seidman, who says that legislators have to find a balance between that and the transportation needs of e-bike riders.

“One of our goals is getting them where they need to go in a safe fashion,” she said.

While the Florida House bill and a similar bill in the Florida Senate would apply statewide, local municipalities are able to pass ordinances and rules governing e-bicycles.

Boynton Beach, for example, is considering an ordinance that would prohibit electric vehicles from being used on any public sidewalk.

In Boca Raton e-bike users are required to follow the rules of the road and keep right, when possible.

Gossett-Seidman says she is sure that some statewide regulation on e-bikes will come out of the legislative session.

“We’re going to apply the most common sense possible and make the most people safe and happy,” she said.

Annabel and Phoebe Condon are raising money for Nicklaus Children’s Hospital via the Feb. 20 Dance Marathon at Saint Andrew’s School, where they are students. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Brian Biggane

A movement that began as a tribute to a friend at Indiana University 35 years ago has found its way to Saint Andrew’s School in Boca Raton, and a pair of teenage sisters from Gulf Stream have learned some important life lessons as a result.

Phoebe Condon, a senior at Saint Andrew’s, and her sister Annabel, a freshman, are among the dozens of students at the school raising money in a program called Dance Marathon. The sisters previously attended Gulf Stream School.

Dance Marathon is designed to help the Children’s Miracle Network in general and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami in particular.

“As an adviser, it is a pleasure to witness the development of student leaders, and Phoebe is an exceptional example,” said Victoria Zingarelli, a history teacher who oversees the club. “She has set a wonderful example not only for her younger sister but for many underclassmen in our program.”

Dance Marathon began at Indiana University in 1991 as a memorial. Students committed to dancing 24 hours or more as a means of raising money and collected $10,900 that first year. It has continued to this day and last November raised $3.4 million, with total contributions now approaching $60 million.

Zingarelli was a student at the University of Florida in 1995 when students introduced the program there. And she was teaching at Saint Andrew’s in 2017 when she overheard students discussing the possibility of  bringing it there. She volunteered to help and soon Dance Marathon had a new home.

Phoebe Condon joined the group her freshman year in 2022, but said her interest and involvement increased significantly after she and her classmates made a trip to the Nicklaus hospital two years later and got a firsthand look at what their fundraising was helping to accomplish.

“That lets you know what you’re doing and who you’re supporting,” she said. “It was very emotional.”

One stop was a wing where children were undergoing open-heart surgery. The students looked through a window and saw one baby whose chest hadn’t been closed as doctors waited to determine if more had to be done.

“It was probably the saddest thing I’ve ever seen,” Phoebe said.

“Then I went again this year and saw a lot more people my age. I just love children so much and seeing that in person was very eye-opening. That’s the best thing about Dance Marathon: They make sure everyone knows what it is they’re donating to. And I like to spread that to other people.”
One of the people she’s motivated to get involved is Annabel, who also took part in the hospital visit in December.

“Meeting the children and hearing their stories has really pushed me to go above and beyond,” Annabel said.

Phoebe said she typically raised from $500 to $700 by herself in past years, so she felt ambitious in setting a goal of $1,000 this year.

“Then one really generous donor, a good family friend, donated $1,000 and I was able to raise another $2,000 from other people. Hitting that milestone was really shocking to me because I realized I spread a lot of awareness, and I believe people donated more because they really knew about the cause.”

Zingarelli said the $14,000 students raised the first year of the program has climbed to more than $30,000 the past couple of years, for a total of $200,000. The goal this year is $40,000 and the drive culminates Feb. 20 with its main event.

The Saint Andrew’s event is a scaled-down version of the one in Indiana, lasting only four hours with four musical genres.

“I’ll dance a lot but some of the time I’ll just stand around,” Phoebe said.

Phoebe has taken on greater responsibility during her time in the program — as a junior becoming lower and middle school captain to spread the word to younger children and this year moving up to vice president. “And now Annabel has become one of the captains as well,” Zingarelli said.

Now going through the process of deciding on a college — Wake Forest, which older sister Lily attends, is one option — Phoebe plans to work toward a degree as a therapist, and this experience has underscored that goal.

“It’s definitely made me want to work in the medical field, but more with post-traumatic events, like cancer. I want to work directly with children, so this club has definitely furthered my passion for psychology.” 

To make a tax-deductible donation to the cause, visit  events.dancemarathon.com/teams/75330.

I am writing you in reference to John Pacenti’s January 2026 article: “Mayor’s concerns cause ‘chaos,’ spur audit of downtown agency.”

In the article, Pacenti notes that I offer advice to Mayor Tom Carney on occasion. Very true. Also true is that on a regular, often daily basis, Delray residents reach out to the mayor via phone, text or email with viewpoints, advice and criticism. And he in turn solicits their input. A healthy dialogue.

The mayor is always appreciative of residents’ input, mine included.

Tom Carney and I have known each other for over 30 years, and he is mindful that I served on the Delray Beach commission for three years, and 18 years as a Palm Beach County commissioner representing Delray Beach. Many issues facing the city today are similar to those I experienced during my time in public office. I am proud that I served my community as an elected official, and frankly, that I was reelected by the people of Palm Beach County at every election, 13 times in a row.

Pacenti was careful to note that, yes, I was convicted and went to prison. Where his reporting falls short, whether intentional or due to a lack of research, was that he failed to inform his readers that in June of 2010 the United States Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the statute governing my conviction was ruled unconstitutional. It was because of that unanimous ruling that I was given an unconditional presidential pardon. 

Readers deserve to know the whole story.

— Mary McCarty Delray Beach

By Patrick Sherry

Demolition of the Miller Land Planning building on Boynton Beach Boulevard next to Ace Hardware began in January, the first visible sign of progress for a stalled redevelopment project in downtown Boynton Beach approved nearly three years ago.

The building was the first to go in preparation for The Pierce, 115 N. Federal Highway. The Pierce, a complex of apartments, restaurants, retail stores, a parking garage and green space, is expected to take up most of the properties on the west side of Federal Highway between Ocean Avenue and Boynton Beach Boulevard, extending to the Florida East Coast Railway tracks. Ace Hardware is not part of the project site.

Affiliated Development originally estimated this as a $73 million project, but has since said it will likely cost at least $100 million. The 2.3-acre complex will have buildings up to eight stories tall and offer 150 units each of workforce apartments and market-rate luxury rentals. The developers will also construct a new home on the site for the Hurricane Alley Raw Bar and Restaurant.

City commissioners, meeting as the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency governing board, received an update on the work at their Jan. 8 meeting. 

Developers have replaced underground sewer lines at the site. The work, which started in October, needed to be finished before any construction could be done.

The project has faced a number of roadblocks. After it received commission approval in March 2023, some nearby property owners filed a lawsuit challenging the city’s decision to relinquish control of some of the public rights-of-way on the project site. It put the developers’ plans on hold until the following year, when a judge allowed the project to move forward. 

They once again faced problems when it was discovered that some of the original property owners still owned lots on the site. After resolving this issue, they attempted to continue site preparation, but during the permitting process, they determined they needed to move underground sewer lines.

No construction date is currently set. 

Town Hall design delivered — Maria Zappas-Porter, a frontline designer for CPZ Architects, told South Palm Beach Town Council members at their Jan. 20 meeting that the 146-page set of site plans for the new Town Hall was delivered on Jan. 16 and is awaiting final approval.

Zappas-Porter gave an extensive audiovisual presentation of the plans, with the first floor consisting of a garage for underground parking as well as a possible cafe area and a maintenance room. The second floor has offices for the council and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, two community rooms with partition panels and space for town staff.

Vice Mayor Monte Berendes said after the meeting that the expandable community rooms will be welcome as exercise classes have been drawing overflow crowds during the season.

Planning council offers assistance — Kim DeLaney of the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council made a lengthy presentation laying out how the planning council can help local communities. She offered its assistance as the town continues to address issues concerning its State Road A1A sidewalk and the absence of an A1A crosswalk within the town’s borders.

Council member Ray McMillan pointed out that towns both north and south of the South Palm Beach are in the process of getting new sidewalks and asked when South Palm Beach can have the same. The Florida Department of Transportation, which handles work on and along A1A, was invited to the meeting but did not send a representative.

DeLaney said her conversations with Town Manager Jamie Titcomb are just beginning and encouraged the council to put together a plan to address concerns by its February meeting. DeLaney is also scheduled to return as part of an ongoing lecture series in March.

Lift station expenditure approved — The council approved authorizing $29,000 be paid to Hinterland Group for repairs to the town’s lift station. A representative from Mock Roos & Associates, which has been contracted to build a new lift station, gave an update. The council also approved a motion to pursue a federal grant to cover most or all of the $3 million to $4 million the project is expected to cost.

The lift station receives sewage from the town’s condos and sends it to the Lake Worth Beach treatment plant. The station is between the Brittany and Concordia West condominiums.

— Brian Biggane

Related election information

Mayor's Race: Trio running for mayor includes two council incumbents | Mayoral candidate profiles (Nachlas, Thomson, Liebelson)

 Council Seat A: Council race features accountant, attorney and real estate broker | Seat A candidate profiles (Grau, Korn, Ritchey)

 Council Seat B: Incumbent faces off against founder and supporter of Save Boca | Seat B candidate profiles (Madsen, Pearlmen, Wigder)

 Council Seat D: Ex-county mayor battles city board stalwart, Save Boca member | Council Seat D candidate profiles (Cellon, Sipple, Weinroth)

12 candidates vying for mayor and three other seats on dais

By Mary Hladky

With so much at stake, Boca Raton’s March 10 election has outsized significance.

For starters, voters will be choosing a new mayor, who will replace term-limited Scott Singer, and three of the four City Council seats are up for grabs.

That alone imbues the election with importance. But magnifying the impact is that voters will be asked to decide if the city can redevelop a portion of the 31.7-acre downtown campus in partnership with developers Terra and Frisbie Group.

A “yes” vote will clear the way for the project to move forward, preserving recreation and green space on the west side of the campus and adding residential units and office and hotel buildings on the east side.

If the vote is “no,” more than a year of planning and preparation will crumble to dust and city leaders will confront decisions on how, at the very least, they will replace the old and dilapidated City Hall and Community Center and improve outdated recreation facilities on the west side.

Voters also will determine if a new police headquarters can be built on city-owned land on Spanish River Boulevard east of the city library, replacing the old and inadequate headquarters across the street from the current City Hall.

They will be asked whether to approve a $175 million bond issue to finance the construction. Residents would pay for it through a property tax increase that would end when the bond is paid off.

Beyond all that, voters are experiencing unprecedented political activism by Save Boca, the residents’ group that opposes the downtown campus redevelopment plans.

Save Boca wants to seize control of the City Council, fielding a slate of three council candidates that could become a council majority.

They are Michelle Grau for Seat A, Save Boca founder Jon Pearlman for Seat B and Stacy Sipple for Seat D. All have vowed not to take campaign contributions from developers.

The mayor’s race is impacted as well. Candidate Mike Liebelson is not a Save Boca member but strongly supports the group. He is running against two current council members, Fran Nachlas and Andy Thomson.

Nachlas, now deputy mayor, supports the downtown campus redevelopment with Terra/Frisbie, while Thomson is strongly opposed.

Nachlas and Thomson have raised an astonishing amount of money for their campaigns and are running almost neck-and-neck in fundraising.

The most recent financial reports at the end of December showed Nachlas with $473,000 in contributions and Thomson with $407,000. Nachlas loaned her campaign $100,000.

Liebelson is almost entirely self-financing his campaign with a $50,000 loan and a $5,000 donation.

With Nachlas and Thomson locked in the battle to become mayor, Council member Marc Wigder is the only incumbent seeking reelection to the seat he now holds.

Boca Raton city election
Election day: March 10
Last day to register to vote: Feb. 9
Last day to request mail-in ballot: Feb. 26
The mayor and council races are citywide for three-year terms, except the Council D race, which is for an unexpired one-year term.

Also on the ballot
Voters will decide two other issues:
Whether to approve moving forward with the proposed redevelopment of the city’s downtown campus.
Whether to approve the city’s issuing bonds of up to $175 million to build a new police headquarters, relocated from downtown to a site adjacent to the Spanish River Library.

Town Manager Trey Nazzaro (foreground), Police Chief Richard Jones and Town Clerk Reneé Basel constitute three changes in leadership jobs in Gulf Stream in recent years. Nazzaro’s promotion in January follows Jones’ hiring from Ocean Ridge in 2023 and Basel’s promotion in 2022. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Steve Plunkett

At their first meeting since Town Manager Greg Dunham announced his retirement, Gulf Stream town commissioners quickly elevated Trey Nazzaro, his assistant, as his successor.

“I think Trey is the perfect candidate,” Commissioner Joan Orthwein said before the unanimous vote Jan. 9.

“I’m absolutely in favor of this,” Commissioner Robert Canfield said.

Choosing Nazzaro was one of three options Dunham gave to replace him. Commissioners could also have gotten free help in a search for job candidates from a state municipal managers group or spent up to $30,000 on a headhunter.

By picking Nazzaro and opting not to replace him with another assistant, “We’ll actually be saving money,” Orthwein said.

But Nazzaro did receive a healthy salary boost, from $178,000 a year to $230,000.

“We should move him up equal to Ocean Ridge,” Mayor Scott Morgan said, and into the midrange of manager pay on the barrier island.

After being praised by Morgan and Dunham, Nazzaro lauded Town Clerk Reneé Basel, who he said “is just such a such a huge value add in her position.”

“She’s not only the town clerk but does a lot of what I would consider assistant manager or senior-level things,” just like the relationship previous Manager Bill Thrasher and Clerk Rita Taylor had, Nazarro said.

“That’s the relationship that I envision having with Reneé.”

Nazzaro, 43, started working for the town in 2014 as a paralegal at Gulf Stream’s law firm, Jones Foster, while he was still attending St. Thomas University School of Law. The town passed a resolution of appreciation for the work he did then, authoring Gulf Stream’s public records policy. He graduated that year magna cum laude and spent the next two years as a law clerk in federal court in Miami before being hired full time by the town as staff attorney.

“You had at one point 33 lawsuits that you were actively managing with our outside counsel, which were usually two or three,” Vice Mayor Tom Stanley recalled of Nazzaro’s early days. “I would go into your office and all I would see was stacks and stacks of things. There were motions and pleadings and depositions.”

At the time, the town was being buffeted by thousands of public records requests and dozens of lawsuits, mostly by a couple of residents.

“I think when you see a young man go through something — you had a young child and a family, you were here late and you did all those things for us to get us through that. You know, that shows the character, the type of professional, the type of employee, type of family member that we want on our staff,” Stanley said.

Commissioners were also effusive with praise for Dunham, who was hired in 2017 when Gulf Stream was still battling lawsuits and public records requests.

“Your calm demeanor and presence stabilized what could have been a real problem in this Town Hall because we had already lost staff,” Morgan said. “But you kept people together, you moved it forward, and we made it through that time, due in no small part to your leadership.”

Dunham also guided the town through the end phase of its utility undergrounding project and devised its ambitious 10-year capital improvement plan to replace water mains and stormwater drains and resurface roadways.

“So as you move forward into your retirement, I want you to know that you leave with honor but also with the best wishes and the gratitude of this town,” the mayor said.

Dunham began his career as a police officer and assistant city manager in Texas, then moved to Florida State University for a master’s degree in public administration. He was an assistant city manager in Palm Beach Gardens, then town manager in Ocean Ridge from 1998 to 2002 and in Manalapan from 2002 to 2010. After a break from government work, he served as town manager of Kenly, North Carolina, for five years before coming to Gulf Stream.

He thanked his staff “for your hard work and your dedication and commitment to make Gulf Stream the best town for our residents to live in.”

“It’s been the best job I’ve ever had,” Dunham said. “What a job to have at the end of your career and what a town to work for.” 

Move ends a 20-year alliance; exiting leader did not submit bid

By John Pacenti

Ocean Ridge has selected Craig A. Smith & Associates as its primary town engineering firm and approved negotiations with five additional specialty consultants to provide continuing professional services, town officials said Jan. 28.

That ends a two-decade relationship between the town and engineer Lisa Tropepe of Engenuity Group. Tropepe did not submit a bid or return a phone call seeking comment.

Deerfield Beach-based Craig A. Smith & Associates will serve as the “anchor” firm for day-to-day engineering work. 

The Town Commission also voted at its Jan. 12 meeting to authorize staff to enter negotiations with CHA Consulting, Pennoni Associates, CPZ Architects, West Architecture & Design, and Florida Technical Consultants for specialty services.

The specialty firms fill specific project needs, Town Manager Michelle Heiser said. For example, Florida Technical Consultants will update the town’s GIS and provide a public dashboard.

Steve Smith of Craig A. Smith & Associates said his team has ample local experience and is ready to work with Ocean Ridge. “We are intimately familiar with your challenges,” he told the commission. “We’re local. We’ve always been local, and we will be involved.”

Town officials said the transition should be smooth for ongoing projects. 

Heiser told the commission that Tropepe will continue work on active contracts and permitting, while the newly selected firms will assume new assignments after contracts are finalized. 

By John Pacenti

To make an omelet, you have to break a few eggs. When it comes to Delray Beach’s $280 million water plant, that apparently meant breaking the main line that provides water to the city.

A 36-inch water main break at Delray Beach’s water treatment plant early Jan. 3 forced the city to temporarily rely on neighboring municipalities for water supply while crews worked to repair the damage.

The break occurred around 4 a.m. that Saturday during drilling operations for a deep injection well. Utilities Director Hassan Hadjimiry said the contractor hit the underground pipe while drilling the well, which is needed to dispose of undrinkable water from the new facility’s nano-filtration system.

“These are 36-inch pipes that can carry close to 20 million gallons per day,” Hadjimiry told the City Commission at its Jan. 6 meeting. “When that is impacted, millions of gallons of water can come out in a day.”

The city contained the break by 11 p.m. the same day and immediately activated interconnections with Palm Beach County, Boca Raton and Boynton Beach to maintain water service. 

Residents were never without water, though the city requested they reduce unnecessary usage for irrigation, car washing and driveway cleaning during the emergency.

Hadjimiry told The Coastal Star the incident highlights the challenges of working around aging infrastructure at the 60-plus-year-old treatment plant site, where “there are a lot of treasures that are hidden underground.” Despite the city's having maps of underground utilities, the exact locations can be difficult to pinpoint due to the facility’s age, he said.

“Whenever you open a ground that hasn’t been exposed for, God knows how many decades, you find this stuff,” he said. “You plan for the worse but hope everything gets done right.”

Youngquist Brothers, the contractor handling the deep injection well project, will bear the costs for the damaged pipe and emergency repairs, Hadjimiry said. The company specializes in deep injection wells throughout Florida.

The utilities director emphasized that water quality was never compromised during the incident. 

Repairs took about a week and involved the replacement of the damaged 36-inch pipe and some defective valves discovered during the incident. “It’s not something that you go to Home Depot and get the part,” Hadjimiry said.

The water treatment plant, currently producing up to 9 million gallons per day through an alternate pipeline, continues operating normally. The new facility is scheduled for completion by mid-2028 and will significantly expand the city’s water treatment capacity from 14 million to 22 million gallons per day.

City officials participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for the new water plant on Jan. 29 at the treatment plant site.

The city’s utility system operates on an enterprise fund separate from the general budget, so repair costs and temporary water purchases from neighboring municipalities will not mean higher water bills for residents, Hadjimiry said. 

By Patrick Sherry 

Boynton Beach commissioners serving as the Community Redevelopment Agency board hit the brakes on moving forward with a $7.25 million land acquisition at the city’s downtown gateway on Boynton Beach Boulevard. They want to know if nearby property owners will hinder any of their revitalization plans.

The location of the 13 parcels at 444 W. Boynton Beach Blvd., east of Interstate 95, leads into the heart of downtown. Late last year, work crews demolished the Inn at Boynton Beach — purchased by the CRA for $8.1 million in October — that sits adjacent to the site. The CRA land acquisition in this area is part of plans to turn the east-west corridor into a major city center. 

Commissioners considered acquiring the 3.30-acre site at the Jan. 20 CRA meeting. Chris Brown, the CRA’s executive director, advised the board to move quickly to approve the land buy to meet the proposed March 13 closing date. 

“It’s an excellent purchase, and I think it will combine with the hotel that we bought previously,” Brown said. “This will make a great assemblage for a new development.” 

To pay the seller’s asking price, city staff recommended reallocating $2.5 million set aside for a parking garage to property acquisition. While most of the board supported buying the land, there were concerns about the lack of plans to acquire surrounding properties that could be added to the assemblage — and potential opposition from nearby neighborhoods. 

Commissioners Aimee Kelley and Thomas Turkin wanted more input from those homeowners to ensure that the city could move forward with any future projects on the site. They believe there should be community buy-in before they pour money into it.

“I want to make sure that we’re not going down this road, and then we have residents who don’t support what maybe this board’s vision is, or the city’s vision is, in these parcels,” Kelley said. 

The board moved consideration of acquiring the land and reallocating funds towards its purchase to the Feb. 10 CRA meeting. The board directed staff to bring back feedback from residents near the site and prepare more details on purchasing other surrounding properties. 

By Patrick Sherry and Larry Barszewski

Island residents will have to drive a little farther in the future if they want to get their fix of authentic Italian cuisine from Josie’s Ristorante. Owners of the popular Boynton Beach dining spot are making preparations to build a new home for their restaurant.

The new location will be on Federal Highway 1.5 miles south of Josie's current home at the southeast corner of Woolbright Road and Federal Highway.

The standalone restaurant would be at 3047 N. Federal Highway, on the east side of Federal a few blocks north of the Walmart, but the land first needs to be rezoned by the city from special high density residential to general commercial.

The City Commission gave initial approval to that rezoning at its Jan. 20 meeting. A second vote, scheduled for its Feb. 3 meeting, had to be postponed because the item was not advertised properly. The commission now plans to take up the request at a special meeting Feb.10.  

At the Jan. 20 meeting, Joni Brinkman, principal and senior planner for Urban Design Studio, spoke on behalf of the applicant.  

“They are an establishment that’s been here many years,” Brinkman said. “They’re a staple of the community, and they’re excited to be able to go into a new building eventually.”

The owners’ lease ends in November, and they have already started the permitting process for the new construction. They were not able to provide details on how the new restaurant will look or when they expect it will be completed. 

The new site is being split from another parcel that will still be zoned for high density residential.

The rezoning initially worried some commissioners who feared current state law could open the doors to a development they would not want to see at the site. 

Commissioner Angela Cruz said the rezoning might make the property eligible to be used through the state's Florida’s Live Local Act.

“I just wanted to get a commitment that that’s not the intent here, and it’s just to build a restaurant,” Cruz said. 

State lawmakers designed the Live Local Act to increase affordable housing by incentivizing the building of residential developments on sites zoned for commercial, industrial, or mixed use. 

Several municipalities across the state have criticized the law because it allows developers to override local restrictions for housing projects.

Brinkman told commissioners the owners only want to build a restaurant on the property.

“The applicant has gone to extensive costs to date to prepare all the drawings, the architecture, and the permitting … my understanding is their intent is to build the restaurant,” Brinkman said.

Local residents also voiced support for the restaurant and its plans. 

“I think we should go forward with this,” Susan Oyer said. “I’m sure they’re going to do the right thing because they’re fine upstanding people in our community.”

Commissioners then unanimously approved on first reading amending the site’s future land use map and the rezoning of the property for commercial use. 

Related election information

Election overview: Downtown campus, council lineup, police HQ up to voters

Mayor's Race: Trio running for mayor includes two council incumbents

 Council Seat A: Council race features accountant, attorney and real estate broker | Seat A candidate profiles (Grau, Korn, Ritchey)

Council Seat B:  Incumbent faces off against founder and supporter of Save Boca  | Seat B candidate profiles (Madsen, Pearlmen, Wigder)

 Council Seat D: Ex-county mayor battles city board stalwart, Save Boca member | Seat D candidate profiles (Cellon, Sipple, Weinroth)

Candidate profiles were compiled via telephone interviews. Candidates were asked to supply personal information regarding their age, education, marital status and number of years residing in their municipalities. They were also asked to provide a brief history of their professional life and experience, if any, in holding public office. Finally, they were asked about their positions on issues facing their communities and to provide an overarching quote detailing the reasons they believe they should be elected (or reelected), along with a current photograph.

Candidate profiles compiled by Steven J. Smith

Boca Raton city election
Election day: March 10
Last day to register to vote: Feb. 9
Last day to request mail-in ballot: Feb. 26
The mayor and council races are citywide for three-year terms, except the Council D race, which is for an unexpired one-year term.

Also on the ballot
Voters will decide two other issues:
Whether to approve moving forward with the proposed redevelopment of the city’s downtown campus.
Whether to approve the city’s issuing bonds of up to $175 million to build a new police headquarters, relocated from downtown to a site adjacent to the Spanish River Library.

Motorists driving north on State Road A1A approaching Linton Boulevard may be getting some relief from congestion at the intersection as workers reinstalled wires that help control when the traffic signal should change. 

Two Florida Department of Transportation projects, one from Linton Boulevard through Highland Beach and the other from Linton Boulevard to Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach, are wrapping up with just a handful of jobs remaining to be done. 

One of the tasks that had been outstanding was the installation of traffic-signal detection loops, which was completed in late January. Without the triggering devices, the lights had been changing at timed intervals. 

That work is part of the 1.55-mile road project on A1A in Delray Beach that includes regrading the road from Linton Boulevard to Casuarina Road as well as regrading swales in the area. 

The $2.2 million project also includes sidewalk and curb ramp improvements, upgrading pedestrian crossing signals at two intersections on A1A and installing flashing beacons at five crosswalks. Improved signage and pavement markings are part of the project. 

The vast majority of the work on that project is completed with the exception of the improvements at Linton Boulevard and concrete work being done on Nassau Street.

A few brief road closures may be required during work in those areas. 

Work on the 3.35-mile project in Highland Beach is also all but completed, according to FDOT, with contractors working on a punch list of small corrections or additional improvements.

— Rich Pollack

By Larry Barszewski and John Pacenti

Tennis star Coco Gauff’s grandmother wanted to be a Delray Beach city commissioner — if only for a handful of meetings — but she and her supporters couldn’t get the commission to agree.

Yvonne Odom has been a respected leader in the city’s Black community for decades. 

The opportunity to fill the commission vacancy created when former Vice Mayor Rob Long was elected a state representative in December seemed to Odom’s supporters a perfect opportunity to honor her for her contributions to the city.

But due to politics, the City Commission has been stuck at 2-2 on several recent issues, with Odom’s appointment yet another casualty. The commission voted 2-2 on her appointment in December and then again at its Jan. 20 meeting — after many residents spoke in support of her nomination.  

Mayor Tom Carney and Vice Mayor Angela Burns wanted to put her on the dais, but Commissioners Juli Casale — saying “mischief is afoot” — and Tom Markert chose to leave the seat open until voters pick someone on March 10.

Rather than seeing it as a ceremonial appointment, Casale and Markert said they did not think an unelected commissioner should be the swing vote on any upcoming issues.  

However, in December, Markert and Casale had voted to appoint Price Patton, a member of the city’s Planning & Zoning Board and part owner of The Coastal Star, to the post, but he also was defeated 2-2.

The recent actions weren’t something new for Odom. She lost out on filling a previous commission vacancy, also on a 2-2 vote, in 2017. 

But Odom did not go quietly this time. She held a news conference with the NAACP on Jan. 30, with speakers alleging a pre-cooked political outcome despite giving Odom’s supporters the impression she would be selected.

“We never know what is behind the scenes. You only know what somebody tells you,” Odom said. “It reminds me of an abusive relationship where the joker slaps the you-know-what out of a person and sends them flowers the next day.”

Dedrick D. Straghn, president of South Palm Beach County NAACP, said that allowing the Black community to believe Odom would sit on the dais was nothing but political theater.

“A decision that looked pre-decided, dressed up with talking points and delivered with the expectation that the public would just swallow it,” he said.

In a Jan. 28 letter to the editor in the Sun Sentinel, Mayor Carney called Casale’s and Markert’s votes "an appalling rebuke to that community," saying “two of my fellow commissioners paid tribute to Dr. King one day, only to reject an icon of the Black community the next.”  

Related election information

Election overview: Downtown campus, council lineup, police HQ up to voters

Mayor's Race: Boca Raton elections: Mayoral candidate profiles (Nachlas, Thomson, Liebelson)

 Council Seat A: Council race features accountant, attorney and real estate broker | Seat A candidate profiles (Grau, Korn, Ritchey)

 Council Seat B: Incumbent faces off against founder and supporter of Save Boca | Seat B candidate profiles (Madsen, Pearlmen, Wigder)

 Council Seat D: Ex-county mayor battles city board stalwart, Save Boca member  | Seat D candidate profiles (Cellon, Sipple, Weinroth)

By Mary Hladky

Fran Nachlas is a retired surgical nurse and University of Florida graduate who won election to the Boca Raton City Council in November 2022 when no one else filed to run for the seat.

She would have assumed office the following March, but her fellow council members, seeing no reason to wait, appointed her to the position early.

Her council colleagues selected her to be deputy mayor in March 2025.

Nachlas supports redeveloping the downtown campus with Terra/Frisbie. Despite strong push-back from Save Boca, she believes the project has public support.

“I have had many, many conversations with people who think it is an added value to our city to move forward with this project,” she said.

She does acknowledge that “there are people who have concerns.”

In response to Save Boca’s key demand that voters should have the final say on the redevelopment project, she noted that “I have always supported the right of voters to vote on this on March 10.”

In a campaign video, she subtly suggested that the downtown campus project should not define the election or obscure other important matters before the council.

“Our government campus initiative is 8 acres. Our downtown is 344 acres. Our city is 29 square miles,” she said. “We need to keep things in perspective and focus on the big picture.”

In an earlier video, she said the city needs to deal with traffic, infrastructure, keeping neighborhoods safe and homelessness. “I am taking it head on,” she said.

As of The Coastal Star’s deadline, she had not outlined details of her priorities should she be elected mayor, but said that they would be coming soon.

“As deputy mayor, I’m already working to support our first responders, strengthening our local economy, and insisting on balanced, responsible redevelopment that protects Boca Raton’s character,” she said in a statement.

“As mayor, my priorities are clear: public safety first, fiscal responsibility, an efficient City Hall, infrastructure investment, and preserving the exceptional character of our community and quality of life our residents value.”

Asked why she has raised so much money for her campaign, $473,000 as of the end of December, Nachlas said: “It helps get the message out and it shows the support of the community.”

Nachlas also serves on the Palm Beach County Transportation Planning Agency governing board and the Florida League of Cities Development, Code Compliance and Redevelopment Committee.

***

Andy Thomson, an attorney with Baritz & Colman and a Georgia Tech graduate who played on the Ramblin’ Wreck football team, is the sole council member to oppose the downtown campus redevelopment.

He has outlined his objections repeatedly, saying that even though the project has been downsized since first proposed, it remains too dense, and has been pushed forward by other council members too quickly to allow for adequate consideration and revision.

At first, Save Boca supporters were highly skeptical that he meant what he said since he had ranked developer Related Ross as his first choice to partner with the city even though its proposal had the highest density of the four submitted. The fact that he said he was endorsing the company as a city partner, but not its proposal, didn’t reassure them.

But his consistent opposition has assuaged at least some of those doubts, and Save Boca supporters now cheer him when he speaks about his concerns and objections.

After Save Boca began circulating petitions to give voters their say on the project, Thomson asked Terra/Frisbie officials if they would agree to conditioning city approval on a positive vote by residents. They agreed and the rest of the council endorsed that.

If voters approve the redevelopment in the March 10 election, Thomson said “that is the will of the people and my job … is to undertake and execute that.”

But if the ballot measure fails, Thomson wants the city to take over the redevelopment, saying the city can reduce the amount spent by building a more modest City Hall and Community Center.

“I would like the city to take the driver’s seat,” he said.

Thomson is not yet predicting whether the ballot measure will pass or fail, but said, “I can’t recall a single person telling me they were in favor.”

If elected mayor, he said his priorities will include keeping taxes low, focusing on public safety, managing the city’s growth carefully and responsibly, using technologies such as artificial intelligence to reduce traffic congestion, and keeping parks and recreation at an “elite level.”

Asked how he differentiates himself from Nachlas, Thomson said she has never won a contested city election. Voters elected him in 2018, he was unopposed in 2020 and beat an opponent in 2024.

He agrees that the two of them have raised “a staggering amount of money” for their campaigns, with Thomson getting $407,000 as of the end of December.

He needs to raise enough to be a viable candidate and to be able to convey his message to voters, Thomson said. But he said that he does not know many of his donors and “the vast majority didn’t even require me to ask” for contributions.

***

Mike Liebelson cites his business expertise, including leadership roles with energy companies and an MBA in finance from the Wharton School of Business, as making him the best candidate for mayor.

“The city needs somebody with the financial, business and managerial skills which I bring to the table to turn the city around,” he said.

“We are not little Boca anymore,” he said. “We have a council so far that is full of amateurs and attorneys. We need professionals.”

While not a member of Save Boca, he strongly supports that group’s efforts. “The reason for that is I personally strongly believe that if the city is going to give away public land (to Terra/Frisbie) … it should go back to the voters for a vote. That is all Save Boca has ever asked for.”

But a candidate for mayor must focus not just on the issues advanced by Save Boca, but also broader issues such as the need to lower property taxes, public safety, quality of life and dealing with the “horrendous” increase in traffic, he said.

Central to his campaign is his contention that the current council is at the beck and call of developers. He said he will not take contributions from developers.

He singles out Thomson for criticism, saying he has received large developer contributions. While Thomson says he wants residents to have a vote on the downtown development project, Liebelson said, he also is accepting developer money.

“Andy is not being truthful with respect to his positioning with being against big development in Boca,” he said.

He spares Nachlas from criticism, claiming she is up-front about supporting development.

Liebelson said he is not anti-developer. “We need to have things built and done in the city, but we need to make sure our council members are not compromised with developer money.”

He also contends there is “too much overdevelopment” in the city. “It has been done in such a way that it has created huge traffic problems.”

The city, he said, needs a comprehensive plan to control the volume of traffic that will worsen when development projects now under construction are completed.

If voters turn down the downtown redevelopment plan, Liebelson said the city should be in charge of building a new City Hall and Community Center.

He supports the bond issue to build a new police headquarters. If voters approve it, “we will make sure … it will be done correctly and it will be constructed on time and on budget,” he said.

Boca Raton city election
Election day: March 10
Last day to register to vote: Feb. 9
Last day to request mail-in ballot: Feb. 26
The mayor and council races are citywide for three-year terms, except the Council D race, which is for an unexpired one-year term.

Also on the ballot
Voters will decide two other issues:
Whether to approve moving forward with the proposed redevelopment of the city’s downtown campus.
Whether to approve the city’s issuing bonds of up to $175 million to build a new police headquarters, relocated from downtown to a site adjacent to the Spanish River Library.

By John Pacenti

First, it was about the drinking water supplied to town residents. Now it’s also about the fire rescue services residents receive.

Ocean Ridge leaders have learned that Palm Beach County could assume responsibility for Boynton Beach’s water utilities and its fire rescue services — both of which the town uses.

Any changes would affect Briny Breezes, which also relies on Boynton Beach for water and fire rescue services.

Ocean Ridge Town Manager Michelle Heiser informed the Town Commission at its Jan. 12 meeting of the fire rescue possibility, though she noted Boynton Beach’s discussions with the county are in the preliminary stages regarding the fire department.

“This is really exploring options,” Heiser said. 

Heiser told commissioners she was monitoring the situation and did not expect an immediate drop in service, but she cautioned that “sometimes change means a change in costs as well.”

For the current fiscal year, Ocean Ridge pays Boynton Beach nearly $1.6 million for fire and EMS services.

Town Attorney Christy Goddeau noted existing agreements can limit how and when services are changed, saying the current agreement for fire rescue services is good through Sept. 30, 2028.

Boynton Beach and county officials have not released a timetable for a decision. Any formal proposal likely would prompt public hearings and disclosures detailing the operational and financial impacts before elected bodies decide whether to proceed.

The fire rescue considerations came in the wake of earlier announcements that Boynton Beach would also consider handing over its water treatment operations to Palm Beach County.

Boynton Beach City Manager Dan Duggar has said the city would drop its efforts to annex several communities west of its boundaries if the county would purchase the city’s water operations.

The County Commission has approved county staff’s investigating a potential takeover of Boynton Beach’s water utilities.

Besides getting water and fire rescue services from Boynton Beach, Ocean Ridge relies on city staff for its vast expertise, Heiser said.

“Our relationship with the city ... has been really strong from the city manager’s office to the fire department and also, specifically, the utilities department,” Heiser said. 

At last, wastewater plant upgrade at Oceanfront Park — The aging wastewater treatment plant at Boynton Beach’s Oceanfront Park is expected to have its long-delayed upgrade finished within the next few months. 

The project, initially approved a decade ago, is expected to make wastewater treatment at the site more reliable and resilient. 

The City Commission approved extending the project deadline, with the grant closeout scheduled for September 2027. The new deadline will give the city more time to secure a grant reimbursement to cover some of the cost.  

The plant, built in 1982, needed improvements to be able to treat wastewater more effectively. In 2016, the City Commission entered into a $300,000 grant agreement with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to rehabilitate and modernize it. 

City documents do not disclose the total cost of the project, but most of the grant funds will cover construction services.

— Patrick Sherry