News

By Sallie James

    The Boca Raton City Council approved a year-long moratorium on the operation of medical marijuana treatment centers and dispensing or cultivation facilities.
    The law gives the city time to address possible land- development regulations should Florida voters approve Amendment 2 in November.
    Because of the city’s historical prohibition of marijuana use and cultivation, no existing land-development regulations in Boca Raton address its permitted use.
    If Florida voters fail to approve the constitutional amendment, Boca’s temporary moratorium on the operation of medical marijuana treatment centers will immediately terminate.
    The temporary moratorium on the operation of dispensing facilities will remain in effect.
Amendment 2 would allow marijuana to be legally given to anyone with a doctor’s referral for cancer, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease or “other conditions for which a physician believes that the medical use of marijuana would likely outweigh the potential health risks for the patient.”
    In other business, the council:
    •  Approved spending $142,383 for additional biological and physical monitoring, and construction observation for the continuation of the North Beach Renourishment project.
    Work on the project was temporarily halted from May 1 to November 1 due to turtle nesting.  
    Sand pumping is expected to resume the first week of November, according to Assistant City Manager Mike Woika.
    The contractor will begin placing sand near the middle of Spanish River Park and work north to about 1,000 feet north of Spanish River Boulevard, Woika said.
    Approximately 200,000 cubic yards of sand will be needed to complete the job, Woika noted.
    Completion is expected by the end of November or early December.
    • For the ninth year in a row, the city of Boca Raton will sponsor a PGA Champions Tour charity golf tournament at the Old Course at Broken Sound.
    “We have done this every year for the last (several) years,” said City Councilman Michael Mullaugh. “It’s on the Golf Channel and it happens the week after the Super Bowl, so football is gone. We hope the people in the Northeast will watch to see what a lovely place Boca is. Maybe they will think of relocating.”
    The city will contribute $375,000 to the Feb. 5-8 event put on by Boca Raton Champions Golf Charities Inc. in addition to providing in-kind police services.
    The city funds will be used for marketing and public relations costs.
    In addition to shining a positive light on Boca and providing enhanced national and international recognition for the city, it gives a boost to the local economy, city officials said.
    •  Approved a two-year agreement with the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority for shuttle bus service for the Boca Shuttle Route with funds from a $221,468 Transit Corridor Grant.
    The grant will allow additional service hours from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays.  The agreement runs from Jan. 5, 2015, to Jan. 4, 2017.
    • Approved a Burglary Apprehension Task Force Mutual Aid agreement with Palm Beach and Broward county law enforcement agencies to address burglaries in south Palm Beach County and Broward County.