Boca Raton voters face an increasingly crowded ballot during the upcoming March election.
Along with deciding who will be the new city mayor and who will fill two of the council seats, voters also will weigh in on at least two — if not four — referendum questions.
Some of them are tied to a controversial redevelopment proposal — known as the “government campus redevelopment plan” — that would reshape a swath of land near the city’s Brightline station, footsteps from the downtown, adding many new homes, shops, restaurants and offices.
With so many ballot-oriented updates in recent weeks, it may be a challenge to keep track of them: One question stems from a petition led by residents opposed to the plan, while another question was put forth by the city, gauging how interested the public is with the proposal. A third question asks whether voters want to fund a new city police station.
Here’s what’s known about the questions that will be answered on March 10.
The Save Boca referendum question
The past few months have been tense, with opposition mounting against the city’s plan to redevelop the government campus. This area is 30 acres near the intersection between West Palmetto Park Road and Dixie Highway currently holding City Hall, the Boca Raton community center, the police department and the city’s softball fields.
The group behind much of the dissent against the project, Save Boca, has gathered signatures for ordinance and charter amendments that state: “The City Council shall not in any manner alienate from the public, lease or sell any land that is owned by the city of Boca Raton greater than half an acre, or any part thereof, except upon approval of the proposed action at a referendum election.”
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In August, the group submitted signatures to the city clerk for the ordinance amendment, which were reviewed and then sent off to the county’s supervisor of elections. In an email to residents, the city noted the petition cleared more steps in recent days: The city clerk certified it “as sufficient” after the elections supervisor wrapped up verifying records.
The ordinance next goes before the City Council to be considered for adoption, and if the council members don’t adopt it, then it advances to the March 2026 ballot.
Then, on Sept. 23, Save Boca members submitted signatures to the city clerk for the identical charter amendment, which currently is undergoing the verification and certification process. If it passes, then the charter amendment automatically will be added to the ballot.
Unlike charter amendments, ordinance amendments can be overturned by the City Council, which is why Save Boca members rallied for both. The only way to overturn a charter amendment is by holding another election, giving the charter more strength than the ordinance.
For the Save Boca members, the government campus redevelopment project — though the primary source of objection — acted as a launchpad to seeking voter control over all city land.
“We are entering a new phase of Save Boca and still have a long way to go until our city is restored to its rightful place and our best future is guaranteed,” the movement wrote on its website.
The city-initiated referendum question
Because Save Boca’s amendments pertain to the purchase or lease of any land, the City Council members believed it was necessary to create a referendum question specifically addressing the government campus redevelopment project.
At a recent city meeting, City Council directed the city staff to prepare a referendum question regarding resident approval of the project as it is currently proposed in partnership with the Terra and Frisbie development groups.
According to an update from city officials: “This ballot question asks residents whether or not they support moving forward with the proposed P3 redevelopment of the government campus.”
The city’s decision came after Terra and Frisbie revealed modifications to the government campus redevelopment project, which included reducing the number of residences to 704 units, removing the hotel, designing a Memorial Park monument and increasing green space. The original plan called for more than 1,100 apartments, “pedestrian experiences,” a hotel and nearly 85,000 square feet of retail space.
Terra and Frisbie also planned open houses for residents to learn more about the project and provide feedback, one of which already occurred, and with another one being held on Monday, Oct. 6.
The police station referendum question
The other referendum question voters will decide on is whether city officials should spend money on a new police station.
The question involves the financing of the project, which, if approved, would come from $175 million of bond funds.
The proposed police station could be built along Broken Sound Boulevard between Spanish River Library and the Boca Raton Innovation Campus. The city’s current police station is at 100 NW Boca Raton Blvd., just south of the Brightline station, and is outdated and too small for the number of employees, according to city officials.
Though the current police station also currently is in the government campus area, this referendum question is separate from the other questions relating to the redevelopment project.
“I think the voters should strongly consider this. We’ve invested heavily in public safety. It’s about time that we brought up the facilities we need to plan for today and for our future. I think this is a very prudent plan,” Mayor Scott Singer said during a recent city meeting.
Next public workshop
This Monday will be the second of two public workshops about the government campus plan, scheduled by Terra & Frisbie Group. It’s “for residents to learn more about the current proposed ideas and share feedback,” the city said in an email. The workshop will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the city’s 6500 Building, at 6500 Congress Ave.
