Three candidates are vying for Boca Raton mayor on March 10, with two having raised each hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions, some of which has come from development interests, records show.
The source of many of the campaign contributions comes from a range of political committees.
The two mayoral candidates who have raised the most money are Fran Nachlas, the city’s deputy mayor who raised $373,373, and Andy Thomson, a City Council member who raised $406,982, according to campaign finance records released in recent months.
Nachlas and Thomson raised the funds through direct contributions and their political committees. Nachlas also loaned an additional $100,000 to herself, making her total $473,373.
A third mayoral candidate, city resident Mike Liebelson, has raised $261 — contributing $5,000 of his own money and loaning himself another $50,000.
The newly elected mayor will replace the current mayor, Scott Singer.
Residents will cast their vote for the city’s mayor, council seats A, B and D, and two referendum questions during the March 10 general election.
In the past year, no Boca Raton issue has reigned more prevalent than the downtown government campus redevelopment plan, bringing in scores of residents to city meetings and spurring a resident-led movement.
Nachlas has supported the redevelopment project, recently voting to approve a 99-year lease with the developers, Terra and Frisbie, to bring residences, office space, shops, restaurants and a hotel to 7.8 acres of land south of the Brightline station.
The final fate of the project, which is called One Boca, remains contingent on the results of the March ballot referendum.
Thomson, meanwhile, has been the lone City Council member vocally opposed to the One Boca deal.
The government campus redevelopment plan controversy has placed a spotlight on all development in the city, heightening concern among some residents who want to see it tempered, fearing increased traffic and quality-of-life disruptions.
With these concerns have come questions about who is funding candidate campaigns, particularly the potential mayor. Here’s what’s known.
Fran Nachlas
Nachlas, a Republican, has served on the City Council since 2022.
As of Jan. 12, she’d raised $119,579 in direct contributions. This does not include Nachlas’ $100,000 loan to herself.
Nachlas’ political committee, Fran for BocA, has raised more than $253,000 since April.
A sizable portion of Fran For BocA came from other political committees, such as the Voters For Better Government, which contributed more than $132,000. Fran For BocA also received $20,000 from the political action committee People’s Trust.
Contributions to Fran For BocA include $10,000 from the CP Group, a real estate firm representing projects in the city such as the Boca Raton Innovation Campus, Boca Center, One Town Center and One Boca Place.
Fran For BocA received another $10,000 from Pebb Manager, which is affiliated with PEBB Enterprises, a “private equity family office and leader in the acquisition and development of commercial open-air retail and suburban office properties,” according to its website.
PEBB Enterprises is behind projects such as Restaurant Row, the Research Park at Florida Atlantic University and Boca Corporate Center.
Fran For BocA also received $4,000 from Butters Realty and Management, for which South Florida developer Malcolm Butters is the agent. Butters developed the two-story indoor pickleball facility, Boca Paddle Club, coming to Boca Raton’s former Ocean Breeze golf course.
Butters also contributed $1,000 directly to Nachlas’ campaign.
Butters also is the CEO of Butters Construction and Development, which is behind major projects in Boca Raton such as the Boca Logistics Park, Boca Ice, Boca Village Retail and LA Fitness Boca Raton.
According to Florida International University: “Over the past decade, Butters Construction and Development, Inc. has been listed as one of the most active commercial developers in Florida.”
Also among the contributors to Fran for BocA is prominent Boca Raton developer, James Batmasian and his wife, Marta Batmasian, who contributed $5,000. The Batmasians founded Investments Limited, a real estate firm that owns, develops, operates and leases various properties. In Boca Raton, these include One City Centre, 101 Renaissance Center and the Royal Palm Place shopping center.
Fran for BocA also received $15,000 from Marilyn Simon, a prominent Boca Raton philanthropist. Simon contributed $25,000 to the Voters For Better Government committee earlier this year.
Attorney Ele Zachariades, who works for the Miskel Backman law firm, gave $1,000 in a direct contribution to Nachlas.
Zachariades has represented several projects in the city, including a proposed hotel at the city’s pink plaza, a 12-story, 306-unit multifamily residential building known as Modera Boca and a project for more than 40 townhomes.
Andy Thomson
Thomson, a Democrat, served on the council from 2018 to 2022 in Seat A until he resigned to run for the state House District 91. After losing that race, Thomson returned to the Boca Raton Council in March 2024.
As of Jan. 13, Thomson has raised $116,883 through direct contributions and $290,100 through his political committee, Running with Andy Thomson.
In 2025, Running with Andy Thomson received more than $120,000 from a political action committee called Citizens for Law Order and Ethics, which has received $1 million from the Seminole Tribe of Florida since 2024.
Another political action committee called Floridians for Economic Leadership contributed $90,000 to Thomson in 2025. The Citizens for Law and Order committee contributed $150,000 to Floridians for Economic Leadership also in 2025.
Prominent individuals and developers also have contributed to Running with Andy Thomson, including Butters, who gave $5,000. Butters also gave $1,000 in a direct contribution.
Ignacio Diaz, a co-owner of Group P6, contributed $2,500 to Thomson’s committee. Group P6 “represents the next generation of South Florida luxury residential developers,” according to its website, and the company’s projects include Royal Palm Residences and an office building along Palmetto Park Road.
Another private real estate platform called NADG Florida Office contributed $5,000 to Thomson’s campaign. NADG is overlooking projects such as the Aletto, a luxury office building, and NUVO Boca, a residential development.
Wexford Real Estate Investors, a real estate investment and development firm, contributed $5,000 to Thomson’s committee. In conjunction with Key International, Wexford is developing the recently announced Mr. C Residences, a 12-story luxury residential tower coming to Boca Raton’s downtown. Wexford also is behind developments such as the Boca Beach Residences.
In direct contributions, Thomson received $5,000 from different entities all tied to the address 1600 Sawgrass Corporate Parkway Suite 400 in Sunrise. Some of these entities include Lotus Edge/Boca Raton Associates X, Valencia Grand/Boynton Beach Associates 30, Lotus Palm/Boca Raton Associates IX and Valencia Sound/Boynton Beach Associates XXVI, all of which are names of residential communities built by GL Homes in Palm Beach County.
Zachariades also directly contributed $1,000 to Thomson, as did Bonnie Miskel, who also works for the Miskel Backman law firm.
Miskel recently represented Terra and Frisbie at a city meeting, discussing the pedestrian and mobility improvements that had been made to the One Boca project. Miskel also represents projects such as University Village, a transit-oriented development, proposing 781 residential units, a 185-room hotel, 150,000 square feet of retail and more than 68,000 square feet of office space wedged between Spanish River Boulevard and Yamato Road.
Mike Liebelson
Mike Liebelson, a Republican, is the third mayoral candidate and has been staunchly against the government campus redevelopment proposal.
According to his campaign website, Liebelson’s platform is: “End developer control of city hall, cut taxes, restore transparency and accountability to local government, and focus on issues that improve the quality of life for Boca Raton residents.”
As of Jan. 8, Liebelson raised $55,261, $50,000 of which came from a loan to himself and another $5,000 directly from himself. The remaining $261 came from other contributors.
