The Boca Raton City Council this week passed two ordinances that would impose penalty fines on those who feed nuisance wildlife.
The genesis of the two ordinances—one that prohibits feeding iguanas, rats, mice, and pigeons, and one that imposes a $100 fine—is a dispute between two neighbors, both of which were present and commented during Tuesday’s meeting.
One of the neighbors complained that the other was feeding “upwards of 150 to 200 pigeons,” which damaged his property through their waste. The other neighbor argued that the issue was brought before the council because of her neighbor’s hatred of animals.
If this seems like small potatoes, that’s because it is, which Councilmember Yvette Drucker pointed out when she voted—alongside Councilmember Michelle Grau—against both ordinances. Drucker was the only current member of the council who was on the council three years ago when the same dispute between the same neighbors brought a similar ordinance before the council, which was voted down.
“This is one resident complaint against another resident complaint,” said Drucker. “We should not enact policy for one party or for neighborly fights. We have to be better with our governance.”
Mayor Andy Thomson pointed out that not everything that comes before the council is landmark legislation. Indeed, much of local governance could be considered small potatoes.
Regardless of how the ordinance came before the council, the concern is valid. Feeding nuisance wildlife creates unsanitary conditions, causes property damage, and impacts quality of life. Plus, iguanas and pigeons are invasive species. Boca Raton also isn’t the first to pass such an ordinance. Earlier this year, the Royal Palm Beach Village Council passed an ordinance that cracked down on residents whose feeding of animals leads to habitual nuisance.
The Boca ordinance specifies iguanas, mice, rats, and pigeons. Residents can still feed feral cats. Because the ordinance deals more with volume and impact then general feeding, it does not apply to bird feeders.
During her comments, Drucker also highlighted the logistical hurdles to enforcing the ordinance. Grau was concerned over excessive government regulation. Both votes passed 3-2.
Controversial Delray Beach townhome project approved
A controversial townhome project came back before the Delray Beach City Commission last week.
To recap: Ultra Luxury Townhomes LLC wanted to have the land-use designation for a four-acre lot on North Federal Highway changed from commercial to residential so that it could build 47 luxury townhomes on the site.
The project became the subject of controversy because an investor in the project is Peter Carney, brother of Mayor Tom Carney. Mayor Carney reached out to members of the Planning and Zoning Board and urged approval of the project. He said that he was reaching out not as the mayor, but as a private citizen. The project passed the Planning and Zoning Board with a 7-0 vote and Carney recused himself when the issue came before the commission last month. With Carney recused, the vote failed 2-2. The commission then granted a request by the developer to come back before them with a new presentation.
At last week’s meeting, city commissioners voted to approve the project 3-1. So, what changed? Commissioner Tom Markert’s vote.
During the initial hearing, Markert raised safety concerns related to residents backing out from driveways and the distance between the curb and the street. Markert was satisfied with tweaks to the overall site plan that alleviated safety concerns and the project was approved with a 3-1 vote, with Commissioner Juli Casale casting the no vote. Casale previously argued that the property should remain zoned for commercial development, but the property has sat vacant for nearly 20 years.
