Boca Raton’s March mayoral race could become well over a million-dollar campaign.
As I reported, Councilmembers Fran Nachlas and Andy Thomson had strong numbers in their first fundraising reports. For the three months ending June 30, Nachlas received about $45,000 in contributions and loaned her campaign $100,000. Thomson reported $51,000 in contributions.
Each candidate, though, also has a political action committee (PAC)—Fran For BocA and Running with Andy Thomson. State law limits direct donations to candidates to $1,000 from an individual or entity, though businesses can boost that number through contributions from several individuals at, say, a law firm. Donations to PACs are unlimited.
During those same three months, Fran For BocA received almost $190,000 in contributions. Running with Andy Thomson took in $66,500. Overall, Nachlas and Thomson had collected $451,500 almost nine months before the March 17 election. At that rate, the combined total would be about $1.5 million just by the end of this year. The next reporting period ends Sept. 30.
Of that $190,000, about $133,000 came from another PAC called Voters For Better Government. Its largest single donation to Nachlas—$25,000—came from Boca Raton philanthropist Marilyn Simon. Another $10,000 came from Joel Altman, who started and sold a development company and has donated to, among other things, Boca Raton Regional Hospital.
Still another $10,000 came from Michael Kaufman, who founded Kaufman Lynn Construction. The company had its headquarters in Boca Raton before moving to Delray Beach. Voters for Better Government also got $10,000 from Mark Warren, a podiatric physician in Delray Beach. Nachlas, a retired nurse, is married to Dr. Nathan Nachlas, a Boca Raton physician who recently retired.
Among the $5,000 donors are: RedSpeed, the company operating speed cameras in Boca Raton school zones; NADG Florida, the leasing agent for the rental complex on what had been a golf course in Boca Del Mar; and Robert D’Angelo, a vice president at the Boca Raton-based developer Compson Associates. Another $2,000 came from the wife of the man who successfully sued the city over the denial of a variance to allow construction of an oceanfront home.
Fran For BocA received $10,000 from CP Group, which owns the Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRiC), formerly IBM’s local headquarters. The city council approved changes that will allow housing and other new uses at BRiC. The committee got $15,000 from Broward County-based David Mancini & Sons, a construction company that specializes in underground projects.
Oddly, since this is a local race, FranForBocA got $10,000 from the PAC associated with People’s Trust, the Deerfield Beach insurance company. Another $5,000 came from James and Marta Batmasian—who are seeking to build a luxury hotel near Mizner Park—and land-use lawyer Stephanie Toothaker. She represents BRiC.
Running with Andy Thomson’s money is harder to trace because much of it has come through a separate PAC maintained by his consultant, Cornerstone Solutions. That’s been the case since the PAC was created in 2022 to support Thomson’s unsuccessful run for the Florida House.
Since April 4, Running with Andy Thomson has received $5,000 from Malcolm Butters, whose construction company is building the racket facility at North Park. Another $2,500 came from Ignacio Diaz, a principal in P6, the developer with several projects in downtown Boca Raton. The PAC got $3,000 from the owner of a Deerfield Beach construction company and $2,000 from Tallahassee lobbyist Ron Book.
Most of the money, though, came from Citizens for Law and Order and Ethics. That is one of Cornerstone’s many PACs. On March 28, that committee received $50,000 from yet another Cornerstone PAC—Floridians for Economic Leadership. Its contributors since March provide some clarity to a cloudy donation picture.
James Batmasian gave $10,000. Compson gave $5,000. Ian Weiner, president of Boca Raton-based Pebb Enterprises, gave $10,000. Pebb has several development projects in the city, most notably conversion of part of the Office Depot headquarters from office to residential.
The most interesting recent contribution is $10,000 from David Frisbie. The Palm Beach resident is a founder of the development company Frisbie Group. Frisbie is part of the joint venture seeking to redevelop downtown Boca Raton. Thomson was the only vote against choosing Terra/Frisbie, and he has been the only council member to oppose Terra/Frisbie’s plan.
It’s unclear, though, whether Frisbie intended any or all of that $10,000 for Thomson. The PAC is supporting another Cornerstone client, Christina Lambert, in her bid for mayor of West Palm Beach in 2027. Frisbie has many projects in West Palm Beach.
That’s just one aspect of committee use that makes it hard for voters to know who is backing which candidate or issue and with how much money. In 2023, committees associated with Mayor Scott Singer sent mailers in support of extended terms for the mayor and council from three years to four years.
Singer had pushed for a special election asking voters to approve the change. Since the mailers came from committees, voters didn’t see the money trail. The measure still lost.
Seat B Councilman Marc Wigder, who is running for a second term in March, also has formed a PAC—Friends of Marc Wigder. So has Christen Ritchey, who is running for the open Seat A. Hers is called Boca 100. I’ll have more when the next reports come out.
More on the removal of Delray Beach’s Pride streetscape
Several hours after the Delray Beach City Commission voted to challenge the rule regarding the city’s LGBTQ Pride streetscape, the state came back to remove the artwork.
During a 5 p.m. special meeting Tuesday, Commissioners Angela Burns, Rob Long and Thomas Markert supported Delray Beach joining Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach in their petition. They argue that the Florida Department of Transportation—meaning Gov. Ron DeSantis—is wrongly interpreting state standards by removing artwork even on roads not under state jurisdiction.
Long made the salient point during Tuesday’s debate. Delray Beach dedicated the intersection in 2021, with DeSantis in office. The streetscape wasn’t a problem, Long said, until recently, with DeSantis rumored to be running for president again.
Mayor Tom Carney made what he called the “pragmatic” argument. Delray Beach already had lost its appeal of FDOT’s order to remove the Pride artwork. Twenty-two other cities, including Key West, had declined to join the petition. The state had threatened to withhold money from cities that failed to comply. For Delray Beach, at least $60 million could be at stake.
Proceeding, Carney said, could be “iffy and difficult.” Speaking of his fellow Republican, Carney said, “I don’t want to test this governor.”
City Manager Terrence Moore told commissioners that just before the meeting, FDOT officials had told him that if the city didn’t remove the streetscape soon, the state would be back to remove it. The city, Moore said, could sandblast the intersection.
But Burns and Markert agreed with Long that the commission would fail its residents by not trying one more option. City Attorney Lynn Gelin said joining the petition could allow Delray Beach to seek a stay of the state order.
Obviously, that’s now a moot issue. Early Wednesday morning, a team under Florida Highway Patrol guard began painting over the artwork a second time. A different team had made a mess of the work 24 hours earlier by painting over the artwork in the rain. Then they moved to sandblasting, perhaps to clean up the mess and hazard they had created.
What happens now? Long told me Wednesday that the state’s action “doesn’t change things legally.” In theory, the city could win the petition and be able to repaint the intersection.
Things also could shift, however, during Monday’s commission meeting. Burns or Markert could ask to bring up the issue again. Commissioner Juli Casale, who was absent Tuesday, previously opposed challenging the state. If Burns or Markert joined Carney and Casale, the fight would be over.
The item is on the agenda under the title “Alternate Considerations regarding the Pride Intersection.” One of those considerations will be how to clean up the mess the state made. I’ll have more next week.
Rare civility in Delray Beach politics
A personal observation:
Unlike most debates in Delray Beach over big issues, Tuesday’s was impassioned but respectful. Carney and Long never got personal. As Long said Wednesday, it was the kind of serious policy debate that rarely happens.
Carney acknowledged the strong sentiment for the intersection by suggesting that Delray Beach acknowledge people whom DeSantis wants to marginalize by creating an exhibit on city property.
For his part, Long acknowledged Carney’s reasonable concern about money. If the mayor hadn’t raised the issue, someone else would have had to. The frustrating part about the debate was that it had to happen at all.
Delray Beach city commission approve police contract
Speaking of that Monday meeting, also before the commission is approval of the long-delayed police contract. Moore said Police Benevolent Association members “overwhelmingly” ratified the agreement last week. The new contract will take effect almost one year after the old expired. It will expire in September 2027.
Delray Beach city commission denies settlement in case of former fire chief
During last week’s meeting, the city commission approved Gelin’s recommendation to deny the proposed settlement in the case of former Delray Beach Fire Chief Keith Tomey.
The item was on the consent agenda, which the commission approved unanimously. Moore fired Tomey 16 months ago for policy violations. Tomey claimed that Moore had retaliated and tried to claim whistleblower status. An Aug. 14 mediation session had left both sides at an impasse.
