North Park in Boca Raton could be home to a surf park.
Or more golf.
Or an indoor athletic complex.
Or none—or all—of those.
Board members of the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Parks District are deciding what other recreational amenities they want to offer at North Park. That’s the roughly 200 acres north of Yamato Road and west of Interstate 95 that once made up the Ocean Breeze golf course.
Three proposals emerged from the Oct. 7 meeting in which board members ranked the bidders. Chairman Erin Wright stresses that the district “is in the preliminary stage” of evaluating the “financial feasibility” of each proposal. Whatever the district added would join Boca Paddle, the racket facility set to open in mid-2026, new walking trails, dog parks, a playground and picnic shelters.
Residents of the Boca Teeca community within North Park have expressed the greatest concern about the proposed Boca Surf Park. It would occupy roughly 24 acres in the northwest section of the park, including parking and a buffer between the facility and the condos.
Like similar facilities around the world, this would be an artificial surfing lagoon using Wavegarden Cove technology. According to the proposal, Boca Surf Park “will deliver consistent, high-performance waves in a safe, inclusive setting. Amenities will include wellness spaces, dining, retail, youth programs, and event infrastructure.”
Boca Surf Park characterizes itself as intensely local. One principal is Cheyne Cottrell, the co-owner of Boca Raton’s Island Water Sports. Providing food and beverage would be Jay Whelchel, son of the late Mayor Susan Whelchel.
The facility would cost $60 million, all of it private money. Boca Surf Park proposes a 49-year lease, with the district getting 3% of gross revenues for the first 15 years, 4% for the next 10 years and 5% after that. Boca Surf Park is open to negotiating a guaranteed annual revenue.
Boca Surf Park would be visible from I-95. It would be only the second such facility in the United States after the one in Virginia Beach, Va. The applicants claim that the surf park would generate less traffic than a theme park and that the light impact on neighbors would be “minimal.” They say that the first phase could open in 2028 and the entire facility in 2030.
With studies showing a need for more indoor venues in the city, Boca Sports and Entertainment proposes a 40,000-square-foot facility that could accommodate four to six basketball courts or six to eight volleyball courts. It also would feature 4,000 square feet for athletic training and a playground.
One of the two principals is Malcolm Butters, owner of Butters Construction and Development. He is part of Boca Paddle. This venture also would offer food and beverage. Boca Sports proposes giving 3% from concessions to the district over the first 10 years, 4% for the next 10 years and 5% through the balance of the 49-year lease.
Boca Sports and Entertainment would cost $10.7 million. According to the proposal, it could open in August 2027.
At one point, the district and the city were negotiating to put Boca Raton’s new municipal golf course at North Park, after the city sold the old course. Then The Boca Raton donated what has become the Boca Raton Golf and Racquet Club.
Still, board members who are avid golfers have kept pushing for another public facility at North Park. Thus, the proposal from Municipal Golf Partners.
The joint venture of Kemper Sports and Old Town Capital would build a par-3 course, a driving range with between 30 and 35 covered bays, a Himalayan-style putting green—steep and contoured, designed for all skill levels—and a facility for golfers to work on their short game. There would be an “event lawn,” a tiki bar and walking trails with native landscaping.
Total investment would be $20 million, all of it private. The proposal includes plans for a basketball/swimming complex, but that would require money from the district.
According to the proposal, Kemper Sports owns or operates roughly 200 facilities in the country. Municipal Golf Partners would discount fees for residents and proposes that 5% of gross revenues would go to the district.
In addition, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County want to build a new Boca Raton club on 1.8 acres of North Park where a hotel once stood. Unlike the proposed recreation facilities, the club would be on the east side of North Park.
According to the proposal, the current club at Sand Pine Park is only 4,000 square feet, meaning that the club must turn away many families seeking afterschool and other programming. In contrast, the Delray Beach club is 21,000 square feet.
The North Park club would be 25,000 square feet. It would cost $16 million and could open in December 2029.
The city council would have to approve site plans for any of these projects.
Will Boca and Delray receive FEMA funds?
It should greatly interest residents of Boca Raton and Delray Beach that some parts of the country are experiencing what life is like when the federal government tries to get out of the disaster response business.
The New York Times reported that Cave City, Ark., is struggling to recover from a recent tornado. The 2,000-person town has $300,000 in expenses. Previously, Cave City could have expected that the Federal Emergency Management Agency would reimburse residents for most of that. But President Trump wants the states to take over disaster relief.
Delray Beach City Commissioner Thomas Markert noted the potential impact several months ago, when the idea arose within the Trump administration. Cities, Markert noted, may have to fatten their disaster reserves. Much is unknown.
Sarah Labowitz tracks disaster recovery spending for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She said of the administration, “They’re making good on their promise to shift the burden onto states without giving the states any runway to prepare for that.”
Susan Haynie case continues in civil court
It’s been four years since Susan Haynie pleaded guilty to a pair of the criminal charges that led to her removal as mayor of Boca Raton in April 2018. On the civil side, her case goes on.
Today, the Florida Commission on Ethics will decide whether to dismiss three charges filed against Haynie in 2017 by Al Zucaro. He was the publisher of the BocaWatch website, which no longer exists. Those charges were related to the actions that led to Haynie’s arrest.
According to commission records, the dismissals arise from the Legislature’s tightening of the standards for filing complaints. They now must be based on “personal knowledge.” Zucaro’s complaint followed a newspaper article.
The charges in question stem from Hayne’s financial relationship with James and Marta Batmasian, the owners of Investments Limited. Haynie stands accused of concealing that relationship and casting votes that benefited the Batmasians. The remaining five charges accuse Hayne of filing incorrect financial disclosure statements.
Though the criminal charges were classified as public corruption, the lead prosecutor said when Haynie pleaded guilty that there had been no “quid pro quo.”
Financing for Boca Raton city council races
On Tuesday, I reported on the massive fundraising in the Boca Raton mayor’s race. The three city council races at this point are not nearly so expensive.
Christen Ritchey, a lawyer who serves on the planning and zoning board, is the only announced candidate for the open Seat A. She received about $10,000 in direct contributions for the three months ending Sept. 30. That brings her total to $15,000.
One of her donations was $250 from Councilman Marc Wigder, who is running for another term in Seat B. In 2023, Ritchey and Wigder had filed to run, but Ritchey dropped out after meeting Wigder, saying that she thought he would do a very good job.
Through her committee, Boca 100, Ritchey received $10,000 from CP Group. It owns the Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRiC), formerly the IBM headquarters. CP Group is planning a massive makeover of the site.
Wigder is self-financing his campaign with a $101,000 personal loan. He raised negligible amounts directly and in donations to his committee, Friends of Marc Wigder. His challenger, Meredith Madsen, filed only last month. Her form showed just a $110 loan.
In Seat D, which also is coming open, former Councilman Robert Weinroth raised almost $29,000 during the reporting period. His total is about $42,000.
Weinroth got $5,000 from developer Jamie Danburg—whose projects are in the northwest part of the city—and related entities. Danburg endorsed Weinroth when he ran unsuccessfully last year for Congress. Weinroth also got $5,000 from GL Homes. The company has no business within the city, but as a county commission Weinroth cast votes that enabled GL to build more homes in the Agricultural Reserve Area than rules allowed.
Among Weinroth’s other donors were philanthropist Christine Lynn ($1,000), former Mayor Steven Abrams ($250) and Pam Weinroth, his wife. She gave $500.
Save Our Boca Beaches founder Jessica Gray also is running in Seat D. She filed only two weeks ago and did not submit a fundraising report.
Financing for Delray Beach city council race
Only one city commission race in Delray Beach next year is contested at this point. Judy Mollica and Delores Rangel are seeking to succeed Rob Long in District 2. Long is leaving to run for the Florida House.
Through Sept. 30, Mollica had raised $26,000, with $20,000 coming from a personal loan. Rangel’s $500 loan was basically the extent of her fundraising.
Angela Burns is unopposed for reelection to the District 4 seat. She had raised $33,000.
Another wrinkle in the decline in PBC school enrollments
I wrote recently about the enrollment decline in Palm Beach County’s traditional public schools. I cited two factors: the availability of private school vouchers to all families, regardless of income, and the cost of living discouraging young families from moving to this area.
District officials say there’s one other factor: President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Students whose undocumented parents may fear deportation are not in school.
