Against all odds, GL Homes lost on Tuesday, and the community won.
County commissioners Mack Bernard and Gregg Weiss flipped their votes from May and killed the company’s attempt to build 1,000 luxury homes in the Agricultural Reserve Area northwest of Boca Raton. The 4-3 vote came after nearly 12 hours of discussion and public comments.
To review, GL wanted to trade roughly 1,600 acres of land west of West Palm Beach—on which it has development rights—in exchange for permission to build those 1,000 homes that rules don’t allow. The company then would build roughly 1,300 fewer homes on that northern land.
Even by conservative estimates, GL could have made $500 million more in sales from this tradeoff, because the northern homes would have been priced much lower. To get that windfall, GL Homes pledged to build a water supply project on the northern property. The company also promised land for a park in the Agricultural Reserve Area, land for a synagogue and land for a new, western campus for Torah Academy of Boca Raton.
Despite those and other promises, county planners opposed the swap and made their position clear during Tuesday’s meeting. Rules to limit development and protect farming in the reserve don’t allow for swaps of land outside the reserve. Allowing this one would have invited more, busting limits on development and likely turning the unique, productive coastal farm belt into more suburbia.
Bernard tipped his change of position early. He repeatedly asked GL Vice President Kevin Ratterree about that water project, which supposedly would have increased supply for West Palm Beach and the Loxahatchee River. Where was the analysis showing that the project would deliver what GL promised? Where was the plan for operating the project?
Ratterree offered no details. Operation, he said, would be worked out next month during a meeting of all parties involved. “We’re supposed to approve this with no analysis?” Bernard asked. He did not ask such pointed questions five months ago, when he and Weiss joined Sara Baxter, Michael Barnett and Maria Marino in preliminarily approving the swap.
Maria Sachs, who represents the reserve, voted no again Tuesday. So did Marci Woodward, who represents Boca Raton and Delray Beach. Though Woodward has been on the commission for only a year, she perfectly summed up the issue by saying, “What’s being asked is too much.”
Indeed. GL was asking the commission to undercut the nearly quarter-century effort to protect farming in the reserve. GL was asking this commission to disregard the voters who in 1999 taxed themselves $100 million for land buys that started the preservation effort.
Some commissioners—such as Woodward’s predecessor, Robert Weinroth—had tried to justify this abandonment by saying, “Things have changed.” Owners of GL-built homes in the reserve complained that they wanted more of the suburban-type amenities that GL would provide through the swap.
Then there was the blatant play for support from Jewish residents. A rabbi at Torah Academy spoke of the yeshiva’s rapid growth and said, “We are literally out of space.” A reserve homeowner backed the swap because the synagogue would have meant shorter trips for High Holy Days. One speaker praised GL for “helping to ensure the future of the Jewish people.”
All those sweeteners, however, couldn’t hide the fact that this was just an attempted money grab. Marino praised GL for promising to build 277 workforce housing units near the luxury homes, thus helping to meet a need, but the company over the last decade lobbied to get around rules that would have required them to build far more workforce housing units. Those near Stonebridge Country Club would have had a separate entrance from the seven-figure neighborhood.
Speakers noted correctly that nothing prevented GL from offering land for those worthy projects without demanding so much in return. County staffers said the land offer was too small for a park, and there is no money in the budget to build and maintain one.
Finally, there was the argument that the commission had made several changes to the Agricultural Reserve Area plan in the last 24 years and that this was just one more. “This is not a tweak,” Woodward said. “This is a death knell.”
More threats to the reserve remain. Developers need open land, and the reserve has lots of it. GL’s plan, though, was the biggest threat. For now, it’s gone.
Randy Fine no longer in the running for FAU presidency
Speaking of threats, many Florida Atlantic University faculty members considered State Rep. Randy Fine the biggest threat to FAU if he had become president. Apparently, that threat also is gone.
The South Florida Sun Sentinel reported this week that Fine is no longer a candidate to succeed John Kelly. That revelation came from Gov. DeSantis, who previously had said that Fine was his preferred choice.
Not coincidentally, that news broke as Fine publicly switched his support for the Republican presidential nomination from DeSantis to Donald Trump. Fine had sponsored some of the “culture wars” bill DeSantis has touted as he runs against the former president. DeSantis had backed Fine for the FAU job because of that support.
In a commentary for the right-wing Washington Examiner, Fine claimed that DeSantis lost his support for not responding forcefully enough to Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel. Fine is the only Jewish Republican in the Florida House. On Wednesday, after Fine’s article appeared, DeSantis ordered all public universities in Florida to ban chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine. University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues said the group’s national office supports terrorism against Jews.
The courts likely will rule on that action by the governor. What matters for FAU is that—for whatever reason—DeSantis no longer wants Fine to run the university, which means that Fine won’t run the university.
What now? Rodrigues halted the search on July 7, two days after Fine did not become one of three finalists. The university system’s inspector general is investigating what Rodrigues called “anomalies” in the search.
The Board of Governors—Rodrigues’ bosses—meet Nov. 8. On the agenda is an item titled “Review Results, FAU Presidential Selection Process.” Presumably, the board will hear the results of the investigation.
If the investigation finds problems, as seems likely, the board could order a new search. If that happens, sentiment might build for the compromise plan of giving Interim President Stacy Volnick a three-year contract.
That proposal came from the FAU Faculty Senate. If the trustees agreed, the Board of Governors would have to approve it. Discussion might arise on Nov. 8.
Meanwhile, on the agenda for today’s Faculty Senate meeting is an update on the proposed dental school for FAU. Barbara Feingold, vice chair of the trustees, has pledged $30 million toward the school, which FAU would name for her late husband, Jeffrey Feingold.
Barbara Feingold had emerged as Fine’s biggest—and perhaps only—supporter among the trustees. She suggested that her donation would depend on who becomes president. Feingold said she had opposed all three finalists.
This year, Fine helped to secure $30 million in construction money for the dental school and $10 million toward operating expenses. FAU has a similarly ambitious dental school budget request for next year. It would be hard to imagine Fine helping. Construction is estimated to cost $85 million, with annual operating costs rising to $37 million at full enrollment.
At this point, Volnik would be a popular choice within FAU because she represents stability. Resistance to Fine was broad and deep. There surely is relief that he’s not coming.
Delray events to support historic designation for Atlantic Avenue
Today and Friday, Delray Beach will hold public events related to a potential historic designation for Atlantic Avenue.
Today’s 3 p.m. symposium will feature discussion by experts about the benefits of such designations. Residents can offer comment Friday at 10 a.m. Both events are in the Fieldhouse at Old School Square.
Delray Beach already has several historic districts. This proposal, for the stretch of Atlantic Avenue between Swinton Avenue and the east side of the Intracoastal Waterway bridge, would overlap with two of those districts—Old School Square and the Marina.
This effort began before the pandemic. City commissioners would have to decide whether to approve a resolution in support of the designation before any application would go to the state. But the application would not depend on the commission’s support. The state approved an application for Pearl City in Boca Raton without the council’s blessing.
