The Boca Raton City Council will have no role in whether to approve the proposed major Palmetto Park Square makeover.
The 23-acre retail center is just east of Interstate 95 on Palmetto Park Road. I wrote last year that Atlanta-based Selig Enterprises wanted to build 319 apartments, turn the closed Kmart into Florida’s largest Publix, and redo the other stores.
Last week, Selig filed an updated site plan. It’s very similar to the original, with one very notable exception. This one calls for 341 apartments and is filed under the state’s Live Local Act in a way that will exempt it from council review. The staff will approve or deny it.
In passing Live Local two years ago, Tallahassee sought to get around single-family neighborhood opposition to large, adjoining rental projects. If 40% of the units qualify as affordable housing, elected officials are cut out of the process.
After seeing Selig’s first plan, homeowners in Country Club Village to the north spoke against it during a council meeting last August. They worried about traffic. They worried that rental units would lower their property values.
According to a news release from Selig, “Updates were made to the site plan to reflect feedback heard from the community. The revised site plan incorporates more green space, outdoor dining areas, dedicated pedestrian access into and throughout the property, a renovated retail experience and high-quality multi-family homes.”
As before, the Publix would move from the north side into the Kmart space on the west side. It would be 70% larger than the existing store. Housing would go on the east side, with shops on the east shifting to the center. Stores and restaurants on the north side would stay where they are.
The first phase would be demolition of the existing Publix and renovating of retail facades, with existing stores staying. The second phase would be construction of the apartments and what Selig calls “new retail.” Selig says, “A generous green buffer and setback is designed between the project and nearby single-family homes.” Construction would take three years.
Boca Raton might have retained some control over the project by approving an ordinance covering commercial industrial multi-family development (CIMD) next to residential neighborhoods. But the city has not done so.
When I wrote about community opposition to the original plan, I noted that Selig might use the Live Local option by adding units. Indeed, Selig says that 136 of the higher total will be “offered at rents that are affordable to Boca Raton households earning up to 120% of the average median income.”
The project thus meets the 40% threshold under Live Local to exempt it from council review. A technical deviation for reduced parking will go to the planning and zoning board. The site plan will not.
A company spokesperson said the changes were “accomplished by removing parking spaces surrounding new retail buildings and adding new outdoor dining patios for retailers in the shop space slated to be renovated.
“The reduction in parking near the new retail buildings also allows us to create a raised pedestrian area from the edge of the grocery store’s parking area to the residential building. This pedestrian area includes added landscaping, outdoor seating, and shaded gathering areas.”
As for public outreach, “We are continuing to engage with the community in a variety of formats. Examples include attending local school PTA meetings and conversations with adjacent neighbors and businesses.” Selig also keeps “an e-mail database of past meeting participants to share project updates.” The most recent went out last week.
This will be a very interesting project to follow. Previous Live Local projects were west of Interstate 95 in new areas. Other parts of older, more established East Boca could be eligible for similar projects under Live Local. That could be one reason why the city hasn’t crafted that ordinance.
George Brown’s well-timed retirement
Because City Manager George Brown announced his retirement this month, the city will avoid what could have been a complicated transition next year. That’s because the city council could look very different after the 2026 elections.
For starters, Boca Raton will have a new mayor. Mayor Scott Singer hits term limits next March. So do Councilmembers Fran Nachlas and Marc Wigder. Councilmember Yvette Drucker’s term lasts until March 2027, but she has filed to run for the Florida Senate and must resign after qualifying in June 2026. Councilmember Andy Thomson also has another year on his council term, but he has filed to run for mayor.
It all amounts to a council in transition. To have such a council make the biggest decision any council makes— the hiring of a manager—could be risky. There will be a significant transition enough from Brown. He was deputy manager to Leif Ahnell, who had the job for 25 years.
It would surprise me if Thomson drew no challengers from the current council. Nachlas told me Friday that she would be “making an announcement in the next couple of weeks.”
If Nachlas runs, Wigder likely won’t. They use the same consultant. Wigder told me that he would decide “when the time is right. I have said, though, that I don’t think it would be good for three members of the council to run against each other.” A Nachlas candidacy seems more likely.
After Drucker leaves, the remaining council members will have to choose a replacement to serve the balance of her term. Ideally, interim appointees are placeholders who don’t plan to run for the seat. That keeps the politics at a minimum. Politics, though, played a big part in the last selection.
It happened in October 2020. Then-Counciliman Jeremy Rodgers had to resign six months early because he was on military deployment overseas. Thirty-two people had applied. One was Drucker, who already had filed to run. So had Constance Scott, who had served two terms previously and also had filed to run.
Two council members did not list Scott among their finalists, despite her background. One nominated Drucker, with the other and Singer chiming in quickly. There was almost no discussion. Singer then issued a comment basically thanking Scott for her previous service and all but advising her against running. She did, but Ducker had the advantage of incumbency.
All those potentially colliding political factors support the idea that the current council should choose Boca Raton’s next CEO. Brown easily could have stayed one more year, but he promised the city only two. In this instance, doing just the minimum should yield maximum benefit.
Boca City Council to discuss closing railway crossing
On the agenda for tonight’s Boca Raton City Council meeting is approval of the plan to close the Florida East Coast Railway crossing at 28th Street and open one at Jeffrey Street.
The plan has been a priority for several years. City officials want to create an east-west artery in the north end of the city. Jeffrey Street stops at Northwest Second Avenue and resumes east of Dixie Highway. With the crossing open, drivers can take Jeffrey Street west to where it meets Clint Moore Road.
Brown explained at the last meeting that the railway and the Florida Department of Transportation first had said that the city would need to close three crossings to open one. The city negotiated a one-for-one swap. Jeffrey Street is eight blocks north and 14 blocks south of the busier crossings at 20thStreet and Spanish River Boulevard.
Despite criticism from some affected property owners, Wigder said the city has received a “very favorable response to the plan.” He believes that opening Jeffrey Street will reduce traffic on Yamato Road from drivers “looping” south to go west. He notes that the plat book shows a four-lane Jeffrey Street.
The city will pay for all the work. I will update when I get responses from the city on cost and construction schedule.
Delray police officer arrested for grand theft
A Delray Beach police officer faces grand theft charges for allegedly stealing $1,500 from a department fund.
According to a news release, Matthew Cusson was arrested last Thursday after a supervisor discovered the missing money and “took immediate action.” Court records show that the theft happened just one day earlier. The department turned over the investigation to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
Normally, more details would be available in the probable cause affidavit. But the document for now is redacted. I’ll have more if the record becomes public.
Delray a finalist for All America City award
Delray Beach is a finalist for the All America City award.
The city has won recognition from the National Civic League three times—in 1993, 2001 and 2017. The theme for this year’s competition is “Strengthening Environmental Sustainability Through Inclusive Community Engagement.”
Among the other finalists are Austin, Denver and Seattle. Port St. Lucie and Tallahassee are the other Florida finalists. The competition takes place in June. According to City Manager Terrence Moore, the city will send a 15-person delegation.
Florida Legislature may preempt Delray’s decision to add fluoride to water
Though Delray Beach just voted to keep adding fluoride to the city’s water, the Legislature may nullify that action.
Last week, the Florida Senate passed a comprehensive farm bill, SB 700, that includes a statewide ban on fluoride in local water supplies. Opposition to fluoride runs even deeper in the House.
In November, after then-Health and Human Services Secretary-appointee Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., stated his opposition to fluoride, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo chimed in against it. He came to the city commission and, without credible evidence, said the practice harms children.
Delray to approve contract for new internal auditor
On the agenda for today’s Delray Beach City Commission meeting is approval of a contract with the new internal auditor.
Elena Georgiev will make $150,000. The position is one of just three that report to the commission. The others are the city manager and city attorney. According to her LinkedIn page, Georgiev is a certified public accountant and former assistant city auditor in Fort Lauderdale.
Under former Mayor Shelly Petrolia, the position became controversial. The auditor at the time twice got involved in major decisions that went beyond the job’s function—ending the contract at Old School Square and firing the city manager.
Correction: When noting that Councilman Andy Thomson is running for mayor next year, I said that he would have to resign during the qualifying period in November. According to a city spokeswoman, though, Thomson “will have to provide a resignation letter no later than the 10th day before the qualifying period, but the effective date does not have to be that same day, it can be anytime between the submission of the letter and the day he (or his successor) would be sworn in, which is March 31, 2026.”
