East vs. west
Geography is at work in different ways regarding the elections in Boca Raton and Delray Beach.
In Boca, Mayor Susan Haynie and Councilwoman Constance Scott live east of Interstate 95. Councilmen Mike Mullaugh, Scott Singer and Robert Weinroth all live west of I-95. So does City Manager Leif Ahnell.
Scott is term-limited out of Seat C, and three candidates are seeking to replace her. Frank Chapman and Jamie Sauer live east of I-95. Jeremy Rodgers lives on the west side.
In Delray, it’s the opposite. Mayor Cary Glickstein and all four commissioners live east of I-95. So does Tom Carney, who is challenging the mayor. New City Manager Don Cooper started in January and hasn’t moved permanently from Port St. Lucie.
Four candidates are running to succeed term-limited Adam Frankel. Two of them—Mitch Katz and Josh Smith—live west of I-95. If neither wins, the city’s western areas still won’t have a single member on the commission.
You can argue that geography doesn’t matter. Everyone pays the same tax rate, regardless of ZIP code. I-95, though, can form a psychological barrier in South Florida. It’s happened in Boynton Beach, as so much commerce has moved to the Congress Avenue corridor while the city has struggled to redevelop the downtown.
Delray Beach residents west of I-95 might have more of a gripe than their counterparts in Boca. Developers flock to the downtown and surrounding areas, but Delray’s Congress Avenue corridor remains underused—most notably the former Office Depot complex. The hub for now is the south-county government complex just south of Atlantic Avenue.
In contrast, Boca Raton has focused a lot of attention on areas west of the interstate. Twelve years ago, the city finally annexed Town Center at Boca Raton, which most people probably figured had been in the city all along. To capitalize on ridership at the Tri-Rail station Yamato Road—it’s the busiest in the system—the city has worked with nearby businesses, especially those in the Arvida Park of Commerce, to establish a shuttle system. The city calls it “the last mile” between the station and where people work.
A second Tri-Rail station is planned for just north of The Shops at Boca Center, which will make Boca the only city to have two stations. Yet the council simultaneously keeps approving downtown projects and marketing downtown as a place to live.
Geography can be an issue because neither Boca nor Delray has a residency requirement for elected officials; all seats are at-large. Boynton Beach is the only south-county city with single-member districts. Everyone votes for the mayor—though he has no extra powers—but only for the commissioner who represents his or her district.
Though the systems in Boca and Delray might produce lopsided representation, they allow the public a referendum on every elected official. Without a strong mayor, that’s the best form of accountability. If someone in office looks too much at geography, those with a gripe can make it a campaign issue. Since turnout March 10 no doubt will be very low, the real problem in both cities isn’t geography. It’s apathy.
First impressions
Speaking of Town Center mall, the operators asked for a favor from the city council this week, and the council was right to grant it.
Attorney Bonnie Miskel said the mall operators want to construct a “grander entrance” at the main entrance on Glades Road. They want to start work no later than April 1. Otherwise, Miskel said, the entrance would be under construction on Black Friday—the busiest day of the holiday shopping season for brick-and-mortar retailers.
To make that date, Miskel said, the mall’s plans would have to go before the council on March 24. But the mall first must go before the Planning and Zoning Board. It doesn’t meet until March 19, and usually commission items must be advertised two weeks in advance. In this case, there would be just five days notice.
The mall wanted an expedited hearing, which the council granted 4-1, Scott Singer dissenting. Mayor Susan Haynie noted that one reason for the delay is the mall having to meet demands by city staff and that the work should not directly affect any residents. City Manager Leif Ahnell correctly said the council should allow the quicker hearing only if the plans actually are ready.
Residents are justifiably skeptical about favors for those with business before the city. In this case, however, the request from one of Boca’s main employers justified the city being flexible.
Land baron
We may not know for almost a month whether Frank Chapman joins the Boca Raton City Council. We already know, however, that he might be the biggest landowner ever to serve on the council.
Chapman owns a pair of condos along the Intracoastal Waterway, a house in Boca Square and two homes in Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club. The properties are listed in his wife’s name. The Royal Palm home that he listed as his residence on his campaign filing documents is 23,000 square feet with a market value of $14.5 million, according to the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s Office. The other Royal Palm house is valued at a mere $3.2 million.
Former Mayor Susan Whelchel also lives in Royal Palm, but that’s the only property she and her husband own in Palm Beach County. Chapman traces the source of his wealth to his former law firm in Ohio that, among other things, had a contract to sell foreclosed homes for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
For the record, Chapman’s opponents—Jeremy Rodgers and Jamie Sauer—with their spouses own homes that are roughly 3,000 square feet. The Rodgers also own a small townhouse in the city.
Vape break
Unlike Delray Beach, Boca Raton will take no action at this time to regulate e-cigarettes.
The Delray Beach City Commission decided that the vapor-emitting nicotine delivery systems should fall under the Florida Clean Indoor Air Act, meaning they are illegal in public places where traditional cigarettes are banned. Though electronic cigarettes don’t emit smoke, some researchers believe that exposure can harm those not “vaping.”
Tuesday night, however, only Mayor Susan Haynie and Councilwoman Constance Scott—who asked for the discussion —favored tighter regulation. Many e-cigarette stores have opened in Boca Raton, and some owners mistakenly portrayed the ordinance as an attempt to ban their product. In fact, as Scott pointed out, the ordinance would be aimed at those who don’t “vape.”
Mike Mullaugh, Scott Singer and Robert Weinroth, however, wanted to see if the Legislature might take similar action during the session that begins next month. They supported a motion to table the proposed ordinance.
Mizner Trail update
I wrote Tuesday about the court ruling against a lawsuit that had challenged approval of the planned development on the former Mizner Trail Golf Course west of Boca Raton. I reported that the Boca Del Mar plaintiffs and their attorneys would discuss whether they wanted to continue their legal fight and, if so, how.
One of the attorneys told me that no action was taken Tuesday. Those on the call decided that they would take up the matter with the full board of the Boca Del Mar Improvement Association, which is the lead plaintiff.
Buildings regs in Delray
Tuesday night, nearly a year and half after the effort began, the Delray Beach City Commission approved new building rules and designs for the city’s downtown. The changes passed 5-0, making this the most prominent issue to get approval from the full commission in the last year. Adam Frankel cast a good vote. Al Jacquet showed up. It was a night of small miracles.
For those who wondered if developers had rushed to get plans to the city before the new rules took effect, Delray last November had made all new projects subject to the new regulations when the commission approved them. Delray Beach residents can be proud of what that long effort produced.
••••••••
You can email Randy Schultz at randy@bocamag.com
For more City Watch blogs, click here.About the Author
Randy Schultz was born in Hartford, Conn., and graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1974. He has lived in South Florida since then, and in Boca Raton since 1985. Schultz spent nearly 40 years in daily journalism at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, most recently as editorial page editor at the Post. His wife, Shelley, is director of The Learning Network at Pine Crest School. His son, an attorney, and daughter-in-law and three grandchildren also live in Boca Raton. His daughter is a veterinarian who lives in Baltimore.
