For the last three years, the Republican-led Florida House has marched almost in lockstep on major bills. Last week, however, seven Republicans voted against the legislation that bans abortions after six weeks.
One of those no votes came from Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman. She represents Boca Raton, Highland Beach and parts of West Boca. Of her vote, Gossett-Seidman told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that it’s “very complicated.”
Actually, it’s likely anything but.
Polls show that even most Republicans in Florida don’t embrace the near-total ban on abortions that the new law creates. Democrats and unaffiliated voters are even more opposed.
Yet gerrymandering—combined with anemic Democratic turnout last November—enabled Republicans to win supermajorities in the House and Senate. Many GOP legislators represent districts that are uncompetitive and far more socially conservative than the state as a whole.
Gossett-Seidman is an exception. The former Highland Beach town commissioner defeated Democrat Andy Thomson, a former Boca Raton council member, by just 3.4 percentage points last year. President Biden carried the district by six points.
Vicki Lopez was another GOP defector on the abortion bill. She won her Miami-Dade County seat by two points. Three other Republicans who opposed the bill got fewer than 60 percent of the vote. Under current Florida standards, that places them in at least reasonably competitive districts.
Six of the seven, including Gossett-Seidman, will be on the ballot next year. Turnout will be much higher in a presidential year. Republicans want to keep that supermajority, which gives them even greater control over the minority Democrats. House Speaker Paul Renner knew that he had the votes to pass the abortion bill even without support from those seven colleagues.
Otherwise, all seven have backed GOP priorities. Apparently, though, a near-total abortion ban was not good politics in what passes for swing districts.
Proposal for The Residences of Boca Raton
Normally, the Dunay, Miskel and Backman law firm represents developers in Boca Raton and Delray Beach. On Monday, however, the firm goes before the Boca Raton Community Redevelopment Agency as lawyer and applicant.
In a joint venture with Compson Associates, the firm proposes a 12-story, 190-unit residential tower on four downtown properties, including the location of the firm’s office. Another property is Compson’s office. Combined with requested abandonments of public alleys, the project would take up roughly 2.5 acres.
All buildings on the site are between 50 and 60 years old. Bonnie Miskel said the firm considered and rejected the idea of selling until the potential return became too lucrative to ignore. The project is called The Residences of Boca Raton.
Opposition came from owners and tenants of The Arbors, an office building west of the site. They argued that the project would restrict access to their property by cutting off use of the alleys that the city would give up.
According to the staff memo, the developers revised their plans to allow more access to The Arbors. After those changes, the planning and zoning board voted 4-1 to recommend CRA approval of the project. The staff also recommends approval.
Under the city’s plan, no new residential units are available for that section of downtown— west of Federal Highway between Southeast Third Street and Southeast Fourth Street. Under the formula to allocate development, however, the developer can obtain credits for not building office space, which generates the most traffic. The firm and Compson would use those credits to qualify for building the residences.
Boca P & Z Board to discuss BRIC ordinances
The most important item on tonight’s crowded Boca Raton Planning and Zoning Board agenda is the one with few details.
It concerns the former IBM headquarters, now called the Boca Raton Innovation Campus. CP Group, which owns the 127-acre site, and city officials have spent the last 18 months discussing ordinances that would allow housing and other major changes, all to attract more job-creating tenants.
Those proposals must go to the board before they go before the city council. Normally, the final version of the agreement would be done by now. But in a March 23 memo, Development Services Director Brandon Schaad cited the “extensive and complex nature of these ordinances” to explain the delay. He expected “additional changes” before today’s meeting.
Just a few weeks ago, agreement seemed near. I’ll have more after the meeting.
Torah Academy request on P & Z agenda
Also on that planning and zoning board agenda is a request from Torah Academy to buy an adjoining lot on Spanish River Boulevard and convert it to an assembly building.
With an enrollment of 750 students from preschool through eighth grade, Torah Academy serves students from the Jewish community that has grown up in that neighborhood east of Interstate 95. The East Boca Kehilla synagogue is on the same site. Twelve years ago, Torah Academy bought the property from Summit Private School. With the new lot, the campus would comprise nearly 2.5 acres.
The deal requires rezoning the lot from residential. Staff recommends approval. It may be non-controversial. In December 2021, though, debate got caustic at times about the proposal for a mikvah—a bathing place that adheres to Jewish law—in that same neighborhood. Some of the comments bordered on anti-Semitism. The council approved the mikvah.
Potential expansion to Temple Beth El
In southwest Boca Raton, Temple Beth El wants to expand the Somerset charter school on its campus from 425 students to 600. Staff recommends approval.
On a related note, this application comes as the Legislature prepares to require that school districts shift more construction money from traditional public schools to charters. Though classified as public schools, charters are run by not-for-profit or for-profit operators.
Superintendent Mike Burke said last week that the Legislature is putting more and more financial pressure on school districts. He has delayed projects at existing schools and said others also may have to wait.
In the last three years, Boca Raton has opened a new elementary school and two expanded K-8 schools. The need for spending on schools in Boca Raton and Delray Beach, however, won’t go away. At this rate, there will be less and less money.
Boca headquarters for Paradise Bank
Paradise Bank wants to build its headquarters at 3800 North Federal Highway in Boca Raton.
The application is before the planning and zoning board tonight. The project would feature a three-story building with four driveways. Paradise bought the 2.3-acre lot, once home to a nursing home, for $6 million in June 2021. Paradise has offices in Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Fort Lauderdale.
The staff recommends approval. Before construction began the bank would have to plant landscaping on the east side of the property as a buffer between the building and homes in the Lake Rogers neighborhood. The buffer then would be partially in place when the bank opens. Paradise has agreed to do so.
Another oceanfront property proposal in Boca
Boca Raton lost a federal lawsuit over development of one oceanfront site and a state lawsuit over development of another. Another oceanfront project is before the planning and zoning board tonight.
The Boca Raton, formerly known as the Boca Raton Resort & Club, wants to build a pair of aluminum pergolas at its beach club. The project needs city approval because the pergolas would be east of the Coastal Construction Control Line.
According to the staff memo, the project would not damage any beachfront vegetation. Staff recommends approval.
Christen Ritchey joins P & Z Board
Joining the planning and zoning board tonight is Christen Ritchey. She ran for the city council seat that Mark Wigder won without opposition in March after Ritchey dropped out.
Ritchey, a lawyer, drew praise for saying that she left the race after becoming convinced that Wigder would do a good job. Her reward came when the council unanimously appointed her and reappointed Jonathan Whitney to the city’s most important advisory board.
