[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6494494,"mediaKeyId","5836970-b22725d013a3fe44d0b4a1264ae9fc6b","parentId",5836970,"title","City staff recommends $175 million bond referendum for new police headquarters; council to send measure to March ballot","audioSeconds",767,"startMs",14846000,"endMs",15613000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5836970-b22725d013a3fe44d0b4a1264ae9fc6b&start=14846&end=15613","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5836970-b22725d013a3fe44d0b4a1264ae9fc6b/thumbnail_14846000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6494494/Boca-Raton/Palm-Beach-County/Florida/City-staff-recommends-175-million-bond-referendum-for-new-police-headquarters-council-to-send-measure-to-March-ballot","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6494494-f9cfb4d507324810f58c745350178ef6/orig.mp4?Expires=1773607227&Signature=Ieoir7atj8qgI8Jslt7Smciwbd95Nv7dGFH15cERA25dsxw3NMSX0OAfO2OeKEJ1FlE~m3d~JCAvxoUdmH8niZ0HnTo7QktkvFYFciLZO~UbSADi8iOYwCaQaO8ZHpfTgAqa02SmWfOzPcnBxtCW6nAul3lCY0o7Z2JMReklb4pV3GPxdtg15BW2Xi4jDOevpGlRo6rkknfFXew74-ce-ZmarJih-L6-KVtT9ZStmMNyXq6-dRJJ4fp4Q7Yf-LdD9Acj79dv8e8uZVFlGXiOP67TKEspL5b0oqsv43ZWq7PHj01qre7hLTH4o0yFF-KxfvLJc3vJ2KEwBVz0NNyJXA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Boca Raton","date","2025-09-22T10:49:00Z","article","City financial and public-safety leaders told the Boca Raton City Council on Sept. 22 that the city needs a new police headquarters and recommended asking voters to authorize general-obligation bonds to finance construction at a city-owned Spanish River Boulevard site.

What staff presented: Jim Zervas, the city’s CFO and deputy city manager, and Chief Michelle Muccio described a multi-year need for a larger, modern public-safety headquarters. Zervas summarized a space-needs analysis by ADG (Architectural Design Group) and recommended a funding plan that uses a combination of tax-exempt general-obligation bonds and a city cash contribution.

Site and program: Staff described the recommended location on Spanish River Boulevard adjacent to the Spanish River Library and presented conceptual elevations and a secured perimeter plan. The design team said the new facility would be two to two-and-a-half stories, hurricane-rated, include evidence and specialized-unit space, a firing range and room for future expansion or garage construction, and that the plan was sized to serve projected policing needs through mid-century.

Financing proposal and choices: Staff proposed a $175 million bond issue combined with a $15.2 million general-fund contribution (about an 8% city cash share) as the staff-preferred financing plan. The city’s Financial Advisory Board (FAB) reviewed the plan on Sept. 2 and recommended a smaller $125 million bond with $65 million of cash contribution; the FAB vote was 4–3. Zervas said the staff recommendation leaves the city’s total millage lower than comparable full-service Florida cities even after projected debt service. Using the staff example, a $175 million issue would add roughly 0.2605 mills — about $123.74 per year on the average Boca home — while the FAB option would add approximately $88.40 per year on the average home.

Procedure and voter referendum: Staff emphasized that the council was not voting to build the building at the Sept. 22 workshop; instead the item that appears later on the regular-agenda meeting is a resolution to put a bond question on the March 10, 2026 ballot. If council adopts that resolution, the electorate will decide whether to authorize bonds. Staff said the design, procurement and construction timetable would extend into the late 2020s; the project team estimated occupancy in 2029 if the ballot measure and procurement proceed on the projected schedule.

Operational rationale: Chief Muccio and the architect said the current downtown facility (built 1986) is functionally undersized and distributed across multiple leased and city-managed sites; the police department currently operates from several locations totaling more than 100,000 square feet but lacks consolidated, modern, hurricane-rated secure space for evidence, training and specialized units. Chief Muccio told council the new headquarters would consolidate operations, improve efficiency and maintain current patrol-level service downtown while providing a centrally located base for the city’s public-safety operations.

Risks, schedule and contingencies: Staff included a preliminary estimate with contingency and escalation assumptions (20% estimating contingency and an 8% escalation factor). They described an option to build a larger shell now and finish internal spaces later to save near-term construction costs. Staff said bond issuance would be staged and sized to meet actual cash needs; proceeds need not be issued in full up front. A 30-year tax-exempt issue was proposed as the most cost-effective public financing method.

Next steps: The council’s regular meeting that followed the workshop contained a staff recommendation to place a referendum on the March 2026 ballot; staff and the architect said detailed design, procurement and construction planning will follow only if voters approve financing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Boca Raton - City Council Workshop * Special Start Time","oneSentenceSummary","City staff presented a site plan and cost estimate for a new police headquarters on city-owned land at Spanish River Boulevard, recommended a $175 million general-obligation bond with a $15.2 million general-fund contribution and asked the council to place a referendum on the March 2026 ballot.","taxTitle","Boca Raton, Palm Beach County, Florida","taxId",3932,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6494499,"Developer revises downtown campus plan after public pushback; residents press to retain Memorial Park",3156,352000,3508000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5836970-b22725d013a3fe44d0b4a1264ae9fc6b&start=352&end=3508","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5836970-b22725d013a3fe44d0b4a1264ae9fc6b/thumbnail_352000.jpg","/articles/6494499/Boca-Raton/Palm-Beach-County/Florida/Developer-revises-downtown-campus-plan-after-public-pushback-residents-press-to-retain-Memorial-Park","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6494499-3bfd3b39a2dc3966d030895bbda4e9ef/orig.mp4?Expires=1773607227&Signature=PJmJkw9dKOfoVXXCD8OalcCLaMMRw4N0d6Fbg3p6cQEI7umsAzMNdEmYGmIWsNu2ZV~~9EtnioqhnWo8N6XqB0GPXSNa4EU6QojIqGiMdnyhGgZj4PLReX9G3ZIN-b5UBO1l0Mj2x001NPBiX33wKSMoDapHdG0bYcvKJYnHhqUlor3Dm5iZJyQwh5eZjE0Uewjde9FJLcMwse-tUsUlWU3LhPlCqkdufW2VPvdT4p7X-c5wp5N7uQ7wM2b-gqzy7zvGCXo~vm47AyJJk03qtvmOd4PPLsSmSBXdJy48w5fAS7P8iJS8pFhO1v6fXQ8ssiVJk5J030FKNHW7--GvOA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Developer Tara Frisbie used a City Council workshop on Sept. 22 to present a redesigned version of the proposed downtown campus that reduces residential density, removes a planned hotel and some office space, and adds or enlarges civic and recreation elements on the city-owned Memorial Park site.

The developer’s representative, Mr. Frisbie, told the council that the project team is “listening and slowing down this process” and said the team “are fully endorsing the request to send this to a referendum so that at the end of the day, the public has the final say on this project.” He described changes that cut the previous residential count from about 1,100 in an earlier iteration to roughly 740 units in the latest plan and reduced retail and office square footage, saying the revisions increase on-site, usable green and recreation space.

Why it matters: The plan would reshape about the downtown campus area that includes Memorial Park and existing civic facilities. Residents and civic groups told the city the park is a wartime memorial and core public amenity; dozens of speakers at the workshop asked the council to keep public land in public hands and to preserve ball fields, tennis courts and the banyan-tree canopy.

What the revised plan would change: Frisbie said the new design eliminates a hotel, removes at least one office building previously shown on the west side of Second Avenue, preserves five existing banyan trees and expands contiguous recreation areas. He said residential units were cut from earlier figures of roughly 1,100 to just over 900 in a prior update and now down to about 740; office was described as reduced to about 250,000 square feet and retail from roughly 140,000 to under 100,000 square feet. Frisbie described the financial projections he has presented previously: a prior $3 billion long-term total revenue estimate reduced to about $2 billion under the latest density, with a net present value staff discussed in the presentation (Frisbie cited a $344 million and a $228 million net-present-value comparison for earlier and current scenarios).

Resident reaction and petition: Speakers representing Save Boca and other grassroots groups said they oppose leasing or otherwise turning public parkland to a private development partner. John Perlman told the council Save Boca submitted \"over 5,000 signatures\" on Aug. 26 asking that disposition of city-owned parkland be put to a public vote, and he said the city “still has not certified the ordinance and is in violation of the city charter.” City staff and the city clerk explained the clerk transmitted the petition to the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections on Aug. 28 and that the supervisor verifies signatures against the voter rolls; staff said the charter requires that verification and that the city has followed that procedure.

Public concerns: Speakers repeatedly asked that the existing ball fields, skate facilities, tennis courts and children’s programming remain downtown. Students and youth advocates said moving softball fields to Sugar Sand Park would disrupt habitats and existing youth access; environmental speakers said Sugar Sand’s scrub habitat contains protected species such as gopher tortoises and burrowing owl burrows. Some residents who support improvements said they would favor new civic buildings if green space and historic character are protected.

Council and staff response: Council members emphasized the need for more public outreach and said they expect additional charrettes and open houses announced by the developer; Frisbie confirmed open houses for Sept. 29 and Oct. 6 and said the project team will collect feedback and update its designs. Mayor Scott Singer repeated that, whatever the council does, there will be a public vote: “We will have a vote,” he said during the meeting.

Historic structures and programming: Several council members and staff discussed the Singing Pines historic building and the Rickards House on the downtown campus. Staff told council that the small reproduction house (Rickards House) had been built with nonprofit and county funds and that, if removed, county grant terms could require returning some funds. Staff and council members agreed the Singing Pines historic structure should be preserved and considered for relocation within the campus near the banyan trees, but they also said a sustainable plan for programming and operating the building must be developed before reopening it.

Recreation programming and tennis courts: Staff explained the city’s recreation needs analysis and said the downtown tennis center currently has 10 clay courts but overall city demand does not require additional tennis courts citywide. Recreation staff recommended keeping a single cluster of 10 courts in one location; council members and staff discussed two options—leave courts downtown or move them to Meadows Park—and asked the developer to prepare plan variants for public review. City staff said a broader parks-and-recreation master plan will be updated in parallel with the campus planning.

Next steps: The developer promised additional charrettes and modifications and a dedicated website (1boca.com). City staff and counsel stressed that no legally binding transfer of parkland has occurred and any lease or ground-lease terms would require council approval and a public process. The city clerk and city attorney reiterated that signature verification for the petition is the supervisor of elections’ responsibility and that the city has followed the charter procedure for transmitting the petition for verification.","Developer Tara Frisbie presented a reduced-density revision of the proposed downtown campus, promising more green space, preserved banyan trees, and additional public outreach including a referendum; dozens of residents urged the council to keep Memorial Park public and pressed the city to certify an ordinance petition submitted Aug. 26.","actionData","errors"]

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City staff recommends $175 million bond referendum for new police headquarters; council to send measure to March ballot

Developer revises downtown campus plan after public pushback; residents press to retain Memorial Park