Boca Raton CRA delays Sanborn Square overhaul, asks staff to revisit digital-kiosk plan

Ruby Riley, downtown manager for the Boca Raton Community Redevelopment Agency, told the board Feb. 24 that staff recommends delaying a complete renovation of Sanborn Square until 2027 for design and 2028 for construction, and provided details on maintenance and other downtown projects.

Riley said staff has contracted a cleaning service to pressure‑wash Downtown Boca branded umbrellas, repainted benches and trash receptacles, and begun resodding at the south end of Meisner Park; she said the sod work was expected to finish later in the month. Riley added that the Lehi Square project site adjacent to Sanborn Square has been cleared and she expects a building permit to be issued soon, a timing factor in the recommendation to shift Sanborn Square’s full renovation. “The grant funds must be expended by the year 2030, and we're recommending the project be delayed until 2027 for starting with design and then the construction in 2028,” Riley said.

The board spent most of its discussion on a proposed digital‑kiosk program for downtown wayfinding, marketing and public information. Riley presented two vendor paths: a turnkey, advertising‑based license agreement with Ike Smart Cities and a purchase/lease option from Toshiba under an Omnia contract. She said staff identified about 20 potential locations, and summarized the vendors’ differing business and maintenance models.

Riley described Ike Smart Cities’ proposal as a license for equipment on city right‑of‑way with an advertising revenue model that would include a city allotment for public content. “Their digital kiosk program is vertically integrated...their business model with the advertising...provide a financial benefit to the city and the CRA with an average annual revenue estimated at approximately 811,000 per year and a total revenue share of over 16,000,000 over the life of the agreement,” Riley said. She said 12.5 percent of the advertising loop would be available to the city for public content such as events or emergency information. Ike’s kiosks include an emergency call system that can be connected to the police department, cameras with 14 days of recording and a maintenance program with remote support and on‑site responses.

Riley summarized the Toshiba option as a non‑advertising pathway that would require the city to purchase or lease units and assume more of the installation and ongoing maintenance costs. She cited an estimate of about $1,057,000 to purchase 20 Toshiba units (five‑year baseline) and said software updates and some maintenance for that vendor were limited to defined warranty periods (software updates for three years, screen warranties for two years, physical kiosk life of five years).

Commissioners and the vice chair raised a mix of concerns and suggestions. Commissioner Singer said he was skeptical of the advertising model and questioned the scale of 20 kiosks, calling for a more limited pilot. “I don't like the advertising model...20 kiosks in this radius of 10 blocks north to south and 7 east to west seems like a lot,” Singer said. Vice Chair Thompson said the advertising model was “a non starter” for him and cautioned about long‑term maintenance costs if the city purchased units rather than adopting a turnkey, ad‑supported approach.

Commissioner Drucker and Commissioner Wictor (board member names used as in the transcript) supported testing the technology in a smaller pilot and recommended placing units near transit nodes. Drucker pointed to the Brightline station and bus stops on Federal Highway as priority locations; Wictor recommended strategic placement in Meisner Park, Royal Palm Place and Palmetto Park Road to help visitors and shoppers navigate downtown.

Several board members suggested negotiating a smaller initial footprint than the 20‑unit plan, tighter content control and a short initial term. Riley said Ike initially proposed a 10‑year term, but for a 20‑unit package the initial term she presented was five years with renewal options; Toshiba’s Omnia contract would allow purchase or lease without a procurement process. Board members asked staff to return with alternatives that emphasize non‑advertising content, emergency and public‑safety features, fewer units and shorter initial terms.

At the end of the discussion, CRA staff said they would return with revised options. Mr. Brown, speaking for staff, summarized the informal consensus as: pursue options without commercial advertising, identify key locations only, and present detailed content proposals and pilot sizes for board review.

There were no formal votes on the kiosks or on Sanborn Square at the meeting. The board did adopt the minutes of its Feb. 10 regular meeting by motion earlier in the session.