Boca Raton officials outline $190 million police headquarters, ask voters to fund bonds on March ballot

Mayor Scott Singer opened a Feb. 10 council meeting where city staff gave an update on a long‑planned police department headquarters project and its proposed financing. Deputy City Manager and CFO Zervas said staff is recommending a financing plan that combines $15 million in cash with up to $175 million in general‑obligation bonds to pay for an estimated $190,000,000 project, financed over 30 years. "That is an estimated cost," Zervas said, and staff presented a range of scenarios showing an illustrative average millage increase of 0.2605 mills, which he said would translate to about $123.74 per year for the average homeowner.

The project is conceived as a multi‑building public‑safety campus on roughly 16.4 acres near Spanish River and Technology Way, staff said. Chief Muccio described operational reasons for consolidation: evidence storage, centralized command, and space for specialty units currently scattered across seven locations. "By having everything under one roof, it would be a lot easier. It would be more efficient and more effective," Chief Muccio said.

Public‑works and engineering staff described an initial program of approximately 125,000 square feet for the core facility and explained that the plan envisions a campus approach with phased elements such as a central energy plant, secured evidence storage, and an indoor firing range for officer qualification. Zach Beard, Public Works and Engineering Director, said staff anticipates completing roughly 60% design through 2026, preliminary site construction in 2027 and that the facility could be move‑in ready in 2029.

Zervas emphasized this is a financing question for the voters, not a site or design vote: the March ballot question would authorize issuance of up to $175 million in bonds to help pay for the project. "This project is a need that was identified internally by city staff," Zervas said, adding that the city would use competitive procurement for construction and that any actual borrowing would track the project's final cost ("if the project cost is less, then we will borrow less money").

Next steps: staff will continue design, hold community workshops (staff said they had held dozens to date and had more scheduled), complete financing analysis, and, if voters approve the bond authorization in March, proceed with procurement and construction phases consistent with the timeline staff outlined.

Why it matters: Staff framed the project as a long‑deferred infrastructure need driven by changed operations, modern public‑safety technology and resilience requirements. If voters authorize the bonds, the city would increase its indebtedness to build what staff says is a century‑lasting police campus; if voters reject the bond question, the financing would not proceed as proposed.