Boca Raton council sends downtown '1 Boca' redevelopment and related charter measure to Jan. 13 referendum after heated public comment

The Boca Raton City Council voted Tuesday to submit two citizen-initiated measures restricting the sale or lease of city-owned land larger than one-half acre to the Jan. 13, 2026 special election, after a developer presentation and more than three hours of public comment.

The measures — a proposed ordinance and an identical charter amendment certified sufficient by the city clerk — would require voter approval before the city could lease, sell or otherwise alienate any parcel larger than one-half acre.

The action came after the council received a staff briefing and a public presentation from Rob Frisbie of the Frisbie Group on a revised plan for the downtown government campus, billed by its proponents as a mix of civic uses, parks and a reduced private development footprint east of Northwest 2nd Avenue. Frisbie told the council the revised plan keeps all land west of NW 2nd Avenue, including…