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City attorney lays out draft "Save Boca" charter amendment and ordinance; council warned workshop cannot adopt final action
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Summary
City attorney presented draft charter amendment and ordinance tied to the Save Boca petitions that would require voter approval before sale, lease or alienation of city‑owned land larger than half an acre; staff and petitioners worked on limited exceptions for nonprofit leases, utilities, city operations and short‑term uses. Timeline: introduction the next day, a workshop and potential second reading/adoption after required notice.
City Attorney Joshua Koehler briefed the council on draft measures the city has prepared in coordination with petitioners behind the “Save Boca” initiative. The draft charter amendment and mirror ordinance would require voter approval before the city may sell, lease or otherwise alienate any city‑owned land larger than one‑half acre, with narrowly drawn exceptions intended to allow government operations and routine uses to continue.
Koehler said the staff package includes four types of clarifying exceptions the council and petitioners negotiated: renewal or extension of current nonprofit leases in existence on the amendment's effective date (provided amendments do not add more than one‑half acre), utility easements and rights‑of‑way for utilities that serve residents, ordinary city uses of land for public facilities and operations, and short‑term uses where the city retains possession and control and does not convey long‑term rights. He stressed that, under Florida law and the city charter, ordinances require two readings, a public notice period and that workshops cannot be used to adopt final ordinances in a single meeting.
The draft materials also include revised ballot language and recitals reflecting cooperation between the petitioners and the city; Koehler said he will circulate revised backup for the council and the public ahead of the scheduled introduction the next day. Councilmembers asked clarifying questions about how the temporary‑use language would be applied and whether future city facility projects could be implemented without triggering the referendum requirement; Koehler said those practical questions could be researched and answered as policy and drafting progress.
What happens next: the council will receive the revised introductory package on the next day's agenda; based on statutory timelines and the city charter the council cannot adopt an ordinance the same day it is introduced and the measure will require additional public notice before final adoption or placement on the ballot.
