[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-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",[32,75,87],{"_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",6510367,"mediaKeyId","5385696-aa46ac14feda69f0dbe7d5316eacd387","parentId",5385696,"title","Boca Raton staff recommend buying 6551 Park of Commerce for city services; residents raise price, museum and park concerns","audioSeconds",1744,"startMs",697000,"endMs",2441000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5385696-aa46ac14feda69f0dbe7d5316eacd387&start=697&end=2441","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5385696-aa46ac14feda69f0dbe7d5316eacd387/thumbnail_697000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6510367/Boca-Raton/Palm-Beach-County/Florida/Boca-Raton-staff-recommend-buying-6551-Park-of-Commerce-for-city-services-residents-raise-price-museum-and-park-concerns","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6510367-651c29aa0a41ab7ddf275616d6e7f10a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770832720&Signature=kz9kWyJO7GaVVF7XNQD-KVtnQDnKGUZXifLRYfveE9ZssqjWbPX1in7RAK71S2ZwWVcebcHXAnjb6UYu-PFlhNw2KZqvTjo9uZhkGfLI9QNgoZYGINZr9V-trwwiBRpWOFcXs8yztWr6bqiyqvWcuN~Kqw7YEKQf3jezmoN~xn1tQpyHHMI5JNeb1XGLC8m4hm1k42N83sGvnJgcFi1RywupAiUpV4NQ1RrJ1cfIu5JQ6zeEK0sJuFjyTorv1bXht07fWkTFpZVZeXPzHlDwRPqCWqzkWAx5bq0qWuY-9IwTAadazaX1phXf6ZhjX~gwXnTpw6rCXFgnHGdcYM24TA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Boca Raton","date","2025-07-14T15:40:00Z","article","City staff and the city's real-estate advisor presented a recommendation July 14 to acquire 6551 Park of Commerce as a consolidated site for city services during the long-term redevelopment of the downtown government campus, and to retain some services there after a smaller new city hall is built downtown.

Deputy City Manager Andrew Lukasik told the City Council at a workshop that staff and CBRE had evaluated multiple properties and that acquiring 6551 Park of Commerce, combined with building a roughly 30,000-square-foot city hall downtown, would cost about half as much as moving and rebuilding a full 100,000-plus-square-foot city hall downtown.

Will Portfolio, senior vice president with CBRE, said the city’s search began in January and included 15 initial options, tours of 10 properties and a shortlist of five. He told council the city’s planned purchase of 6551 Park of Commerce equates to about $247 per square foot, which he said falls in the middle of owner-occupier comparables that range from $228 to $288 per square foot. “We had another interested owner user buyer… They were quoting $19,000,000. We got them down to 17.4,” Portfolio said.

Why it matters: the acquisition would create a temporary and long-term hub for many municipal functions while the downtown campus is redeveloped, a step staff says will reduce the overall cost of the government-campus program. The proposal has budget and planning consequences for the city’s Capital Improvement Program and for the Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) funding that supports parts of the downtown plan.

Public concerns and staff responses

Several residents questioned the price, the transparency of negotiations and CBRE’s role. At the meeting, a resident who said a nearby corner property sold in February 2025 for $14 million urged staff to explain why the city would pay roughly $3.4 million more for the adjacent lot. “Why are you paying a premium on the same lot?” the resident asked.

Portfolio responded that the corner building contains a data center that limits the buyer pool and that market conditions vary by building. He said the seller had initially asked $19 million and that the city negotiated the price to $17.4 million. He also said he represents the city as the tenant/buyer advisor and that CBRE’s landlord/listing business is a separate team: “I represent the tenant and the buyer, my fiduciaries to the tenant and the buyer.”

City Manager George Brown addressed public questions about a separate, longer-running facilities plan for the Building Department and the future of the Children’s Museum on the downtown campus. Brown said the city previously planned to build a new structure for building and code functions on the museum site and that the $4.2 million figure for moving three historic structures associated with the museum — the children’s museum buildings and two houses on the parcel — is an estimate under evaluation. “The cost of moving the three structures… is about $4,200,000,” Brown said.

Fit, costs and due diligence

Staff said 6551 Park of Commerce was the most operationally efficient building of those toured. CBRE’s workplace analysis found the building needed fewer improvements than others surveyed; staff are carrying a conservative $75 per-square-foot improvement estimate and $50 per-square-foot for furniture, fixtures and equipment but expect to refine those numbers during design and contractor engagement.

Council members and staff clarified procedural next steps. The proposed purchase will proceed through a purchase-and-sale process and due diligence; staff said a condition of proceeding is that the parcel be unified or otherwise meet conditions set in prior development approvals. No final purchase vote was taken at the workshop; contracting documents were scheduled to be presented to council the next night.

Discussion vs. decision

The workshop produced no formal council vote. Staff described ongoing negotiations, due-diligence steps (including title/subdivision/unification checks) and planned capital budgeting for the acquisition and fit-out. Lukasik said more detailed financial and planning information is expected in the coming month as the master partnership agreement and other analyses are refined.

Context from public comment

Public comment at the meeting connected the acquisition discussion to several community facilities. Craig Ernst, identified as a Beach and Park District commissioner and resident, urged collaboration after a nonprofit declined to continue some activities at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center and suggested issuing an RFP for rehabilitation work. Judy Morrow, a longtime resident and user of the Boca Raton Tennis Center, asked why the tennis facility should be moved or changed and asked for clarity about an earlier figure of $4.2 million related to relocating the Children’s Museum. Several business owners and property owners urged more transparency about negotiation documents and comparable sales.

What’s next

Staff will present contracting documents to the council at the regular meeting the following evening and continue due diligence. Lukasik said the council can expect a more comprehensive report within about a month as more financial details, infrastructure needs and master plan work become available.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Boca Raton - City Council Workshop - Jul 14, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","City staff and CBRE presented a recommendation July 14 to acquire 6551 Park of Commerce to house city services during downtown government campus redevelopment; staff said negotiations yielded a $17.4 million purchase price (about $247 per square foot), and residents raised questions about price, CBRE’s role and separate plans to move the Children’s Museum and other facilities.","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},6510358,"Julie Vianali seeks reappointment to Boca Raton Parks and Recreation Advisory Board",145,46000,191000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5385696-aa46ac14feda69f0dbe7d5316eacd387&start=46&end=191","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5385696-aa46ac14feda69f0dbe7d5316eacd387/thumbnail_46000.jpg","/articles/6510358/Boca-Raton/Palm-Beach-County/Florida/Julie-Vianali-seeks-reappointment-to-Boca-Raton-Parks-and-Recreation-Advisory-Board","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6510358-2caefa851567688a6a2f0f6fce7625f5/orig.mp4?Expires=1770832720&Signature=HFWhI-7zHCi2yyRoK2PCeS7e553Ni6x9Kig-NFTm-k8msPSPKUxKa5d0xTkIIRsa33nbx20~X05HuSOmkQw-YAw24F9bDsNZrt0pRJyxzK10tFUhBDn8iM4iwf4vdu88FSYJeTFf5G5Aq9xgJZAnHrBA1N6ItRo68qzUVaVF71EcPCnO7DfBjGVnI5lois8ifhoIhGZP~Err~zOy7cYOp~q-At5lUP8tjhDb4~ZcOhPMW8FtebSd96PRHZh1aKFS6kPkF7A0G-gZMlmB14V~YJVrnOt1YsCUiEs-XgXCztCXO7Zf0Szp2gLLxMXBmRr0UMWYTD1narfTSdivmcJAbw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Julie Vianali appeared before the City Council at its July 14 workshop to request reappointment to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.

“I am currently a member of the Parks and Rec Advisory Board,” Vianali said, adding she was appointed by the council in 2023 and has served for two years. She identified herself as a retired attorney and as an active volunteer educator at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center.

Vianali told council she wants to help the board respond to changing demographics and growth in the city, including adding recreation fields and amenities that serve younger residents. “We absolutely are going to need more fields, and fields take space,” she said.

The council indicated appointments would be made at the following night’s regular meeting; Vianali was told incumbents and applicants would be considered even if not present at that meeting.","Applicant Julie Vianali, a two‑year incumbent and volunteer educator at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, told council July 14 she wants to continue serving on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board to help adapt parks and amenities as the city’s population and demographics change.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6510362,"Boca Raton previews balanced FY 2025–26 budget with slight millage decrease and $282 million next‑year CIP",1513,2399000,3912000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5385696-aa46ac14feda69f0dbe7d5316eacd387&start=2399&end=3912","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5385696-aa46ac14feda69f0dbe7d5316eacd387/thumbnail_2399000.jpg","/articles/6510362/Boca-Raton/Palm-Beach-County/Florida/Boca-Raton-previews-balanced-FY-202526-budget-with-slight-millage-decrease-and-282-million-nextyear-CIP","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6510362-924891724482ff0cd7c7112a5e5098bd/orig.mp4?Expires=1770832720&Signature=RAn3CNnYYc2gTzlwXrOGjIGwx2DNIJCiSgByzoHyRhhZ5522jIzBFATcNznA0kysIKlwOq-smQeyqRVMKdOkGLxnGInhMqk~3HqjahqHhdc6MtlCgVoF2I~FVgVZMvQhs3cp3FkxZ2NyNcb3BjlSQPsbTZy1~lUdz33Jh9NFFT-fXndwhiseO7QsZuh2vwLjEqcyh3yyk5fzRJhudjh4EBPL1V59EU4ytYAyu4UZ4ChTetvryqIs4nguUwnQC9RpJwKp5NPAHxNqz2bMH4qOtUvS7RRWEofCvQzL1MvrPvCS~5C9D7hkGWDwCS-4Hk7BZRXaI2J4whuHHxt6BlQG6A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The City of Boca Raton’s draft fiscal 2025–26 budget, presented July 14 at a council workshop, is balanced and includes a modest millage-rate decrease alongside a multi-year capital program, city Finance officials said.

Jim Zervis, chief financial officer and deputy city manager, told council the proposed total millage rate is 3.6649, down from 3.6734 (a 0.0085‑mill decrease). He said assessed valuation in the city rose 7.51 percent this year and the city’s total assessed value exceeded $40 billion.

“We’re presenting a balanced budget,” Zervis said, adding the proposed plan delivers a slight millage decrease while funding current service levels and targeted strategic investments.

Key numbers and programs

- General fund and operating: Zervis said the proposed general fund budget is balanced without using fund balance; the staff figure shown for total budgeted general-fund expenditures was about $254.8 million.
- Assessed valuation: up 7.51 percent; net new construction value shown as about $729 million.
- Millage and fees: total millage proposed at 3.6649; residential fire assessment remains $155 annually.
- Positions: the budget adds 15 full‑time positions citywide (three in the general fund), including a Planner II to support Live Local monitoring, a recreation superintendent and a traffic/parking customer-service position; water and sewer operational funds add several roles.
- Capital program: a five‑year CIP of roughly $1.3 billion, with $282 million budgeted in the coming year. Notable items highlighted in the next-year CIP include funding for the proposed City Services Building ($26 million), a CRA-funded transit‑oriented community redevelopment downtown ($24 million), a municipal fleet garage, police headquarters design funding and various utility upgrades and crossings work.

Zervis said staff carried conservative estimates for some capital work and intends to refine costs during contract and design phases. “We’re being conservative as we go through plans…and walk through with GCs and subcontractors. We’re going to refine that number and hopefully reduce that cost to the city,” CBRE/space‑planning language attributed in the workshop presentation noted for the related City Services Building discussion.

Council questions and next steps

Council members asked about cost-allocation methodology, activity-based accounting and the classification of some prior capital items. Zervis said the city recently updated its cost allocation methodology and will next revisit the user‑fee schedule to align fees with cost data.

Zervis and Director of Budget Management Sharon McGuire said the city trimmed roughly $9.5 million from proposed expenditures through targeted line-item reductions and reclassifications to avoid using fund balance. He described the budget as a tool to align spending with council strategic priorities and said staff will bring the tentative and final budget hearings in September, along with CIP and user‑fee work sessions.

What it means

City staff described the draft as fiscally conservative and aimed at aligning resources with strategic goals — public safety, financial soundness, a vibrant economy, quality of life, world‑class services, transportation and growth management. Several capital projects in the CIP were described as investments to preserve long‑term service levels and utility capacity while advancing the downtown redevelopment effort.","City CFO Jim Zervis presented a balanced draft budget July 14 that lowers the millage rate slightly, shows a 7.51% increase in assessed valuation and includes a five‑year CIP totaling about $1.3 billion with $282 million in year one.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Boca Raton staff recommend buying 6551 Park of Commerce for city services; residents raise price, museum and park concerns

Julie Vianali seeks reappointment to Boca Raton Parks and Recreation Advisory Board

Boca Raton previews balanced FY 2025–26 budget with slight millage decrease and $282 million next‑year CIP