Flock cameras and swale-parking tickets head back to the commission
Camera and parking rules are still undecided, Ocean One construction begins, and giant ducks need decorating.
Two questions that touch daily life in Boynton Beach, Flock cameras and swale-parking tickets, are still unsettled after Tuesday's commission meeting. A county meeting on Ag Reserve projects turned angry, including over a planned Islamic center, and what neighbors called a smoking hole on Pear Tree Circle got fixed the day CBS12 called FPL.
Boynton Beach may swap out its Flock camera system, and commissioners will take the question up again at an upcoming meeting. At the Oct. 6 meeting, the police chief gave an update on the cameras, which are still running. Police are already scaling back data sharing and changing policies, but plenty of residents remain uneasy about privacy. The Tribune's account cites recent missing-person and theft cases and says statistics show the system helps combat crime, but gives no figures. Police named some alternative companies. This was an update, not a decision.
Swale parking is also unsettled. According to the Tribune, drivers appear to be getting ticketed for parking on swales, which the rules ban, and the recent parking ordinance is weighing most on residents in Districts 2 and 4. Commissioners still have to decide whether the ordinance is too strict and needs a tweak; it is likely back for discussion in December. The next commission meetings are Oct. 20 and Nov. 3, both at 6 p.m., though the Tribune doesn't say which one will take up Flock.
Pathways to Prosperity accepted a Poverty Awareness Month proclamation, and a week of activities, Oct. 19 to 25, will feature a challenge to eat on $6 a day, meant to show residents what poverty is like in Boynton Beach.
Work starts on Ocean One, with 371 rentals and public parking
Ocean One, a mixed-use development with 371 luxury apartments for rent and a 25,500-square-foot retail component, is now under construction in Boynton Beach. Silverstein Properties, Hyperion Group, Winter Properties and WREP are developing it, backed by Madison Realty Capital construction financing and equity from Cantor Fitzgerald and Silverstein Properties affiliates. Public money is part of it: the city's Community Redevelopment Agency agreed to provide as much as $11.5 million in tax increment funding over 14 years. The same agreement commits Ocean One to public parking, with 90 spaces plus 20 more on the street, 110 in all.
County Ag Reserve meeting turns heated, including over a planned Islamic center
On Oct. 2, hundreds of people filled the South County Civic Center for a meeting on development in the county's Agricultural Reserve, and many more were turned away. More than 1,000 had RSVP'd for a room that holds about 300. Host County Commissioner Maria Sachs fielded anger over projects already approved there, among them an Islamic center, a nursing home and a DMV office. People pressed her on traffic and public notice, and shouting and chanting nearly ended the meeting early. Pamela Higer-Polani, a reserve resident and attorney who helped organize the turnout, argued that notice should have gone to residents within 1,000 feet of the projects, not just those within 500.
The Islamic center, approved in 2022, was a major flashpoint. Outside, some attendees held signs against it, and the project came up again and again, with calls for tougher background checks on applicants for places of worship. Responding to rhetoric around the project, a Boca Raton Interfaith Clergy Association statement condemned "hatred, bigotry, and the vitriol we have seen."
Sachs said the projects cleared a long-standing administrative review that lets houses of worship and some government agencies proceed without a commission vote. Her draft proposal would require future development applications in the county to go before elected county commissioners for a vote. Revisiting approvals already granted is "up to the lawyers," she said, and would likely require legal action, though she supports looking into it. She said she has voted no on every development project in the reserve but is one of seven commissioners, and she urged residents to reach out to every county commissioner. A second meeting is planned, but the date and location are not set.
FPL fixes underground line after neighbors spent two weeks seeking help
Bent Tree Villas East residents and association leaders say they sought help for about two weeks over what looked like smoke coming out of a hole in the backyard of a Pear Tree Circle home. Cones and caution tape ringed the hole, with a note reading "Hot, do not touch," and neighbors were scared to step into their backyards. Property manager Sam Beida said he called FPL a dozen or more times. "Every time I call, they tell me that it's been completed," he said. Crews finally made the repair on Oct. 5, the day CBS12 News reached out to FPL.
What it was depends on who is talking. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue said its crews went out Sept. 25, found smoldering ground and high surface temperatures, and said FPL workers spotted a deteriorated line that may have been shorting underground, though its detector picked up no voltage. FPL's statement says Fire Rescue determined the "smoke" was really vapor from moisture hitting an underground line, and that FPL crews saw no immediate safety concern.
Kids decorate giant ducks at the library for Duck-tober
- When
- Oct. 8 · 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
- Where
- Boynton Beach City Library
Giant ducks have taken over the Boynton Beach City Library, and kids ages 5 to 12 get to dress them up in a class led by Ms. Teresa. The ducks need disguises before they turn into pumpkins, the library says, and all materials are provided. Register through the link on the city's calendar listing (the contact number is 561-742-6390), and sign up only the kids who will actually attend.