OMG what is City Council doing? What planet is Scott Singer on?
Residents are all clearly opposed to adding more dwelling units Downtown in Boca and losing the little greenspace that still exists in the bargain. Plus when the bargain involves giving a developer who wants to profit from those dwellings 31 acres of public owned property, City property, resident’s are more than angry about it. Some are just downright confused. Why would Scott Singer, City Manager George Brown, and the rest of Boca Raton City Council tolerate this, let alone facilitate it? What’s going on in their heads? Why are they doing this? Why does it seem like they’re on a completely different planet from the people they’re supposed to be making happy?
Let’s try to get inside the mind tunnels of these folks and explore their motivations. For some reasons they must think this kind of “(alleged) gift to developers” is good, something that will at a minimum benefit them, if not everyone in Boca, if not the people of today then the people of tomorrow. While the public outcry is loud and valid, there are a number of commonly cited reasons why Mayor Scott Singer—even in his final year—would move forward with this redevelopment plan for Boca Raton’s 31 downtown acres. Let’s try to genuinely understand these reasons.
Based on the latest public reporting and sources, here are the top five plausible motivations:
1. Infrastructure Renewal Without Tax Hikes
The current City Hall, community center, and certain administrative buildings are felt to be no longer adequate—having been plagued by issues like flooding, overcrowding, and inefficiency. By partnering with Terra & Frisbie in a public‑private partnership (P3), the city can replace these aging structures without issuing bonds or raising property taxes. The deal promises ~$5.1 million annually in lease payments plus a $10 million upfront contribution. Without it, building a new $200 million police station and City Hall would likely require tax increases—something Singer explicitly wants to avoid for Boca.
2. Long-Term Economic Gain for the City
CBRE analysis claims the redevelopment yields $3.6 billion in benefit over 99 years—combining lease revenue and increased property taxes from new development. By comparison to other bids (e.g., Related Ross), Terra Frisbie’s plan included less office space and more balanced mixed‑use—aligning with the city’s vision. Among the plans submitted it makes the most economic sense, the best economic use of that property.
3. Near-Term Enhancements to (Mostly Concrete) Public Space
The plan proposes six acres of new public space (branded as “The Commons”) and upgraded recreational facilities like tennis, pickleball courts, and a skate park. However, most of these “enhancements” involve moving features currently in the Downtown campus space to other parts of the city like Meadows Park. While it could be thought of as gains for the city as a whole, the problem is that it removes these features from their current location, where nearby residents value them remaining. And moving them to other parks means giving up green space in those other parks and converting it to concrete.
4. Strategic Urban Vision and Transit-Oriented Development
The project proposes a “live, work, play” model integrated with the Brightline station nearby, promoting walkability, mixed-use vibrancy, and modern urban design
Developed by a team seen as reputable by Council (Terra & Frisbie), the plan includes thoughtfully scaled buildings, enhanced public realm, and design standards that reflect community input, making it a proud “signature project”. It could work out to be a really nice, enjoyable space if everything works out right.
5. Legacy and Final Deliverable as Outgoing Mayor
Singer frames the redevelopment as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to shape Boca’s future and leave a lasting civic asset. His train station legacy was only a start, and not an end to what he has the potential to leave Boca with. With a strong financial and design rationale—and as the culmination of strategic planning dating back to 2017—the project can stand as a capstone of his mayoral term. While some opposed the Brightline station development, in hindsight it’s turned out to be another asset that helps make Boca Raton more of a world-class city.
Even though an overwhelming amount of his constituency oppose this plan and would even pay more in taxes to guarantee stopping it and reversing the disappearance of green space, Singer’s mind tunnel can easily support the campus redevelopment by Terra Frisbie, seeing long term value in it that residents can’t. How could he not with what’s important for Boca according to him? Maybe what’s important to Singer, Brown and Council isn’t what makes current residents happy, something current voters want, but they genuinely see it as something future residents will look back on and be grateful for, not “selling out Boca.”
But let’s not be naïve, it’s also about POLITICS.
Scott Singer has political ambitions. He may seek the Republican nomination to challenge Jared Moskowitz, for the 23rd Congressional District seat, to represent our area in D.C., in US Congress. There are political incentives that often drive mayors to push big land-use deals even when there’s loud resident opposition—reasons tied to donor dynamics. Someone aiming for a Congress seat isn’t going to abandon the donor class he was already so successful appealing to.
This is analysis, not an allegation of wrongdoing. It’s how the system works and how someone who wants to be successful in it has to operate in 2025. This is not a condemnation of Scott Singer, someone faithful to this system he has to operate in, but rather a critical examination of the system itself.
Don’t hate the player – hate the game. Or how about don’t hate at all, and respect it, understand it, and learn how to operate around it informed?
Top 5 donor-linked reasons our otherwise very liked mayor might back the project anyway:
Scott Singer’s on the fundraising treadmill—and the development ecosystem is the fuel.
In Florida municipal races, individual donations to candidates are capped (typically $1,000 per election), but political committees (PACs) can raise and spend far more. That makes builders, real-estate lawyers, architects, brokers, and related businesses especially valuable repeat donors/bundlers. Singer’s own city treasurer reports show money from local real-estate–adjacent donors (e.g., law firms, architects, property managers, real-estate investors)—the sort of network that reliably funds citywide campaigns. Backing a marquee redevelopment keeps that ecosystem engaged. Boca’s not alone in that dynamic. All of Florida that’s in high demand has danced to that same beat for decades.
Singer’s building a “pro-business” brand for the next job—so he signals to regional/state donors now.
Term-limited mayors often eye higher office; cultivating a growth-friendly reputation helps with future fundraising beyond our city line. Given that Singer is considering a 2026 congressional bid, and publicly courting business relocation to Boca, his strategy is around be messaging that pleases the donor class he’ll need later. He spent $70K of City money on a Time Square billboard ad, but mostly gaining him valuable national exposure for his federal level aims. Supporting a big P3 fits with the signals Singer is telegraphing hard to donors needing to aim lobbying dollars effectively. In local races $70K can be what moves the needle, almost twice the amount Singer’s campaign spent on mail-in-ballots, the tactic that won him the seat in the election against Zucaro.
Overlapping donor networks reward dependable behavior.
Local investigative pieces have documented overlap between contributors to committees aligned with Singer and major property owners/developers (e.g., PEBB Capital, James Batmasian). These donors value consistency and predictable behavior, not necessarily reciprocity. In practice, that means the same donor circles watch how leaders vote on high-stakes land decisions; consistent “yes” votes keep doors—and checkbooks—open. (Again, that’s about access and signaling, not alleging quid pro quo.)
Classic urban-politics research shows local “growth coalitions” (developers, landowners, allied professionals) tend to dominate city hall on land use. Elected officials who align with that coalition get resources, endorsements, and less organized opposition in future races; those who buck it often face coordinated pushback. Backing the Terra/Frisbie campus plan aligns a mayor with that coalition—even amid a citizen petition drive. It might look dumb and crazy from the overcrowded resident voter’s mind tunnel, but it’s how it has to work in the mind tunnel of the donor-dependent. This is the system, the only system.
Policy + money feedback loop: a big P3 creates visible “wins” and fresh donor pipelines.
A campus remake promises new public buildings without new taxes (the administration’s constant selling point) and long-run revenue from leases/tax base—claims city leaders repeat. Delivering that “fiscal conservative” win is attractive to business donors now, and to new ones drawn in by the project (contractors, operators, lenders) who’ll finance future ambitions. That loop—policy choice → donor enthusiasm → stronger war chest—can outweigh short-term resident blowback.
Why this feels like he’s “going against everyone” even if he says he isn’t.
There is intense resident pushback (packed meetings, active “Save Boca” petitions, talk of a referendum). City leaders counter with revenue/amenity talking points and say misinformation is circulating. That gap between neighborhood sentiment and city hall’s growth coalition is a great example of unparallel mind tunnels, people seeing the same thing very different ways. This website even recently published a poll asking people if they’d prefer higher taxes to add green spaces to the City, something completely contrary to Singer’s declared priorities in keeping taxes low. Most people said they favored higher taxes, more collective capital contribution from the very people who stand to gain the most: resident voters who want more green around them, all over.
What can residents do about it?
I’m not going to tell you what you should do about it. There’s limits, especially in dealing with what’s on our plate today: property is bought, owned, zoned, approved and under the rights of the owners to do what they will. Development goes on mostly against the sentiment of neighbors. There’s not much you can do about it, the things you can point a finger at today and get upset about. Maintaining the aesthetic and quality of a city is a long game and requires as much investment of valuable time and effort as developers are capable of getting loans for quickly. Some of you are going to have to run for office. Do it.
Meanwhile stay informed, keep trying to understand. Watch the headlines changing every day, aggregated by me here on 4boca. I try to include what’s most relevant for Boca residents, especially about politics and development. Please take time and your hard earned money to support other local publications: Boca Tribune, Boca Magazine, Boca First, Coastal Star etc. Share their stories, link to them too. Advertise in them. Keep them afloat. That’s all I can tell you. You’ll have to explore your own motivations after that.
