Residents of a coastal Florida city are furious over plans to erase a decades-old park honoring World War II veterans to make way for a sprawling new ‘government campus’.
Memorial Park is a cherished 17-acre public haven in the affluent suburb of Boca Raton that has served as a community cornerstone for decades.
The multi-recreational facility was dedicated to WWII veterans back in the late 1940s, and has stood as a physical reminder of the city’s origins and its wartime legacy since.
However, real estate tycoon David Martin’s development firm Terra and Frisbie Group officially won the bid to tear it all down – clearing the way for a $2.5 billion, 1.5-million-square-foot megaproject.
But the move has sparked outrage, with dozens of residents in Save Boca T-shirts rallying against the project at a fiery city council meeting on Tuesday, where they demanded a public vote on the plans.
‘I’m confused. Either you guys are completely incompetent, hopelessly tone-deaf, or truly think we’re the stupid ones. But we’re not,’ resident Joe Majhess fumed. ‘How did we get here?
‘It’s our land, and you couldn’t seem to care less. You have no business operating on our behalf, behind our backs, or with willful ignorance towards the will of the public. Public land deserves a public vote.’
‘The voice of the people is stronger than ever,’ John Pearlman, founder of Save Boca, added. ‘They’re saying stop this project, they don’t want it.’
Residents of Boca Raton in Florida are fiercely opposing plans to erase a decades-old park honoring World War II veterans to make way for a sprawling new ‘government campus’ (Pictured: Resident Joe Majhess voicing fury at a city council meeting)
The plans would tear down Memorial Park, a decades-old tribute to WWII veterans set across 17 acres
The plans would tear down Memorial Park (pictured), a decades-old tribute to WWII veterans set across 17 acres
Frustrated residents also questioned why the city has aligned with Terra Group, since the developer is currently embroiled in legal action over the deadly 2021 Surfside condominium collapse, which killed 98 people.
Terra, along with its partners and contractors, was accused of destabilizing the Champlain Towers South building during construction.
About a year after the tragedy, Terra and its team agreed to a $400 million settlement – while denying any wrongdoing – contributing to a total payout of over $1 billion for victims and their families.
‘Did you ignore the fact that Terra hid a $400 million payout to the victims of Surfside, or did you just not know?’ Majhess said at this week’s meeting. ‘Perhaps they might not be the best partner.’
The protests erupted after Mayor Scott Singer and three other council members informed residents that they would proceed with the deal to move forward with the project, which is set to be built on roughly 31 acres of public land.
Written into a 99-year lease between the City of Boca Raton and David Martin’s Terra and Frisbie Group, the project is set to completely raze all 17 acres of Memorial Park.
The demolition would include the park’s baseball field, basketball and tennis courts, the shuffleboard and skate park, as well as several government buildings, including the community center.
Opponents to the development accused the city council of a lack of transparency and called for a public vote at a fiery council meeting on Tuesday
‘The voice of the people is stronger than ever,’ John Pearlman (pictured), founder of Save Boca, said to council members. ‘They’re saying stop this project, they don’t want it’
In the memorial’s place, the developers would be permitted to construct 912 residential units, 150 hotel rooms, 350,000 square feet of office space, and nearly 152,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space
In its place, the developers would be permitted to construct 912 residential units, 150 hotel rooms, 350,000 square feet of office space, and nearly 152,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.
The developers would pay the City of Boca Raton $5.1 million annually in rent in exchange, along with an upfront payment of $10 million – though those terms are still under negotiation.
As part of the transformation, the developer would create 20 new mini-parks, redesign key streets near the new downtown campus, and build a modern community center, a new city hall, and a police substation.
City officials claimed the current city hall is deteriorating and the community center is badly outdated, making this overhaul both ambitious and long overdue.
Mayor Singer acknowledged the strong opposition at the public meeting but emphasized that support for the project extends beyond the room, noting that ‘there are people who aren’t here today who are supportive.’
‘I think we are getting close to evaluating a plan that makes sense financially,’ Singer said. ‘That we should just stop tonight, that is not giving an option.’
Mayor Scott Singer (pictured) acknowledged the strong opposition at the public meeting but emphasized that support for the project extends beyond the room, noting that ‘there are people who aren’t here today who are supportive’
The damage would include the park’s baseball field, basketball and tennis courts, the shuffleboard and skate park, as well as several government buildings, including the community center (pictured)
During the rebuttal, Majhess accused city leaders of deceiving residents during campaign season, claiming they had all promised to ‘keep Boca, Boca, and engage in responsible development.’
He also alleged that Mayor Singer had previously stated his opposition to ‘commercializing public land’ – a stance that, he argued, has now proven to be untrue.
‘Simply put, he lied. They all lied,’ Majhess said. ‘When the residents rose up and started fighting back, City Hall didn’t like that.’
Council Member Andy Thomson was the only one against the project, arguing it was ‘too big’ and ‘bring along too much traffic.’
‘The increasing number of residents speaking out against this project reflect in my view an erosion of trust. They don’t trust this process,’ Thomson said.
David Martin, CEO of Terra, officially won the bid to tear down the memorial
Opponents pointed to the firms involvement in the 2021 Surfside condo collapse which killed 98 people, after which Terra and its team agreed to a $400 million settlement – while denying any wrongdoing
As part of the transformation, the developer would create 20 new mini-parks, redesign key streets near the new downtown campus, and build a modern community center, a new city hall, and a police substation (pictured: proposed project)
The new plan calls for 10 new clay courts and a tennis center to be built at Meadows Park, about two miles from Memorial Park, while four new baseball fields would be added at Sugar Sand Park, roughly three miles away, according to the outlet.
In addition, a brand-new 60,000-square-foot skatepark is slated for construction at the future North Park.
Mayor Scott Singer, Terra Group and David Martin did not immediately respond to Daily Mail for comment.