Boca Raton Hosts First Pearl City Town Hall to Address Resident Concerns

City officials present plans for historic preservation, public art, and infrastructure improvements in the founding neighborhood.

Published on Mar. 9, 2026

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Residents, city officials, and community members gathered in Boca Raton's historic Pearl City neighborhood for the area's first town hall meeting. The discussion focused on honoring the community's history while addressing concerns over traffic, infrastructure, homelessness, and potential development pressures.

Why it matters

As one of Boca Raton's founding neighborhoods, Pearl City holds significant historical and cultural importance. This town hall represents an effort by the city to strengthen collaboration with residents and ensure the community's needs are met as Boca Raton continues to evolve.

The details

City representatives presented ideas for historic preservation efforts, public art installations, and infrastructure improvements in Pearl City. Residents raised concerns about traffic patterns, disruptive buses, flooding, homelessness, and potential development pressures. Officials committed to follow up on the issues and schedule another meeting to maintain transparency and communication with the community.

  • The town hall meeting took place on March 3, 2026.
  • An upcoming referendum vote on the proposed Downtown Campus was also discussed during the meeting.

The players

Mark Sohaney

Boca Raton City Manager.

Jorge Camejo

Boca Raton Deputy City Manager.

Macedonia A.M.E. Church

The historic church in Pearl City where the town hall meeting was held.

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What they’re saying

“Any public art initiatives would move forward only with community input and approval.”

— Boca Raton City Officials (bocaratontribune.com)

What’s next

City officials committed to follow up on the concerns raised by residents and schedule another meeting with the Pearl City community.

The takeaway

This town hall represents Boca Raton's effort to collaborate with the historic Pearl City neighborhood and ensure its needs are addressed as the city continues to evolve. By honoring the community's history and addressing resident concerns, the city aims to preserve the unique character of this founding neighborhood.