Boca Raton's 'Save Boca' Candidates Take Office with Public Land Goals

New council members aim to give residents more say over city-owned property development.

Mar. 31, 2026 at 9:19pm

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A serene, sunlit public plaza with a solitary park bench in the foreground, the city skyline visible in the background, conveying a sense of quiet contemplation and civic pride.The new Boca Raton council's focus on preserving public spaces reflects a community-driven vision for the city's future development.Boca Raton Today

Boca Raton's newly elected city council members, including the 'Save Boca' group that opposed a recent government campus redevelopment plan, were sworn in on Tuesday. The new council members, led by Mayor Andy Thomson, plan to revise city rules to require public votes on the sale or lease of significant public land parcels, aiming to avoid future controversial development proposals without community input.

Why it matters

The 'Save Boca' movement's victory in the recent election reflects growing public concerns over the pace and scale of development in the city. The new council's focus on public land decisions signals an effort to give residents more control over the future of Boca Raton's limited public spaces and resources.

The details

The four new council members - Jon Pearlman, Michelle Grau, and Stacy Sipple of the 'Save Boca' group, along with Mayor Andy Thomson - were sworn in on Tuesday. They plan to revise city rules to require public votes on the sale or lease of more than half an acre of city-owned land, aiming to avoid future battles over development proposals like the recently rejected government campus plan. The new council also intends to properly dedicate Memorial Park, a 17-acre public space that had been a focal point of the 'Save Boca' movement.

  • The new council members were sworn in on Tuesday, March 31, 2026.
  • The next Boca Raton City Council meetings will take place in mid-April 2026.

The players

Andy Thomson

The newly elected mayor of Boca Raton, who previously served as a council member and envisions a more collaborative approach moving forward.

Jon Pearlman

The founder of the 'Save Boca' citizen group, who was elected to the city council.

Michelle Grau

A newly elected city council member who was part of the 'Save Boca' group.

Stacy Sipple

A newly elected city council member who was part of the 'Save Boca' group.

Scott Singer

The outgoing mayor of Boca Raton.

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What they’re saying

“We have to get past that.”

— Andy Thomson, Mayor

“That's something we want to make sure that we get that done. We all came together over this one issue, and that was clear: public land, public vote.”

— Michelle Grau, City Council Member

“I'm going to stick to my promise. I can't speak for anybody else, but I know that I'm sure they feel the same way.”

— Stacy Sipple, City Council Member

What’s next

The new Boca Raton City Council plans to discuss and implement measures to require public votes on the sale or lease of significant city-owned land parcels at their next meetings in mid-April 2026.

The takeaway

Boca Raton's new city council, led by the 'Save Boca' group, is poised to shift the balance of power away from developers and toward greater community control over the city's limited public spaces and resources. This represents a significant political change in response to growing resident concerns over the pace and scale of development in the area.