Boca Bash is on; some worry about safety

BOCA RATON — The Boca Bash, one of Boca Raton’s largest parties, is set to return this month, after last year’s party-on-thewater was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and bad weather.

The event will return to Lake Boca Raton on April 25, expected to lure boaters who party on everything from yachts and small boats to Jet Skis to kayaks and paddleboards, organizers announced on social media this week.

But not everyone loves the bash, and

concerns remained among those who live near the lake. COVID-19 cases are on the rise in South Florida again, drawing concerns of maskless partygoers crowding together. And some nearby residents don’t like the volume of the party, while others have lamented the trash thrown into the water by attendees.

The Boca Bash’s Facebook page posted, “We have a lot of making up to do! We are back in action for 2021! Thanks to Governor DeSantis there are no longer waterway restrictions. Book your boats and tell your friends!”

The Boca Bash brings out thousands of attendees each year.

Despite its name, the Boca Bash is not hosted by the city and the city has no official involvement in planning or organizing the event. The city notes that it does not have jurisdiction over Lake Boca Raton; the state does.

One volunteer organizer, 31-year-old Boca resident Chad Hamilton, said the cancellation of the 2020 Boca Bash was disappointing but for the best.

“Being shut down last year was understandable due to circumstances, and we had no regrets for doing so while working with the city on that decision,” he said. “I can tell you that the sentiment of boaters is very excited to get back out there.”

Mayor Scott Singer said he appreciated organizers’ efforts to discourage people from attending last year, given the pandemic. He said the city got special permission from the governor’s office to have the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission enact a one-day ban on dropping anchors in Lake Boca Raton on the original date the event was planned for.

This year, though, Hamilton said he’s received a wave of people from out of town asking about local hotels and boat rental companies.

Singer said the city will not try to stop this year’s event, but that the Fish and Wildlife Commission, as well as other local agencies, will be providing additional law enforcement and fire rescue boats and other units, should an emergency in or on the water arise.

Some residents who live near the lake have complained about the volume of the party or the trash that gets thrown in the water. “Lake Boca is filled with people, and no one has a mask on. Naturally, we’re concerned for their safety,” said Sandra O’Rourke, who has lived in an apartment adjacent to the lake for 20 years. “COVID’s on the rise, so that’s a little bit of a concern. I just wish they would hold off a little bit longer for their safety.”

Some City Council members also have raised concern. “The City of Boca is always concerned about the Boca Bash. The city does not in any way sponsor or support this event,” Councilwoman Andrea Levine O’Rourke — no relation to Sandra O’Rourke — said in an email. “This party event burdens the city, county and state’s services and resources. Our biggest concern is safety.”

The event ended in tragedy a few years ago.

In 2018, Francis Roselin, 32, of West Palm Beach, drowned while swimming at that year’s Boca Bash. Calls for more safety in the wake Roselin’s death led to an increased presence of first responders the following year, and 14 arrests by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The charges included 12 for boating under the influence, one for a drug-related charge and one for a domestic matter.

Roselin’s death also led to a lawsuit from his family against the city and the wildlife commission. That suit was dismissed last year, with the judge saying the family did not show that the city and wildlife commission were at fault.

The family’s attorney in that case, Dan Moses, declined to comment when reached by phone this week, and wildlife commission spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment.

Hamilton expressed remorse for what happened but said the organizers are not responsible for attendees’ safety.

“Unfortunately, there is nothing as organizers we can do to ensure on-boat safety of attendees,” he said. “What happened was a tragedy, and we implore all attendees to stay in their boats until they are anchored and have proper floatation devices and/or are on the sandbar.”

Melanie “Mel” Cozzolino is originally from New York and transferred to Florida Atlantic University while she was in college. She said she’s attended three or four Boca Bashes. Her first one shocked her because she said she had never seen a party like that before.

“It can be chaotic, but it’s fun every time,” Cozzolino said. She’s attended on boats big and small and is looking forward to returning this year.

“I’m sure everyone can use some fun after the craziness of the last year. No one’s been able to do the things they were used to doing the last few years,” she said.

COVID-19 is not a huge concern for Cozzolino, she said. “I’m pretty healthy and safe, and the people I associate with are too. I’ll probably stick with the people I know.”

Return attendees can expect a similar experience to past years, Hamilton, the event organizer, said. “Same ol’ party at the same ol’ location.”

Mayor Singer said he wants attendees to have fun but is asking them to be safe before, during and after the event: “Drinking too much and boating can be a deadly mix. Please be responsible.”

The Boca Bash will take place all day April 25 at Lake Boca Raton, between Camino Real and Palmetto Park Road, just west of A1A. Access to city boat ramps could be limited, and many attendees in past years have sailed in from the north or south.