Vote yes in Boca Raton, Deerfield and Delray

Three South Florida cities will ask voters on March 14 to approve local ballot questions involving terms of office, a land sale, and bond issues for parks and public safety. The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board recommends a “yes” vote on all questions.

Boca Raton: Voters should lengthen the terms of the mayor and council members from three to four years. If approved, the change would take effect immediately and current officeholders, whose terms would otherwise end in March 2026, would stay until 2027. The city’s two-term limit would not change. The full text of the proposal is on the city website. This is the only item on the Boca ballot, because Mayor Scott Singer and City Council members Francine Nachlas and Marc Wigder were re-elected without opposition.

Deerfield Beach: The state deeded nearly four acres of land on SW 11th Way to the city in 1999. It has sat empty ever since, but MBA Development Partners offered to pay the city $6.5 million to build a mixed-use project on the site near I-95. An antiquated city charter provision requires voter approval for the sale of any city-owned land worth more than $750,000. A yes vote is a vote to sell the land; a no vote is to reject the sale. A well-produced two-minute video on the city’s website provides a clear explanation of the ballot question.

Delray Beach: The city asks voters to approve two 30-year borrowing projects. Question 1 seeks voter approval for a $100 million bond issue to build a new police headquarters and equip and renovate fire stations. Question 2 asks voters to support a bond of $20 million for parks improvements such as practice fields, covered basketball courts, walking trails and upgraded restrooms and lighting. More details are on the city’s website. For the owner of a home assessed at $250,000, the city estimates that the property tax increase would be about $90 a year for public safety and $22 for parks improvements. If the questions pass, we recommend that the city form an oversight board, subject to Florida’s Sunshine Law and comprised of private citizens, some with fiscal expertise, to oversee implementation of the spending program.

Whether you support these referendum questions or not, make sure you vote in your city’s election. You can request a mail ballot from your county supervisor of elections or vote in person from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14. Every vote counts. Editorials are the opinion of the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board and written by one of its staff members or a designee. The Editorial Board consists of Editorial Page Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Editorial Page Editor Dan Sweeney and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson.

DEERFIELD BEACH An aerial view of a vacant site near I-95 that Deerfield Beach seeks to develop, subject to voter approval on March 14.