This article, originally published by Al Zucaro on BocaWatch.org, is preserved for historical purposes by Massive Impressions Online Marketing in Boca Raton.
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The golf course issue may not be on the agenda for this week’s city council meeting, but it is still expected to be discussed by city staff and/or council members during their comments at the end of each meeting. The acquisition of the Ocean Breeze golf course is expected to require the city to cooperate with the Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District so residents are encouraged to attend these meetings and speak in Public Comments in support of Keep Golf In Boca.
At the recent city council candidate forum all of the candidates voiced their support for the acquisition of the ocean breeze golf course property. BUT, only one of the five candidates is currently on the city council, Scott Singer, and he has not publicly supported the city acquiring the golf course property. There have only been two current city council members that have supported the city acquiring the golf course in Boca Teeca, Jeremy Rodgers and Susan Haynie, so what will happen at the Valentine’s Day meeting?
Supporters of the non-profit Keep Golf In Boca have discussed the value of the property relative to other land the city & the Beach & Park District have acquired in the past. By comparison the city paid over $2.5 million/acre for the Wildflower site which has been vacant and a constant thorn in the side of the city. Also, the city paid $150,000 per acre for the land where the new De Hornle Park was built on Spanish River Blvd. The Beach & Park District acquired the 132 acres for Sugar Sand Park in 1988 for $18 million or $136k/acre and the 15 acres at Ocean Strand was bought for $15 million or $1 million/acre and this property has not been utilized since the 1994 acquisition. The average price per acre for all four of these properties was $946,000 per acre and two of the four properties remain unused for many years.
Accordingly, the valuation of the 200+ acres within the Ocean Breeze property should be viewed on a comparable basis to past recreational use acquisitions by the local government entities where the property is not waterfront would be the Sugar Sand and DeHornle valuations. Based upon these two properties the average price paid was $124,000/acre, so the relative valuation on the Ocean Breeze 200 + acres would be $28.6 million. Therefore, if the city and park district can acquire the Ocean Breeze property for any amount less than $28.6 million then they are getting a bargain compared to their past property acquisitions for recreational purposes regardless of what amount may be claimed as the appraised value of the property.
Bringing championship level golf back into the city is a Win-Win for city, the residents and the park district and the city will pocket at least $41 million in their bank account on behalf of taxpayers. Please consider attending the meeting on Tuesday night to show your support for the acquisition of the Ocean Breeze golf course property by the local government entities, with the city or the beach & park district.
What about the Boca Raton Municipal Golf Course?
That property is an anomaly since municipalities do not normally own property outside of their city limits. The city was originally thinking of receiving up to $50 million for this property so an additional $20 million+ is a great deal for the city. Residents who live west of the turnpike have several public golf courses in that area, including Southwinds and Osprey Point which are owned by Palm Beach County. The jurisdiction where these residents live is NOT Boca Raton just because that is their postal address.
The best offer comes from GL Homes for $73,000,000. With that amount the city could feasibly purchase the Boca Teeca golf course for considerably less and even after renovations still have money left over for other uses.
The other offers are just plain BAD!
I will vote for the person who backs the GL offer.
The GL offer is not the best offer as this provides no future impact to the city except more traffic on Glades Rd. If the city acquires the Ocean Breeze golf course, then the city will get hundreds of thousands, or million+, annually in additional tax revenue from the improvement in the real estate values in the Boca Teeca area – as documented by FAU business professor Dr. Ken Johnson. Additionally, with the thousands of visitors to a public golf course will bring millions of dollars in economic benefits to our city for many years to come.
I will be unable to attend but I am in favor of Ocean Breeze remaining a golf course.
I was a summer member at Ocean Breeze for several years and the course was adequate but nothing special. The course will have to be completely re done at a cost of 15-20 million. The Principal course has a par 3 course as well as the 18 hole course with a great layout. I hope this is not a move that will be regretted in the long run remember Golfers aren’t increasing in numbers .
The first paragraph in this article should not deter residents from attending and speaking at the city council meetings-as stated in the 2nd paragraph (editing done without author’s approval). There are reports of deals being considered this week by Lennar, the City & Beach and Park District, but nothing has been approved by the city council, who will be an integral part of any deal to bring championship level golf back to the public via the Ocean Breeze golf course property.
I don’t know anyone who is ever going to play at Ocean Breeze unless it is completely redone. No one did before. That’s why it is closed. The Municipal Course on the other hand actually pays for itself. Why is Boca trying to sell it? Does Boca need the money. Surely our tax base is high with real estate values at their highest since 2007. And, what plans does Boca have for the additional monies?
I really resent GL Homes’ attempt to totally confuse Boca Raton Residents with the entirely misleading jumbo postcard
regarding their choice of location upon which to build. It was an insult to our intelligence, but burdensome to try to understand!