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| -Land of the Free |
| Florida city council meeting erupts over developer's plans to bulldoze WW2 veterans' memorial |
| 2025-09-01 |
| [DM] Residents of a coastal Florida city are furious over plans to erase a decades-old park honoring World War II veterans to make way for a sprawling new 'government campus'. Memorial Park is a cherished 17-acre public haven in the affluent suburb of Boca Raton that has served as a community cornerstone for decades. The multi-recreational facility was dedicated to WWII veterans back in the late 1940s, and has stood as a physical reminder of the city’s origins and its wartime legacy since. However, real estate tycoon David Martin’s development firm Terra and Frisbie Group officially won the bid to tear it all down - clearing the way for a $2.5 billion, 1.5-million-square-foot megaproject. But the move has sparked outrage, with dozens of residents in Save Boca T-shirts rallying against the project at a fiery city council meeting on Tuesday, where they demanded a public vote on the plans. 'I’m confused. Either you guys are completely incompetent, hopelessly tone-deaf, or truly think we’re the stupid ones. But we’re not,' resident Joe Majhess fumed. 'How did we get here? 'It’s our land, and you couldn’t seem to care less. You have no business operating on our behalf, behind our backs, or with willful ignorance towards the will of the public. Public land deserves a public vote.' 'The voice of the people is stronger than ever,' John Pearlman, founder of Save Boca, added. 'They’re saying stop this project, they don’t want it.' Frustrated residents also questioned why the city has aligned with Terra Group, since the developer is currently embroiled in legal action over the deadly 2021 Surfside condominium collapse, which killed 98 people. Terra, along with its partners and contractors, was accused of destabilizing the Champlain Towers South building during construction. About a year after the tragedy, Terra and its team agreed to a $400 million settlement - while denying any wrongdoing - contributing to a total payout of over $1 billion for victims and their families. 'Did you ignore the fact that Terra hid a $400 million payout to the victims of Surfside, or did you just not know?' Majhess said at this week's meeting. 'Perhaps they might not be the best partner.' The protests erupted after Mayor Scott Singer and three other council members informed residents that they would proceed with the deal to move forward with the project, which is set to be built on roughly 31 acres of public land. Written into a 99-year lease between the City of Boca Raton and David Martin’s Terra and Frisbie Group, the project is set to completely raze all 17 acres of Memorial Park. The demolition would include the park's baseball field, basketball and tennis courts, the shuffleboard and skate park, as well as several government buildings, including the community center. Related: Boca Raton: 2025-06-08 Toni Airaksinen: How Columbia Hamas Supporters Led Me To Convert to Judaism Boca Raton: 2025-03-16 Colombian migrant theft gang stole millions from Americans during cross-country heist spree: feds Boca Raton: 2024-10-04 How three foreigners worked out how to win $95million Texas lottery jackpot |
| Posted by:Skidmark |
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| Posted by: Super Hose 2025-09-01 13:07 |
| #1 |
| Posted by: ed in texas 2025-09-01 11:24 |