Boca Raton police HQ bond back on ballot at $125 million

Boca Raton voters will be asked again in March to borrow money for a new police headquarters. This time the city wants up to $125 million, down from the $175 million that voters turned down in March 2026.

The City Council votes Tuesday, Oct. 27, on the resolution that puts the question on the March 9, 2027, city ballot. Resolution 138-2026 is on the meeting’s agenda. The council asked staff to draft it at its Oct. 13 workshop, according to the city’s Boca Brief recap of that meeting.

What the ballot would ask

The draft ballot question asks whether the city should issue general obligation bonds of no more than $125 million to replace “the City’s aging and undersized police headquarters.” The money would pay for:

• a new headquarters
• a 911 communications center
• evidence storage
• related facilities and equipment
• a dedicated downtown police facility

The bonds would run no longer than 30 years. They would be repaid from property taxes on all taxable property in the city.

The draft names no site for the new headquarters. Before the workshop, City Manager Mark Sohaney offered the council two options in an Oct. 6 memo. One left the location off the ballot, to be settled at a council workshop on April 12, 2027, and a council meeting on April 13. The other named a central headquarters near Spanish River Boulevard and I-95 plus a downtown station near Northwest Second Street and Second Avenue. The resolution on Tuesday’s agenda describes a downtown facility but no addresses.

What it would cost you

The city’s Financial Services department estimates the bonds would add about 0.1904 mills to the city’s tax rate. That works out to about $100.92 a year for the average residential property, the memo said. The city called the figures preliminary. They depend on taxable values, homestead status, interest rates and when the bonds are sold.

If voters approve Amendment 3 on the Nov. 3 statewide ballot, the estimated rate rises to 0.2113 mills, the memo said. The amendment would raise the homestead exemption for non-school taxes, according to the Volusia County Property Appraiser’s summary, which leaves less taxable value to spread the debt across. The memo said individual bills would change under that structure too.

The city’s Financial Advisory Board voted unanimously to recommend a bond of no more than $125 million over no more than 30 years. The board did not weigh in on the location, design or cost of the building.

How this plan differs from the one voters rejected

Staff cut the project back after the March 2026 vote, according to the memo. It now plans for the department’s current needs instead of projected needs through 2045.

Staff estimate the building itself would cost $65 million to $90 million. The 100,000 square feet would include the headquarters, a firing range, emergency communications, evidence storage and related facilities.

Why the city says it needs a new building

The current headquarters at 100 NW Boca Raton Blvd. opened in 1986 and was expanded in 2001. Boca Raton had about 58,821 residents and the department about 145 employees then, the city said. Today the city has about 103,062 residents and the department about 331 employees.

The memo lists four problems with the building:

• Units, staff, evidence and records are spread across several city buildings.
• It lacks room for modern communications and command operations.
• It is not hurricane-rated and must be evacuated in a major hurricane.
• It was not built for today’s evidence storage, training and technology.

A building assessment found that renovating would cost more than half the price of a new building. The assessment said that is the point where a common planning guideline says replacement should be strongly considered.

Staff also studied an eight-acre site east of Northwest Second Avenue downtown. They found it would need more than $20 million in site costs before construction, including land purchases and moving police staff for about four years. It would also close the eastbound parts of Second and Third streets and sit next to the railroad.

What residents told the city

About 200 residents came to two community sessions on Aug. 5 and Sept. 2. The memo said most accepted the need for a new headquarters but wanted more detail, and many wanted a strong police presence downtown.

The city also paid an independent firm to poll 256 likely March 2027 voters from Aug. 1-16. The margin of error was plus or minus 6.1 percentage points. Among the findings:

• 56% initially supported a new headquarters. That rose to 77% after respondents heard more about the current building.
• 54% preferred a central headquarters with a downtown police station.
• 24% preferred rebuilding the headquarters downtown.
• 18% opposed building a new headquarters.

The city commissioned the poll, and these are the city’s own figures.

What it means for you

• Tuesday, Oct. 27: the City Council meets at 6 p.m. at 6500 N. Congress Ave. and votes on the ballot resolution. The agenda has the full document.
• Tuesday, March 9, 2027: city voters decide the bond. Seats C and D on the City Council are on the same ballot. Our City Hall contacts page lists the current council.
• If you own a home: use the city’s estimate of about $101 a year as a rough guide only. Our property taxes page explains how Boca Raton’s tax rate and the homestead exemption work.