Residents urge softball complex and raise safety and park concerns in public comment

Public comment at the April 28 Boca Raton City Council meeting covered parks, sports facilities, homelessness and public safety, with several residents pressing the council to take specific actions.

Christina Broker told the council Boca Raton is losing tournaments and travel teams to neighboring cities and asked the city to "build a quad softball complex" at Sugar Sand or North Park so local families would not have to travel for competitive play. "What we are asking for is a quad softball complex, a dedicated space where our girls can train, compete, and develop at the level the sport now demands," she said.

Brianna Hackquist cautioned against using Sugar Sand Park for ball fields because, she said, it is tortoise habitat and contains "roughly 3,000 trees" that would be costly to move; she described relocation as "totally cost prohibitive." Hackquist urged the council not to consider Sugar Sand for ball fields.

Glenn Groman raised concerns about a rising homeless presence downtown, asserting some groups or individuals are "dumping homeless people" at Wildflower Park and the boat ramp and describing instances of people being left in vans and aggressive panhandling. The city manager and staff committed to follow up with Mr. Groman to gather contact information and to continue outreach efforts.

Patty Dervishie warned about unlit electric bikes traveling at high speed and recounted seeing what looked like a rifle at a neighbor's property; she said she reported the incident to non-emergency police. Residents and councilmembers discussed existing residency requirements for city sports facilities and school choice rules after another commenter asked whether nonresidents were using Boca facilities.

Council members and staff responded in varying degrees: city staff said some facilities require proof of residency and leagues may charge nonresident fees; the city manager noted ongoing outreach and work on homelessness, and the mayor suggested staff would follow up with commenters when appropriate.

The council did not adopt policy changes on these issues during the meeting but directed staff to follow up on reported safety incidents and continue work on regional facility planning and homelessness outreach.