Name: Brian Stenberg

Age: 54

Website: brianstenberg.com

What distinguishes you most from your opponent(s)?

My campaign is not getting contributions from Boca developers.

Although unelected, I engaged in Boca Raton quality of life issues:

  • Advocated to have Addison Mizner School rebuilt in Boca Square rather than Sugar Sand Park. I hosted a public meeting about it and led a communication effort that pressured the city, the school district and the Beach and Park District to take actions that kept the school in the neighborhood.
  • Advocated for the city to mitigate the negative impacts to over 150 households on Camino Real of the redevelopment of an old shopping center at Camino Real and Dixie Highway.
  • Worked with neighbors in northeast Boca Square to have the city approve and install traffic calming devices and lower speed limits.
  • Formally offered $1 to buy a church/preschool property on SW 15th Avenue with the promise that I’d immediately hand it over to the city for a neighborhood park. I then got the Parks and Recreation Board to unanimously recommend the city purchase the property. The city offered $1 million, which was about $3 million short of what a new church ended up paying.
  • Worked with neighbors to shut down a proposed change to city code to include Assisted Living Facilities (ALFs) as a conditional use in neighborhoods zoned for single-family homes. Conditional uses in Boca Raton include facilities like schools, pre-schools and churches. The change could have had impacts on many neighborhoods.
  • Led the successful effort to vote down the March 2023 city referendum extending city council terms from three to four years.

I live east of Military Trail. My opponent, the mayor and three remaining council members all live in the suburbs west of Military Trail. Most voters live in the urban part of the city east of Military Trail.

List in reverse chronological order, starting with most recent, colleges and universities
attended with years of attendance and degrees held.
I attended the University of Florida from 1987 to 1991 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in public relations.

List in reverse chronological order your work history for the past 15 years.
My employer is Greenfield Properties, Inc. I started with the company in July of 1994, and I am a partner and officer.

Have you ever been a party to a lawsuit, including bankruptcy or foreclosure? If so,
provide details and disposition.
No

Have you ever been charged or convicted of a misdemeanor or felony, including an
adjudication of guilt withheld? If so, provide charges, dates and terms of sentence.
Nothing here.

After City Manager Leif Ahnell retired in December, the council promoted his long-time
deputy without conducting a search. Do you agree with this decision, and why or why not?
I agree with it because I see George Brown as a bridge to whomever succeeds him in the next few years. Brown’s institutional knowledge is highly valuable. I imagine Brown would have still contributed meaningfully to the city he loves had he retired, but promoting him solidified the relationship. Boca Raton will see several key management positions transition due to retirements in the years to come, so keeping Brown engaged and tapping into his understanding of the city will probably prove to be a wise decision.

Is the city too pro-development, or does it strike the right balance between growth and
preservation?
Every voter I speak with asks me what the city can do to pump the brakes on development, particularly when it comes to building heights that long ago exceeded 100 feet. Not to bash our neighbors to the south, but Boca voters point that way and say “We aren’t Fort Lauderdale.” I agree. We have traded a unique quality of life in Boca Raton for the tax and fee revenues that come from taller and denser buildings adding more residents, increasing demand on infrastructure, and boosting traffic congestion. The negative effects to Boca of explosive growth in the surrounding communities of Deerfield Beach, Delray Beach and unincorporated Palm Beach County are outweighing the positives. I am for growth and development, but I believe it must respect the sensibilities of the residents who already live here and who end up paying the price for activity that puts profit above community improvement.

With respect to preservation, Boca Raton has opportunities to figure out how it wants to look. Dozens of eastern neighborhoods like mine (Boca Square) developed more than 50 years ago and potentially qualify for historic status. I’ve had discussions about designating the city as a Certified Local Government and about creating opportunities for interested property owners to have their properties declared “historic.” I think the idea deserves attention, but I don’t want to see it create more approval hassles for homeowners who are looking to do things like replace their windows or roofing materials.

Boca has begun a re-envisioning of part of the downtown core. What’s needed there to
improve the city’s quality of life?
A key element of the re-envisioning relates to the “government campus,” which includes City Hall, the community center, the police station, the old library, sports facilities and other public elements. I recall attending meetings in 2017 where Song and Associates Architects presented concepts that came, in part, from community input. I thought the plans looked like a good first start except for the potential cost. I arrived a few minutes late to the Jan. 18, 2024 Community Conversation so I’m not sure if the Song plan got any mention. I heard nothing about it in any case.

When the police station was dedicated in November 1987, the Boca Raton News said “The new facility is expected to meet the department’s needs until 2005.” It’s almost 20 years after the original “sell by” date and I hear it’s moldy and needs to go. I hear the conditions are negatively impacting civilian employee morale. All this can do is spread to our officers on the street and negatively impact the city’s quality of life. Years ago, the city flagged as problematic the station’s proximity to the Florida East Coast Railway tracks. That problem has only grown with double-tracking and more train traffic. If anything should happen on the government campus, we should at least build a new police station as we figure out the rest.

I visited City Hall in July shortly after a downpour flooded most of the building. Another moldy mess. Before July, I encouraged the city council to move meetings back to the council chambers instead of the 6500 Congress building. Perhaps returning to City Hall may remind our leaders that it’s now time to make some hard decisions about the government campus.