Boynton Beach city officials appear divided on pursuing the purchase of a four-acre piece of land that the county commission agreed to sell to them for $100,000 so the city could build a park, according to a report by The Palm Beach Post. The mayor pointed out that the city already has lots of parks.
The Palm Beach Board of County Commissioners (BCC) had turned down an offer for $500,000 — $50,000 more than the county was asking — from a developer who owned 23 acres of land nearby. The developer indicated that he would buy the four acres near Lake Ida from the county to build private homes. The county commission voted 6 to 1 to sell to the city -Hal Valeche opposed the sale.
Boynton Beach Vice Mayor Joe Casello and city commissioner Mike Fitzpatrick had appeared before the BCC with presentations and high hopes for being allowed to buy the land for a park. Fitzpatrick had been pushing for the county sale for some time. He had also hoped a small bridge could be built that would cross into an adjacent county park, since there was no public access road into the county land in question. The county has since said that a bridge would not be allowed. It could take months before the city decides to pursue or drop the purchase.