Florida city council meeting erupts over plan to replace WWII veterans' memorial
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Florida city council meeting erupts into chaos over plans to bulldoze WWII veterans' memorial
Boca Raton, Florida residents Jon Pearlman and Buffy Tucker share details about a fiery city council meeting that erupted over plans to bulldoze a WWII veterans' memorial.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!A Florida city council meeting erupted into chaos over plans to demolish a World War II veterans' memorial to make way for a government campus redevelopment project.
"The voice of the people is stronger than ever, and they are saying loud and clear, ‘Stop this project.' The people do not want it. We will prevail," Boca Raton resident Jon Pearlman told the council last week.
Buffy Tucker, the granddaughter of a World War II veteran, urged the council to keep the memorial: "We need the space. It may not be so active and vibrant, but it's a place of reverence and reflection."
Pearlman and Tucker appeared on "Fox & Friends First" on Tuesday, telling co-host Carley Shimkus that residents were "shocked" to learn the park was on the chopping block.
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Buffy Tucker, the granddaughter of a World War II veteran, speaks at a city council meeting in Boca Raton, Fla. Tucker is pushing to preserve Memorial Park as the city considers replacing it with a new government campus redevelopment project. (City of Boca Raton/Fox & Friends First)
"Memorial Park is such an important landmark to our city. It's named after World War II veterans. It's a huge park, 17 acres in the downtown of our city, which gives us huge open and green spaces, so many rec facilities. There's a tennis center, a baseball field, there's an amazing children's playground that I go to with my kids, and people in Boca didn't know what was happening," Pearlman said.
Pearlman and Tucker are members of Save Boca, a grassroots group formed to protect parks and public land throughout the city, including Memorial Park.
After hearing about a "government campus redevelopment" project at the beginning of the year, Pearlman suspected the measure would involve revamping City Hall but, with some digging, he learned of Memorial Park's potential fate.
"We've collected signatures for the petition [to block the new government campus] throughout the city of Boca, and we've talked to longtime residents," he said.
"No one knew that they were planning to destroy the park, and they were telling us how they grew up as kids playing baseball on those fields, and then, when they grew up, they then coached their own kids' little league on those fields and people were shocked. What happened was a grassroots movement formed soon thereafter and swept through the city."
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Save Boca founder Jon Pearlman speaks at a city council meeting in Boca Raton, Fla., on Aug. 26, 2025. (saveboca.org)
According to The Palm Beach Post, the city's redevelopment plan would transform the space into a "mixed-use project to replace aging buildings and add a new City Hall, residential building, park, community center, office space, retail and a 150-room hotel."
Save Boca is petitioning in favor of two proposed amendments that would "require voter approval before any major sale or lease of city-owned land."
Mayor Scott Singer responded at the meeting: "I understand some of you want us to say stop today. I think, for the good of the process, and because there are people who aren’t in this room who are supportive, no decision has been made tonight."
"I don't think anyone has made up his or her mind. I won't speak for everyone else, but I know I haven't."
He also told attendees that officials value such community feedback.
In a statement reported by The Palm Beach Post, Singer also criticized the petition, warning its language could affect projects far beyond downtown redevelopment, including local schools and museums.
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