BOCA RATON, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — The Boca Raton Planning & Zoning Board will consider a broad set of city-initiated amendments to the City’s Comprehensive Plan at its January 8 meeting, as part of Florida’s required Evaluation and Appraisal process.
The item, listed as SC-25-01 / PZCP-2025-00002, is a routine but far-reaching review required under state law every seven years to ensure local comprehensive plans remain consistent with current conditions and state requirements.
According to the staff memorandum, the proposed amendments are not tied to a specific development project. Instead, they reflect updates prompted by changes in state statutes since the City’s last Evaluation and Appraisal adoption in 2020, along with data updates, clarified language, and revised planning horizons extending through 2045.
State law requires cities to periodically evaluate their comprehensive plans to determine whether amendments are needed to reflect changes in legislation, population trends, infrastructure planning, and environmental considerations. Boca Raton last completed the process in 2017, adopting a package of updates in 2020.
City staff notes that the current amendment package updates nearly every element of the Comprehensive Plan, including the Community Profile, Future Land Use, Transportation, Housing, Infrastructure, Coastal Management, Conservation, Recreation and Open Space, Intergovernmental Coordination, Historic Preservation, Capital Improvements, and the City’s map series. The Property Rights Element is not included.
Among the key changes is the incorporation of new state-mandated planning horizons requiring local governments to plan for both 10-year and 20-year outlooks. In Boca Raton’s case, several plan references are being extended from 2040 to 2045 to comply with updated statutes.
The amendments also update population figures, housing data, and land use statistics using more recent information, including data from the 2020 Census. Several maps within the Comprehensive Plan are being revised to reflect current conditions, while two maps are proposed for removal to consolidate information more efficiently.
Staff describes most of the changes as technical or housekeeping in nature, including updated definitions, corrected references, and clarified policy language. In limited cases, policies are proposed for deletion where they no longer reflect current City practices, such as references to planning initiatives that are no longer being pursued.
The Planning & Zoning Board’s role at the January 8 meeting is advisory. If approved, the amendments will be transmitted to the Florida Department of Commerce, which will have 60 days to issue any objections, recommendations, or comments. The City would then have up to 180 days to adopt the final amendments.
City staff has recommended approval, finding that the proposed changes meet Chapter 163 of the Florida Statutes and are internally consistent with the City’s Comprehensive Plan.
The public hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, January 8, at the Police and Fire Administration Building, 6500 Congress Avenue.
