BOYNTON BEACH, FL — A small patch of forest is heading back to Boynton Beach City Hall.
Boynton Beach commissioners agreed during the June 16, 2026, City Commission meeting to place Boynton Forest on the next agenda after residents and city officials raised questions about preservation, development pressure, deed restrictions, wildlife, and what legal tools the city may have to protect the land.
The issue surfaced during agenda approval, when Vice Mayor Thomas Turkin asked for the commission’s consensus to bring Boynton Forest back for a public discussion. Turkin said the community has been reaching out about the property and that the city needs to address the issue directly.
“I think it’s important for us to have this conversation,” Turkin said during the meeting, according to the city transcript.
The discussion centered on city-owned land that some residents want preserved as one of the remaining forested areas in Boynton Beach. Turkin framed the issue as preservation versus development, saying the city should look at whether a deed restriction, supermajority requirement, or another legal mechanism could prevent future construction on the land.
Commissioners did not vote to preserve the property at the June 16 meeting. The action was narrower: the board agreed to add the issue to a future agenda for a fuller discussion.
The land’s future is complicated by questions about zoning, county authority, and existing deed restrictions. During the discussion, Mayor Rebecca Shelton noted that although the city owns the land, the city may not have full control over zoning or permitted uses without understanding Palm Beach County’s position.
Turkin said that if the city’s goal is preservation, it may not need to spend tens of thousands of dollars studying development options. A study was discussed in the range of about $50,000, according to the meeting discussion.
Commissioner Mack McCray said he favored studying the property, pointing to the broader loss of wildlife space in Florida.
Residents later used public comment to urge the city to protect the forest.
Michael Swarzina, speaking on behalf of Save Boynton’s Forest, said he had emailed commissioners and city attorneys information that he said came from the county and indicated the parcels may all have deed restrictions, even if only one was recorded. He described it as a possible recording issue and urged the city to preserve the land.
Laura Milligan, who said she lives near Nickels Forest, thanked commissioners for agreeing to put the issue on the next agenda. She said residents have been raising concerns for years and pointed to the forest’s tree canopy, cooler temperatures, aquifer recharge, and baby gopher tortoises she said she has seen near the property.
“We would love for you to preserve it once and for all,” Milligan said.
The next step is for Boynton Beach to bring the item back as a formal agenda discussion. At that point, commissioners are expected to have a fuller public conversation about whether the land should be studied, preserved, protected by deed restriction, or addressed through another legal mechanism.
For now, no final decision has been made on the future of Boynton Forest.
Environmental concerns, public land protection, stormwater planning, and green space preservation are part of Boynton Beach’s long-term planning debate. Follow Boca Post for Boynton Beach government coverage on these issues.
