This article is part of Boca Post’s ongoing coverage of the Downtown Campus Redevelopment Project, a proposed public-private partnership involving City-owned land near NW 2nd Avenue and Palmetto Park Road. Read the full project guide, timeline and key documents here.
BOCA RATON, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2025) — Jon Pearlman has filed a civil action in Palm Beach County Circuit Court seeking a court order that would compel the City of Boca Raton to place two proposed land-related referendum questions before voters.
The lawsuit, styled Jon Pearlman, as President and on behalf of Petitioners Committee to Amend the Boca Raton Charter Regarding Alienation, Lease or Sale of City-Owned Land Greater Than One Half Acre, et al. v. City of Boca Raton, et al., was filed on December 15, 2025, in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit Court in and for Palm Beach County, Florida, according to court records. The case number is 50-2025-CA-012993-XXX-AMB, assigned to Division AI.
The complaint is brought by Jon Pearlman, acting as president and on behalf of two petitioners’ committees. One committee seeks to amend the Boca Raton City Charter, while the other seeks to amend the City Code of Ordinances. Both initiatives focus on restricting the alienation, lease, or sale of city-owned land greater than one-half acre without voter approval.
The two initiatives at issue are publicly known as SAVE BOCA, a citizen-led effort seeking voter approval before the City may sell, lease, or otherwise dispose of city-owned land larger than one-half acre.
The defendants named in the lawsuit are the City of Boca Raton and the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections.
According to the filing, the petitioners allege that they followed all required procedures under the Boca Raton City Charter to initiate citizen-led referendums. The complaint states that affidavits commencing the referendum process were filed with the Boca Raton City Clerk in June 2025, and that sufficient numbers of voter signatures were later verified by the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections.
The City Clerk subsequently issued Certificates of Sufficiency for both petitions in September and October 2025, certifying that thousands of signatures submitted were from qualified city electors, the lawsuit alleges. Based on those certifications, the committees claim the City was required under the Charter to place the proposed ordinance and charter amendment before voters within specified time frames.
The complaint further alleges that although the City initially approved placing the measures on the ballot for a January 13, 2026 special election, that election was set outside the deadlines mandated by the City Charter. The lawsuit notes that a separate legal challenge brought by a non-party citizen resulted in a temporary injunction blocking that election date.
In this action, the petitioners are seeking a writ of mandamus, an extraordinary court order that would compel the City to perform what the committees describe as a ministerial duty: placing the referendum questions on the ballot. The filing argues that under both the Boca Raton City Charter and Florida Statute 166.031, citizen-initiated charter amendments and ordinances must be submitted to voters once properly certified.
The lawsuit also cites prior Florida appellate decisions, including cases involving Boca Raton and other municipalities, which the petitioners contend support their position that land disposition measures may be subject to voter referendum.
The complaint emphasizes that the claims are based on alleged failures to comply with required procedures and timelines, not on the merits of whether the proposed land restrictions should ultimately be adopted by voters.
The petitioners are represented by Ralf Brookes, Esq., of Ralf Brookes Attorney in Cape Coral, Florida, with Ron G. Rice Jr., Esq., of Ron Rice, P.A., in Boca Raton serving as co-counsel. Attorneys for the City of Boca Raton are listed as Samuel I. Zeskind, Esq., and Dan Abbott, Esq., of Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman, P.L.
The case remains pending. The court has not yet ruled on whether a writ of mandamus will be issued.
The original document, as filed with the Palm Beach County Clerk of Court, can be viewed here.
