Earlier this week during the Boca Raton City Council meeting, council members discussed their concerns about Boca Bash and what the city can do for future events.
Boca Bash took place Apr. 25 after a hiatus the year before. According to the Palm Beach Post, 12 arrests were made which included boating under the influence, disorderly intoxication and resisting arrest. Council member Monica Mayotte happened to see Boca Bash while walking on A1A.
“I know that there’s not really a whole lot that we can do,” said Mayotte. “If this was an event at Mizner Park Amphitheater, it would be a permit event that they would have to pay for and would be responsible for cleaning up.”
The City of Boca Raton does not have jurisdiction over bodies of water within the city. The waterways are governed by state law. The State of Florida and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission are responsible for patrolling waterways.
“We did communicate our concerns [about Boca Bash] ahead of time with the State,” said Mayor Scott Singer. “I did speak with the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor and the Director of the Fish and Wildlife Commission and thanked them for their presence to ensure safety.”
Mayor Singer also noted that a bill was in the Florida State legislature five years ago for other jurisdictions that banned overnight anchoring. Five years ago, Boca Bash was not large enough to be included in the bill. Since 2019, the number of boats have doubled during Boca Bash.
“It’s not that we don’t want people to have fun, we want to be able to get to people safely that may drink too much or get injured,” said Singer.
Mayor Singer ensured that the City Council would continue to focus on keeping Lake Boca safe in the coming Boca Bash events. Singer also noted that the members of City Council would continue to work on potential laws during the upcoming legislative session this fall.
As Boca Bash is expected to grow larger in the years to come, the City of Boca Raton will remain focused on keeping citizens safe.