District Built on Stable Foundation

At a time when chaos seems constant in national, state and local politics, the stability that characterizes the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District is all the more remarkable.

That steadiness continued in August when all three commissioners seeking reelection - Craig Ehrnst, Steve Engel and Erin Wright - ran unopposed and retained their seats.

For Ehrnst and Wright, this election marked the third time they've won their seats. Engel won his fourth election. Should all serve their complete four-year terms as expected, the trio will have given a combined 40 years of service to the District.

“I'm excited to serve four more years,” said Wright, the District Chair. “We have a great group of Commissioners and some exciting projects ahead.”

While a combined 40 years may seem like a long time, the trio are relative newbies on the current board, considering Bob Rollins alone is completing his 30th year as a Commissioner. Suzi Vogelgesang won her first Seat 4 election in 2010.

The bonds developed over so many years allows the five Commissioners to work together smoothly.

In addition to funding the daily operation and upkeep of some of Boca Raton's most visited and beloved parks, some of the major District accomplishments under this current quintet of Commissioners include:

• Purchasing and designing North Park.
• Opening Ocean Strand. 
• Converting six Patch Reef Park tennis courts to temporary pickleball courts.
• Beginning construction on covered pickleball courts at Patch Reef.
• Installing turf athletic fields at Patch Reef to allow for more community usage.
• Adding new ground covering to allow for Futsal play at Sugar Sand Park.
• Securing funding for a new observation tower at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center.
• Opening the new community center at the Boca Raton Swim and Racquet Center.
• Expanding the Racquet Center and adding a maintenance facility.

“I think that anybody that's on the board, we all have the same set of values,” Rollins said. “We want to make sure that we're doing the right thing. We want to make sure that we're transparent to the community when we do these things. And we want to put a good product out there and then maintain it so that it stays a good product.” 

Rollins' 30 years ties him with former Commissioners Elaine Kleinman and Gordon Gilbert for the longest tenure in District history.

“I got involved in it because I wanted to see us build the soccer fields over at FAU,” Rollins said. 

Dirk Smith learned in his 28 years at the District that the stability within the board created greater benefits for the Boca Raton Community.

“Well, it generally it does,” said Smith, who retired as a District Commissioner in 2012. “Most of the time when you don't have conflicts, that presumes that people are happy with what you're doing, and that, with input from the both the stakeholders community and the city - because we're a stakeholder with city, and the city's a stakeholder with us - you know you're gonna get more done. You're gonna get more accomplished.”

Like Smith, Don Capron served 28 years.

Gordon Gilbert, the man responsible for the creation of the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, served on the District board for 22 years between election challenges.

Either Rollins or Capron sat on the District board for 48 of the District's 50 years, with the two serving together from 1995-2004.  

“I think the world of Bob Rollins,” former Commissioner Al Travasos said. “He brought tremendous stability and vision.”

Only 26 people have served as District Commissioners during the District's first 50 years. Rollins, Kleinman, Smith, Gilbert and Capron served for more than half the years the District has existed. 

“I liked working with Don,” former Commissioner Al Travasos said. “He was a good business person. He was very informed when we voted.” 

Half of the all Commissioners were appointed to the board by Florida's governor, with nine of those 13 appointments coming in the District's first two unsteady years. Governor Reuben Askew appointed the first five Commissioners upon District creation in 1974, with the first election set for 1976.

Four commissioners have been women. The boards, as they have been comprised since 2016, are the only ones to feature two female Commissioners at the same time.

Commissioners meet twice monthly, receiving only a nominal stipend for their service.

The job can be thankless, which is one reason only 10 seats since 1994 have even been contested.

“The people that do the job are not out for notoriety,” Rollins said. 

Another reason for low turnover is likely that the Boca Raton Community has been largely pleased with recent boards. 

“If you're doing a good enough job, then you probably won't be challenged - and that speaks well for them that they're running unopposed,” Smith said. 

During the 1990s, Rollins' first selection in 1994 marked the only contested election.

Each current Commissioner ran unopposed in their most recent election.

“We were pretty congenial,” Rollins said, “I think that, for the most part, everybody supported the same recreation values.”