Page 27 - Boca ViewPointe - July '22

July 2022 Viewpointe, Page 27
Mayor’s Update:

Making Boca Raton The Best Place To Do Business

Scott Singer is the 35th Mayor that we capture the unprecedented economic opportunities infrastructure improvements, all without a tax increase.
of Boca Raton. A South Florida facing our city. The City Council set as one of its high And speaking of taxes, we have one of the lowest tax
native, attorney, mediator, and priority goals establishing Boca Raton as the best place rates of any full-service city in South Florida, which helps
small business owner, Scott and to do business. Let’s dive into more of what that means. maintain our property values. Indeed, Boca Raton has
his wife Bella live in Broken Sound First, we residents already know that Boca Raton the highest property valuation of any city in Palm Beach
with their two young children. has an unparalleled quality of life. We have the finest County, and the tax base grew by an impressive 13 percent
public safety professionals and safe neighborhoods, this year.
Like many strong with crime rates continuing to drop, even as other cities Adding to all these wonderful attributes is the business
organizations, the City of see increases in crime. We have strong partnerships presence of a much larger city. In business, we punch
Boca Raton regularly reviews with our community institutions, such as our school above our weight class, as Boca Raton is home to more
and sets long-term goals as part district, as we near completion of a brand-new Blue Lake than half of the corporate headquarters in all of Palm
of a strategic planning process. Elementary School, which will open on Aug. 10. We Beach County. Since the pandemic began, we’ve seen even
Last month, the city held its 2022 planning sessions have lush and abundant green space, including 47 parks, more corporations decide to make Boca Raton their home
when the mayor and City Council, senior management, with the new Wildflower Park due to open in the fall to and professionals from all levels and in varied industries
department heads and the public all weighed in on key goal increase our total, along with pristine beaches. We invest choosing to work here, especially with telecommuting
areas. One common theme that resonated was ensuring in infrastructure, with hundreds of millions in ongoing increasing. The flight from high taxes, high rents and
crowded cities has created an inflection point where
companies are flocking to South Florida. Boca Raton is
getting our share, and the coming Brightline high-speed
rail station continues to be seen as a game changer for
our city and ability to attract businesses.
Even with all these strengths, we will not rest on our
laurels. We realize that the landscape in South Florida
is more competitive, with many companies looking for
the first ticket out of their failing cities. That is why we
are setting the ambitious goal to ensure that Boca Raton
becomes renowned as the best place to do business. Here
are some of the initiatives that underlie this lofty goal:
We will improve the perception of doing business
in Boca Raton. We’ve already completed 14 substantial
streamlining efforts to our complex land development code,
and were one of the first cities to implement electronic
permitting and plan review. This has substantially lowered
time for permits, but we will continue to work to improve
our reality. That will help improve the perception. In
addition, we are adding concierge-style services for larger
investments in our city.
We will ensure predictability in our process and
timelines. When key moments arise, like the opportunities
for the new public school and Brightline, it took hustle
to work with stakeholders, overcome challenges, and
complete complex plans on tight timelines. I’ve been
fortunate to work with my colleagues on these successes,
Charles Hall, Jan Grobstein, Joseph Carpenito, Lynn McGarity, Arthur Rottenstein, which were unprecedented a few years ago. We want
Stephen Giauque, Mark Willens, Ali Ansari and Bruce Weisbard to bring that certainty to attract the new set of great
companies or to provide opportunities for investment in
FINANCIAL PLANNERS community facilities, including some of the proposals for
culture and recreation coming from nonprofit entities.
We will address the infrastructure needs of businesses.
Finding the right financial planner is crucial to you and your family’s financial well-being— We already have the municipal infrastructure to more than
now and in the future. support our city, and we are working at partnerships to
Arthur Rottenstein, a Raymond James Registered Securities Principal and Branch Manager grow the talent base and build on the burgeoning high-tech
at Boca Raton Financial Planners (a branch office of Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.) works ecosystem in Boca Raton. We have launched an Innovation
Office, partnered with businesses incubators and accelerators,
with a team of independent, experienced financial planners—Joseph Carpenito, Stephen Giauque, and debuted the Endeavor Lab project to provide training,
Jan Grobstein, Bruce Weisbard, Mark Willens, Charles A. Hall III, and Mohamed Ansari—who pride mentorship, and connectivity to local start-ups.
themselves on the attention and personal care they give to each client to help ensure their financial We will fill any gaps in our quality of life and build on
success. Providing sales support and office management, Lynn McGarity, with more than 20 years our existing strengths. This will require a thorough and
in the industry, is the first point of contact. candid look of why businesses might prefer other places.
Are there amenities for offices—like vibrant walkable
“Each financial planner manages his or her own clients and possesses, on average, 20 years areas—that site selectors would favor? Can we offer
of experience,” says Rottenstein, who has been in the industry for about 40 years. “They range in new construction opportunities for contemporary Class
age from 32 to 72 and are all extremely competent due to their many years of experience and the A offices, and does our zoning code need to be reviewed
resources available to them at Raymond James.” for what it will take for the next generation of companies
“Most importantly, our financial planners truly care about their clients.” Rottenstein explains. and professionals?
As you can imagine, we will not complete all these
“The great advantage of being in business this long is that we’ve navigated through all economic initiatives in the coming year, but we plan to make
conditions,” he says. “So, while others are fleeing the market, we are embracing it because we know substantial headway as part of a multi-year effort. The
that our clients will be better off.” next few years, as we approach our centennial in 2025,
Rottenstein himself is well-versed in complex estate planning, as well as family and can lead the way to a new century for Boca Raton, and
intergenerational planning, and develops a customized program for clients using his solid relationships success that will continue to make Boca Raton the best
place to live, work, learn and play.
with attorneys, accountants, and other professionals. We are fortunate that, with our safe and successful
He knows that business and retirement planning also play important roles in achieving city, our priorities are all focused on positives and
clients’ goals, and that educating them in the use of trusts, asset allocation, tax strategies, and money enhancements. Issues like failing infrastructure and
management establishes the foundation for a strong and trusted relationship. dying industry that some cities face are fortunately not
Clients appreciate the fact that the professionals at Boca Raton Financial Planners are issues in Boca Raton, because of the type of long-term
experienced in all areas of financial planning and that saving them money and offering comfort in planning at our core mission. We can feel grateful to
live in an outstanding community with nearly 2,000 city
turbulent times are paramount. employees serving with excellence. I am running in the
upcoming March 2023 mayoral election to help see more
Boca Raton Financial Planners, a branch office of Raymond James Financial Services, of these goals to completion, including ensuring a thriving
Inc., 301 Yamato Road, Ste. 3160, Boca Raton, 561-241-6616, bocaratonfinancialplanners.com economic base so that my children and all youth in Boca
Raton will feel that they have the opportunity to find great
careers in our city. I’d love to hear your thoughts on what
Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory
services are offered through Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. Boca Raton Financial Planners is not a we can do together to reach our goals. Please share your
registered broker/dealer and is independent of Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Raymond James and its advisors comments, by email at ssinger@myboca.us, and stay
do not offer tax or legal advice. You should discuss any tax or legal matters with the appropriate professional. connected for more news @ScottSingerUSA on all social
media platforms. 