Election Results: Boca mayoral race recount, Lake Worth Beach amendments impacting public spaces fail
By Wilkine Brutus
March 11, 2026 at 9:23 AM EDT
UPDATE: this post has been updated to reflect a recount.
Boca Raton’s mayoral race is still undecided. The contest between Mike Liebelson and Andy Thomson remains extremely close after a competitive three‑way race that also included Fran Nachlas.
Voters will have to wait a bit longer to know who will succeed term‑limited Mayor Scott Singer at City Hall.
Thomson now leads by just 0.03 percentage points, so the race is headed to a recount by the county’s Supervisor of Elections to determine the final winner.
According to the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections, a machine recount is required when the margin is 0.5% or less, and if it is 0.25% or less after that, a manual recount follows.
Supervisor of Elections Wendy Sartory Link said the recount will begin after 5 p.m. Thursday.
"At this moment, Andy is leading by 6 votes, but we have 24 outstanding vbm ballots that may be cured by tomorrow’s deadline, as well as some provisional ballots," Link told WLRN. "So hard to know what the total votes will be until after tomorrow’s canvassing board which will be after 5pm."
In Boca Raton, whoever gets the most votes for mayor wins; candidates don’t need 50%, and there is no run-off.
Just 25 minutes north of Boca Raton, Lake Worth Beach voters weighed two standout charter changes that could reshape the city’s public spaces.
Residents have spoken, overwhelmingly voting against Amendments 2 and 3.
The questions failed by nearly 80%.
That means major construction leases on city‑owned land — from the beach and casino to the golf course and cultural plaza — will still require voter approval.
Supporters of the results say it keeps the public’s voice at the center of big city decisions about public spaces.
The activist group Lake Worth 4 All, led by former commissioner Kimberley Stokes, say 30‑ to 99‑year leases are basically permanent and worry about the loss of public parking, higher‑cost beach access and taller projects that could undermine the city’s small‑town feel.
City leaders will have to explore other ways to maintain flexibility while respecting voter oversight.
Lake Worth Beach voters also weighed in on two other charter questions on the ballot.
Question 1 updated the charter so the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections, not the City Commission, officially certifies city election results. Voters approved the measure with 54.80% support.
Question 4, which requires the city to start filling any permanent city manager vacancy within 90 days and keep working to fill the job, passed with 58.69% in favor.
READ MORE: Battle for the beach and parks: Lake Worth voters to decide fate of public land and 99-Year leases
Boca Raton’s mayoral race is still undecided. The contest between Mike Liebelson and Andy Thomson remains extremely close after a competitive three‑way race that also included Fran Nachlas.
Voters will have to wait a bit longer to know who will succeed term‑limited Mayor Scott Singer at City Hall.
Thomson now leads by just 0.03 percentage points, so the race is headed to a recount by the county’s Supervisor of Elections to determine the final winner.
According to the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections, a machine recount is required when the margin is 0.5% or less, and if it is 0.25% or less after that, a manual recount follows.
Supervisor of Elections Wendy Sartory Link said the recount will begin after 5 p.m. Thursday.
"At this moment, Andy is leading by 6 votes, but we have 24 outstanding vbm ballots that may be cured by tomorrow’s deadline, as well as some provisional ballots," Link told WLRN. "So hard to know what the total votes will be until after tomorrow’s canvassing board which will be after 5pm."
In Boca Raton, whoever gets the most votes for mayor wins; candidates don’t need 50%, and there is no run-off.
Just 25 minutes north of Boca Raton, Lake Worth Beach voters weighed two standout charter changes that could reshape the city’s public spaces.
Residents have spoken, overwhelmingly voting against Amendments 2 and 3.
The questions failed by nearly 80%.
That means major construction leases on city‑owned land — from the beach and casino to the golf course and cultural plaza — will still require voter approval.
Supporters of the results say it keeps the public’s voice at the center of big city decisions about public spaces.
The activist group Lake Worth 4 All, led by former commissioner Kimberley Stokes, say 30‑ to 99‑year leases are basically permanent and worry about the loss of public parking, higher‑cost beach access and taller projects that could undermine the city’s small‑town feel.
City leaders will have to explore other ways to maintain flexibility while respecting voter oversight.
Lake Worth Beach voters also weighed in on two other charter questions on the ballot.
Question 1 updated the charter so the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections, not the City Commission, officially certifies city election results. Voters approved the measure with 54.80% support.
Question 4, which requires the city to start filling any permanent city manager vacancy within 90 days and keep working to fill the job, passed with 58.69% in favor.
READ MORE: Battle for the beach and parks: Lake Worth voters to decide fate of public land and 99-Year leases