The Affordable Housing Fantasy
The City says the Downtown Government Campus will deliver affordable housing. Here’s the truth: it won’t, and the reason is baked into the definition of “affordable.”
The Catch They Don't Mention
Affordable housing is tied to Area Median Income (AMI). In Palm Beach County, the AMI for a family of four is about $111,800. Units priced at 80–120% of AMI are considered “affordable” if they cost no more than 30% of that income.
But here’s the problem: Palm Beach County’s AMI is so high that AMI‑based “affordable” units are still far beyond the reach of the very workers the City claims to help.
Truth? in Advertising
This example from a OneBoca flyer shows how the City Council and OneBoca rely on technical definitions to claim they’re telling the “truth,” while presenting information that is clearly misleading. Any reasonable person looking at the facts can see the intent is to sell the project, not inform the public. If the project were truly good for Boca Raton, why rely on half‑truths and technically accurate but fundamentally dishonest statements?