January 27, 2026 • 12 mins
Nachlas is one of three candidates running to be the next Mayor of Boca Raton.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, Joel Malcolin for w J and O dot com.
My election spotlight on the city of Boca Ratone for
the March tenth elections, and the city has actually several
elections going on for in fact, Seats A, B, and
D and then the mayoral election, which you have a
couple of the candidates in some of those seats that
(00:23):
are now up for election are actually running for mayor.
So we're focused on the mayoral race with current Mayor
Scott Singer being termed out, and we are speaking with
candidate Fran Naclis, who is also the deputy mayor currently
serving on the council's Deputy Mayor. Fran, thank you for
joining me.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Of course, thanks for having me, Joel.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
All right, let's get some background on you, kind of
how long you've been in South Florida, Boca Ratone, specifically
how long you've been on the council, and we'll kind
of go from there, let the voters get to know you.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Sure. So, I was born in New Jersey, moved to
South Florida in nineteen eighty moved to Delray Beach with
my parents. I'm the youngest of five. I grew up
in del Rey and I attended Atlantic High School and
then I went to University of Florida and earned my
nursing degree there. I was away from South Florida about
four years after I graduated and came back in nineteen
(01:23):
ninety two, right before Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida, and
have lived and work here ever since. I have been
a nurse. Like I said, I was a nurse here
in Boca for about thirty years and my husband, Nathan,
and I raised our four kids here and now we
are proud grandparents to three grandkids, two of them are
(01:43):
who are here in Bokra's town. And I was I
ran for city council in twenty twenty two and was
elected unopposed and appointed to fill the seat in November.
At the end of November of twenty twenty two, have
been served as council members, the r A chair and
also Deputy mayor. And it's my absolute honor to serve
(02:06):
the people of boucratone.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
All right, and you're you're still currently serving as a
as a nurse, a hospital nurse or what?
Speaker 2 (02:15):
No? So I worked at the Bouka Ratona Outpatient Surgery
and Laser Center. Gotcha uh on Glades Road in Boca Ratone.
So I was an operating room nurse, served for a
little while as the operating room manager. And no, i
still have my license as a nurse, but I'm not
currently working as a nurse.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Okay, So what would be one or two? Let's let's
stick to two.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Issues going on in the city of Boak Ratona. I
say issues, I don't mean negative things, but things that
are happening that you maybe have been working on, that
you know that you would like to like to talk about,
or things that need to maybe improve.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Sure. So, so public safety is always at the top
of the list for us. That's no matter what you know.
Always looking to keep our keep our residents safe. We
have one of the strongest police and fire departments in Florida,
and we're committed to keeping them well supported, well staffed,
and well prepared. It's the foundation of everything else. Since
(03:21):
you're Since he said too, I'm just going to go
ahead and address the elephant in the room, which is
the government campus redevelopment and the proposed public private partnership
that we've been exploring for over a year now. It
will be one of the questions on the ballot on March.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Tenth, So that that brings up, you know something I
spoke with one of one of your opponents who is
not on the council, uh, talking about too much development,
I guess, and you know to to paraphrase, and he
he says that he takes zero dollars from real estate
(04:01):
developers for his campaign, and says his opponents take hundreds
and hundreds of thousands of dollars from the same developers,
and he says they come in as dark money from packs. Essentially,
his platform is he's upset, you know. He says people
are upset about downtown, that downtown redevelopment project, and he
(04:22):
does not agree with providing monetary incentives to bring businesses here.
I even specifically brought up how Mayor Singer and Palm
Beach County, you know, reached out to the City of
New York, the residents there after the election of their
current mayor, who is seen as very non business friendly,
(04:43):
trying to get some specifically financial firms here, And those
were some of his comments. So I wanted to give
you a chance to address that.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Sure, A'll just campaign finances first, are are transparent, and
anyone who wants to can look up uh the quarterly
reports and see where the donations are coming from. So
I'm just going to address that first. What my opponents,
what their base of support is. That's that's up to them.
(05:13):
I you know, I don't review it. I'm busy working
on my campaign, not worrying about theirs. So that's where
I am with that. As far as as our redevelopment
in the downtown, this is an amazing opportunity, and it's
an opportunity that I have been open to exploring to
(05:35):
modernized city hall or community facilities, getting long term financial
benefit for the city, improving efficiency and adding to our
real civic heart here in Boca. The plan has changed
several times and the finances continue to be strong. We
worked with nationally recognized firms CBR, PFM, and even our
(06:00):
own CFO, Jim Servis. They're all experts in the field.
They all agree that this is a good deal for
Boca ratone and with you know, different things looming in
the future for cities in our state, like property taxes,
whether they're going to go away, whether they're going to decrease.
(06:21):
Things like that will significantly matter to the City of Boca.
So while we are an amazing city and we are
financially strong. We can't rest on our laurels. We need
to constantly be looking at ways to innovate, to bring
new revenue streams in. This was a great opportunity to
explore it has it has evolved over the last year
(06:44):
into something I could really get behind and bring to
the voters who will have the final say on this development.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
I covered these elections every couple of years, every year
because we cover into the Treasure Coast too, And it
doesn't matter what the municipality is, what county it's in.
There are always, and not just the candidates, but residents
that will complain about too much development. So do you
(07:14):
see that as and I'm not saying do you agree
that it's too much? But do you see that basically
as just a matter of everybody wants to be in
Florida and what are you going to do? You know,
we have to develop because people are moving here constantly.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
You know, we definitely live in paradise. And you turn
on one news channel in the last couple of days
and I guarantee you're nodding your head in agreement that
we are very lucky to be where we are. Living.
We have a great quality of life here in boc Routone.
We have our taxes all low. Yes, we have development,
(07:49):
we have redevelopment. A lot of development that is happening
currently in the downtown was baked into a development order
that was approved by reference them to our voters decades ago.
And it's just kind of all finishing up right now.
We're going to be looking at what redevelopment options we have,
(08:11):
what new land development regulations we'll be working on to
bring things more up to date since those were all
written back in the eighties and nineties. And again we
have to keep looking for opportunities for our city. And
I remember I grew up down here, so I remember
the days of low building heights. I remember Meisner Park
(08:36):
not being Meiser Park. I went to the old movie
theater there, and I remember those days fondly. I was
showing someone a picture of me and my best friend
riding on horses, because when I moved down here, my
first friends lived up in West Boyton and had horses,
and I used to take the school bus from Atlantic
High and go out to West Point until my parents
(08:58):
could pick me up after work. But it was a
picture of us riding and I believe it was down
military trail, but with trees and brush behind us, and
it was after some hurricane because the Sun Sentinel had
come out to take pictures and we're bear back on
our horses with shorts and nose news and it was just,
(09:19):
you know, the ultimate picture of what life here was like.
And I look back at that fondly that I'm excited
for our future here in Boca. We have just a
wonderful city. We have people who are so generous and
giving and take care of their community. But the city
needs to take care of all of our residents too,
(09:39):
and we cannot turn our heads and look at opportunities
that come our way, opportunities that are good for the
city and good for all of our residents and our
business rooms.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
Is it possible, briefly, is it possible to bring a
business here from another state without any kind of an
incentive to that business besides come and you know, do
your business in a tax friendly state that actually appreciates
business and you know, Sunshine, And I mean, is there
is there?
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Are sure? I mean people people want to be down here,
and more people and especially young people are starting businesses.
We have to we have to be able to offer
them a business friendly environment. We have the FAU Research
Park here, we have FAU and we have Lynn University
in Palm Beach State. I want to keep the young
(10:32):
people that we're educating here. I want to keep them
here in Boca and give them a reason to stay
here in Boca and start their businesses, and for us
to be able to help them in whatever ways that
we can, whether that you know, it's not financial incentives,
but it's ways to give them you know, uh, streamlining
(10:52):
and get there in getting their business tax receipts or
or just you know, knowing for sure what we require,
because that clarity makes it more business friendly environment. And then,
you know, honestly, we have to It's up to us
as a city to go out and support these businesses.
I'm out every Small Business Saturday. I'm running from place
(11:15):
to place to place making sure that all the businesses
that I support all year long know I that I
appreciate them a little more on Small Business Saturday. I
want them to succeed and I want to work with
them and see what they what else they need from us.
It's also a reason why I've been a member of
the Chamber of Commerce for so many years and why
they support me?
Speaker 1 (11:36):
All right? And then finally, in a nutshell, three candidates
in this race, why are you the best choice for voters?
Speaker 2 (11:44):
Sure, well, let's just start with them. The only candidate
in the race to serve as both Deputy mayor and
the crachair. And I think that's the experience. It matters
when we're talking about redevelopment, tax increment financing, downtown strategy,
and major long term investments. I will always keep an
open mind. I listen to our residents and our businesses.
(12:06):
I'm open to exploring opportunities. I don't try to short
circuit the process or shut it down, and I will
lead with transparency and preparation are always accessible to you,
because it's not just about thinking you know you have
all the answers going into something. It's doing the work
and finding the right ones together with the people you serve.
(12:27):
So that's why I'm running. All right, Thanks who we are,
but to protect what we love, improve what needs attention,
and prepare responsibly for our next chapter.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Joel, all right, I appreciate you joining us and speaking
to the voters of Boca Ratone again. Deputy Mayor fran
Naclis looking for a promotion, running one of three candidates
for City of Boca Ratone mayor on March tenth.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Thanks again, thanks so much, so much for having me
Hey, Joel Malcolin for w J and O dot com.
My election spotlight on the city of Boca Ratone for
the March tenth elections, and the city has actually several
elections going on for in fact, Seats A, B, and
D and then the mayoral election, which you have a
couple of the candidates in some of those seats that
(00:23):
are now up for election are actually running for mayor.
So we're focused on the mayoral race with current Mayor
Scott Singer being termed out, and we are speaking with
candidate Fran Naclis, who is also the deputy mayor currently
serving on the council's Deputy Mayor. Fran, thank you for
joining me.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Of course, thanks for having me, Joel.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
All right, let's get some background on you, kind of
how long you've been in South Florida, Boca Ratone, specifically
how long you've been on the council, and we'll kind
of go from there, let the voters get to know you.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Sure. So, I was born in New Jersey, moved to
South Florida in nineteen eighty moved to Delray Beach with
my parents. I'm the youngest of five. I grew up
in del Rey and I attended Atlantic High School and
then I went to University of Florida and earned my
nursing degree there. I was away from South Florida about
four years after I graduated and came back in nineteen
(01:23):
ninety two, right before Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida, and
have lived and work here ever since. I have been
a nurse. Like I said, I was a nurse here
in Boca for about thirty years and my husband, Nathan,
and I raised our four kids here and now we
are proud grandparents to three grandkids, two of them are
(01:43):
who are here in Bokra's town. And I was I
ran for city council in twenty twenty two and was
elected unopposed and appointed to fill the seat in November.
At the end of November of twenty twenty two, have
been served as council members, the r A chair and
also Deputy mayor. And it's my absolute honor to serve
(02:06):
the people of boucratone.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
All right, and you're you're still currently serving as a
as a nurse, a hospital nurse or what?
Speaker 2 (02:15):
No? So I worked at the Bouka Ratona Outpatient Surgery
and Laser Center. Gotcha uh on Glades Road in Boca Ratone.
So I was an operating room nurse, served for a
little while as the operating room manager. And no, i
still have my license as a nurse, but I'm not
currently working as a nurse.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Okay, So what would be one or two? Let's let's
stick to two.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Issues going on in the city of Boak Ratona. I
say issues, I don't mean negative things, but things that
are happening that you maybe have been working on, that
you know that you would like to like to talk about,
or things that need to maybe improve.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Sure. So, so public safety is always at the top
of the list for us. That's no matter what you know.
Always looking to keep our keep our residents safe. We
have one of the strongest police and fire departments in Florida,
and we're committed to keeping them well supported, well staffed,
and well prepared. It's the foundation of everything else. Since
(03:21):
you're Since he said too, I'm just going to go
ahead and address the elephant in the room, which is
the government campus redevelopment and the proposed public private partnership
that we've been exploring for over a year now. It
will be one of the questions on the ballot on March.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Tenth, So that that brings up, you know something I
spoke with one of one of your opponents who is
not on the council, uh, talking about too much development,
I guess, and you know to to paraphrase, and he
he says that he takes zero dollars from real estate
(04:01):
developers for his campaign, and says his opponents take hundreds
and hundreds of thousands of dollars from the same developers,
and he says they come in as dark money from packs. Essentially,
his platform is he's upset, you know. He says people
are upset about downtown, that downtown redevelopment project, and he
(04:22):
does not agree with providing monetary incentives to bring businesses here.
I even specifically brought up how Mayor Singer and Palm
Beach County, you know, reached out to the City of
New York, the residents there after the election of their
current mayor, who is seen as very non business friendly,
(04:43):
trying to get some specifically financial firms here, And those
were some of his comments. So I wanted to give
you a chance to address that.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Sure, A'll just campaign finances first, are are transparent, and
anyone who wants to can look up uh the quarterly
reports and see where the donations are coming from. So
I'm just going to address that first. What my opponents,
what their base of support is. That's that's up to them.
(05:13):
I you know, I don't review it. I'm busy working
on my campaign, not worrying about theirs. So that's where
I am with that. As far as as our redevelopment
in the downtown, this is an amazing opportunity, and it's
an opportunity that I have been open to exploring to
(05:35):
modernized city hall or community facilities, getting long term financial
benefit for the city, improving efficiency and adding to our
real civic heart here in Boca. The plan has changed
several times and the finances continue to be strong. We
worked with nationally recognized firms CBR, PFM, and even our
(06:00):
own CFO, Jim Servis. They're all experts in the field.
They all agree that this is a good deal for
Boca ratone and with you know, different things looming in
the future for cities in our state, like property taxes,
whether they're going to go away, whether they're going to decrease.
(06:21):
Things like that will significantly matter to the City of Boca.
So while we are an amazing city and we are
financially strong. We can't rest on our laurels. We need
to constantly be looking at ways to innovate, to bring
new revenue streams in. This was a great opportunity to
explore it has it has evolved over the last year
(06:44):
into something I could really get behind and bring to
the voters who will have the final say on this development.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
I covered these elections every couple of years, every year
because we cover into the Treasure Coast too, And it
doesn't matter what the municipality is, what county it's in.
There are always, and not just the candidates, but residents
that will complain about too much development. So do you
(07:14):
see that as and I'm not saying do you agree
that it's too much? But do you see that basically
as just a matter of everybody wants to be in
Florida and what are you going to do? You know,
we have to develop because people are moving here constantly.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
You know, we definitely live in paradise. And you turn
on one news channel in the last couple of days
and I guarantee you're nodding your head in agreement that
we are very lucky to be where we are. Living.
We have a great quality of life here in boc Routone.
We have our taxes all low. Yes, we have development,
(07:49):
we have redevelopment. A lot of development that is happening
currently in the downtown was baked into a development order
that was approved by reference them to our voters decades ago.
And it's just kind of all finishing up right now.
We're going to be looking at what redevelopment options we have,
(08:11):
what new land development regulations we'll be working on to
bring things more up to date since those were all
written back in the eighties and nineties. And again we
have to keep looking for opportunities for our city. And
I remember I grew up down here, so I remember
the days of low building heights. I remember Meisner Park
(08:36):
not being Meiser Park. I went to the old movie
theater there, and I remember those days fondly. I was
showing someone a picture of me and my best friend
riding on horses, because when I moved down here, my
first friends lived up in West Boyton and had horses,
and I used to take the school bus from Atlantic
High and go out to West Point until my parents
(08:58):
could pick me up after work. But it was a
picture of us riding and I believe it was down
military trail, but with trees and brush behind us, and
it was after some hurricane because the Sun Sentinel had
come out to take pictures and we're bear back on
our horses with shorts and nose news and it was just,
(09:19):
you know, the ultimate picture of what life here was like.
And I look back at that fondly that I'm excited
for our future here in Boca. We have just a
wonderful city. We have people who are so generous and
giving and take care of their community. But the city
needs to take care of all of our residents too,
(09:39):
and we cannot turn our heads and look at opportunities
that come our way, opportunities that are good for the
city and good for all of our residents and our
business rooms.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
Is it possible, briefly, is it possible to bring a
business here from another state without any kind of an
incentive to that business besides come and you know, do
your business in a tax friendly state that actually appreciates
business and you know, Sunshine, And I mean, is there
is there?
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Are sure? I mean people people want to be down here,
and more people and especially young people are starting businesses.
We have to we have to be able to offer
them a business friendly environment. We have the FAU Research
Park here, we have FAU and we have Lynn University
in Palm Beach State. I want to keep the young
(10:32):
people that we're educating here. I want to keep them
here in Boca and give them a reason to stay
here in Boca and start their businesses, and for us
to be able to help them in whatever ways that
we can, whether that you know, it's not financial incentives,
but it's ways to give them you know, uh, streamlining
(10:52):
and get there in getting their business tax receipts or
or just you know, knowing for sure what we require,
because that clarity makes it more business friendly environment. And then,
you know, honestly, we have to It's up to us
as a city to go out and support these businesses.
I'm out every Small Business Saturday. I'm running from place
(11:15):
to place to place making sure that all the businesses
that I support all year long know I that I
appreciate them a little more on Small Business Saturday. I
want them to succeed and I want to work with
them and see what they what else they need from us.
It's also a reason why I've been a member of
the Chamber of Commerce for so many years and why
they support me?
Speaker 1 (11:36):
All right? And then finally, in a nutshell, three candidates
in this race, why are you the best choice for voters?
Speaker 2 (11:44):
Sure, well, let's just start with them. The only candidate
in the race to serve as both Deputy mayor and
the crachair. And I think that's the experience. It matters
when we're talking about redevelopment, tax increment financing, downtown strategy,
and major long term investments. I will always keep an
open mind. I listen to our residents and our businesses.
(12:06):
I'm open to exploring opportunities. I don't try to short
circuit the process or shut it down, and I will
lead with transparency and preparation are always accessible to you,
because it's not just about thinking you know you have
all the answers going into something. It's doing the work
and finding the right ones together with the people you serve.
(12:27):
So that's why I'm running. All right, Thanks who we are,
but to protect what we love, improve what needs attention,
and prepare responsibly for our next chapter.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Joel, all right, I appreciate you joining us and speaking
to the voters of Boca Ratone again. Deputy Mayor fran
Naclis looking for a promotion, running one of three candidates
for City of Boca Ratone mayor on March tenth.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Thanks again, thanks so much, so much for having me
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