BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — A Delray Beach-based real estate company is behind a campaign urging Boynton Beach leaders to spend more than $15 million in taxpayer dollars to buy two properties off Boynton Beach Boulevard near I-95.
One of those properties, the firm is actively trying to sell.
WATCH: Boynton Beach hotel one of the properties city looking to buy
WPTV obtained documents showing The Starboard Group is passing out letters providing “talking points for public comments” in support of the purchases during Boynton Beach’s Community Redevelopment Agency meeting. The letter also advised people to email the taxpayer-funded board, governed by city commissioners.
According to the city agenda, commissioners are considering buying two properties, 444 W. Boynton Beach Blvd. and 480 W. Boynton Beach Blvd.
Currently, a hotel called the Inn at Boynton Beach sits at 480 W. Boynton Beach Blvd. and a vacant lot sits at 444 W. Boynton Beach Blvd. Records WPTV obtained show the city is being offered to buy the land where the hotel sits for $8.5 million and the vacant land for $7.1 million.
According to property records, a majority of the 13 different parcels on the vacant lot are owned by KMG Holdings. State records show the company is registered at the same Palm Springs address as Haven Health Management, and the company’s CEO, Kirill Vesselov, is listed as one of the holding company’s managers.
WPTV reached out to Vesselov, who didn’t return our calls by publication.
Billy Cunningham, who lists himself as the leader of The Starboard Groups on the company’s website, said the company made an offer to buy the hotel about two years ago. But he said the effort was unsuccessful, and now he is presenting the opportunity to the city for future development.
“We feel that if the city did purchase these properties that they can then help create what the city feels is the most valuable development plans are for the future of Boynton Beach and create the entrance of Boynton Beach into something special that leads into the downtown area,” Cunningham said in an email to WPTV.
Bill Morris, a development advisor for the Starboard Group, told commissioners he thought the city could turn the site into spaces for offices, retail stores and a hotel. He described it as a great opportunity for the city.
“I think that the opportunity for continued greatness here is very real and very special,” Morris said.
WPTV knows at least one realtor came to the meeting after being asked to testify in support of the city buying the hotel, which she said made it more difficult to sell houses.
“It just gives people a weird feeling,” said real estate agent Shelby Seidler, who would later post about being asked to give her comments on TikTok. “That’s your first encounter with Boynton Beach. So I’m hugely in favor of cleaning it up.”
It’s unclear how many people wrote or spoke to the commission about the project due to the firm’s involvement. Neighbors, like Junior Norelus, told us they got the letter and ignored the information because they didn’t understand or care about the project.
“I didn’t really care.” Norelus told WPTV’s Ethan Stein. “I just looking at them and put it back. It was nothing interesting.”
Boynton Beach commissioners haven’t made a decision to spend or not spend money buying either property as of publication.