The old Sears could start coming down this year
Plus a new 11-acre preserve, five years of Turnpike work, and $500 back on impact windows.
The old Sears finally has something like a timeline attached to it. Also on the table: eight lanes coming to the Turnpike, a new tortoise preserve, and a primary that is already underway.
The old Sears could start coming down before the end of the year. That is what city documents show. No demolition date has been made public yet. Still, a timeline is more than this property has had in a long stretch. When it goes, the block changes shape fast: sightlines, traffic patterns, the way you give people directions. Boca has watched this building long enough that its removal will land as actual news.
Florida owes you money back on impact windows
Florida is refunding sales tax on impact windows and doors, but you have to ask for it. Qualifying purchases run from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029. Impact-resistant windows, doors, and garage doors on eligible homes all count. Here is the catch: it is a refund of tax you already paid, not a discount at the register. The home has to be a site-built dwelling with a Florida homestead exemption and a just value of $700,000 or less. One property per owner, and the refund caps at $500. Claims are accepted through September 30, 2029 with the required forms and receipts.
Boca has a new preserve, named for its residents
The city has opened a new natural area called the Gopher Tortoise Preserve. It covers 11.27 acres of restored native scrub habitat. Scrub is the dry, sandy landscape that most of South Florida paved over, and it is harder to bring back than it looks. The city is framing the site around protected wildlife, environmental education, and stewardship. It is a short walk through a version of Florida that mostly exists in old photographs now. Gopher tortoises dig burrows that other animals shelter in, so the habitat is the point, not just the namesake.
Five years of Turnpike work is coming to west Boca
Florida's Turnpike is being widened to eight lanes through west Boca Raton. The number that matters here is not eight. It is five, as in roughly five years of construction for the people who live along the corridor. Eight lanes is the payoff, and it arrives at the end. The five years arrive first, which is the part to plan around if you are west of I-95.
The primary is already open for business
Early voting for the Palm Beach County primary is open right now. Primary Election Day is Tuesday, August 18. Wendy Sartory Link, the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections, put out an advisory telling voters to make a plan, and there are several early voting options across the county. The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot has already passed, so mail is off the table this round. That leaves two paths: vote early, or show up on the 18th. Early voting runs through Sunday, August 16, with 28 locations open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and any eligible county voter may use any of them.
Why your usual route stopped behaving
FDOT has published its Palm Beach County traffic report for this week, running through Friday, August 14. It lists the lane closures, ramp shutdowns, and detours from Boca Raton all the way west to Belle Glade. In Boca, the northbound I-95 express lanes from SW 10th Street to the express lane exit close 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Tuesday, August 11, for cleaning and delineator pole replacement. The bigger change starts August 20 on U.S. 1, from Camino Real to NE 8th Street and Mizner Boulevard. That $6.3 million project eventually removes an outside lane in favor of 7-foot separated bike lanes, wider sidewalks, and a new mid-block signalized crosswalk near Plaza Real. Completion is set for late 2027.
A free guided walk through the hammock at Gumbo Limbo
Island Treks runs Tuesday, August 11, from 10:00 to 10:45 a.m. at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, 1801 North Ocean Blvd. A guide leads the group along a shaded boardwalk through tropical hardwood hammock forest. There are pauses along the way for intracoastal views out through the mangroves. It finishes at the top of the observation tower, and the ramp up is ADA accessible. The program is free, all ages are welcome, and children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Reservations are not required, walk-ins are welcome, and the trek is subject to cancellation in bad weather.