A Palm Beach County commissioner's community meeting on the future of the Agricultural Reserve drew 300 people to the Dr. Andre Fladell Civic Center in Delray Beach on Oct. 2, with many residents urging not just the preservation of the 22,000-acre tract west of Florida's Turnpike but rejection of an approved but not yet built Islamic Center there.
Commissioner Maria Sachs, whose district includes the site at the southeast corner of the intersection of Lyons Road and 152nd Place S. where the center would be built, announced on Sept. 29 that so many people had signed up to attend the meeting that the civic center's fire code capacity had been reached.
Proposals concerning the Ag Reserve often draw intense community concern, given that, figuratively
and literally, it lies at the heart of the county's ongoing preservation-versus-development debate. But the Islamic center has sparked worries not just about the future of the Ag Reserve but also worries about what some have described in starkly Islamophobic terms as a sort of Islamic invasion of Florida communities.
Delray Beach on Oct. 2, 2026. Many residents were there to urge not just preservation but also rejection of a proposed Islamic Center there." id="92054940007">
"Gov. (Ron) DeSantis has lableled many of these 'Islamists' terrorists," said a man who gave his name as Aaron King. "You should listen to us. We don't want it."
Many asked if the center was backed by extremists and expressed concern that it would draw people in who would present a threat.
Area resident Judy Rubin said: "I live right down the street from where the Islamic center is coming in. I want to know what can be done to prevent rhetoric that is harmful to Americans and to Jews."
The meeting devolved into acrimony, as Sachs was shouted down by angry residents who wanted to speak against the Islamic center and not hear details about traffic or zoning.
One woman wearing a hijab who said she is a Latina and a convert to Islam, attempted to ask if opposition would have formed if a synagogue was being built. She was angrily shouted down.
Sachs had to threaten to end the meeting to regain control of it.
The site plan application for the Islamic center, submitted by the Islamic Center of West Delray Beach Inc., isn't new, having first been put forward in 2021. It got approval in 2023, but the project has now been swept into tensions spiked by Hamas' deadly attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and by Israel's response, triggering a conflict that devastated much of Gaza and reshaped politics and security across the Middle East.
Delray Beach on Oct. 2, 2026. Many residents were there to urge not just preservation but also rejection of a proposed Islamic Center there." id="92054941007">
Islamophobia and anti-Semitism have surged in the wake of the conflict, all of which now color discussions about the proposed Islamic center, which would include a 3,632-square foot place of worship and a 3,600-square foot multi-purpose building on the six-acre site of what has been a wholesale nursery.
A long note posted to Sachs' Facebook page by several people — it was not clear who wrote the note — urged attendees of the community meeting to ask questions typically asked during development discussions. But in addition to the usual questions about traffic, parking and environmental impact, the note suggested that people should ask about sound.
"Are exterior speakers planned for either property?" the note asks. "Is an amplified call to prayer contemplated?"
One person posted a picture of women in burcas and noted that "ANOTHER MOSQUE is in the plans to be built in Palm Beach County" and urged people to attend the community meeting. The posting drew more than 2,400 likes and a slew of Islamophobic comments along with some from people urging respect for religious freedom.
Another post included comments from Jake Lang, a far-right activist who served four years in prison for storming the U.S. Capital on January 6, 2021, and asked: "Why is there ANOTHER Mosque being planned to be built in West Palm Beach Florida?"
Another post was a plea for people to call Gov. Ron DeSantis and Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia and "demand an audit on the Islamic Center project on Lyons Road and Atlantic Ave."
Sachs decried that some billed the meeting not simply as an opportunity to discuss the future of the Ag Reserve but as a forum to bash the Islamic center project. The commissioner posted a comment on Facebook condemning an "unauthorized flyer, paired with inflammatory AI-generated imagery, circulating online falsely claiming that (the Oct. 2) meeting is an 'urgent' public hearing on a specific proposed community center."
The commissioner added: "Manufacturing fear with fake AI images to mislead the public is deeply irresponsible. Any official correspondence or notice regarding future county events will always come directly from Palm Beach County government or my office. Residents of every background deserve to live in safety, dignity, and mutual respect. Exploiting real community anxieties with deceptive digital campaigns does nothing to solve our zoning challenges."
The Boca Raton Interfaith Clergy Association (BRICA), which is comprised of Interfaith leaders and community members from a variety of religious traditions, released a statement that said, in part:
“As faith leaders in Boca Raton, we believe we live our best lives in a pluralistic, respectful democracy where faith communities live side by side in peace. For decades we have worked together in partnership and mutual respect to build a vibrant, diverse religious community. We write today to urge everyone to seek the peace and welfare of our city and to protect what we have built together.
"We know some in our community are concerned about plans for expansion, including a new house of worship, in the Agricultural Reserve. Questions about how that area will be developed are before the Palm Beach County Commission and we trust our commissioners to act in the community's best interests."
During the meeting, Sachs repeatedly said that county residents are tolerant and welcoming. But those who attended the meeting were primed to vent and had little tolerance for what she had to say.
Wayne Washington is a journalist covering education and Riviera Beach development for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at wwashington@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Meeting on county's Ag Reserve, Islamic Center devolves into acrimony
