In 1972, Boca Raton’s population was a whopping 28,000 and growing. Florida Atlantic University (FAU), opened in 1964, was attracting students, faculty and other employees. International Business Machines Corporation (better known as IBM) was growing by leaps and bounds, attracting employees and Arvida, known for its planned unit developments, was buying up land to build homes.
Fearing for their quiet bedroom community, a group known as Citizens for Reasonable Growth pushed for a growth cap. “Boca Cap” was adopted as an amendment to the city charter and the city imposed a building moratorium. Several developers, including Arvida, filed lawsuits. The circuit court found “Boca Cap” to be “irrational, arbitrary and discriminatory” and without sufficient “substantial benefit” to the public welfare of Boca Raton.
Today, Boca Raton has a population of 101,126 and is growing at a rate of 0.57% annually. The population has increased by 2.93% since the most recent census in 2020, when it was 98,246. In 2022, Boca Raton ranked as the 23rd-largest city in Florida.