Boca Raton City Council member Andy Thomson has been declared the winner of the city’s razor-thin mayoral race after a recount confirmed he defeated political newcomer Mike Liebelson by just five votes.
The Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections (SOE) confirmed the outcome of Tuesday’s election after a machine recount and a subsequent manual review of ballots. Thomson finished with 7,572 votes to Liebelson’s 7,567.
Ahead of the recount’s conclusion, Liebelson signaled the possibility of legal action, raising concerns in a letter to the SOE about vote-by-mail ballots added after polls closed and warning that a formal challenge could follow if the final results confirm his loss.
Florida Politics contacted Thomson, who succeeds outgoing Mayor Scott Singer, and Liebelson for comment and will update this report.
The ultra-close race drew attention throughout the week as successive vote counts narrowed the margin between the candidates.
Initial results released Tuesday night showed Thomson leading by just six votes. Because Florida law requires an automatic machine recount when the margin is less than or equal to 0.5% of the vote, election officials began that process Friday morning.
After the machine recount, the margin tightened further, leaving Thomson ahead by only a single vote.
That triggered a manual recount, during which election officials reviewed overvotes and undervotes — ballots in which voters either selected too many candidates or did not select any. The review ultimately widened Thomson’s lead to five votes, securing his victory.
The mayoral race was a three-way contest that reflected sharp debates over Boca Raton’s development trajectory and future growth.
Thomson, a Democratic lawyer, electrical engineer and adjunct professor at Florida Atlantic University, campaigned on promises of tax restraint, responsible development and improving traffic management and affordability for residents. He also opposed turning public land over to private developers without greater public input.
Liebelson, a Republican energy executive aligned with — but not endorsed by — the Save Boca movement against opposing plans to redevelop the city’s downtown area, ran as a political outsider determined to reform City Hall.
He pledged to cut taxes, reduce spending and halt what he described as developer-driven growth.
Vice Mayor Fran Nachlas finished third with 3,967 votes, ending her tenure on the City Council.
Thomson dominated fundraising in the race, collecting more than $619,000 between his campaign account and political committee. Nachlas raised about $236,000 through her campaign and another $254,000 through a political committee, while Liebelson brought in more than $203,000, much of it self-funded.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) celebrated Thomson’s victory in a Friday statement noting its support of his campaign, including an “organization blitz to recruit volunteers” for get-out-the-vote efforts.
Thomson’s win marks the first time a Democratic-aligned candidate has won Boca Raton’s mayoralty in more than 30 years.
“When you organize everywhere, you can win anywhere — including here in Florida. Mayor-elect Andy Thomson ran a strong campaign focused on the issues that matter most to Boca Raton voters, from the rising cost of groceries and gas to the health care crisis Donald Trump and his allies unleashed,” DNC Chair Ken Martin said.
“This win is another warning sign to Florida Republicans that voters are fed up with their out-of-touch agenda that is making communities like Boca Raton unaffordable.”
