It was nearly 3 p.m. on Aug. 25 when Commissioner Sara Baxter sent out a second survey about West End Crossing, a proposed gas station plaza that was slated for The Acreage/Loxahatchee.

The timing struck Bob Morgan as off.

As president of the Acreage Landowners Association (ALA), he knew the Board of County Commissioners was scheduled to vote on the gas station proposal in less than 72 hours

“I feel the timing of Commissioner Baxter’s second survey was an attempt to counter the West End Crossing petition the ALA circulated for months,” he said.

Morgan did not receive the first or second West End Crossing survey directly despite being on Baxter’s official email list. He heard about them from other residents.

“I did find it quite disturbing that only some residents received the surveys,” he said. “Many who live near the proposed gas station location never received them, nor did I or the Acreage Landowners Association.”

Baxter represents Palm Beach County’s District 6, which includes The Acreage/Loxahatchee. She’s also serving as Palm Beach County’s vice mayor this year.

In recent months, however, she has repeatedly declined to comment to the ALA about various aspects of West End Crossing, including for this article. She also has yet to respond to a month-old public record request regarding her second survey.

Baxter’s explanation

On Aug. 27, two days after sending out the second survey, Baxter went on TV and said she conducted that survey because the first one did not ask respondents for their address.

“I wanted to make sure that I was getting valid results. So I sent it out again, requiring addresses the second time,” Baxter told CBS 12. “I feel comfortable now that I have enough people who live in that direct area who don’t want it to say that I can’t support it.”

The next morning, at the commissioners meeting, she said similarly in a speech that starts at the 2:33:37 mark on the video recording.

“So I sent out a poll, and that poll didn’t require an address. Somebody took that poll and sent it to a bunch of more people, and those addresses were not in our area, which is why I sent out a second poll requiring an address,” she said. “I want to make sure that the people who are having a voice in what we are voting on today live in the area and are affected by this decision. That was the entire reason. There was no other reason.”

Morgan doesn’t buy that explanation. He said he made it publicly known months ago that Baxter’s first survey — which she sent out in March 2025 — did not ask for any verifiable identifying information, just an email address.

Moreover, Morgan said, sending the second survey shortly before the commissioners voted on West End Crossing rendered it “pointless.”

“There was no way to get any real results from the many who never received it and had to get it by residents sharing on social media,” he said.

Baxter did not publicize the emails she sent soliciting responses to her first or second survey.

As of publication time, her public “Newsletters” webpage on the county website — https://discover.pbc.gov/countycommissioners/district6/Pages/newsletters.aspx#newsletters — listed and linked to recent email newsletters that Baxter had sent to subscribers, going back to May 2025. But the email she sent in August 2025 soliciting responses to her second survey was not on that list.

An archived version of her “Newsletters” webpage that was recorded on April 3, 2025, shows a list of what were then the latest newsletters Baxter had sent out, going back to June 2024, but they do not include the email she sent in March 2025 soliciting responses to her first survey.

Baxter’s actions

Although Baxter voted on Aug. 28 to deny West End Crossing from proceeding, that is the only official action she has taken to date in opposition to the project.

On Feb. 5, she motioned and voted to advance it to the next step in the development process even though the Planning Commission voted to deny it, county staff recommended that commissioners deny it, and the ALA collected hundreds of signatures against it.

On Aug. 28, Baxter’s action was twofold: She motioned and voted to deny the project but to approve waiving a two-year penalty period for the developer, Brock Development Corp. (See the 3:04:50 mark on the aforementioned video.)

Per the Board of County Commissioners’ process, a developer whose request is denied must wait two years before trying again “unless otherwise specified by the BCC.”

During the commissioners’ Aug. 28 meeting, the developer’s attorney, Brian Seymour of Gunther, asked Baxter, “Would you be willing to waive the two years, or do we have to wait two years before we can ever ask for the commercial low [zoning] again?” (See the 3:01:01 mark on the same video.)

“I would be willing to waive the two years,” she replied.

Baxter also kept the results of her first West End Crossing survey private for months. She refused to disclose them until media questioned Baxter about her delay in fulfilling Morgan’s public record request for those results. They showed that less than 10% of nearly 500 respondents supported rezoning the West End Crossing property to permit a gas station or felt a gas station was needed there.

Meanwhile, Baxter is running for a second term — with backing from the land development industry. The Palm Beach Post reported that industry players started donating to her 2026 campaign before Baxter was sworn into office in 2022.

“Most of the money donated to the ‘Friends of Sara Baxter’ political action committee came from land-use lawyers and planners who regularly appear before the county commission,” the Post’s Mike Diamond wrote. “Other contributors included developers and landscapers looking to change the county’s zoning code.”

The latest public record request

The same day Baxter sent out her second survey, an ALA member submitted a public record request for Baxter’s email about that survey, including the recipients.

One month later, Baxter has yet to respond to that public record request.

State law requires disclosure of public records if requested.

Specifically, F.S. 119.07 states, “Every person who has custody of a public record shall permit the record to be inspected and copied by any person desiring to do so …” Alternatively, someone in custody of public records “may provide access to public records by remote electronic means.”

The “Government-in-the-Sunshine Manual: A Reference For Compliance with Florida’s Public Records and Open Meetings Laws” corroborates this.

Page 172 of the manual — published by the Florida Office of the Attorney General — states that an “unjustified delay in producing public records constitutes an unlawful refusal to provide access to public records.”

Baxter did not return a message left with her staff or respond to an email requesting comment for this article.

This article was contributed by Karla Bowsher, an ALA member and a former reporter. Her byline has appeared in publications such as the Sun Sentinel and Florida Bulldog, and she has won state and national awards for her reporting.

A message from the Acreage Landowners Association

The ALA is devoted to defending the quality of life for which folks know and love the unincorporated communities of The Acreage and Loxahatchee. But a grassroots organization can’t accomplish this goal on its own.

Standing up for The Acreage/Loxahatchee and keeping residents informed takes volunteer time and costs money. So if you appreciate the ALA’s advocacy, consider buying a membership.