Democrat Andy Thomson won the election for mayor of Boca Raton, Florida, by the narrowest of margins. After a machine recount, Thomson defeated Republican Mike Liebelson by one vote. Thomson will be Boca Raton’s first Democrat mayor in over 30 years. NEWS: Democrat Andy Thomson has won the Boca Raton mayoral race by just ONE vote. Thomson — 7,568 Liebelson — 7,567 With 100% of votes in, Thomson becomes the first Democratic mayor of Boca Raton in over 30 years. One vote decided the election. pic.twitter.com/c1A4UrnEgC — MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) March 13, 2026 Florida Politics explained further: 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 only five votes. Thomson finished with 7,572 votes to Liebelson’s 7,567. 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. 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. “The Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections has completed the recount for the Mayor’s race. Following that process, Andy Thomson has been confirmed as Boca Raton’s newly elected Mayor,” the City of Boca Raton stated. “The City’s new Mayor and Council Members will be sworn in at an Organizational Meeting on Tuesday, March 31, 2026,” it added. The Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections has completed the recount for the Mayor’s race. Following that process, Andy Thomson has been confirmed as Boca Raton's newly elected Mayor. In addition to the mayoral race, Boca Raton voters elected three members to the City Council… pic.twitter.com/vhT0FuTmo7 — City of Boca Raton (@CityBocaRaton) March 13, 2026   Republican Fran Nachlas finished in third place with approximately 20.77% of the vote. Boca Raton, FL mayor (Trump +13) Thomson 39.62% (7,568)Liebelson 39.61% (7,567)Nachlas 20.77% (3,967) Machine recount finds Andy Thomson has won the Boca Raton mayoral race in Florida by just one vote. Apparent flip for the Democrats. Link to results:… https://t.co/gppZhG2mcf pic.twitter.com/y7UUpsk0Tl — Politics & Poll Tracker (@PollTracker2024) March 13, 2026 More from The Palm Beach Post: Liebelson said after the recount that he wasn’t sure he will accept the results. He spoke of a “dump” of 109 mail-in ballots late in the election and wondered aloud if that might have “skewed” the result to Thomson. “The people of Boca deserve to have honest elections, and we had a situation where 109 vote-by-mail ballots were dumped in,” said Liebelson, who said he would “sleep on it” when asked if he was planning a legal challenge. In response to Liebelson’s comments, Link said: “I believe that our election process is very open, transparent, fair and accurate.” Thomson’s victory came after he emerged as a skeptic of the One Boca project that called for giving a developer a 99-year-lease to 7.8 acres near the Brightline station downtown for a boutique hotel, a grocery store and 947 residences. The city said the money it received in return would pay for a new City Hall, a community center and a police substation. Voters soundly rejected a ballot question that would have cleared the way for One Boca, with 75% opposing it. They also voted in three new City Council members who questioned the project and who called on the city to grow at a slower pace, and rejected a $175 million bond issue to build a new public-safety complex. Thomson, a 43-year-old attorney, and Liebelson, a 70-year-old retired chemical engineer, ran for mayor on slow-growth platforms against Deputy Mayor Fran Nachlas, who supported One Boca. She finished third in the balloting, about 3,600 votes behind Thomson and Liebelson. Thomson said he wanted the city to move away from public-private partnerships like it had with the Terra-Frisbee group for projects on the scale of One Boca. “We don’t need to be giving away land for a developer to build on it,” Thomson said shortly after the elections office certified the vote totals. “We can rebuild our facilities ourselves.” Watch additional coverage below:

1731 - Treaty of Vienna signed by Prince Eugene of Savoy, Count Sinzendorf and Count Gundacker, Thomas Stahremberg and the British envoy to Vienna, Sir Thomas Robinson. 1941 - National Gallery of Art opens in Washington, D.C. 1946 - Bobby Clark's stage farce "The Would-Be Gentleman", adapted from Moliére’s "Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme", closes at the Booth Theater, NYC. after 77 performances 1966 - Gemini 8 launched with Neil Armstrong and David R. Scott aboard, conducts the 1st docking of two spacecraft in orbit, flight aborted after critical system failure with the crew returned safely to Earth 1975 - Gene Curty, Nitra Scharfman and Chuck Strand's musical rock opera "The Lieutenant" closes at the Lyceum Theater, NYC, after 9 performances 1988 - US sends 3,000 soldiers to Nicaragua's neighbor Honduras 2020 - Global infections and deaths from COVID-19 overtake those in China for the 1st time, 86,000 vs 80,860 infections, 3,241 vs 3,208 deaths according to John Hopkins Uni 2022 - US Federal Reserve raises interest rates for the first time since 2018 by a quarter of a point to help ease rising price inflation More Historical Events »

Review & photos by Joe Schaeffer Dark Chapel opened the night with songs from their debut album, 2025’s Spirit In The Glass. They have become the surprise standout opener. Featuring guitarist/singer Dario Lorina of Black Label Society, their live set captured the moody and cinematic of that record. Zakk Sabbath is where the show exploded. The crowd really came to life as Zakk Wylde channeled Iommi with his crushing guitar tone. He added his signature pinch‑harmonic chaos to the tracks. The extended solos brought the songs a new life as only Wylde can do. The set ender “War Pigs” included one such solo and saw Wylde playing throughout the crowd. The iconic Black Label Society hit the stage and broke out with their song “Funeral Bell,” setting an insane tone for the evening. The band brought incredible energy, crushing guitar riffs and a raw sound that feels both classic and timeless. The “LA Chapter” of BLS (as dubbed by Zakk Wylde), matched the band’s upbeat energy through a brilliantly curated array of songs like “Destroy and Conquer” and “Heart of Darkness.” They only slightly slowed down for a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne with the guitar solo and ending of “No More Tears.” “Name in Blood” from the new album Engines Of Demolition was greeted well by the raucous crowd. There were flawless twin solo moments and hand-offs to fellow guitarist Dario Lorina for some killer guitar shredding. Bassist J.D. DeServio and drummer Jeff Fabb showed off their fantastic showmanship during the set. BLS plowed through the night like a menacing freight train on a collision path with your head, until the final notes of “Stillborn” rang out. Whether you’ve been a longtime fan or are seeing them for the first time, Black Label Society puts on a performance that’s loud, passionate, and unforgettable. Definitely a must for any metalhead. The tour continues into April with an appearance at the 2026 Monsters of Rock Cruise.

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