Buried Danger? Toxic Chemicals Found Where New Boynton Homes Are Planned
From Golf Course to Hazard Zone - The Troubling Findings Beneath This Site
The land formally known as Cypress Creek Golf Course (closed in 2018), and located at 9302 and 9400 South Military Trail, respectively, in West Boynton, near Old Boynton Road, is seeing some activity these days, but it is not without quiet controversy. Few know what’s really been going on behind the scenes. Back in May 2024, Palm Beach County Commissioners approved a plan for 152 homes and a small 1+ acre park on the shuttered golf course land. But something was lurking underneath that came to light that no one was talking about. Think of it as a sort of silent killer.
On February 11, 2025, the parcel was designated as an official Brownfield Site Rehabilitation Area, according to publicly accessible county records and a letter dated March 3 of the same year. Simply stated, this designation translates into the land needing a massive cleanup and remediation/removal process of contaminants, including continual groundwater and soil assessment work.
This was not news to the owner of the property, True Shot, LLC, who has been subjected to assessments since 1998 and experienced a petroleum tank leak, and subsequent removal of contaminated soil at the time. The current developer, Toll Brothers, Inc., according to PBC records, has been performing site assessments on groundwater and soils there since 2024, and submitting them officially to authorities.
Thus far, as documented in these quarterly site work reports, three major toxins were found: arsenic, dieldrin, and toxaphene. Dieldrin and toxaphene are chlorine-based legacy pesticides and were widely associated with turf management on golf courses and farms for years. The former pastureland/agricultural parcel was most likely subjected to these chemicals prior to the golf course’s inception, and over the years the levels grew during golf course maintenance.
The soil brought in to create the greens may have contributed to the arsenic signatures as well, but the continual use of chemicals over the years was more than likely the main cause. After the two years of sample collection, it appears the groundwater testing phase is nearing completion, according to an April 3, 2026 letter found in the county records. The groundwater levels were found to fall within acceptable ranges.
But soil samples are still needed to complete the surrounding area’s data, and two Boynton homeowners whose neighborhood lies adjacent to the property on Palo Verde Drive have continually refused to have their property sampled. Last month, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) legally served these residents with a letter dated March 18 to comply or request a hearing within 21 days. Inevitably, these properties will be sampled, and the data will be added to the final documentation for review by the governing environmental parties.
Going forward, before the golf course can be morphed into a residential community, much work still lies ahead. The removal of tees and greens that exhibited unacceptable levels of the toxic compounds must be completed, and samples must then be submitted to confirm acceptable numbers. This must be followed by a minimum of one year of groundwater monitoring to indicate stability with no reoccurrence of unacceptable concentrations. Waste cleanup reports must be continually passed between the parties involved: True Shot, LLC, the owner; Toll Brothers, the developer; along with Goldstein Environmental Law Firm, their legal representative; and all county and state environmental agencies.
The applicants must receive FDEP approval and professional certification that the site is in compliance with cleanup rules before the first home building permit is issued. It will be a long road, as it should be, to ensure the safety of our soil and water for both current and future Boynton residents. But it begs the question as to what lies beneath other golf courses that are being developed in Boynton and surrounding areas. Are they safe?
