FROM MIAMI BEACH TO CAPE CORAL: What Is Going On Inside the City Attorney’s Office?

Sep 2

5 min read

Something deserves a closer look inside the Cape Coral City Attorney’s Office. Several people now working in or around Cape Coral’s legal system have professional ties to Miami Beach. Attorneys often know and work with other attorneys, so a connection by itself is not unusual. But when several people from the same professional circle end up working or receiving paid appointments in the same city, taxpayers have a right to ask questions.

Boksner’s Path to Cape Coral

Before becoming Cape Coral’s City Attorney, Aleksandr Boksner spent about 13 years in the City of Miami Beach City Attorney’s Office, eventually becoming Chief Deputy City Attorney. His departure from Miami Beach was not a simple resignation.

In November 2021, Boksner and Miami Beach signed an eight-page “Separation Agreement and Release of All Claims.” The agreement called his departure a voluntary resignation effective March 28, 2022. Until then, he remained on the City’s payroll and health insurance while on administrative leave.

The agreement included mutual releases of claims, required Boksner to withdraw pending claims against Miami Beach, provided for neutral employment references, included a non-disparagement provision, and stated that Boksner would not apply for employment with Miami Beach again.

The agreement does not explain why the separation was negotiated and does not establish wrongdoing by Boksner. It does show that his departure involved more than simply leaving for another job.

After Miami Beach, Boksner joined the Sarasota County Attorney’s Office. A Sarasota County memorandum dated August 2, 2023, states that he had been selected as Cape Coral’s next City Attorney and that his last day with Sarasota County would be August 11, 2023.

His path was Miami Beach, Sarasota County, and then Cape Coral.

The Miami Beach Connection

Boksner is not the only person in Cape Coral’s legal system with Miami Beach ties. Cape Coral Deputy City Attorney Yoe Lopez Jr. previously worked for Miami Beach as a Senior Assistant City Attorney and Police Legal Advisor. His Cape Coral biography says he handled code compliance and building cases before Miami Beach Special Magistrates.

Steven H. Rothstein has also served as a Cape Coral Special Magistrate and has significant professional ties to the Miami Beach City Attorney’s Office, and the City of Miami Beach's website lists him as the Deputy City Attorney.

Now MaryAnne Lukacs is being brought into Cape Coral as a Special Magistrate. Lukacs has served as a Miami Beach Special Magistrate since 2014. She previously worked as a Miami Beach Assistant City Attorney and Police Legal Advisor. Her time as a Miami Beach Special Magistrate overlapped with Boksner’s years in the Miami Beach City Attorney’s Office.

Resolution 189-26 seeks approval of an agreement with Lukacs to hear Cape Coral code enforcement cases, School Zone Speed Enforcement cases, and other quasi-judicial matters. None of these connections proves wrongdoing or favoritism. But together, they raise a simple question:

Why does Cape Coral keep turning to people with connections to the same Miami Beach legal circle?

Lukacs’ “Business Address”

Lukacs’ proposed Cape Coral agreement contains another detail worth examining. It identifies 580 Chert Court in Sanibel as her “business address.” Lee County Property Appraiser records identify 580 Chert Court as a residential property owned by Lukacs. The records show a two-bedroom, two-bath home that she has owned since 2015. The same records list her mailing address as 3610 Durango Street in Coral Gables. Miami-Dade property records also associate that address with Lukacs.

Cape Coral’s agreement directs official notices to Lukacs at the Coral Gables address, even though the Sanibel property is listed as her “business address.” The property records also show that the Sanibel property does not have a homestead exemption, while the Coral Gables property does. The Sanibel property lists the Coral Gables address as Lukacs’ mailing address. An October 2025 Lee County Property Appraiser photograph also shows the Sanibel home undergoing significant reconstruction following Hurricane Ian damage, and the permit status as of 9/1 is only 66% complete.

These records raise a straightforward question: Why is the Sanibel residence being identified as a “business address” while Cape Coral uses the Coral Gables address for official notices?

Who Pays the Special Magistrate?

There is another issue residents should consider: independence. When Cape Coral brings a code enforcement case against a resident or business, a Special Magistrate may decide the case. The magistrate is expected to be neutral, but the City is also paying that person.

Under Lukacs’ agreement, Cape Coral would pay her $250 per hour with a four-hour minimum for each Special Magistrate session. That guarantees at least $1,000 per session. The agreement also says the Special Magistrate serves “at the will and pleasure of the City Council” and allows Cape Coral to terminate the agreement without cause with 60 days’ written notice.

That does not prove that Lukacs favors the City. We have found no evidence that she does. But it is fair to ask whether residents can have full confidence in the independence of a decision-maker who is paid by the City and whose continued appointment is controlled by the City Council. That question deserves even more attention when the appointee has professional ties to the same Miami Beach legal system as the City Attorney’s leadership.

The Pattern

The facts are straightforward:

Aleksandr Boksner spent about 13 years in the Miami Beach City Attorney’s Office before becoming Cape Coral City Attorney.
Yoe Lopez Jr. previously worked in the Miami Beach City Attorney’s Office before joining Cape Coral.
Steven H. Rothstein has significant professional ties to that office and has served as a Cape Coral Special Magistrate.
MaryAnne Lukacs has been a Miami Beach Special Magistrate since 2014 and previously worked for Miami Beach as an attorney and Police Legal Advisor. She is now being considered for a Cape Coral appointment.
Lukacs’ proposed contract identifies a Sanibel residential property as her “business address” while directing official notices to a Coral Gables address.
Cape Coral would pay Lukacs at least $1,000 per Special Magistrate session under the proposed agreement, while retaining the ability to terminate the agreement without cause.

None of this proves corruption or misconduct. But it does give taxpayers legitimate questions to ask. Who selected Lukacs? Did Boksner have any role in the decision? Did any other former Miami Beach colleagues have a role? How many other people working in Cape Coral’s legal system came from the same Miami Beach professional circle?

And why does the proposed agreement identify a Sanibel home as a “business address” while using a Coral Gables address for official notices? Cape Coral taxpayers deserve clear answers.

The City Attorney’s Office works for Cape Coral and its citizens. Residents should be able to trust that appointments are based on qualifications and that the people deciding cases between residents and the City are independent.

The question is simple: Why do so many roads in Cape Coral’s legal system lead back to Miami Beach?

THOSE WHO CAN, PRACTICE LAW.

THOSE WHO CAN’T, BECOME CITY ATTORNEYS.

All information has been thoroughly investigated and reported by the Take Out the Trash Committee of Cape Coral and/or its authorized volunteers!