The Board of County Commissioners (BCC) recently approved changes to the county’s Home Caregiver Ordinance. Three years ago, the county partnered with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office to pass this ordinance. Since then, over 11,000 applications have been processed to date.

I am thrilled to support changes to an ordinance that helps keep our most vulnerable residents safe (especially the elderly, sick and disabled).

The ordinance requires caregivers undergo a level 2 criminal background check. Once processed, and if no disqualifying offenses are identified, applicants are issued a photo ID and added to an online verification system available to the public on the Division of Consumer Affairs website.

Anyone engaging the services of a home caregiver is urged to verify credentials both in person and online. Residents can verify that a caregiver has a valid ID badge by visiting www.pbcgov.com/consumer.

Currently, Palm Beach County is the only county in Florida with a protective ordinance of this type.

The U.S. Census is a decennial count of all people living in the United States on April 1 as mandated by our constitution and is based on the actual number of people dwelling in residential structures. The collected demographic data (including age, sex and race) is used to determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives, and locally it is used to redistrict the areas represented by our state and county legislators. It is also used for determining federal funding allocations for health care, education, transportation, and senior services.

The 2020 Census is just around the corner and will be taken primarily online. The county along with other local government agencies will play an important role in educating and motivating our residents to participate.

Currently, there are part-time census jobs available for $17.50 per hour. For more information, visit http://www.2020census.gov/jobs or call 1-855-JOB-2020.

The first national census was taken in 1790 under Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, and the results showed a total U.S. population of over 4 million with Virginia the most populated state and New York the most populated city.

Discover The Palm Beaches, the tourism arm for the county, announced record-breaking visitation numbers for 2018. Over 8 million visitors came to The Palm Beaches last year which resulted in a $7.4 billion economic impact supporting more than 70,000 jobs in Palm Beach County! Tourism is the county’s second largest industry after agriculture, and it plays a vital role in the lives of many people who live and work here.

Tri-County Animal Rescue, located in Boca Raton, is a no-kill animal shelter that takes in over 170,000 unwanted pets from Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties each year. Since their inception, they have saved over 55,000 domestic animals from being euthanized by placing them in homes through adoption.

The Tri-County Animal Rescue also works with several organizations, businesses, and the local school district to educate the community on animal health and safety. Their mission is to shelter and provide a comfortable home for all animals in the facility until they can be placed in “forever” homes.

To learn more about adopting, donating or volunteering, visit https://tricountyanimalrescue.com. Below are pictures of some adoptable pets.

Commission staff recently finished a tour of the 12 municipalities located in District 4. The commissioner met with each of the city’s governing bodies to offer assistance and support.

The tour was initiated after taking office in November 2018 to officially introduce himself to elected officials in his district.   As former vice mayor of the City of Boca Raton, the commissioner recognizes the importance of intergovernmental collaboration between the county and municipalities and remains committed to maintaining strong working relationships.

Additionally, the commissioner plans to hold regularly scheduled meetings with district mayors and city managers to discuss mutual issues of concern.  The first meeting is scheduled for May 2 in the District 4 South County office.

District 4 is comprised of 12 municipalities: the cities of Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, and Delray Beach; the Village of Golf; and the towns of Briny Breezes, Gulfstream, Highland Beach, Hypoluxo, Lantana, Manalapan, Ocean Ridge, and South Palm Beach.

At the April 2, 2019, Board of County Commissioners meeting, the board took the following action:

Property — approved a corrective county deed in favor of the city of West Palm Beach to correct the legal description of a .04 acre of surplus land located near 9th Street and North Tamarind Avenue that was conveyed to the city in 2000.

Boys & Girls Club — approved a modified deed restriction for the Boys & Girls Club property located at Belvedere Road and Drexel Road to broaden the allowable uses of the clubhouse. Doing so will increase the property’s market value, enabling the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County to obtain financing to expand a teen facility in Belle Glade.

Westgate/Belvedere Homes CRA — approved the sale of five Westgate/Belvedere Homes Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA)-owned properties to Danza Group, LLC for $400,000. The properties consist of three vacant parcels, one home and one garage apartment representing 1.47 acres of land located at the corners of Westgate Avenue, Seminole Boulevard and Nokomis Avenue. Danza proposes to build 10,000 square feet of commercial space and 60 workforce housing units. The firm has projected that the development will create 60 full-time jobs, 356 indirect jobs and will have a five-year economic impact of more than $85 million to the local and the regional economy.

Economic development – approved an economic incentive agreement in the amount of $40,000 over four years for Gulfstream Product Support Corp., previously referred to as Project Blue Heron. The company provides aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul services. The $40,000 is the county’s required match for a $200,000 state Qualified Target Industry tax refund. Gulfstream is required to make a minimum capital investment of $25 million to lease, renovate, and equip a 115,000-square-foot facility, creating 50 new jobs over a two-year period and retaining 114 existing full time jobs. Excluding benefits, the new jobs must have an annualized average wage of $73,685 and a median wage of $65,000 and be maintained for five years. The project’s five-year economic impact is estimated at $127.6 million.

Loxahatchee Groves – directed staff to prepare a resolution supporting two grant applications by the town of Loxahatchee Groves to the Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency seeking funding for equestrian trail projects.

Lake Okeechobee – authorized staff to move forward with organizing a joint commission meeting with the other four counties surrounding Lake Okeechobee.