Commisioner’s Corner
by Robert S Weinroth
Parents Duncan & JoBeth Farmer at Global War on Terror memorial with Commissioner Weinroth, Commissioner Weiss and Mayor Bernard
Honoring Local Fallen Hero
On April 20th, I joined County Mayor Mack Bernard and fellow County Commissioners Hal Valeche and Gregg Weiss at a ceremony honoring Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonathan R. Farmer. CW2 Farmer, a graduate of the Benjamin School in 1999, was killed in action in Syria on January 16. He was born in Boynton Beach and grew up in Palm Beach Gardens.
The memorial ceremony included the unveiling of CW2 Farmer’s name, which was etched on the Global War on Terror memorial at the Armed Forces Park plaza at Lake Lytal Park in West Palm Beach. The memorial, originally dedicated on July 4, 2005, honors brave men and women from Palm Beach County who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Avoid Fire Hazards: How to Dispose Rechargeable Batteries
Throwing rechargeable batteries in a recycling bin or the garbage puts property and lives at risk since they are known to ignite spontaneously. They need to be disposed of at one of Solid Waste Authority’s designated centers or at major retailers who have drop-off locations.
The county commissioners, sitting as the SWA Board, recently requested SWA officials initiate a public outreach campaign concerning the proper disposal of rechargeable batteries. Additionally, we asked staff explore installing specially designed disposal bins for these batteries at convenient locations countywide.
Palm Beach County residents can dispose of rechargeable (nonalkaline) batteries at any of the SWA’s seven Home Chemical and Recycling Centers. Regular alkaline batteries (AA, AAA, C, D and 9 volt) can be placed in your garbage.
To learn more about the SWA Home Chemical and Recycling Centers and to see a full list of household hazardous wastes, visit SWA.org/HCRC or call 561.697.2700 or 866-SWA-INFO (toll-free).
Safety Precautions when Using Ride Sharing
We would like to remind everyone to be careful when using ride-sharing services and take the following precautions.
- Confirm the vehicle’s license plate and picture of your driver matches before you get into the vehicle.
- Share your trip status with a friend or relative. You can do that by clicking on the share status option on the app once the fare has started.
- Ask the driver his or her name and who they are picking up. Never give your name first when you open the door.
Water Safety and Drowning Prevention
The latest statistics show nearly 300 children, younger than 5, drown in pools and spas each year.
The Drowning Prevention Coalition of Palm Beach County encourages the following water safety recommendations:
- Maintain constant adult supervision.
- Swim in front of a lifeguard.
- Install physical barriers around a pool area
- Install window and door alarms that sound when breached.
- Use pool safety covers.
- Use pool alarms that float on the surface of the water.
- Use alarms that go around a child’s wrist and sound if the wrist touches water.
- Teach children to stay away from pool and spa drains.
- When at a party, designate an adult water-watcher.
For more information on water safety lessons and water safety/drowning prevention education, please visit the DPC website or call 561-616-7068. The coalition is funded by the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners and the Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County.
1909 Records Revealing
Our office recently had a unique opportunity to review official county documents from 1909! Did you know that Palm Beach County was carved out of Dade County to become Florida’s 47th county?
The first county government meetings were held in an old four-room schoolhouse at the corner of Clematis Street and Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach. There were only 5,300 people living in the new county which was comprised of portions of what are now Broward, Martin and Okeechobee counties.
Motion concerning an open bid:
Open bids for the hire of county convicts, mules and wagons, the clerk reported that only one bid had been received, which was opened and found to be a bid from T. Carter for the hire of six county mules and harness at $30 a month or ten dollars per month per pair. The bid was rejected.
Budget information:
The county collected over $2300 in licensing fees. The general fund had a balance of $2.50 and the school fund’s balance was $6.00.
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Non-Profit Spotlight : KidSafe Foundation
Founded in 2009, KidSafe Foundation’s mission is to protect children from child sexual abuse, bullying and internet exploitation through comprehensive education to children, parents, educators, and professionals. 
KidSafe programs empowers children by giving them a strong voice with which to defend themselves, and teaches the parents, teachers, and the professionals in their lives how to keep them safe. KidSafe’s educational programs create a first line of defense to prevent child sexual abuse and exploitation.
Co-founders, Sally Berenzweig, MEd, MA and Cherie Benjoseph, LCSW, developed the KidSafe curriculum. Both are recognized child safety experts, mental health professionals, educators, authors, public speakers, and moms with over 50 years of combined experience. KidSafe’s educational philosophy is backed by years of safety instruction, best practices and up to date research.
For more information on their services and/or how you can help, visit their website.
BCC Briefs
In Memoriam – observed a moment of silence in memory of former County Commissioner Maude Ford Lee, who passed away on April 14. The board agreed to name a new Community Services facility in her honor.
Supervisor of Elections – confirmed direction to proceed with design and construction of a new, county-owned Supervisor of Elections (SOE) production facility. The project was given high priority so as to be ready for occupancy by June 2023. Currently, the SOE leases warehouse space in Riviera Beach for ballot tabulation and processing.
Opioid Response Plan – approved a contract amendment with Southeast Florida Behavioral Health Network, Inc. extending the end date to September 30, 2019, and increasing the contract amount by $798,000 ($1.348 million total contract amount) for the continuation of expanded bed capacity, treatment of substance use disorders, care coordination, and prevention programs to educate the community about the dangers of opioid and substance use disorders.
Local Housing Assistance Plan – approved the FY 2019-2021 through 2021-2022 LHAP as required by the State Housing Initiatives Partnership Program Act. In so doing, Palm Beach County will be in a position to receive funding under the SHIP program during the next three years when the state makes funding allocations. SHIP funds do not require a local match.
Palm Tran – approved a grant application in the amount of $883,244 with local matches totaling $102,676 to purchase and equip 12 replacement paratransit vehicles for Palm Tran.
