WEST PALM BEACH – At its March 1, meeting, the Board of County Commissioners took the following action:
Firearms/ammunition – adopted a resolution urging the Florida Legislature to enact a ban on large-capacity ammunition-feeding devices including magazines, belts, drums, feed strips or similar devices that can accept or be modified to accept 21 rounds of ammunition or more.
Firearms/public facilities – adopted a resolution urging the Florida Legislature to amend Florida Statute 790.06 to include a prohibition on carrying a firearm within 1,000 feet of a public facility such as a library or park.
Job creation – authorized the Economic Development Office to submit a Section 108 Loan Fund application to HUD in the amount of $10 million in order to continue offering funding to businesses, investors, nonprofits and economic development organizations that create new jobs and help revitalize communities. These are federal funds that require no local match.
Animal Care & Control – approved on preliminary reading and to advertise for public hearing on March 15 a series of new requirements for pet stores and breeders, and providers and users of guard dogs. The board also approved a series of fee adjustments for Animal Care & Control services, effective April 1.
Fire Rescue – discussed a request by the city of Lake Worth to reduce the amount it pays annually to Palm Beach County for fire-rescue and emergency medical services.
Palm Tran – approved an increase in transfer fares for customers traveling between Palm Tran buses and Broward County Transit buses and/or Tri-Rail trains, effective April 3.
Affordable housing – approved Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2 funding in the amount of $6.1 million for Westgate Plaza Apartments, Ltd. and $5.8 million for Colonial Lakes Apartments, Ltd. to pay for construction of 80 and 120 new, affordable multifamily rental units, respectively. These are federal funds that require no local match.
Pain clinics – directed staff to prepare a draft ordinance that expands the existing moratorium on pain-management clinics in unincorporated Palm Beach County to include a ban on the dispensing of drugs by on-site pharmacies.