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Gregg has been traveling and will be in Tallahassee on March 4th for the start of the Florida legislative session. During the session, which lasts 60 days, lawmakers propose bills and try to pass a budget. Of the thousands of bills proposed just a few hundred make it to the governor’s desk, and even fewer are actually signed into law.
Gregg and other commissioners will go to Tallahassee to advocate for Palm Beach County in the hopes of securing money to boost our economic development, strengthen our infrastructure and natural resources, expand affordable housing, and increase access to mental health services.
It will be the last legislative session for our county administrator. After over 37 years, with nearly 10 overseeing county operations, Verdenia Baker announced she will be stepping down as Palm Beach County Administrator on May 31st. Baker started as a budget analyst and worked her way up to the ranks, eventually rising to Assistant County Administrator and Deputy County Administrator before being selected for the top job in 2015. During her time at the county, she saw the population double from 780,000 in 1987 to 1.53 Million.
Last week, the board took the first step in changing parking requirements for certain housing projects. The proposed waiver allows developers to request a reduction in parking requirement for certain projects. Gregg had directed staff to look into this last year because several affordable housing projects had parking requirements that jeopardized their economic viability. We also wrote about it back then.
Parking requirements ought to reflect the reality that a one-bedroom unit for a low-income senior does not warrant the same number of parking spots as a three-bedroom, two bath for a family of four.
The proposed changes to the code require the developer to complete a parking demand study and parking management plan for the board to consider the request. This change to the code will be returned for final approval at the March meeting.
In order to protect President Trump when he is in his residence, South Ocean Boulevard near Mar-a-Lago is frequently closed. This results in additional traffic on Flagler Boulevard and the Middle and North bridges. Though the bridge openings are reduced to just once an hour during morning and evening rush hours, the bridge occasionally opens for barges hauling material through the Intracoastal Waterway. Some of the barge traffic is related to an ecosystem restoration project called Bonefish Cove.
To minimize its impact on traffic, the county has made several recommendations that were communicated to the Army Corps of Engineers, the lead agency on this project. They include the earlier departure of the first barge to avoid peak traffic, coordinating barge transport to use scheduled bridge openings, using lower barges that don’t require bridge openings during peak hours, and work on Sunday. It’s important to note that not all barge traffic is related to this project. There are other private projects happening throughout the lagoon. Later this month the Palm Beach Boat Show is set to start, so we need to get prepared for additional traffic headaches.
In Boynton Beach, Lake Worth Beach, Lantana and other cities and towns, voters will be electing new representatives. The deadline for requesting a vote by mail ballot has already passed, but you can make your voice heard by voting in person on Tuesday, March 11th.
Lastly, anyone who’s ever dealt with our office knows we take pride in serving you. To drive this home we produced this video. Take a look and contact us if you think we can help.
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