Email: ddavis@juno-beach.fl.us or DianaDavisJunoBeach@gmail.com

Safe Streets for All Grant Program - Approved

Town Council reconsidered the previous denial with a decision to pursue this grant for an action plan to address traffic safety. Thank you for your emails to Town Council in favor of this initiative. We have had 824 traffic incidents in the last ten years. We have had one serious pedestrian traffic incident and one pedestrian death if you go out to the past 11 years. We have had 13 bicycle involved traffic incidents.  This Action Plan will give the Town a road map for safety improvements and it will allow eligibility to apply for implementation grants to make our streets safer.  Let's focus on looking out for one another on the road and avoiding distracted driving.

Pedestrian Safety: Sidewalk and Crosswalk on Atlantic - Design Reconsideration - Approved

The design selected by Town Council in a previous meeting would displace the swale and stormwater drainage system on Atlantic. There were concerns with the proposed engineering for a new drain and the removal of the swale that allows water to percolate into the groundwater. With the engineering costs at $45,000 and the sidewalk and a drainage project proposed at $250,000. It became an expensive sidewalk without the assurances that the design would have the needed capacity for our increasingly severe stormwater events. Town Council approved a cheaper option, with the sidewalk on the southside and the cross walk to a painted pathway on the northside.   

For future consideration, we have a Vulnerability Assessment that is taking place as part of a Resilience grant. Its purpose is to identify various vulnerabilities and mitigation projects, such as increasing stormwater systems capacity. The mitigation projects are eligible for federal (FEMA) funding. If the stormwater system on Atlantic can be designed with the correct capacity without the swale or with other accommodations, then we can potentially revisit the sidewalk requested on the northside of Atlantic. 

Mars Way Safety Proposal – Resident Only Parking - Failed

Mars Way is a residential street that has traffic of 800+ cars a day. Google and other mapping apps direct traffic in-and-out of Juno Beach through this residential street where children and pets are playing. The solution held out was a proposed ordinance that would create a "Mars Way resident only" parking program. It would require the residents of Mars Way to pay for a parking sticker to fund the program. While the speed limit was lowered to 20 mph, the topography of the street and the number of vehicles based on the two traffic studies indicate that more safety measures are needed. 

Paid Parking for Mercury Road, Town Hall, and Kagan Park for Non-Residents– Failed

There was a suggestion to have paid parking at the Town owned parking areas. The vendor and phone app that is most widely used in Palm Beach County is Park Mobile. It has a feature that tells you whether a parking space is available. Because there are so few spaces, approximately 20 spaces at Town Hall, 20 at Kagan park, and another 50 spaces at Mercury Road, it is not an answer to resident beach parking needs. There was no appetite for residents to pay for a resident parking sticker for their vehicles. Nor was there a desire by Council to create a whole layer of government to enforce the parking program.

More Parking Spaces for New Construction – Approved

Juno Beach parking code for commercial, RH, and multifamily zoning districts does not require as many parking spaces as some of our surrounding communities. It is important that commercial businesses and multifamily zoning districts can accommodate their parking needs on-site so there is not overflow to adjacent locations.  The measure was approved on first reading. Staff is going to come back with additional information to consider on second reading regarding multi-family zoning districts.

Kagan Park Playground Design

Playground Equipment at Kagan Park – No Decision

Survey results for the Kompan designs were mixed between a pirate ship and a more traditional triple tower play equipment. The Council took the fiscally conservative route requesting a price to remove the current play surface that appears to be shredded tires that is euphemistically called “rubber mulch,” and as a temporary solution to replace it with playground sand. There was a request to look at a grant for the new playground of $112,000, that could be applied for now, with a decision June 2025 and a build date of December 2025 or January 2026. The existing playground equipment has nearly reached the end of its remaining useful life and replacement parts needed would cost approximately $7,000, if it is to last until a grant is received.  The item was carried over to the next Town Council meeting.

Police Foundation Donations to the Town of Juno Beach Police Department – Approved

The donations before Council were approved. Town Council was in unanimous agreement that our Police Department must be fully funded. These budget decisions will be made in September. A consensus was given to amend our donation policy, so that all Police Department safety equipment grants or donations, will come before Town Council.

Your input and opinions: Public engagement is a vital part of the work that Town Council does for our community. Your comments and thoughts are encouraged and welcomed.

All the Best to you,

Diana Davis

phone: 561-267-7772 official email: ddavis@juno-beach.fl.us

From left to right, Marianne Hosta Vice-Mayor Pro Tem, Diana Davis (me) Council person, Peggy Wheeler Mayor, Jacob Rosengarten Council person,and DD Halpern Vice-Mayor.

Save the Dates: Council Hour is Friday 17th at 4pm. Town Council Goal Setting Workshop is Monday 20th at 2pm (public comment will not be taken at this workshop). A Juno Beach Police Awards Ceremony is Wednesday 22nd at 4pm. The next Town Council meeting is Wednesday 22nd at 5:30 pm.



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P.S. Fact Check to the Concerned Citizens of Juno Beach in its 4-30-24 publication - As to the Juno Beach Police Foundation's involvement in the last election, it's President, Tom Murphy, did not run my campaign for Town Council.