THE TEAMS ARE BACK--AND NOT JUST OURS!

May 2022

Riviera Beach Housing Authority

Congratulations!

The Teams Are Back!

Leadership in Motion

Thanks to Our Annual Board Meeting

During our Annual Board Meeting held May 10, Chairman Jeffery B. Jackson and Vice Chairwoman Jessica Thurmond were re-elected for another year of leadership by their colleagues. There were no other nominations. “They’re doing a great job,” said Executive Director John W. Hurt, shown on the left, "and we thank them for their service."

Thanks to the Municipal Elections

Mayor

Ronnie L. Felder

Councilwoman

Julia Botel

Councilwoman

Shirley Lanier

Councilman Tradrick

McCoy

Councilwoman KaShamba

Miller Anderson

Councilman Douglas

Lawson

The Municipal Elections in Palm Beach County were held in 2021 and, again, in 2022. All of the Riviera Beach City Councilmembers were re-elected. Including the Mayor. We welcome them back and look forward to working with them to move the city forward while enhancing the lives of the residents of Riviera Beach.

Visit the RBHA!

Heron Estates Family Update

There has already been lots of interest in living in the 79-unit, workforce-style, family-focused housing development. Indeed, the expected launch of Heron Estates Family will be mid-summer and nearly 100 percent of the units have been assigned to interested potential residents. That's according to our Construction Consultant Ray Wells, who said the development is on target to meet the summer deadline. Come back here for more information.

Support from the City

The team was there! And not just ours: at our Annual Board Meeting held this month, we were joined by Riviera Beach Mayor Ronnie L. Felder, City Councilwoman KaShamba Miller Anderson and City Manager Jonathan E. Evans. According to Mr. Evans, they—city officials, the Riviera Beach Community Redevelopment Agency and its Community Development Corporation—will work collaboratively with the Authority going forward to ensure the city provides quality, attainable housing for its residents. Great! And what’s that in their hands? An award from the RBHA. Learn more below.

The Awards We Gave--And Why

In September of last year, the Orlando-based Florida Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (FAHRO) awarded the RBHA as the 2021 Outstanding Small Agency, honoring it for its achievements via statewide recognition. It was huge, and the Boardmembers and Executive Director were there to receive the award, given at FAHRO’s annual conference held in Orlando. During our Annual Board Meeting after receiving the award, we shared the recogntion with a few of our stakeholders. "This award symbolizes the work we tried to do to better our community," said Executive Director John W. Hurt, "something we can't do without our stakeholders and staff." He and Chairman Jeffery B. Jackson presented those others with the awards during the Annual Board Meeting.That's them, on each side of the recipients. Giving the award away.

Board Attorney Matthew C. Russell

Construction Consultant Ray Wells

Commissioner Horace Towns

Commissioner Glen L. Spiritis

Commissioner Alexis Lockhart

Another Minority Contractor

The company, Authentic Cleaning Solution, LLC, is working with Newport Property Construction, which is building Heron Estates Family--and chose the contractor to do the construction-site cleanup. “The builder says they’re doing a great job,” said Ray Wells, the Authority’s Construction Consultant. The company just began its contract last week and “I’m liking it,” said Genevievre Delpeche, the owner who founded the Greenacres-based company in 2018. “The communications is great and it’s a great project.” She said the project is essentially lots of cleanup and her 12 full-time employees are super-busy. “And," she adds, "we like who we’re working with.” According to Mr. Wells, Newport feels the same way. To learn more about the cleaning company, click here to visit its website.

For Heron Estates Senior Residents

News, Events and Useful Information Provided by Us!

Did You Know...

...that the City of Riviera Beach will be 100 years old in September? Yes. The City was created September 29, 1922 when City residents learned the City of West Palm Beach was going to seek to annex its neighbor. They then voted to create the Town of Riviera. Lots has happened since, including the creation of the Port of Palm Beach, the Riviera Beach City Marina and, of course, Singer Island. The 90th anniversary edition of the City's newsletter, above, has the City's full story in it. Click here to read it.

Lose Anyone to the Crazy Pandemic? Help is Here.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has funds for the families of those lost to COVID-19, but people aren’t responding. Or applying. That’s according to a local news report, here, that notes families can get up to $9,000 for each death–but they’re not applying. Had a COVID family death? Then reach out to FEMA and get paid! Even after the fact. Families just must show proof of the cause of death and where and when it occurred, in terms of the virus. Visit the FEMA website here to learn more. And if it happened, reach out. For real.

A Celebration of the City--And of History

Juneteenth refers to that day, June 19, 1865, when slaves in Texas were freed by the Union Army—two-and-a-half years after President Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. This event will recognize that—and the fact the City of Riviera Beach will be 100 years old in September 2022. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on June 18 and is a parade from Broadway Avenue to the Marina Event Center and is free and open to the public. Got a band? Then click here to register to participate.

About the RBHA

The RBHA was founded in 1968 and is a special district of the City of Riviera Beach. It is also an agency of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), as are six other housing authorities in Palm Beach County. The five-member Board of Commissioners meets on the second Tuesday of each month at the Authority offices. The meetings are open to the public and nearly all information is available to the public by request. Click here for more Board information, including meeting dates, agendas and meeting minutes.

Administration

John W. Hurt

Executive Director

Matthew C. Russell

Board Attorney

2001 Broadway, suite 101

Riviera Beach, FL 33404

561-845-7450 office

800-431-8738 fax

Have You Seen This?

Affordable housing being built to meet demand

Back when we opened Heron Estates Senior in January 2020, the local media came out to cover the story: the first new affordable housing in more than 40 years in Riviera Beach was just built. Heron Estates Family is scheduled to launch mid-summer. Watch the report here and get a sense of what we've accomplished and how.