Government Affairs

From the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce

Dear Members, 

May has been proclaimed by the City Commission as Civility Month in Delray Beach for the last few years. While one could ask "shouldn't we be civil all the time?," it is important that we address the issue of civility in our City. Civility is derived from the Latin words "civitas" meaning city and "civis" meaning citizen, and is behavior worthy of citizens living in a community or in common with others.

The City Proclamation states: "...Whereas, civility can assist in reaching consensus on diverse issues and allow for mutually respectful ongoing relationships; and Whereas, civility can uplift our daily life and make it more pleasant to live in an organized society..." ...needless to say, this isn't always easy. As stakeholders in Delray Beach, we need to voice our concerns, educate others on our positions and be involved, but we also need to be respectful of other's differences of opinions.

I've said it many times, but I firmly believe we all want the very best for Delay Beach - the City in which we live, work, play and enjoy. However, we each may have a different idea as to HOW to achieve the very best for Delray Beach. That is why town hall meetings, charrettes, public comments and other open forums are so very critical. Yet, as a business leader, politician, or concerned resident of Delray Beach we all must be civil in our interactions. Otherwise, we are not helping the process in any way, we are simply being antagonistic.

Please join the Chamber as we participate in Civility Month along with the City and commit to treating all our member businesses and residents in a civil and respectful manner as we work to move Delray Beach forward.

 

 

Kelli Freeman

Vice-Chair, Government Affairs

[email protected]

561-706-8766

Commissioner Mitch Katz took a different approach as guest speaker at our last Government Affairs meeting. Commissioner Katz asked attendees for their list of priorities that the City should address. It was a very interactive meeting with a comprehensive list of concerns and we greatly appreciate Commissioner Katz's sharing his time and listening to our members. Interestingly, all of the issues discussed are currently being addressed by the City, and your Chamber is actively involved in these discussions.

Here is a recap of the priorities that were shared:

• Solicit business for the old Office Depot property
• Extend our economic development reach to companies outside of Florida
• Additional attention to the Four Corners of Atlantic Avenue
• Increase number of Police Officers to help combat drug issues
• Support our Schools
• Parking Problems
• Pineapple Grove / Artist Alley
• Staffing Issues within the City
• CRA projects and funding

The Chamber's Economic Development division headed by Vice-Chair Connor Lynch works very closely with the City's Office of Economic Development (OED) and the Palm Beach County Business Development Board to help solicit businesses to relocate to our area and to promote the Office Depot property and Congress Avenue Corridor. The Chamber is also working with the OED to create a true economic strategic plan to address such issues, as well as promote the strengthening of Delray's entrepreneurial community.

The Chamber is also actively involved with the Police Department and the Drug Task Force to address issues surrounding addiction in Delray Beach. We invite you to be a part of the discussion at upcoming events such as the Drug Task Force Meet & Greet at the Chamber on April 30th at 8:30AM or the Twitter Chat on May 13th at 12:00NN entitled Sobriety 101.

The Chamber's Education Committee headed by Vice Chair Mike Greene is working closely with the City's Education Coordinator Janet Meeks to involve the business community to help address issues within our schools. There are many initiatives in which the Chamber and our members are involved in including the Focus On Education Breakfast each August, Delray Reads Day, support for the Summer Reading Program and the Literacy and Art Program at the Center for the Arts, helping to develop a Parent Involvement Program, and conducting two fundraising events this year to support education activities in Delray Beach Schools.

Finally, the Chamber's internal  Advocacy Committee meets monthly to address issues of importance to our business community such as Parking management (we also have a Chamber Board of Director on the Parking Management Board), staffing issues within the City, upcoming projects and issues facing our City and we meet regularly with City Staff and Elected Officials to share our concerns and suggestions.

Working together, we not only address various issues facing our City, but work to find solutions! A very special thank you to Commissioner Mitch Katz for leading the discussion.

The City of Delray Beach invite residents, business owners and stakeholders to participate in "Community Conversations" on architecture in the Central Business District on Wednesday, April 29, 2015, from 4pm to 6pm, in the Crest Theatre's Ocean Breeze Room at the Delray Beach Center for the Arts, 51 North Swinton Ave.

Representatives from the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council will facilitate opportunities to engage in an exchange of ideas on design guidelines for the recently adopted Land Development Regulations - Central Business District.

The Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce and the Delray Beach Police Department are introducing the community to the Delray Beach Drug Task Force, come learn about its past, present, and future contributions to the City of Delray Beach. on Thursday, April 30 at 8:30am.

The event will be at the Chamber of Commerce, 140 NE 1st Street, Delray Beach, and is open to members of the chamber, drug task force members, law enforcement, city officials, and members of the press.

Panel Discussion Regarding Recovery Industry

The May Government Affairs meeting will provide a wealth of information regarding the recovery industry in Delray Beach. Our panel will include:

John Lehman - President, Florida Association of Recovery Residences
Jeffrey Lynne - Weiner, Lynne & Thompson
Suzanne Spencer - Executive Director, Delray Beach Drug Task Force
Alton Taylor - Executive Director & CEO, Drug Abuse Foundation

Come and learn about joint initiatives with the Delray Beach Police Department, Chamber of Commerce and Drug Task Force; proposed legislation to regulate recovery residences; current initiatives of the Drug Task Force; upcoming Career Counseling initiative, residential guidelines and more.

The City of Delray Beach is providing an opportunity for not-for-profits to apply for grant funding to help offset the cost of their programs, projects or special events. Agencies that desire funding are required to submit an application for financial support. The closing date to submit an application is May 22, 2015.

Download application for programs or projects support funding.
Download application for special event support funding.

GLTi Mobile Edible Wall Unit donated

Green Living Technologies International (GLTi) has donated a GLTi Mobile Edible Wall Unit to Atlantic High School & Trinity Lutheran School. Delray locals and Atlantic High School alumni Glayson and Michael Leroy are partners at GLTi, a global leader and solutions company that provides intelligent green technologies including roof top gardens, green roofs, living walls and vertical farms. The GLTi STEM Program is the Professional Certification and Educational programming part of the GLTi educational development program.

Apr 28: Economic Development Small Panel (by invite)

Apr 29: Community Conversations on Architecture

Apr 30: Meet and Greet with Drug Task Force

May 6: City Commission Meeting

May 8: On the Record

May 12: Commission Workshop

May 15: Gov't Affairs, Special Panel on Recovery Community

May 19: City Commission Meeting

May 22: On the Record

Jun 19: Gov't Affairs, Shirley O'Neil, City's HR Director