THIS WEEK IN PALM BEACH
The News Palm Beachers Need to Know 
December 21, 2016
Civic Association
Directors Luncheon
Mary Alice Pappas 
& Bob Wright
Mar-a-Lago
Mar-a-Lago Entrance Traffic
Director Luncheon 2016
Director of Public Safety Kirk Blouin
 
Civic Association Directors Learn
Impact of a U.S. President in Residence on the Island
By: Michele Dargan 
Special Report for the Civic Association News
   
Director of Public Safety Kirk Blouin spoke to directors of the Palm Beach Civic Association about the role of the Palm Beach Police Department in protecting President-elect Donald Trump and his family when they are at Mar-A-Lago. The president-elect already has arrived to spend Christmas in Palm Beach.

Palm Beach Police will take a "zero tolerance approach" to anyone who tries to stop and linger around Mar-A-Lago, Mr. Blouin said.

"We've planned a strategy on how to minimize impacts," he said. "People will get traffic tickets for impeding traffic. We're going to send a message clearly to the community that we're not going to allow that." 
New Traffic Pattern Around
Flagler Bridge Slows Drivers 
New Flagler Bridge traffic 12-16
 
Reports of traffic tie-ups and frustrated motorists are putting a damper on an otherwise happy occasion, as the new Flagler Memorial Bridge opened partially to traffic this past weekend.
Trump's Mar-a-Lago Quiet After Busy Weekend
Part-time Palm Beacher and President-elect Donald Trump kept to his Mar-a-Lago Club this morning after a busy weekend of travel for his USA Thank You Tour.
Corporate Members Offering Discounts!
Palm Beach Civic Association corporate members are offering discounts to our members when you show your membership card. We will continue to post new membership offerings in This Week in Palm Beach below.  Should you have any questions, please call 561-655-0820
French Wine Ad
COUNCIL COMMITTEE 
Ban Single-Use Plastic Bags in Town
The Ordinances, Rules and Standards Committee recommended that the town send a resolution to Florida lawmakers asking them to give local governments the power to ban single-use plastic bags.

Current law prohibits municipalities from regulating plastic bags. However a resolution is being prepared to send to the state of Florida. 

Committee members Bobbie Lindsay and Danielle Moore also recommended that the town adopt an ordinance prohibiting the release of inflatable balloons on the island.

The town attorney Skip Randolph is preparing the ordinance for council review.

Read More (Palm Beach Daily News)
CIVIC ASSOCIATION
DIRECTORS IN THE NEWS
The Man Who Helped Save the Santa Claus Parade  
George Cohon
George Cohon
 
George Cohon, founder of McDonald's Canada and Russia, and a Palm Beach Civic Association Director,  helped rescue the parade in 1982 when it lost its funding.  He's still participating today. 
Read More (Toronto Star)
James Patterson to Pay Holiday Bonuses to
Bookstore Workers  
James Patterson
 
Bookstore employees from Los Angeles to Austin, Texas, will have some extra holiday spending money thanks to best-selling author James Patterson. He's giving bonuses of $1,000 to $5,000 for 149 workers at independent stores.
Read More (CBS News)
SHORE PROTECTION
Free Sand on Tap for Midtown Beach Restoration
Beach Renourishment
Mayor Gail Coniglio often has said sand is Palm Beach's most precious resource. On an island prone to erosion, the only thing better than sand on the beach, is free sand on the beach.
Read More (Palm Beach Daily News)

MEETINGS & EVENTS
Friday, December 23 - Monday, December 26
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY
Town Hall Closed
Civic Association Closed
 
Wednesday, December 28, 9:00 AM
Architectural Commission (ARCOM) Meeting
Town Council Chambers
 
Friday, December 30 - Monday, January 2
NEW YEAR'S HOLIDAY
Town Hall Closed
Civic Association Closed
 
Tuesday, January 3, 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Town of Palm Beach Caucus
Town Council Chambers
 
Wednesday, January 4, 9:00 AM
Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting
Town Council Chambers
 
Tuesday, January 10, 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Town Council Meeting-Regular Business
Town Council Chambers
 
Wednesday, January 11, 9:30 AM
Town Council Meeting-Development Review
Town Council Chambers
 
Thursday, January 12, 9:30 AM
Ordinances, Rules, and Standards Committee Meeting
Town Council Chambers
 
Monday, January 16, Noon
Palm Beach Civic Association Annual Awards Luncheon
The Breakers Palm Beach
 
Wednesday, January 18, 9:30 AM
Executive Committee
Civic Association Community Room

Monday, January 23, 10:00 AM 
Civic Association Candidates Debate and Undergrounding Update 
Bethesda-by-the-Sea Parish Hall  
 
WEATHER
White Christmas? Hardly. But We Should Prepare for a Very Sweaty One
xmas 2016 weather
"Tuesday's forecast high is 83 degrees in West Palm Beach and that's 7 degrees above normal," said James Thomas, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Miami, who offered little hope of a significant cool down before Christmas. 
Read More (Palm Beach Post)
Florida Hurricane Damage Tops $1.5 Billion
Florida Hurricane
Hurricane damages in Florida have reached at least $1.59 billion from the two storms that hammered parts of North Florida and the East Coast this year, according to the latest numbers from the insurance industry and the state.
Read More (Orlando Sentinel)
EVERGLADES FOUNDATION
Everglades' Water at Risk from Sea-Level Rise, Scientists Say
Everglades
Climate change and other hurdles mean it will take more water - and potentially more taxpayer money - to save the Everglades, according to new scientific findings released Thursday.
ENVIRONMENT
Congress Approves Everglades Project Aimed at Bringing Water South 
The $10 billion bill comes at the end of a year filled with water woes that wilted Florida Bay and left Treasure Coast estuaries coated in slimy green algae, and includes authorization for the Central Everglades Planning Project.
Read More (Miami Herald)
Experts Advocate for Everglades Restoration at the Four Arts
Four Arts
The Everglades can and should be saved was the message delivered Tuesday to a standing-room-only crowd of more than 200 during a symposium about the challenges facing Florida's River of Grass at The Society of the Four Arts.
Read More (Palm Beach Daily News)
7-2016 ad
TAX & FINANCE
Palm Beach County Commission to Set Sales Tax Advisory Panel
Palm Beach County Logo
Palm Beach County Commissioners, at their regular meeting today, will formally establish a 17-member advisory committee that will monitor how dollars from the 1-cent sales tax surcharge will be spent.
Read More (Palm Beach Post)
Council Eyes Tax Money for Utilities, Docks

Town officials are weighing their options before deciding how to spend an estimated $500,000 a year - the town's share of the 1-cent increase in the county sales tax.
SCRIPPS FLORIDA
Scripps Florida Scientists Find Surprising Answers to 'Food Coma' Conundrum 
William Ja
William Ja
Anyone who has drifted into a fuzzy-headed stupor after a large holiday meal is familiar with the condition commonly known as a "food coma." 
Read More (Scripps Florida)
Palm Beach Bicycle Trail Shop to Move to Royal Poinciana Plaza 
A longtime Palm Beach bike shop finally will be living up to its namesake by relocating to a spot along the island's bike trail.
Palm Beach Recreation Department
To Visit
Recreation 
Department
Site
Palm Beach Civic Association | 561-655-0820 | mikebrown@palmbeachcivic.org | http://www.palmbeachcivic.org

Copyright © 2016. All Rights Reserved.