March 11, 2022

District 6 Update

Greetings from the State Capitol again! I stayed in Tallahassee this week for the final week of the 2022 Legislative Session, working to ensure local projects were included in the final budget. Thankfully, significant District 6 projects such as the C-51 Reservoir Phase 2 and the Everglades Restoration Workforce Training program made it in. We also received funding for WestTech and full funding for the Palm Beach State College Loxahatchee Campus Dental and Medical Technology Building. I want to thank Senate Leadership for working with me and our Palm Beach County Team to make that happen, especially the hard work of PBSC's Rachael Bonlarron.

I also closely followed the Legislature's actions on preemption bills. SB 620, the bill that allows businesses to sue cities and counties if local ordinances cause at least 15% loss of profits, passed through the Legislature this week and will head to the Governor's desk. Also, HB 3, a bill that was amended to allow sheriffs to transfer money within their budgets after the spending plans have been approved by county commissions, passed. We were supportive of the entirety of the bill as it related to law enforcement salaries and training programs, but were simply opposed to a last minute amendment that reduces transparency in the sheriff budgeting process.

After the budget is officially passed, I will provide a summary of District 6 projects and others of note for Palm Beach County.

State Road 715 Renaming

I'm excited to share that SB 160, a bill that would rename a portion of State Road 715 in the Glades as "Deputy Sheriff Donta Manuel and Deputy Sheriff Jonathan Wallace Highway," passed out of the Legislature this week and is on its way to the Governor for signing. After this is signed into law, I will immediately request a County resolution formally accepting the designation. It has been an honor to work with Pahokee, Sen. Harrell, and Rep. Skidmore to honor the memory of two of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office's finest.

Elections

I want to congratulate all the candidates who won their elections on Tuesday! I also appreciate those who put their names on the ballot even if unsuccessful. To serve one's community as an elected official is challenging, but it can be one of the most rewarding ways to give back and make an impact. I look forward to working with the victors in District 6 to continue improving the lives of our residents.

Operation Green Light

The Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller's annual driver license reinstatement event returns March 28 through April 1. Operation Green Light allows customers an opportunity to pay overdue court-ordered obligations, while saving in additional fees. For more information, visit here.

Alyssa Sangeeta Jacobson Scholarship

Friends of Youth Services and Palm Beach County, Inc. has announced the call for applications for the 2022 Alyssa Sangeeta Jacobson Scholarship. The scholarship opened on February 1 and will close on March 31, 2022.

The Alyssa Sangeeta Jacobson Scholarship is dedicated to those who need a little extra assistance in achieving educational goals. The scholarship provides $1,000 per year, distributed over two semesters to each recipient, and is renewable for up to four years, depending on the degree or certificate program.

For more information on the scholarship and the application criteria, please visit http://pbcgov.com/ysd-scholarship or contact Geeta-Loach Jacobson, Director of Outreach and Community Programming of Palm Beach County Youth Services, at 561-242-5713.

PBC Cooperative Extension to Offer Workshop for First-Time Homebuyers

Are you thinking about purchasing a home? Learn about the steps to homeownership and how to obtain an affordable mortgage in Palm Beach County (PBC) by attending the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension First-Time Home Buyer workshop. The class is provided by the Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension, a local agency approved by Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The course is HUD-approved and is an 8-hour, pre-purchase, homebuyer workshop that meets the homebuyer education requirement for workforce housing and down payment assistance programs. Participants must attend two 4-hour sessions or one 8-hour session for successful completion of the 8-hour program.

Classes are $10 per individual/couple. A scholarship is available to those who qualify. The sessions are offered online via Zoom in English and Spanish.

To purchase tickets, visit https://homebuyered.eventbrite.com

Workshop Dates in English:

March 18 & 25 (Fridays) 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. (two sessions)

For more information, please contact Cyndi Longley at clongley@pbcgov.org or 561-233-1744.