Vice Mayor Gregg Weiss was the keynote speaker at the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches' monthly breakfast on Jan. 6, where he delivered the State of the County address. He spoke to a room full of local business leaders about how the county is doing.
Despite the ongoing challenges from COVID-19, Vice Mayor Weiss said the county is in a strong position, with a 6 billion dollar budget and a triple-A bond rating.
He said that although Omicron is surging, with the knowledge we have gained, the development of vaccines, boosters and therapeutics, we are in a fundamentally better place now than we were at the start of the pandemic.
He asked for a moment of silence for the people we’ve lost.
Then, he highlighted some of the county’s accomplishments, focusing on the six strategic priorities:
1. Economic Development: Real estate values are booming, unemployment is near all-time lows, with jobs exceeding the number of job seekers.
2. Housing & Homelessness: Through the county’s workforce and affordable housing programs thousands of units have been built and rehabbed in the past decade. The county is also continuing its efforts in dealing with homelessness, adding another homeless resource center in central Palm Beach County.
3. Environmental Protection: The Department of Environmental Resources Management has been doing a terrific job in the Lake Worth Lagoon, building islands that improve water quality while creating a habitat for birds and sea life.
4. Infrastructure: The county continues to invest in maintaining and expanding its road network with an increasing emphasis on safe walking and biking.
5. Public Safety: He praised our first responders and Community Services staff who have done a great job in dealing with the impacts of the pandemic that affected so many of our residents.
6. Substance Abuse & Behavior Disorders: The county continues to use innovative methods to address behavioral and substance abuse disorders, like the one-of-a-kind addiction stabilization unit the county created, together with the Health Care District of Palm Beach County and JFK Medical Center.
Vice Mayor Weiss stressed the gains that the county has made in advancing these priorities, though he said more work is needed, especially when it comes to affordable housing and water resources.
He expressed gratitude to his fellow commissioners and stated that although they do not always agree, they do work jointly for the betterment of this place that we call Paradise – our home, Palm Beach County.
