April 29, 2022

No Tolerance for Slumlords

Another day another slumlord. On April 28th, I learned of a home in atrocious condition in a gated golf course community in District 6 with two fully disabled young men (21 & 22) living there.

I'm horrified that the Florida Department of Children & Families’ Adult Protective Services declined their own investigator’s plea for immediate help. I was on scene to witness and was speechless.

My County team condemned this property immediately and is helping to place these young men in temporary shelter since DCF won’t help. The investigator called it into the hotline as protocol. He was stuck on hold for 20 minutes before I called DCF Administration. There has to be a better way. In the meantime, I will use all the tools I have to go after these slumlords and protect our most vulnerable. Nobody should live like this.

This house is owned by Neptune Docks LLC whose corporate address is Edgewater, FL. The listed officers are Mark May and Daniel May of Palm Beach Gardens.

A big thank you to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office for working with us. I was so impressed with the level of care/concern displayed. And thanks to Palm Beach County Code Enforcement & Community Services for responding quickly. And my colleagues who covered for me as I bolted out of that morning's Zoning meeting to address this emergency.

Please pray for these young men. And to their family who are obviously struggling to provide care. Living in these conditions makes it even harder.

And a message to our leadership in Tallahassee - THIS is the stuff that needs to be discussed. Enough with the political theater. We need real conversations on real issues so our most vulnerable don’t live like this. These young men need help.

District 6 Fun

District 6 offers some of the most unique family-friendly entertainment opportunities in all of Palm Beach County. This past weekend I had a wonderful time enjoying some of these offerings. I started with the 22nd Annual Sweet Corn Fiesta, which was held in Yesteryear Village at the South Florida Fairgrounds. This wonderful event celebrates sweet corn, one of our County's most bountiful--and delicious--crops. I had a wonderful time shucking corn with some great friends!

Photo l-r: Loxahatchee Groves Mayor Robert Schorr, Commissioner McKinlay, Assistant County Administrator Todd Bonlarron, and Michelle McGovern

Afterwards, I headed to Wellington to enjoy the US Open Polo Championship Final at the International Polo Club. Our County is fortunate to be home to the most prestigious polo tournament in the United States. It was a beautiful day for this exciting sporting event and another example of the special entertainment opportunities offered in District 6!

Photo l-r: Donald Dufresne, Christine Shaw, Michelle McGovern, and Commissioner McKinlay

CDBG Projects in the Glades

At the April 26th County Commission Workshop, the Department of Housing and Economic Development shared the Palm Beach County FY 22-23 Action Plan. Final approval is scheduled for July 12th. This plan includes Community Development Block Grant Funding for the Glades as follows:

Belle Glade: $205,342

Pahokee: $52,014

South Bay: $36,290

There is also a special CDBG allocation that rotates annually among all Local Entitlement Municipalities. In FY 22-23, Belle Glade will receive approximately $368,680 towards recreational improvements at Airport Park.

The Glades will also see two County capital projects funded through the CDBG program:

Duncan Padgett Park - convert softball field into a multipurpose field - $665,000
Glades Pioneer Park Orange Bowl Phase 3 - new entrance area and picnic pavilion - $890,000

COBWRA Installation

On April 27, I attended the Coalition of West Boynton Residential Associations' annual installation of officers at Valencia Shores. I want to congratulate the outgoing Board of Directors and the incoming members for their service, particularly the new COBWRA President Steve Wallace. Because of redistricting, it was an honor to welcome everyone to District 6. I'm thrilled to represent new communities and continuing good conversations with everyone!

Second Chance Event

I'm excited to share that I have partnered with the Florida Justice Center for a Second Chance Event on Saturday, April 30th, from 10 am to 4 pm, at the Belle Glade Civic Center.

This event will bring together dozens of community groups, volunteer attorneys, and employers looking to hire people with felony arrest records to provide second chances to those who need them most.

Often times the biggest roadblock to normalcy for a person is their court record. Expunging those records in certain nonviolent cases can be an expensive and tedious process. The Florida Justice Center's event in the Glades comes at the perfect time as new jobs flow into the area. Giving people a second chance to care for themselves and their families is the goal here, and I'm happy to support it.

For more information, call 954-758-7555.

Belle Glade Clinic - 2022-04-30 - IG.png

DEADLINE APPROACHING

Owner Occupied Housing Rehabilitation assistance funding is available for income eligible homeowners, residing in the unincorporated area of Palm Beach County, with substantial rehabilitation to correct code violations or items that will become a code violation. NOTE: Applicant must provide a statement on how their household was financially impacted by COVID. PROPERTY’S ASSESSED VALUE CANNOT EXCEED $352,371.

ARPA Owner Occupied Housing Rehabilitation Program applications will be available online by visiting the website at https://pbcgov.com/HED until Friday, May 13, 2022 at 11:59 pm (or until 70 applications have been submitted). Applications will be processed on a first submitted, first qualified, first served basis, subject to funding availability.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: ALL applicants are required to attend a Virtual Mandatory Orientation prior to application submittal. Interested parties may register at https://survey.pbcgov.com/s3/HED-Owner-Occupied-Housing-Rehabilitation.

For additional information, please contact:

Palm Beach County Department of Housing and Economic Development

Mortgage and Housing Investments Division

Telephone: (561) 233-3600

Email: HEDverify@pbcgov.org