MAY 2023

In this newsletter:

• Mayor Weiss speaks at Governor's Hurricane Conference before the start of the season.
• Are you prepared for hurricane season? We're providing useful information.
• Spanish language town hall addresses antisemitism, bigotry and hatred.
• Major cleanup nets 40,000 pounds of trash.
• Low-income homeowners with aging HVAC systems can apply for a replacement.
• Mayor Weiss made the news. We got you covered.
• CareerSource Palm Beach County offers a virtual summer youth program.
• Memorial Day Program at Veteran's Memorial Park.
• May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Get your green on!
• We're sharing pictures of a few events Mayor Weiss attended. Let us know if you'd like him to visit a meeting or event in your neighborhood.

On Wednesday, May 10, Palm Beach County Mayor Gregg K. Weiss provided welcome remarks to an entire room of emergency management professionals, officials and partners from across Florida during the 2023 Governor's Hurricane Conference General Session.

The annual conference returned to the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, where attendees heard from experts and participated in trainings focused on improving hurricane preparedness, response and recovery.

This year’s theme, “Partnering for Success,” focuses on the many significant changes in hurricane planning and new methods to prepare Floridians for a hurricane or tropical storm. Remember, we are just weeks away from the official start of hurricane season. Make sure you're prepared.

For information on how you can prepare for hurricane season,

visit readypbc.com.

Download the official PBC Hurricane Planning Guide here.

On May 12, Mayor Weiss hosted a town hall for the Hispanic community to discuss recent incidents of antisemitism, racism, bigotry and hatred at Don Ramon Cuban Restaurant in West Palm Beach.

The town hall was a follow-up to Mayor Weiss’ “No Hate in PBC” town hall at the South County Civic Center in early March 2023.

Glades Media Group Program Director Helman Ruiz moderated the discussion panel, which included Palm Beach State College Sociology Professor and Palm Beach Center for Democracy & Policy Research Founder Luis Fleischman, Beth El Temple West Palm Beach Rabbi and Cantor Gastón Bogomolni, Lawyer and Florida Hispanic Bar Association President Victoria Mesa-Estrada and Director of the Diocese of Palm Beach’s Hispanic Ministry Father Duvan Bermudez.

GRACIAS to everyone who made this town hall a success!

To watch the Spanish video, visit https://youtu.be/XeI73xcNx-c.

The video of the March English town hall is also available at https://youtu.be/eJbh6K1g0AE.

Working together, agencies remove 40,000 pounds of trash

If you’ve driven on Wallis Road recently you can see a big difference. Where the swale along the road used to be littered with tires, plastic containers, broken pallets and dirt it now looks neat and clean. This didn’t just happen, it took an enormous effort by the solid waste authority, the sheriff’s office and others to get it done. More than 40,000 pounds of trash and junk were removed.

To read the complete story click here.

The Crisis Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Replacement Program, through LIHEAP (Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program), is working to assist low-income Palm Beach County homeowners in need of replacing their home’s air-conditioning system, with assistance of up to $15,000.

Clients must be income eligible, live in Pam Beach County, and are required to show that they are in a crisis situation.

Completed applications must show one or more of the following:

• Must be a homeowner in an owner-occupied home or apartment
• The HVAC system no longer cools
• HVAC unit is 10 years or older
• Proof of high energy bills
• Proof of life-threatening environment via a doctor’s statement

To date, this program has assisted 250 homeowners with replacing the HVAC system in their homes. 

Apply today!

For program guidelines and to apply for assistance

visit www.utilityassistancepbc.org

or call 833-CSD-WILL (833-273-9455).

WPTV NewsChannel 5 To The Point



"Palm Beach County Mayor Gregg Weiss shares his thoughts on the new Agriculture Reserve, affordable housing and tornado recovery efforts in North Palm Beach." Read and watch video here

Apply now for paid virtual summer work readiness programs for youth and young adults at CareerSource Palm Beach County.

Applications are now open for CareerSource Palm Beach County’s 5-week paid summer work readiness program for youth and young adults.

Participants earn $15 per hour for 30 hours per week attending any of three online workforce readiness programs:

• Hospitality careers (participants can attain nationally recognized hospitality career credentials)

• Entrepreneurial opportunities

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office products suite

Applicants can select any of two sessions:

• Session 1 starts June 5, with applications due by May 19

• Session 2 starts July 10, with applications due by June 29

“The summer work readiness program is a great opportunity to earn a paycheck while gaining valuable workforce-ready skills that help build our local talent pipeline,” said CareerSource Palm Beach County Programs Director Sandra Wright.

Applicants must be:

• Palm Beach County resident between 16 and 24 years old

• Not employed

• Not enrolled in high school or college

• May need to meet family income limits

Registration is now open online. Click here to apply

careeredgepbc.com

If you need assistance with your application or would like more information,

call 561-340-1060, ext. 2361

or email [email protected].

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10556 presents annual Memorial Day Program

Monday, May 29, at 9:30 a.m.

at Veteran's Memorial Park

A live stream of the program will be on the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pbcparks.

This event honors veterans of our armed services and will feature a procession of colors, guest speakers and patriotic music.

This event is sponsored by Palm Beach County, Grimes Events and Party Tents, and Professional Concessions Inc. It is coordinated jointly by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10556 and the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department's Special Events section. Veteran's Memorial Park is located at 9400 W. Palmetto Park Road, between Lyons Road and U.S. Highway 441, west of Boca Raton.

At the Board of County Commissioners meeting on May 2, Mayor Weiss presented a proclamation declaring May 2023 as Mental Health Awareness and Trauma-Informed Care Month.

Mental health is essential to overall health and well-being, and everyone experiences times of stress and struggles in their lives.

Approximately 60% of adults and 50% of youth do not receive the treatment necessary for their mental health needs due to limited or no knowledge of the need, barriers to care, fear or shame.

The importance of attending to mental health has become even more pronounced in the last few years due to COVID-19, political and social unrest and the resulting economic crisis. Isolation, sickness, grief, job loss, food instability and loss of routines have increased the need for mental health services.

Pictured here (l to r): Alex Ortiz, Elisa Cramer, Peter Stewart, Alexa Lee, National Alliance on Mental Illness Palm Beach County (NAMI) Development Director Kelly Garvis, Palm Beach County Youth Services Department (YSD) Public Relations Specialist Tevin Ali, Unity3 Palm Beach Founder Katrina Blackmon, YSD Director and Birth to 22 Becoming a Trauma-Sensitive Community Action Team Co-chair Tammy Fields, United Way of Palm Beach County Community Investment Executive Vice President and Birth to 22 Becoming a Trauma-Sensitive Community.

Celebrations, anniversaries, meeting with agencies, advocating for health causes, recognizing community leaders, joining neighbors' festivities and going to neighborhood meetings, Mayor Weiss spends a lot of time in the community.

“As an elected official, I want to be part of the community I represent," said Mayor Weiss. "I want to understand the issues in my district and that’s why I spend many evenings going out to events to listen and learn.”



If you’d like to invite Mayor Weiss to your event, let us know. 

PALM BEACH SYNAGOGUE

On Sunday, May 7, Mayor Weiss presented Palm Beach Synagogue with a proclamation declaring May 2023 as Jewish American Heritage Month.

Jewish American Heritage Month is a time to celebrate the more than 350 years of American Jewish history and encourage awareness of the many contributions by Jewish Americans to our history, culture, military, science, economy, government and artistic and intellectual life.

PURPLE MARTINS

During a sunny morning, listening to the many happy purple martins who live half the year at the Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Station 27 in Wellington, Mayor Weiss presented the Audubon Everglades a proclamation, declaring May 2023 as Audubon Everglades Purple Martin Awareness Month.

Many supporters were there to celebrate these native songbirds and the largest swallows in North America. Purple Martins are neotropical long-distance migrants that live in colonies and return each year to breed in Palm Beach County.

Purple martins have a unique relationship with humans and nest exclusively in man-made housing. If humans stopped supplying suitable breeding habitats, they would likely disappear as a breeding bird in the eastern United States.



Audubon Everglades plays a critical role in ensuring the survival of purple martins by fostering partnerships with parks, nature centers, wetlands, fire rescue stations and other public locations throughout Palm Beach County to encourage educational programs and breeding habitats.

JEWISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

At the Board of County Commissioners meeting on May 2, 2023, Mayor Weiss presented a proclamation, declaring May 2023 as Jewish American Heritage Month.

Pictured here (l to r): Anti-Defamation League Florida Region Deputy Regional Director Lonny Wilk; Elizabeth Gross, American Jewish Committee (AJC) Palm Beach County Board Member; Tibor Gross, American Jewish Committee (AJC) Palm Beach County Board Member; Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County (JFPBC) Jewish Community Relations Council Associate Director Jeff Dawson; JFPBC Jewish Community Relations Council Vice President Josephine Gon; Mayor Weiss; Jewish Federations of North America Board of Trustees Member Brian Seymour; AJC Palm Beach County Regional Director Laurence Milstein; Wendi Lipsich, AJC Director of Special Projects; and Lisa Beers, President, AJC Palm Beach Board Member.

CITIZENS' ASSOCIATION OF PALM BEACH

On May 1, Mayor Weiss was invited to speak to the Citizens' Association of Palm Beach during their monthly Board of Directors meeting. The mayor touched on how the county and the Town of Palm Beach are working together to expedite traffic on and off the island, including the bridge's opening and a few other initiatives. He also spoke about the Lake Worth Lagoon, the environment and the Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County.

MOUNTS BOTANICAL GARDEN

On April 29-30, nearly 3,500 visitors participated in Mounts Botanical Garden's 37th annual Spring Plant Sale, which hosted more than 70 plant growers, flower farmers and expert horticulturists from all over the county and beyond.

Mayor Weiss joined Garden Curator-Director Rochelle Wolberg, Vice President of R.F. Orchids Michael Coronado and Garden Patron Mish Tworkowski for this photo shortly before Coronado's highly anticipated orchid lecture.

RIBBON CUTTING

Congratulations to Lesser, Lesser, Landy & Smith PLLC, for the grand opening of their new West Palm Beach office, as they also celebrate 96 years of serving the community!

FAU MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM WEEK

The Board of County Commissioners declaring April 15-22, 2023, Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Men's Basketball Team Week! Coach Dusty May and his team joined the Palm Beach County Sports Commission at the BCC meeting on April 18 to celebrate basketball.

CRIME VICTIMS' RIGHTS WEEK

On April 24, during the opening ceremony, at the West Palm Beach Police Department community room, Mayor Weiss presented the Palm Beach County Victims' Rights Coalition a proclamation declaring April 23-29, 2023, as Crime Victims' Rights Week.

To illustrate law enforcement's hard work and commitment to our community, the Palm Beach County Victim Services and Certified Rape Crisis Center named PBSO Detective Joe Derogatis as Officer of the Year 2023. Congratulations to Detective Derogatis and the other two nominees, Investigator Sean Ramsey and Detective Rachel Moccia, for their dedicated and compassionate work for all crime victims!

COBWRA INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS

On April 19, at the Coalition of Boynton West Residential Associations (COBWRA) installation of officers and directors, Mayor Weiss officiated the swearing-in for President Steve Wallace's second-year term. Congratulations to the board on another year!

Visit Mayor Weiss' Facebook page for more photos and stories.

Make sure to follow him!

GREGG K. WEISS

Mayor

www.pbcgov.com/D2