February 4, 2022

District 6 Update

Unfortunately, the Senate passed Senate Bill 620, the proposed legislation I discussed last week that would allow businesses to sue local governments if they believed a local government's actions caused a revenue reduction to that business of 15% or more. The legislation must also pass the Florida House of Representatives. I'll continue working with local leaders across the state to voice our concerns with SB 620, and we appreciate legislative leadership continuing to dialogue with us as this bill works through the House. Local governments must remain nimble to respond to new challenges, but the preemptive measures that Tallahassee continue to propose hinder our abilities to do so, ultimately harming our constituents who expect us to address emerging problems in our communities.

American Heart Association Month

At the Board of County Commissioners meeting on Feb. 1, 2022, I presented a proclamation declaring February 2022 as American Heart Association Month in Palm Beach County. Pictured here (l to r): Palm Beach County Food Bank Board of Directors Chair and Heart Ball Chair Marti Latour, Commissioner McKinlay and American Heart Association Executive Director Kayla Fox.

PHOTO 4C_Heart Month_2-1-22_McKinlay_IMG_1486.jpg

Journee Nelson Day

On February 1st, the County Commission thanked a heroic nine year old named Journee Nelson for her bravery. Back in November of last year, a robber attacked Journee's mother and attempted to steal her purse, but Journee fought back to protect her mom. The attacker ran away, with Journee and other bystanders chasing after him. The suspect was later arrested. Thankfully, both Journee and her mom are OK!

BCC Briefs for Feb. 1, 2022

At the Feb. 1, 2022 Board of County Commissioners meeting, the board took the following action:

Administration – approved a motion to receive and file the updated Board Directive Reports, which include in process and completed board directive items.

Airports – approved an amendment to the Construction Manager (CM) at Risk Contract with The Morganti Group Inc. for CM at Risk Services for Airport improvements in the amount of $343,870.39, for work order MC 15: Escalator Replacement at Palm Beach International Airport and approved a budget transfer of $343,870 in the Airport’s Improvement and Development Fund to provide budget for the project, including a transfer from reserves in the amount of $343,870.

Library – approved waiving all remaining accrued overdue fines on library card accounts for a total of $133,247.04.

Approved the write-off of uncollectible, lost or damaged library materials charges from library card accounts found in the Library System’s Integrated Library System (ILS) database for all lost/damaged charges prior to Oct. 1, 2016, for a total of $3,038,942.38..

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:

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

Feb. 17 & 24 (Thursdays) 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. (two sessions)

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

Workshop Dates in Spanish:

Feb. 8 & 15 (Tuesdays) 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. (two sessions)

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

District 6 COVID-19 Testing Sites

Lakeside Medical Center, 3200 Hooker Highway, Belle Glade 33430. Mon - Sat, 9 am - 4 pm. No appointments needed. Walk-ups welcome. Any age. No cost.

C.L. Brumback Health Center, 38754 State Road 80, Belle Glade 33430. Mon, Thurs, & Friday, 8 am - 4:45 pm. No appointments needed. Walk-ups welcome. Any age. No cost.

Commons Park, 11600 Poinciana Blvd, Royal Palm Beach. Mon & Fri, 9 am - 5 pm. Wed, 12 pm - 5 pm. No appointments needed. No cost.

Wellington Village Hall Parking Lot, 12300 Forest Hill Blvd. Mon - Sat, 8:30 am - 8 pm. Appointments may be booked through www.curative.com. No cost.

Wellington Green Park, 2175 Wellington Green Drive. Mon - Fri, 8 am - 5 pm. Drive-thru. No appointments necessary. No cost.

For a full list of sites throughout the County, visit here.

Press Release!

Housing Rehabilitation Assistance

Palm Beach County’s Department of Housing and Economic Development (HED) has announced the availability of American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) Owner Occupied Housing Rehabilitation assistance funds for Fiscal Year 2021-2022.

Funding will assist income eligible homeowners, residing in the unincorporated area of Palm Beach County, with substantial rehabilitation to correct code violations or items that will soon become a code violation. Properties MUST be located within a federally designated Qualified Census Tract (QCT). Properties located outside of a QCT, may not be eligible to apply for assistance. 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 beginning Monday, January 24, 2021 at 8:00am – Monday, February 28, 2022 at 11:59pm (or until 90 applications have been submitted). Applications will be processed on a first submitted, first qualified, first served basis, subject to funding availability. NOTE: Additional program information and required documents needed for application submittal are available on the website at pbcgov.com/HED.

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 beginning Monday, December 13, 2021. NOTE: Applications will not be reviewed if proof of orientation attendance is not provided.

For additional information, please contact:

Palm Beach County Department of Housing and Economic Development (HED)

Mortgage and Housing Investments Division

Telephone: (561) 233-3600

Email: HEDverify@pbcgov.org

Grocery Card Program

The Palm Beach County Community Services Department (CSD) has launched a new Grocery Card Program for eligible Palm Beach County residents. The department is issuing $400 pre-loaded grocery cards to be used for food purchases within the county. The program will end when the funding source has been depleted.

To qualify, at least one or more individuals within a household must meet the following criteria:

· Qualifies for unemployment or experienced a reduction of household income, or incurred significant costs, or experienced other financial hardships due to COVID-19; and,

· Has not received a food card in the past from Palm Beach County Community Services Department; and,

· Has a household income at or below 200% Federal Poverty Guideline (FPG).

All participants must be able to provide documentation to prove they were impacted financially by the COVID-19 crisis. Applications must be submitted online; this program is a limited-time offer and is subject to funding availability.

For a full list of eligibility requirements and to apply, visit www.FoodAssistancePBC.org.

For additional information, please contact the CSD’s Contact Center at 561-355-4700.