​by Commissioner Hal Valeche

As the legislative session for 2018 gets underway in Tallahassee, Palm Beach County officials and staff are working to support bills and appropriations important to our region, while seeking to head off measures that can negatively affect our community and budget.

Our adopted legislative agenda covers many issues including environmental resources, transportation and economic development, education and public safety, with primary focus on these four priorities:

• Affordable housing and homelessness
• Opioid and substance abuse
• Hurricane action plan
• Transportation and infrastructure

Affordable housing and homelessness – the scarceness of affordable housing continues to be a struggle for individual workers and families alike, as salaries are not keeping pace with housing costs.  The County continues to support efforts to preserve State trust funds designed to support the development of attainable housing, and additionally supports budget recommendations to appropriate more than $130 million to the State Apartment Incentive Loan and State Housing Initiative programs that provide low-interest loans to developers who build or rehabilitate affordable housing projects. 

Opioid and substance abuse – in response to the alarming rise in drug overdoses, the County, along with the State Attorney's Office of the 15^th Judicial Circuit and the Florida Department of Health and Human Services are supporting policy changes to provide life-saving interventions, medically assisted detoxification programs, and diversions from the criminal justice system for those suffering from opioid addiction.  The Governor has proposed more than $53 million in the state budget for additional treatment beds, case management and outreach; additional supplies of Naloxone for first responders to administer; enhancement of the Prescription Drug Monitoring System; handheld narcotic analyzers for Florida Highway Patrol officers in the field; and the drawdown of federal grant funding.

Hurricane Action Plan – in the aftermath of 2017 Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the County has made recommendations for state support that include:

• medical staffing and funding for cots and mats at emergency shelters
• requirements for nursing homes, assisted living facilities and group homes to have generators and implementing laws and penalties for non-compliance
• local reimbursement for the purchase and rental of generators for high-priority infrastructure, including school shelters
• clarification of criteria used to recommend federal disaster declarations
• encouraging communities with large residential associations to have an emergency plan
• amending state procurement rules to ensure an equity of service to local government, particularly for debris removal 

State budget recommendations for hurricane response and preparedness include approximately $50 million toward beach restoration needed following Hurricane Irma.

Transportation and Infrastructure – the Florida Department of Transportation work program recommends budgeting more than $10 billion toward expanding lane miles, investing in maintenance and operation, resurfacing roads, transit improvements, repair and replacement of bridges, safety initiatives, bike and pedestrian trails, and improvements to aviation and seaports. 

The County is requesting an amendment to state law to require any development project affecting an over capacity road to contribute a "proportionate share" payment equal to their impact or use of the traffic capacity they are absorbing. 

Palm Beach County opposes legislation that preempts the legislative and policy-making powers of counties used to regulate land use and implement zoning controls or fire codes.  Further, the County opposes legislative efforts that mandate minimum land use densities for properties that meet specific size, use and location characteristics.

In addition to these priorities, environmental resources – which have a huge effect on our quality of life and tourism economy – will remain high on the list.  This includes investments in Glades Region storm water and wastewater infrastructure, Lake Okeechobee and Loxahatchee River restoration projects, and the Lake Worth Lagoon Initiative to restore sea grasses, mangroves and oyster beds, cap muck sediments and construct storm water control projects and septic to sewer conversions. 

Perhaps most critical under the environmental category is beach and inlet management.  The County has requested State appropriations of $22 million to match our local investment in eight vital shore protection projects along our coastline.  The Governor's budget currently recommends $100 million for beach re-nourishment, dune restoration, and the state's share to restore beaches damaged by Hurricane Irma.  The State is also recommending assistance to local governments for sea level rise planning and coastal resilience projects, as well as protection of coral reefs.

If you have questions on these issues or if my office can assist you, please contact me at (561) 355-2201 or by email at hvaleche@pbcgov.org.