Here is an update on recent issues and policies considered by the Board of County Commissioners (BCC), and other matters affecting Palm Beach County residents:

Home Caregivers
Through the Department of Public Safety, Division of Consumer Services, the county is finalizing amendments to our local ordinance to ensure that home caregiver providers and their employees doing business in Palm Beach County carry the proper licensing, are thoroughly background checked, and comply with State requirements.  These regulations serve to protect our vulnerable residents from potential abuses.

Voting Equipment
The BCC approved a sales order agreement with the Supervisor of Elections Office and Election Systems & Software, LLC of $8.7 million, for the purchase of new scanners for the polling precincts, scanner components, high speed scanning equipment, and ADA-compliant voting terminals.  Also approved was $4.5 million for the purchase of a new voter registration/check-in system and additional computers to handle provisional ballot processing, phone banking and vote by mail.  The new equipment will meet certification requirements of the Florida Division of Elections and should improve the voting and tabulation processes once implemented.

Dubois Park
Dubois Park at the Jupiter Inlet is one of the most heavily used parks in Palm Beach County.  Even before the County acquired the land in 1972, it has been a favorite gathering spot for family picnics.  Today, Dubois is a popular waterfront destination for swimming, fishing, and snorkeling, picnicking and general recreation.  It encompasses 18 acres and includes two guarded swim areas:  a tidal lagoon and a snorkeling beach that are guarded from 9:00 a.m. to 5:20 p.m. seven days a week from Memorial Day until the start of the school year in August.  Outside of that summer period, lifeguards guard the swim areas on weekends only.

The usage of the park has grown steadily on weekends and holidays to the point that attendance is three to four times its carrying capacity.  This has led to vehicles parking in unauthorized areas and double parking, as well as overcrowded swim areas creating potential hazards for park users.  In addition, when the parking areas are full, many times, visitors park their vehicles off site and walk into the park, setting up picnic sites on areas not designated for that use.  As you can imagine, the overcrowding has placed a strain on park restrooms, sewer systems, utilities, trash receptacles and other park amenities.

As a strategy to help control crowds, the BCC initially approved a budget measure to implement parking fees.  However, Town of Jupiter officials and numerous residents strongly objected to the fees, and I realized that the fee could most negatively affect members of the public least able to afford it.  Consequently, I asked the BCC to reconsider the decision and the fees have been eliminated as a solution to the problem at this time as I am continuing to work with Parks & Recreation staff and Jupiter officials to formulate alternate solutions to the over-capacity issues at Dubois.   I am confident we will reach agreement on the best option.

Fire Inspections
The BCC is amending the Palm Beach County Fire Code Ordinance to expand the annual inspection requirement further to include certain apartments of three to six units in size that do not house fire protection equipment.  This will enhance public safety, improve PBC Fire Rescue's Insurance Services Office (ISO) Public Protection Classification (PPC) rating, and lower insurance rates in the future for homeowners within Palm Beach County Fire Rescue's jurisdiction.

Economic Development
An important, relatively new industry in Palm Beach County is its Life Science community.   Anchored by the renowned Scripps and Max Planck research institutes, it has been the vision of our state and local elected officials over the past 15+ years to grow this industry and encourage collaborations between research and development companies to boost discovery and bring promising medical advancements to market.

I was pleased to attend the recent announcement by the Town of Jupiter and the Business Development Board of plans for Beacon Pharmaceutical to locate its facilities in Jupiter.  Beacon plans to build a 200,000 square foot, state-of-the-art life sciences accelerator and biologics synthesis facility.  They plan to invest in up to 50 companies, and provide business, legal and regulatory support, as well as laboratory space.  The company also plans to manufacture clinical trial supplies and stem cell therapies.

This is an exciting development for the North County area, and I look forward to learning about new companies supported by Beacon Pharmaceutical as this project moves forward.

Please let me know if there is any way that my office can assist you by contacting me at (561) 355-2201 or by email at hvaleche@pbcgov.org.