Latest news with #CountyCommission
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Palm Beach County suspends DEI policies to save nearly $330 million in federal funds
The Palm Beach County Commission has taken emergency action to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion efforts from its policies to reduce the risk of losing millions in federal funding. This action on Tuesday was spurred in response to President Donald Trump's executive order that prohibits the use of federal funds for the promotion of gender ideology and diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs. For Palm Beach County, this action will mean several changes to county policies, including: — Suspending portions of the county's Equal Business Opportunity Ordinances, removing the enforcement and utilization of preferences or distinctions based on sex or race. — Eliminating the county's Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, though this office never was staffed. Masimba Maxwell Mutamba, who is with the county attorney's office, told county commissioners during a public meeting on Tuesday that the goal of the emergency ordinance is to 'minimize the potential that a federal agency will independently decide that Palm Beach County is not fulfilling the terms of the grant conditions that incorporate these executive orders.' 'Basically, what we are recommending is that this board pass an emergency ordinance that suspends certain provisions of programs we currently have in place that may subsequently be found or determined by a federal agency to be violative of certain grant conditions,' Mutamba said. For the 2025 fiscal year, the county received nearly $330 million in federal grant funds, according to county documents. 'Although staff believes all county policies, programs and ordinances are consistent with the current interpretation of federal law by the courts with jurisdiction, the new interpretation of federal law by federal regulatory agencies raise concerns and could subject the county, the county commissioners and staff to potential legal liability,' county staff wrote. In need of a four-fifths vote by the County Commission to go through, the county commissioners voted 6-1 to put the emergency ordinance into effect but not without much turmoil expressed by some of the commissioners about the decision. 'I am committed to fairness, opportunity and inclusion for everyone in Palm Beach County because when we invest in every part of our community, we all rise. With that being said, I don't want to risk $329 million that come into our neighborhoods to provide essential services that we all rely on,' Commissioner Joel Flores said during Tuesday's meeting. 'There's no bone in my body that wants to approve this suspension. But I will do it only because I don't want jeopardize the livelihood of some.' Commissioner Gregg Weiss called the decision one of the hardest votes he has had to cast in public office. 'It's attack on local control, and it threatens the fairness that we all have been working on so hard to build into our system,' he said. 'For years, we've made sure that small businesses, especially those owned by women, minorities and historically excluded groups have a fair shot at doing business with the county. This new policy puts that progress at risk.' Not every commissioner shared these sentiments. 'I don't agree that this is a terrible thing to happen. I don't agree that having the best person for the best job at the best price for our taxpayers is a bad thing,' Vice Mayor Sara Baxter said. 'I can't be any more in support of something that gets rid of things based on race, whether it's one way or the other. That's a terrible way for society to thrive, and we got rid of it, and to go back to it is awful.' Mayor Maria Marino said she viewed the decision to go forward with the emergency ordinance as a 'temporary insurance policy for our taxpayers and our grant programs.' The Palm Beach County School Board set out to take similar emergency action in April, removing references to affirmative action in hiring, minority preference in vendor selection, racial balance in student assignments and racial diversity on some district committees, among other changes.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Santa Fe County commissioner mum on potential mayoral run
An online survey asking city voters to rank a growing field of mayoral candidates lists Santa Fe County Commissioner Justin Greene as a seventh potential candidate, raising even more speculation Greene is getting ready to announce. Greene, a businessman and a Democrat elected to the County Commission in 2022, said Friday he was unaware of the survey and would neither confirm nor deny a possible mayoral bid. Greene acknowledged speculation around his potential candidacy but remained noncommittal about his intentions. "Yeah, there's a lot of speculation," he said. "I've heard it, too." Asked directly whether or not he planned to run for mayor, Greene took a long pause. "Difficult question right now," he said. "I don't know if I have an affirmative or other answer other than it is interesting to hear that my name is attached to this race and that people are already polling this question. I would love to see the results of the poll." If Greene decided to throw his hat into the ring, his candidacy would shake up an already intriguing race among a hodgepodge of candidates aiming to succeed Mayor Alan Webber, who announced May 16 he would not be running for a third term — particularly with Santa Fe's ranked-choice voting system. All six candidates who have so far announced their bid in the November city election have been positioning themselves as anti-Webber, who has faced harsh criticism during his tenure on numerous fronts, including his handling of crime and homelessness and the controversy over the Soldiers' Monument. They include one sitting city councilor, Michael Garcia; two former councilors and past mayoral candidates, Ronald Trujillo and JoAnne Vigil Coppler; a past city finance director and current chief financial officer for the New Mexico Finance Authority, Oscar Rodriguez; deputy state land commissioner of public affairs, Tarin Nix; and perennial candidate Letitia Montoya. Greene could have an automatic advantage if he jumps into the race. He lives in City Council District 1, where voting is much higher than the rest of the city. Greene indicated he's been encouraged to run. "I've had a good number of people approach me," he said. It's unclear who is behind the 14-question survey, though it states at the bottom, "Paid for by Friends of Joe Geller." Searches of court, campaign finance, property and other public records available online Friday afternoon did not turn up a Joe Geller in the Santa Fe area. The survey includes a mix of questions, starting with who voters voted for in the 2024 presidential election. It then asks respondents to rate the six announced mayoral candidates and Greene, as well as Webber, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and President Donald Trump. The ratings range from "very favorable" to "very unfavorable." The survey also asks whether voters think the city is heading in the right or wrong direction and whether they approve or disapprove of the job the mayor and City Council are doing right now. The fifth question notes a mayoral election will be held this year and asks respondents which candidate is their top choice. The next question notes the election will utilize ranked-choice voting and asks respondents to rank the mayoral candidates in order of their preference. The survey also asks respondents to rank various issues in order of importance. They include housing affordability, crime and public safety, traffic and infrastructure, improving city services, homelessness, protecting taxpayer dollars and reducing taxes and fees. Finally, the survey asks voters to disclose their ethnicity, gender, age group, party affiliation, education level, religion and whether they own or rent their home.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Buc-ee's near Fort Pierce not on planned locations list; project awaiting final approvals
ST. LUCIE COUNTY — Buc-ee's currently lists four locations opening in 2025 or 2026 on its website, but that list does not include the Texas-based mega-travel center chain's planned first location on the Treasure Coast, which also would be its southernmost location in Florida. Depending on local and state approvals still in progress, the St. Lucie County location — at the southeast corner of Interstate 95's Indrio Road interchange — could join that list, with a possible opening date in 2026. County spokesperson Erick Gill said in a May 23 email that the project is still awaiting final site plan approval, followed by permitting approvals for site development and building. Buc-ee's submitted its final site plan to St. Lucie County in January, and, Gill said in an email at the time, that unless significant changes are made to the plans, that approval could be granted without the need for another vote by the County Commission. The site plan submitted in January was substantially similar to preliminary versions already approved by commissioners. The project still may need approvals from other agencies before construction can begin, according to Gill. He declined to speak for those agencies, but they likely include the Florida Department of Transportation. During an April 8 County Commission meeting, Commissioner Larry Leet said that at least some of those state agency approvals have already been granted. "I found out that it was in the state's review and the state has put their stamp of approval on it, so Buc-ee's is officially moving forward," Leet said. More: Buc-ee's submits final site plan application to St. Lucie County for Indrio Road location More: What could a Treasure Coast Buc-ee's mean for the local economy, jobs and the way of life? If and when all of the approvals are secured, construction of a typical Buc-ee's takes 12-15 months from start to opening day, company officials have said. That could put an opening sometime in 2026, joining an already-announced location in Boerne, Texas, opening that year. Locations opening in 2025 include Harrison County, Mississippi; Brunswick, Georgia; and Rockingham County, Virginia. Other planned locations, like the one in St. Lucie County, have yet to have official opening dates announced, including multiple stores in Florida. A planned location in Ocala has been in the works since before the one here. In February, plans were also revealed for a potential location in Tallahassee. Wicker Perlis is TCPalm's Watchdog Reporter for St. Lucie County. You can reach him at This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Buc-ee's, a Texas favorite, awaits approvals for Treasure Coast store
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hillsborough County reassessing funds for housing
Just over a month after local faith leaders and advocates asked Hillsborough County commissioners for their continued commitment to creating affordable housing, the board voted Wednesday to remove money earmarked for that purpose. Hillsborough commissioners tentatively voted 5-2 to repeal an ordinance requiring $10 million of the county's budget go toward its affordable housing fund. Language to make the change happen will have to come back to the commission at a future date for a public hearing and second vote. Commissioner Chris Boles originally motioned to have staff draft language that would require all new money allocated to the affordable housing fund be used for public safety instead. Instead, the board voted to kill the earmark for affordable housing. Boles said he brought up the issue Wednesday because of upcoming budget discussions, and will likely look toward other avenues for increasing spending on public safety. 'I know there are affordable housing needs in our community,' said Boles, who was previously a battalion chief with Hillsborough County Fire Rescue. 'But in that same token, I won't apologize for supporting our first responders.' The County Commission created the HOPE Affordable Housing Act trust fund in 2019. It came in response to pleas from the group Hillsborough Organization for Progress and Equality. The group includes more than two dozen multicultural and interfaith congregations in Hillsborough that advocate for social justice issues. County commissioners named the affordable housing fund after the organization. Every year, the county administrator is required to direct $10 million of the county's budget to the fund. But, commissioners can vote on how to use it. For the past two years, commissioners voted to use only $2 million for housing and diverted the remaining $8 million to other areas. Boles said affordable housing already receives local, state and federal funds. Most public safety money comes from local taxpayers. 'If we don't have a safe community,' Boles said, 'no one will want to live here even if they can afford it.' He said it is taking longer for public safety officials to respond to calls, and the Sheriff's Office needs 500 more deputies because of population growth. More than 60% of the county's current budget goes toward public safety, Commissioner Gwen Myers said during the meeting. The county is slated to receive $709 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Around 56% of the money, or $397 million, is required to be spent on affordable housing over six years. The county will have to pay out of pocket and get reimbursed for money spent under the grant. 'Would you rather come here and talk about $2 million that you may not get?' Boles said. 'Or would you rather spend your time and effort lobbying for the $397 million?' Commissioner Joshua Wostal said the current affordable housing ordinance is 'anti-democratic' because it dictates how future boards can use money. Wostal emphasized that his support for Boles' motion was not against the Hillsborough Organization for Progress and Equality and is not ending affordable housing funding. 'There are different pots of money that are already allocated for this,' Wostal said. Myers and Harry Cohen were the two 'no' votes. Cohen said he was supportive of providing money for the sheriff, but there 'isn't an identifiable need' for more funding for his staff — he returns unspent money to the county every year, Cohen said. 'To take the countywide affordable housing funds that the board has shown its capable of allocating any way it wants is not a sensible way to move forward,' Cohen said. Several speakers with the advocacy group came to Wednesday's meeting. In an emailed statement to the Tamp Bay Times, leaders of the group wrote that the fund helped create nearly 1,100 affordable homes. 'We call on the Commissioners to face the facts, hear their constituents, and reverse this flawed decision,' their statement read. 'The future of Hillsborough County—and the well-being of thousands—depends on it.' Kimberly Overman, a former county commissioner and the founder of the Housing Leadership Council of Tampa Bay, also attended and spoke Wednesday. 'By doing this, there won't be instructions to the county administrator to allocate money toward that program,' she told the Times after the meeting, 'which I find maddening, given how much of a housing crisis we have in Hillsborough County.' Overman pushed back on council members' statements that funding from the housing department was substantial for addressing housing needs. The county first has to commit to spending money on affordable housing. And if it does, reimbursement from the federal government often lags. 'To expect our local residents to trust the federal government's promise of providing these dollars', she said, 'is asking a lot, especially given current federal budgetary conversations that are going on.'
Miami Herald
15-05-2025
- Health
- Miami Herald
DeSantis signs bill banning fluoride in Florida's public water sources. What's next?
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed a bill that will stop local governments from putting fluoride in water. The bill DeSantis signed doesn't specifically mention fluoride. Instead, it bans local governments from putting anything in the water that doesn't help with improving water quality or reducing contaminants. The move to block fluoride has been decried by major health organizations, who warn that it would negatively affect residents' health. DeSantis said the bill was about informed consent, and letting people choose what to do with their health. 'Some of these people, they think that they know better for you than you do for yourself,' DeSantis said. 'They think because they have medical training, or they have this, that they should just be able to decree how we live our lives.' Here's what to know about what comes next. When will fluoride be out of the water? As of July 1, local governments in Florida won't be able to add extra fluoride to the water to fight tooth decay. But almost all water has some fluoride, which is a naturally occurring mineral. For decades, governments in the U.S. have fluoridated water to reach 0.7 milligrams per liter, which health experts have recommended as the optimal level to safeguard oral health. In Pinellas County, the natural amount of fluoride in the water ranges from about 0.15 to 0.50 parts per million, according to the county. It's not clear if some local governments will choose to stop adding fluoride to their water system ahead of the July 1 deadline. Where in Florida is fluoride added to water? About 100 water systems across the state add fluoride to their water, according to the Florida Department of Health, including Hillsborough and Pinellas counties and the cities of Clearwater, St. Petersburg and Tampa. But even ahead of the statewide fluoride ban, some local governments have wrestled with whether to remove it from their water systems. Over the past several months, at least 14 cities in Florida have decided to stop putting fluoride in their water, affecting about 1 million people. In Miami-Dade, the county mayor vetoed the commission's plan to end water fluoridation. The County Commission then overrode her veto, affecting about 2.4 million people. Other local governments have opted to keep adding fluoride, including the Hillsborough Commission and the Clearwater City Council. But their decisions will be moot later this year when the state law goes into effect. Where did the idea to ban fluoride come from? Fluoride has had its skeptics for years. But opposition became more vocal when President Donald Trump appointed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services. Kennedy has applauded DeSantis for working to ban water fluoridation, saying on social media that he was 'standing up for every Floridian's right to choose what goes into their own body.' Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has also spoken against fluoride, pointing to reports that question the side effects of consuming it. He has traveled the state on a campaign to get local governments to stop fluoridating the water. In November, Ladapo issued an official recommendation against water fluoridation. What do other experts say? Margherita Fontana, a dentist and the chairperson of the Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences & Endodontics at the University of Michigan, said fluoride is used in the United States in a way that is safe and effective. 'The more frequently we have fluoride in contact with our teeth, the better,' Fontana said. Fontana said studies that point to concerns with fluoride have 'very, very poor' data or are from countries where there are also other contaminants in the water. She said the only known side effect of fluoride use is fluorosis, which she said is a cosmetic issue that can cause white spots on teeth. Fontana said the public outcry against water fluoridation has broader effects. 'There will be an increase in decay in young children if parents decide to try to intentionally avoid fluoride from all sources because of being scared of the information being shared,' Fontana said. What is the FDA doing about fluoride? As DeSantis has pushed for the ban on water fluoridation, he has said that people can still get fluoride from other means, like toothpaste and mouthwash. But the Food and Drug Administration is planning to remove ingestible fluoride supplements from the market for children. The FDA set a goal date of Oct. 31 to take action. In a news release announcing the decision, federal health officials said the supplements were never FDA approved, adding the best way to help children's health was through 'avoiding excessive sugar intake and good dental hygiene.'
