Page 1 - PGA Community News - October '23

VOL. 33 NO. 10 FAX 561-624-9088 • E-MAIL canpga@yahoo.com OCTOBER 2023

PGA POA Communication Corner

By Gail Coppage, foot tax collection and driver’s licensing center. The new a reduction of property taxes two years in a row. Out of
Communications Service Center will include an additional 74 percent of new all 39 municipalities, only four other cities are lowering
Committee Chairperson client service stations, additional parking and expanded millage, and Palm Beach Gardens mill rate is the lowest
Happy October! road test capabilities. Right now, Palm Beach Gardens rate of those municipalities lowering millage.
Welcome back pumpkin area residents must register to take their driving tests at the And while we are mentioning good news for our
spice and everything nice! nearby North County Government Center, and the parking wallets, Palm Beach County is also lowering the
As I write this column, lot to that site is near the Gardens Branch Library. millage rate. Thanks to our own PGA National District 1
it is still September and Speaking of government, the Palm Beach Gardens City Commissioner Maria Marino who led the charge for the
hot, and Hurricane Lee is Council has been meeting to determine the new budget. largest tax cut on the County Commission in 30 years.
swimming in the Atlantic. The Council set the maximum millage rate in July 2023 Paving of Ave of the Masters is complete, and by the
The good news is that the at 5.17. This tax rate amount is a reduction from the time you read this column, striping will be installed. As
mornings and evenings are current tax rate of 5.32 and a further reduction from the a reminder, there is no passing permitted on any of the
a bit cooler and October will begin to usher in that lovely previous year with a tax rate of 5.55. Even though home main streets within PGA National. We appreciate everyone
South Florida weather that we all enjoy daily. values have increased in the last year, most homesteaded abiding by the NO PASSING law while we waited for the
Have you seen the new Palm Beach County government properties will see little change in their property taxes. permanent stripes to be installed on Ave of the Masters.
building on PGA Boulevard? The new facility is near Palm That is great news and we appreciate the due diligence
Beach State College. The facility is a new 23,735-square- provided by our City Council. Not many cities can claim PGA POA Communication Corner on page 2
Commissioner’s Update

Water Works filter water headed to the Loxahatchee River and the Lake of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to upgrade the
Worth Lagoon; and, reduce flooding. levee at the southeast side of the J.W. Corbett Wildlife
By Commissioner Water managers and project engineers have determined Management Area, which will reduce the risk of flooding
Maria Marino that these goals are achievable by utilizing wetlands under in the Acreage and Loxahatchee communities within the
Water, an element we conservation and by constructing stormwater treatment Indian Trail Improvement District.
cannot live without, is areas and reservoirs. Mecca Farms, a site just north of Additionally, FDEP awarded grants totaling $113
something Florida receives Northlake Boulevard on Seminole Pratt Whitney Road million to the county toward the construction of Cells 12
a lot of, especially through will serve as one of the water storage areas. Additionally, and 13 of Phase II of the C-51 Reservoir. The L-8 Canal
the summer rainy season, rock pits owned by Palm Beach Aggregates on the north sends water from Lake Okeechobee into our region.
adding up to an annual side of Southern Boulevard at Twenty-Mile Bend are the Once these cells are fully connected to the L-8 Canal, the
rainfall of about 4½ feet on site of a multiphase public/private project comprising the reservoir will be capable of providing water to restore the
average. This abundance of C-51 Reservoir. northwest fork of the Loxahatchee River and connected
water presents challenges to Local government agencies have contributed expertise wetlands, combat salt water intrusion by canal recharge,
improving systems to store, and funding to plan and implement features of the overall and increase water supply.
filter, and send it to where it is needed most, rather than project, such as the L-8 reservoir, purchasing and restoring Each of these costly and complex projects are pieces of
letting it flow out to the ocean. wetlands to connect the flow of water, construction of the overall puzzle to effectively store, filter and manage
In 1985, the U.S. Department of Interior designated control structures and pumps, and increasing capacity. water, while enhancing our natural environment, and as
the northwest fork of the Loxahatchee River for These agencies include Palm Beach County, the City of you can see, requires the help of numerous stakeholders
inclusion in the Federal Wild & Scenic River system, West Palm Beach – whose drinking water supplies relies to achieve.
recognizing its essential habitats supporting a wide on adequate levels of filtered water in Grassy Waters At the end of the day, water is a precious resource and
spectrum of ecological resources. In the decades to Preserve, Indian Trail Improvement District, SFWMD, our county continually needs to think outside the box
follow, the South Florida Water Management District South Indian River Water Control District, Lake Worth to aid in water management strategies. As a man stated
(SFWMD) embarked on a plan, in collaboration with local Drainage District, and Pal Mar Water Control District. recently at a county commission public hearing, water is
government and drainage districts to create additional The county also receives input on options studied and life.
water storage in the L-8 canal basin in order to protect recommended through its Water Resources Task Force Please contact me if I can assist you at (561) 355-2201
and restore the Loxahatchee River. Components of the Advisory Board, and the Loxahatchee River Management or by email at mmarino@pbcgov.org.
Lower East Coast Regional Water Supply Plan affecting Coordinating Council.
Northern Palm Beach County – including Loxahatchee Local initiatives rely
River restoration – are part of the vast Comprehensive on financial support
Everglades Restoration Project, led by the U.S. Army from state and federal
Corps of Engineers. partners. Recently, Palm
Project goals seek to capture water flows through Beach County received a
canals and basins to meet drinking water demands; $7.7 million grant from
recharge canals and wells; reduce discharge to tide; treat/ the Florida Department