Page 25 - Southern Exposure - November '21

Southern Exposure, Page 25

Section B

Commissioner’s Update

Public Input Improves Our Community

By County Commissioner Maria Marino

If you have ever wondered participation helps direct our crews and field representatives program are in the planning stage for future installation
whether your voice matters, to locations needing immediate attention. along Prosperity Farms Road, between Northlake
let me respond with an To give you an idea of how resident input matters, the Boulevard and Donald Ross Road.
emphatic yes. Many of our following District 1 projects are progressing or in the • Enhanced pedestrian crossings at 25 locations along
public projects begin through process of completion, thanks to information received from A1A/Ocean Drive in Jupiter and Juno Beach will include
resident input. Your phone the public: pedestrian-activated flashing lights for safer crossing and
calls, emails and letters about • Traffic counts taken at the urging of neighboring to better to alert drivers. Installation will commence in
issues you are experiencing residents indicated the need to install a traffic signal at the 2022.
in the community initiate intersection of Toney Penna Drive and Central Boulevard • Neighborhood organizations in Jupiter Farms and
research, and many times in Jupiter. Palm Beach Country Estates participated extensively in
result in recommendations • A traffic study performed on Beach Road in the area of the process to develop Unified Land Development Code
for improvements. Coral Cove Park resulted in a recommendation to lower the amendments related to community residences for the
As engaged members of the community, you serve as speed limit and install marked pedestrian crossings. After disabled.
the eyes and ears that help alert your county officials to further discussions I held with Parks and Engineering staff, • The North County Neighborhood Coalition is working
matters needing attention. Whether it is a traffic problem, we agreed to move forward with additional parallel parking closely with government and transportation officials on
uncollected trash, missing street signs, or a blocked drainage improvements. future improvements along the Beeline Highway and
culvert, we appreciate the assistance residents provide in • The installation of a traffic signal at Northlake Northlake Boulevard corridors.
reporting these types of conditions. With a county in excess Boulevard and Ancient Tree Drive/Bay Hill Drive in the Thank you for helping your county government improve
of 2,300 square miles in area, county staff cannot possibly city of Palm Beach Gardens our quality of life, and as always, please contact me if I
provide enough coverage to drive up and down every • Repair/replacement of sidewalk sections in the Roan can be of assistance to you by calling (561) 355-2201, or
street to note items needing correction. To complement our Lane neighborhood in unincorporated Lake Park by email to mmarino@pbcgov.org.
regular maintenance of facilities under our purview, your • Bike lanes, funded under a transportation grant

travel

Brazil: Home Of Carnival And The 2016 Olympics

By Don Kiselewski, MCC, D.S., Palm Beach Gardens Travel Leaders

The first evidence of The 16 century colonization began in the northeast, find in Mato Grosso. The mining of diamonds began in
th
human settlement in Brazil where they imported slaves from Africa to labor in the cane 1699, which, like the gold finds, shifted labor away from
can be traced back some fields. In 1554, the Jesuit missionaries in São Paula started agriculture. Today, Brazil produces about 65 percent of
8,000 years. Two distinct the conversion of the Indians to Christianity. The French the world’s gems. Shoppers get excellent prices on stones
developments occurred and Dutch attempted settlements, but revolts of Portuguese and settings largely because stones are not exported for
within the country, one in the settlers destroyed these communities. cutting and crafting.
Amazon Basin and the other Stockbreeding and agriculture increased rapidly, over The arrival of the Portuguese Royal Family strengthened
to the south, along the coast. the next two centuries. Tobacco, rice, cotton, cocoa and nationalism in Rio de Janeiro in 1808, when Napoleonic
Europeans first reached dye-producing plants had great influence on the economy troops occupied Portugal. King John VI remained in
Brazil in January of 1500, of the period. The discovery of gold slowed the growth Brazil until 1821. In 1822, his son Dom Pedro became
when Spaniard Vicente of agriculture in the interior. Large gold strikes occurred
Yáñez Pinzón landed. in 1694 in Minas Gerais, and in 1718 there was another Travel on page 26
Several months later in April,
Portuguese explorer Pedro
Cabral arrived in Brazil, which
he claimed for Portugal on May 3,
1500. These new territories were
first called the Ilha de Vera Cruz
(Island of the True Cross) and
allotted to Portugal by the Treaty
of Tordesillas in 1494. However,
Spain did not recognize this claim
until 1522. Brazil was divided
into 13 fiefdoms in 1532, each
under a “captain.” They enhanced
cooperation between the captains
in 1548 when King John III of
Portugal sent a governor to hold This photo from August 2012 shows Rio’s Maracanã Stadium being reformed to meet international requirements needed for the World Cup in 2014
together these captaincies. and the Summer Olympics in 2016. Photo by Don Kiselewski