Page 12 - Boca Club News - December '21

Page 12, Boca Club News
From the Desk of Palm Beach County Mayor

Robert S. Weinroth: Services and Scams

Robert Weinroth, a former member Having a county mayor benefits us regionally when Beach County. Whether they served in active combat or in
of the Boca Raton City Council, was partnering with the mayors of Miami-Dade and Broward a support role, military veterans are at a high risk of mental
elected as a Palm Beach County counties, and provides a stronger voice in Washington and health and post-traumatic stress disorders, and many are
Commissioner to replace Steven Tallahassee. The three most populous counties in Florida are living with disabilities, chronic pain and other service-
Abrams, who retired due to term limits a powerful force when united together on common issues related illnesses.
requirements. such as economic development, transportation funding and The county’s Division of Human and Veteran Services
I am honored to have been selected environmental issues, including Everglades restoration. has a dedicated team of professionals, including many retired
by my fellow commissioners as the Surprisingly, a lot of residents are not aware of the role veterans, who work closely with local veterans to help them
county mayor of the Board of County of county commissioners. The BCC adopts ordinances (local get assistance through resources such as local nonprofits and
Commissioners (BCC) at our annual reorganizational meeting laws) and resolutions to establish policies and programs state or federal agencies. Some examples include financial
on November 16th, 2021. aimed at protecting the health, safety and general welfare and housing assistance, mental health/wellness therapy,
Every year, the BCC selects a mayor to preside over of Palm Beach County residents. housing, disability compensation, employment opportunities
commission meetings and serve as the ceremonial head Following are some of the BCC’s duties: and other resources for life after discharge.
of Palm Beach County government. A vice mayor is also • Set property tax rate, which has not been increased in 11 Additionally, the Veterans Affairs Medical Center
selected to assume these duties in the absence of the mayor. years; (VA) in West Palm Beach provides a full range of services
Consequently, I would like to extend my congratulations to • Oversee the $5.6 billion budget, which includes three including mental health, medication and rehabilitation.
fellow commissioner Gregg Weiss, who was selected to serve airports (including PBIA), waste disposal plants, potable The VA also has outpatient clinics in six cities, including
as vice mayor. water, 8,000 acres of parks and so much more; Boca Raton and Delray Beach, that offer mental health
The county mayor, introduced by former commissioner • Provide law enforcement, fire-rescue protection and assessments, nutritional consultations and management of
Steven Abrams, was created in 2013 and replaced the title of disaster relief services; chronic illnesses.
chair. The reason for this was to heighten the board’s visibility • Construct and maintain county-owned buildings, roads, For more information, visit https://discover.pbcgov.org/
by increasing public awareness of the role of the commission bridges and utility systems; communityservices/humanservices/Pages/Veteran-Services.
since the general public identifies more with a mayor than a • Provide programs for housing and community aspx
board chair. redevelopment; Holiday scam alert.
• Manage programs for 31,000 acres of conservation lands, With the holidays fast approaching, the Better Business
Your ad flood and beach erosion control and air-pollution control; Bureau (BBB) is warning of the many ways consumers and
• Adopt and enforce building and housing codes and
donors could get scammed this season. The BBB released
regulations;
its “Naughty List,” which details the top scams that are
could be here! • Construct and operate cultural, recreational and library most likely to catch people off guard during the holidays.
Be mindful of these scams that could cut into your holiday
facilities/programs;
cheer, and tips to avoid them:
• Coordinate policies with other governmental agencies for
• Fake charities: verify a charity at BBB’s give.org;
the joint performance of duties;
Call • Provide services for over 500,000 residents living in • Alerts about compromised accounts: an email, call or text
message that explains there has been suspicious activity on
unincorporated Palm Beach County.
I am looking forward to the next year as your mayor and Amazon, Paypal, Netflix or a bank account;
561-746-3244 addressing a number of issues such as mental health, food • Free gift cards: emails requesting personal information
to receive free gift cards.
insecurities, housing, inflation and opioid use.
Florida has over 1.6 million veterans, the third-highest
If you require assistance, please contact our office at
Veteran services. For the full “Naughty List”, visit www.bbb.org.
number in the country, with over 90,000 living in Palm 561-355-2204 or email me at RWeinroth@pbcgov.org.