At the October 20, 2015, Board of County Commissioners meeting, the board took the following action:

baseball complex – approved the restated developer agreement with HW Spring Training Complex, LLC; adopted a resolution authorizing the issuance of up to $133 million in public improvement revenue bonds to fund construction and equipping of a professional sports franchise facility on Haverhill Road south of 45th Street; and authorized staff to close on the property exchange with the city of West Palm Beach.

home caregivers – adopted the Home Caregiver Ordinance requiring licensure and Level 2 background checks of home caregivers. The ordinance will be enforced primarily by the Sheriff's Office; licensing will be handled by the Palm Beach County Division of Consumer Affairs.

marijuana – continued a public hearing to the December 15 meeting establishing a civil citation process for possession of small amounts of marijuana. The proposed measure allows law enforcement officers to issue a civil citation with a civil fine of $100 or the performance of community service for anyone 18 or older who is in possession of 20 grams or less of marijuana and/or marijuana drug paraphernalia.

economic incentives  -- approved ad valorem tax exemptions for Carrier Corp. and the Otis Elevator Company totaling $3 million over a 10-year period. The companies are divisions of United Technologies Corp. which is constructing a 250,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility on 30 acres of the Briger tract known as the UTC Center for Intelligent Buildings. Carrier and Otis are required to make a minimum $115 million capital investment, create 380 jobs over a six-year period at an average annual wage of $85,000, and retain those jobs for five years. They must also retain 70 existing full-time jobs for five years.

small business – approved a contract for consulting and professional services with Paragon Florida, Inc. in the amount of $40,000 to provide consulting and financing to small businesses and persons developing small businesses. The estimated economic impact over five years is $3.5 million.

external auditor – authorized a budget transfer of $48,000 to add more services to the external auditing services contract with McGladrey LLP. The firm will perform an analysis of county spending and identify possible savings opportunities, provide comparisons to peer counties, and make recommendations to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

water mains – adopted resolutions confirming special assessments and approved construction contracts with Johnson-Davis, Inc. to install potable water mains on 77th Place North to serve 10 residential properties and 90th Street North to serve 14 residential properties in The Acreage.

fracking – adopted a resolution supporting a statewide ban on hydraulic fracturing, acid fracturing, and similar high-pressure well stimulation practices commonly known as fracking for the purpose of exploration or production of oil or natural gas.

Palm Tran – ratified the appointment of Clinton Forbes as executive director of Palm Tran at an annual salary of $159,000. He was chosen from a field of 62 applicants and will start on November 2.

animal rescue – approved an agreement with the Animal Recovery Mission, Inc. (ARM) for the care of hundreds of farm animals that were seized by county officials from farms that illegally and inhumanely slaughter animals. Due to the large number of animals involved, Palm Beach County Animal Care & Control could not house them all at the main shelter. ARM will maintain the animals until the conclusion of court cases.