The 2009 Florida Legislative Session ended on Friday, May 8, and although Palm Beach County did not accomplish one of its biggest priorities, we were successful in holding onto funding for some of our most important needs. The Florida Senate narrowly defeated a proposal that among other items would have provided a $2 rental car fee to fund the long-term operational needs of Tri-Rail. If this issue is not addressed in a subsequent session or special session, the defeat of this measure may lead to a decrease in service for our residents who depend on Tri-Rail to get to work and for students who use the rail line to ride to and from school.
High on our list of victories was working to maintain funding for our county and municipal libraries, resources that I know are of value to the residents of District 3. The state’s $1.4 million in local library funding will help to prevent additional reductions to library hours of operation and will aid in the purchase of new books.
Also important to the county was the passage of a bill that requires the Department of Health, by December 1, 2010, to design and establish a comprehensive electronic system to monitor the prescribing and dispensing of certain controlled substances. This system will help crack down on the dispensing of medication to those who have made a business of selling these drugs in a prevalent underground market that has jeopardized the health of many of our state’s children.
I am thankful to our legislative delegation members for their hard work in trying to address the needs of our county. As a former legislator and current county commissioner, I know that it takes everyone at every level working together to make sure that our county is able to provide the quality of life and services that we all have come to expect in Palm Beach County.
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Government
