BCC Briefs

At the August 16, 2011, Board of County Commissioners meeting, the board took the following action:

Mortgage Foreclosure Registration – adopted an ordinance requiring banks and mortgage companies to register properties in foreclosure, inspect those properties, and identify a property maintenance company for each foreclosed property.

Child Care Safety – sitting as the Child Care Facilities Board, commissioners approved a series of changes to the rules and regulations governing child care facilities. They include requiring alarms in vehicles used for transporting six or more children, reducing site requirements for outdoor play areas, requiring child care personnel to have a high school diploma, and additional pre-licensing training requirements.

Firearms – approved on preliminary reading and to advertise for public hearings on Sept. 13 five ordinances mandated by state law pertaining to the sale, purchase, possession, use and storage of firearms.

Homelessness – approved a memorandum of agreement with the Homeless Coalition of PBC to advocate and educate on the issue of homelessness and to pursue resources in pursuit of the county’s Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness. The county will provide staffing and office space for the coalition at the county’s Division of Human Services. The board also adopted a resolution reducing membership on the Homeless Advisory Board from 36 to 19 members.

Palm Tran – approved a three-year joint participation agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) in the amount of $863,400 per year to fund service frequency increases on two Glades-area Palm Tran routes. No county funds are required.

Economic Development – conceptually approved a Section 108 Loan Program agreement in the amount of $592,000 (pending HUD approval) and a Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI) grant in the amount of $182,451 for America’s Sound, Inc. The audio equipment manufacturer plans to renovate a building located within the Avenue A Revitalization Project in Belle Glade, creating 35 new full-time jobs over the next five years.

Annexations – approved the voluntary annexation of an enclave totaling 1.21 acres on Kirk Road into the village of Palm Springs and a 3.44-acre parcel on Indiantown Road into the town of Jupiter.