Message from Commissioner Aaronson

Know Your Government - You Pay for It

Did you know that Palm Beach County was carved out of Dade County in 1909 becoming Florida’s 47th county?   Did you know that Palm Beach County’s borders incorporated all of Lake Okeechobee until 1963 when the Lake was partitioned among the five counties that surround it?  Did you know that Palm Beach International Airport, formerly known as Morrison Field, was leased to the U.S. Army and used as an Army Post during World War II?  These are just some of the facts about Palm Beach County that are very interesting.  I would like to take a moment to share some other facts with you.

Not counting Lake Okeechobee, Palm Beach County covers 1,971 square miles of land.  We are larger than two states:  Rhode Island and Delaware.  Lake Okeechobee adds an additional 488,000 acres.  The County’s 45-mile stretch of ocean shoreline was nicknamed Florida’s Gold Coast after the gold recovered from Spanish galleons that sank offshore.

As of 2006, Palm Beach County had a base population of 1,274,013 according to the U.S. Census Bureau.  The University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research lists the County as the third most populous county in Florida and the 29th most populous in the United States.  About 45 percent of the County’s residents live in unincorporated Palm Beach County with the remaining living in one of our 38 municipalities.  Our largest city both in area and population is West Palm Beach, with Boca Raton second and Boynton Beach third.  Our smallest town in population is Cloud Lake with approximately 172 residents.  The smallest in area is Briny Breezes at just under one-half square mile.  Just think, we have communities that are larger in area than Briny Breezes!

The average daytime temperature in Palm Beach County is 74 degrees and 90 degrees in the summer.  Our average rainfall is 62 inches per year.  The last time it snowed in the County was 1978.

If you would like to read about other interesting facts and figures about Palm Beach County, click on the this link: http://www.pbcgov.com/publicaffairs/facts.htm, which is a part of the County’s website.

As always, I invite your comments on any issue of interest to you.  As your Commissioner, I am here to help you.  You may write me at 301 N. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach, 33401 or call my staff at 276-1310 or toll free at 877-930-2205.  My email address is:  baaronso@pbcgov.org.