Representative Mark Pafford meets with PBC Day officials and attendees.
2016 Legislative Summary
The 2016 legislative session finished on time and did not see a repeat of the divisiveness that rocked Tallahassee last year. The budget passed the Senate unanimously and the House by a 119-1 vote. This year was also successful in terms of appropriations headed to Palm Beach County. The Glades area had significant victories, including $1 million for roadway improvements and street resurfacing, $1.5 million for water infrastructure, $470,900 for South Bay’s Inland Port Road infrastructure, $1 million for the Pahokee Marina, and $1.47 million for the West Tech HVAC program.
On the education front, highlights include Palm Beach State College receiving a $9 million appropriation, which had been vetoed last year, to complete construction of the first phase of its new Loxahatchee Groves campus, and Florida Atlantic University receiving $3 million for a Life Sciences Building on its Jupiter campus. FAU’s Tech Runway also received $750,000 for economic development purposes. The Chain of Lakes Blueway Access Project, which would link the County’s waterways, received a $286,900 appropriation. The Lake Worth Lagoon, one of the waterways that would be linked, was allocated $2 million for preservation.
Finally, the County received needed beach restoration funding, including $191,492 for South Boca Raton Beach Nourishment Monitoring and $106,150 for North Boca Raton Shore Protection.