Mayor / City Commission Approvals and Decisions for Sept. 30, 2024

Published on October 01, 2024

West Palm Beach City Commission Meeting Approvals and Decisions

WEST PALM BEACH, FL (October 1, 2024) – Below is a summary of the approvals and decisions made by the City Commission meeting on Monday, September 30, 2024.

MAYOR’S OFFICE – Mayor Keith A. James proclaimed September 15, 2024, through October 15, 2024 as National Hispanic Heritage Month in the City of West Palm Beach. In honor of the month, the Mayor and each commissioner selected, and named one member of the City as a 2024 Heritage Honoree and presented each with a proclamation.

2024 Heritage Honorees accepting proclamations included:

Originally from Honduras, Kelsey Burke was one of the first “DREAMers” to be admitted to the Florida Bar after a 2015 law was passed by the Florida Legislature allowing residents who were granted Temporary Protective Status (TPS) by the U.S. Government to practice law in the State of Florida. Ms. Burke is a personal injury lawyer with Personal Injury of Florida law firm. Ms. Burke was named a 2024 Heritage Honoree by Mayor Keith A. James.  

Mayor Keith A. James with Honoree Kelsey Burke.

Originally from Mexico, Will Davis is the owner of Day by Day Shoppe in Northwood Village. A long-time resident of the City, Mr. Davis served as a former chef, server, teacher and audiologist assistant before opening the Day by Day Shoppe. Mr. Davis and his long-time partner, Matthew Chambers, were the first same-sex couple to be married in West Palm Beach. He was honored by City Commission President Cathleen Ward.

Commission President Cathleen Ward with Honoree Will Davis.

Mirtha Chaparro was presented the 2024 Heritage Proclamation by City of West Palm Beach Hispanic Liaison Armando Fana. Mr. Fana presented the proclamation on behalf of City Commissioner Lambert who was unable to attend the meeting. Ms. Chaparro is a teacher and advisor for the Latinos in Action student group at Forest Hill High School. She is originally from Cuba. 

Hispanic Liaison and Assistant City Administrator Armando Fana with Honoree Mirtha Chaparro.

Originally from Argentina, Ms. Savietto is the newly elected District 2 School Board Member on the School District of Palm Beach County. For the past six years, she has been the Administrative Assistant to Palm Beach County Commissioner Gregg K. Weiss. City Commissioner Shalonda Warren chose Ms. Savietto as her Honoree.

Commissioner Shalonda Warren with Honoree Virginia Savietto.

Suzy Diaz is a first-generation U.S. Citizen. She served as executive director of the Bak Middle School of the Arts Foundation and a former long-time City of West Palm Beach employee. She was elected to the Greenacres City Council in March 2022.  She serves as an Advisory Council member for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Palm Beach County, a member of the board for the Hispanic Human Resource Council and is an active member of the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches. City Commissioner Christy Fox named Ms. Diaz as her 2024 Heritage Honoree.

Commissioner Christy Fox with Honoree Greenacres City Councilwoman Susy Diaz.

Originally from Puerto Rico, Pastor Christian Ramos has been an active member of the West Palm Beach community since he was 15 years old. Pastor Ramos has been serving the Family Church in Downtown West Palm Beach for two decades and helped plant churches in three counties. He serves as the Family Church’s teaching pastor. City Commissioner Joe Peduzzi chose Pastor Ramos as an Honoree. 

Commissioner Joe Peduzzi with Honoree Pastor Christian Ramos.

MAYOR’S OFFICE – Approved an ordinance after second public hearing amending the code of ordinances at Chapter 94, Article XIII "Sign Regulations" to designate wayfinding signage or kiosks as an "unregulated sign."

CITY ATTORNEY – Approved a resolution authorizing the assessment of City liens in the total amount of $113,118.62 for unpaid water service, sewer service, and stormwater service charges for the month of June 2024; approved a resolution approving a Conditional Settlement Agreement totaling $145,000 in the matter of Jonathon Hatcher vs. The City of West Palm Beach stemming from an incident on or about August 29, 2019; approved a resolution approving a Conditional Settlement Agreement totaling $40,000 in the matter of Marc A. Schwarz vs. The City of West Palm Beach stemming from a damage claim from an accident that occurred on or about January 12, 2023; approved an ordinance after a second public hearing amending Chapter 54 to repeal aggressive solicitation regulations and to amend public camping and sleeping regulations to be consistent with case law and 2024 amendments to Section 125, Florida Statutes.

DEVELOPMENT SERVICES – Approved an ordinance after first public hearing regarding a text amendment at Chapter 94 (Zoning and Land Development Regulations) of the Code of Ordinances, Article VII (Special Districts), Section 94-209 (Mixed-use Districts), to increase the maximum allowable height encroachment for Mechanical Rooms & Equipment in the Currie Mixed-use District (CMUD); approved a resolution after public hearing regarding the approval of a Minor Subdivision to create the 575 South Rosemary Apartments plat consisting of one (1) development tract of approximately 1.8 acres located at 575 South Rosemary Avenue; approved a resolution after public hearing to abandon a 15-foot wide alley (7,534 square feet) east of North Dixie Highway and 125 feet south of Pine Street on behalf of WPB Pine Acquisition; approved a resolution after a public hearing for a Class A Special Use Permit to construct a 205-foot-long residential dock at 5210 Essex Court; approved a resolution after a public hearing for a Class A Special Use Permit to construct a 205-foot-long residential dock at 5300 Essex Court.

FINANCE – Approved a resolution approving the City of West Palm Beach Title VI Program to be submitted to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and Federal Transit Administration (FTA).

HUMAN RESOURCES – Approved a resolution plan establishing the City's Salary Plan for Fiscal Year 2024-2025; approved a resolution relating to the ratification of successor Collective Bargaining Agreements between the City of West Palm Beach and the West Palm Beach Association of Firefighters, I.A.F.F. Local 727, Certificate Numbers 235 and 1619 for the period of October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2027.

PARKS and RECREATION – Approved a resolution accepting and appropriating funds in the amount of $3,771 from the Early Learning Coalition of Palm Beach County funded by the ARPA Provider Stabilization Subgrant to support the City's out-of-school program and operations at Pleasant City Community Center and South Olive Park Community Center.

PUBLIC UTILITIES – Approved a resolution amending the Water and Sewage System revenue fund budget to recognize a formula voucher from the United States Department of Energy 2021 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant to provide appropriations for the City of West Palm Beach Fleet Electric Vehicle Charging Stations project.

For the complete list of approvals and decisions made at the Monday, September 30, 2024, City Commission meeting, click here for the pass/fail agenda.