At its meeting on Thursday, Oct. 28, the Palm Beach County Legislative Delegation tabled consideration of a local bill allowing a referendum on Acreage incorporation until its next meeting on Dec. 8.
The bill would authorize a public referendum on whether to approve a charter for the “Village of Loxahatchee,” a name created in a poll for an area including most of the populated portions of the Indian Trail Improvement District.
State Rep. Rick Roth (R-District 85), the bill’s primary sponsor, proposed delaying the bill over conflicts that have developed.
ITID was authorized by the state legislature earlier this year to conduct a feasibility study on incorporation and draft a proposed charter to be put to a public referendum. That bill was supported by the delegation in January 2021.
“This is obviously a controversial issue,” Roth said. “It has been in the news a lot lately. We’ve been working with the citizens of the area. A lot of great things have taken place; a lot of controversy, too.”
He said the postponement would allow people to fully understand what the potential problems are with the bill as currently written.
“We are now tabling the bill with the idea that there is going to be a change, and we want to make sure there’s plenty of time,” Roth said. “Everybody needs to know what’s going on. Everybody needs to know what the bill will do, and, therefore, we’re postponing it until Dec. 8.”
State Rep. Matt Willhite (D-District 86) asked Delegation Chair State Rep. Mike Caruso (R-District 89) and the legislative delegation’s executive director to communicate the process and make sure that all concerned parties are notified when the issue is coming up. “This is a big issue of the area,” Willhite said.
Caruso said he will make sure that communication is very clear. The delegation voted unanimously to postpone a decision on the bill to Dec. 8.
Should the Palm Beach County Legislative Delegation support the local bill, it would be introduced in Tallahassee, where it would still need to gain approval by both houses of the legislature. If approved during the 2022 session, the referendum would likely be held in November 2022.
Learn more about the Palm Beach County Legislative Delegation at https://discover.pbcgov.org/legislativeaffairs/pages/legislative_delegation.aspx.
