By Rich Pollack
Over the course of its 74-year history, the town of Highland Beach had never received any state funding through the appropriation process.
The 3-mile-long coastal town came close last year, before Gov. Ron DeSantis took out his veto pen and deleted more than $1 million in requests from the town for drainage improvements, crosswalk lighting and construction of a fire station.
This year, however, the long dry spell was broken with the town receiving a $250,000 appropriation that will be used to help ensure that its wastewater system is better prepared to address sea level rise or any other issue that could bring water levels up.
The appropriation to Highland Beach was among several received by municipalities and nonprofit organizations in southeastern Palm Beach County.
Many of the state Legislature-approved appropriations that avoided the governor’s veto centered on infrastructure improvements with water and sewer projects.
Some road improvement projects also received funds, as did programs that address mental health issues.
Boca Raton received $2.7 million, one of the highest appropriations in the state, for three separate projects, including $1.4 million for improvements to drinking water lines in the Old Floresta area.
While Highland Beach and Boca Raton are seen by some state lawmakers outside the area as wealthy municipalities that don’t need state assistance, state Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman (R-Highland Beach) says she worked to change that perception.
“Boca Raton and Highland Beach deserve a portion of the state’s direct funding because other municipalities in north and central Florida have been blessed with funding for years,” said Gossett-Seidman, who worked with state Sen. Lori Berman (D-Boynton Beach) on the Highland Beach and Boca Raton requests.
The town of Lantana, with the help of state Rep. Mike Caruso (R-West Palm Beach), received $1.2 million for 2.8 miles of water main replacement. Some of the pipes, Caruso said, date to as far back as 1962 and are made of asbestos and cement.
Among projects that didn’t receive funding was a request from Delray Beach for $1 million to help fund a major public sea wall improvement project. Most of the sea walls in the project have reached the end of their designed lives and need to be repaired.
Delray Beach City Manager Terrence Moore said he’s disappointed but will keep looking for funding for the project.
“We will regroup, reevaluate and consider other options,” he said.
Highland Beach’s project, like the one Delray Beach is moving ahead with, is designed to better prepare the community for expected sea level rise.
“We have some serious infrastructure issues to be addressed considering we’re on a barrier island,” said Mayor Natasha Moore.
The Highland Beach project, funded by the appropriation, will help the town raise its lift stations safely above sea level. Two of the town’s six lift station are below State Road A1A.
Gossett-Seidman, a former Highland Beach town commissioner, also helped get $2.8 million in state funding for the ongoing water quality improvement to the Lake Worth lagoon and Bonefish Cove, near the town of Palm Beach.
“The project, begun years ago, enhances the habitat for manatees, sea turtles, fish, oyster beds and other indigenous sea life so they may coexist in a healthy lagoon,” she said.
She also helped secure $625,000 in funding for two nonprofit organizations in South County that provide mental health services and $318,000 for the Florida Caregiving Youth program.
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