Government Affairs Committee

THE GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE - STATE ROAD 7 EXTENSION

The Florida Department of Transportation is conducting a Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study to extend SR 7 from its current termination point at Okeechobee Boulevard to Northlake Boulevard in Palm Beach County, Florida. The extension of State Road 7 will have an enormous economic development impact and will increase connectivity of and to the western corridors serviced by the Florida's Turnpike and the I-95 corridor.  This project has united the Central Western Communities and the membership of the Palms West Chamber of Commerce and is of utmost importance to both. 

Please attend the March 21, 2012 SR7 Extension FDOT Public Forum at the Palm Beach Expo Center, 5:30 PM and for the latest news, project-related information, and schedule, click here to go to the State Road 7 website. 

Click here to view our State Road 7 Resolution from 2000

Click here to view our State Road 7 Resolution from 2007

THE GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE - ADVOCACY IN ACTION

The Government Affairs Committee closely monitors legislative and administrative activities pending or being studied at the national, state, county and local levels of government to further the mission of the Chamber, creating and supporting a business friendly environment conducive to economic development and the retention and expansion of existing businesses enhancing the quality of life in our service area.

Past initiatives include advocating to our county, state and federal representatives for specific shovel-ready projects in hopes of winning economic stimulus funding.  We also successfully supported a specific rental development which included both workforce housing and commercial components.   We urged local taxing authorities to adopt the best practices cited in the National Advisory Council on State and Local Budgeting guidelines for the Government Finance Officers Association in an effort to efficiently and effectively manage resources and precious tax dollars.  We are members of, and have hosted presentations by, the Business Development Board in hopes of attracting employers considering relocation or expansion in our community and we have hosted a presentation by the Housing Leadership Council in hopes of positioning our members to take the most advantage of neighborhood stabilization funding for our area.

More recently, the committee developed and advocated positions to promote an expedited review process for land development by local governments and to encourage the use of local area vendors and contractors in procurement and contracting.  The Committee also carefully reviewed and considered the 57 page Palm Beach County Grand Jury Report on county governance and public corruption issues, setting in motion a resolution supporting the findings of the report, which was delivered to the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners.

The Chamber regularly hosts events featuring candidates running for Public Office. The chamber does not endorse any candidate but does provide venues for its members and the public at large to meet and get to know government officials and their positions better. 

Any member of The Palms West Chamber of Commerce are invited to consider becoming a part of the Government Affairs Committee. For more information, please call Gina Rascati at (561) 798-5498 or send an e-note to Gina@RASIappraiser.com