Strategic Priority: Environmental Stewardship

Strategic Focus Areas:

  • Management of Environmental Threats | The Town creates resilience to environmental (natural and man-made) threats by identifying and planning for immediate and future threats such as climate change impacts, pollution from pesticides and chemicals, invasive species, sewage/stormwater/garbage impacts, and intrusive new technologies. 
  • Sustainable Management of Town Assets | Promote sustainable management and enhancement of the Town of Palm Beach’s outstanding parks and natural environment through conservation and environmental protection.

Strategic Objectives:

  • Make land-related decisions harmoniously with the natural environment, always considering green space, beautification, and impacts on habitats and wildlife. 
    • Review and update adaptive safeguard methods identified through the Town’s Coastal Flood Vulnerability Assessment. 
    • Revise the Level-Up Palm Beach Coastal Resilience Implementation Plan to incorporate input from the Mayor and Town Council, as well as new data, in order to effectively mitigate potential impacts on both public and private property.
      • Seek state funding for capital improvement projects aligned with the Level-Up Palm Beach Coastal Resiliency Implementation Plan.
    • Manage the phased implementation of the Woods Hole Group’s resiliency study’s proposed solutions for mitigating rising sea-level impacts including freeboard for new construction, improvements, damaged properties, and seawall construction. 
    • Implement a long-term coastal protection plan. 
      • Construct shore protection projects following the Coastal Management Program’s adopted 10-year long-term plan. 
      • Monitor Beach Management Agreement (BMA) permit and obtain required Federal permits. 
      • Implement a GIS asset and aerial imagery database of Coastal Management. 
    • Protect and restore biodiversity across ecosystems (coastal, marine, terrestrial, and water) through education and healthy landscape practices.
    • Implement GIS asset layers of Recreation, Par-3, Phipps Ocean Park, and Marina assets. 
    • Ensure safe operations and minimize light pollution in coastal areas during sea turtle nesting season.
    • Manage and maintain street lighting, including preventative maintenance. 
    • Provide efficient yard waste collection and disposal service in a timely manner. 
    • Educate residents and businesses about recycling benefits to boost recycling volumes.
    • Increase awareness of environmental landscaping practices. 
    • Maintain and improve landscaping by standardizing irrigation and inspecting historic trees. 
    • Ensure environmental crimes and violations of Town Ordinances are enforced. 
      • Identify and enforce violations of law and ordinances relating to environmental crimes (e.g., illegal dumping, stormwater violations, sea turtle-related rules). 
      • Perform proactive patrols with Police Officers and Code Enforcement Officers to identify and prevent environmental crimes. 
    • Reduce the environmental impact of Fire Rescue operations. 
      • Replace gas-powered tools with electric alternatives, reducing emissions and improving reliability.
      • Convert small gas equipment into battery-powered equipment. 
      • Replace environmentally harmful and older formulations of firefighter foams with newer, non-toxic alternatives. 
      • Improve exhaust capture technologies for all diesel vehicles.
  • Enhance technology and prioritize digital solutions to minimize environmental impact while promoting paperless and cloud-based transactions, activities, and operations. 
    • Identify and evaluate new or application of existing technologies to enhance service delivery of phone calls, such as AI tools.
    • Identify and evaluate the Town’s communication systems to integrate, ensuring that updates are automatically shared across platforms. 
    • Implement the agenda and meeting management software transition. 
    • Develop a system for tracking legislation to effectively monitor and manage policy changes.
    • Optimize paperless public meeting materials.
    • Reduce printed forms and transition to an electronic workflow of documents.
    • Transition to a centralized network printer.
    • Implement paperless marina contracts with digital signatures.
    • Implement Play by Point and DaySmart for online booking. 
    • Convert EMS and Fire protocols, procedures, and standard operating guidelines to electronic format.
    • Digitize training forms, including sign-in rosters, school forms, and acting forms.
    • Streamline permitting efficiency for public and private projects by integrating with the online permitting software EPL. 
    • Implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)/ Human Resources Information System (HRIS). 
    • Reduce and recycle electronic waste, including equipment, batteries, shipping, and packing materials. 
    • Upgrade, configure, dispatch, and train field devices (iPads) for more efficient and effective management of Public Works operations. 
    • Upgrade CentralSquare’s Enterprise Asset Management (CS EAM) powered by Lucity work management application for Public Works to log, manage, track, and execute appropriate actions to maintain a safe and clean Town. 
    • Upgrade data center to reduce energy utilization by consolidating and using more energy-efficient technology.
    • Update GIS irrigation infrastructure data.
    • Plan and implement EAM GIS Asset Management.
  • Promote procurement practices that prioritize purchasing green products by adjusting purchasing requirements and sourcing products that align with green initiatives for sustainability. 
  • Champion Townwide transition away from single-use plastics throughout the workplace.
    • Reduce single-use water bottles for public meetings. 
    • Reduction of plastic utensils. 
    • Discontinue single-use plastics.
  • Identify and implement standards aligned with the Town’s Green Initiative, such as smart irrigation, energy-efficient equipment, and implementing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in Town parks, fields, and golf courses.
    • Identify areas affected by nematodes and replace the soil in those areas to minimize chemical use when rebuilding bunkers or re-leveling tees. 
    • Expand native/non-mow areas on the golf course to reduce carbon emissions and increase wildlife habitat.
    • Construct a properly designed chemical mixing station along with a washdown area for equipment. 
    • Continue to explore advancements in farming and agricultural technology to enhance efficiency in the course. 
    • Install sensors on mowers and equipment to measure water content, aiming to reduce water usage.
    • Transition most hand and backpack blowers to electric models, keeping gas blowers for special occasions. 
    • Transform the flower beds at the front of the clubhouse and the parking lot into butterfly gardens.
    • Eliminate invasive plant species from the golf course and replace them with native plants.
    • Introduce electric robot mowers gradually to decrease emissions and reduce noise pollution. 
    • Replace gas-powered field mowers with electric. 
    • Maintain the keeping of bees to promote pollinators and butterflies at the Par 3 (Hole in One Honey).
    • Explore adding an osprey nest to the course and the installation of a monitoring camera. 
    • Plan and implement GIS asset database of Town-wide irrigation asset network. 
    • Effectively and economically maintain Town grounds and rights-of-way while enhancing their appearance adhering to the Town’s Green Initiative Program. 
    • Explore natural landscaping opportunities. 
    • Preserve natural vegetation and trees. 
    • Explore opportunities to support the Town’s Green Initiatives. 
    • Explore native plant education and gardening.
    • Provide educational opportunities on native plants and environmental best practices through the website in collaboration with community partners.
    • Optimize the replacement of vehicles and equipment with environmentally friendly options while verifying vendor’s information to limit the town’s liability. 
    • Implement best practices to enhance efficiency by standardizing equipment, industry labor, and materials.
    • Kindness Rock Garden Project at Mandel Recreation Center.
    • Propagate native flora and fauna at Lake Drive Park.
  • Earn the Clean Marina Designation.
    • Implement measures to enhance the marina’s environmental sustainability.
  • Coordinate with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) to develop Sea Turtle Rescue response plans and assess certification options for Town responders.
  • Maintain Town-owned buildings, structures, and facilities efficiently, safely, and cost-effectively for the public and Town employees. 
  • Coordinate with Federal, State, County, and adjacent municipalities or agencies to protect and restore the existing coastal dune system and beaches along the Town’s beachfront and establish standards to minimize impacts resulting from beach erosion.