Page 13 - Jupiter Spotlight - October '23

Jupiter Spotlight, Page 13
Commissioner’s Update
Water Works
By Commissioner
Maria Marino
Water, an element we
cannot live without, is
something Florida receives
a lot of, especially through
the summer rainy season,
adding up to an annual
rainfall of about 4½ feet on
average. This abundance of
water presents challenges to
improving systems to store,
filter, and send it to where it is needed most, rather than
letting it flow out to the ocean.
In 1985, the U.S. Department of Interior designated the
northwest fork of the Loxahatchee River for inclusion in
the Federal Wild & Scenic River system, recognizing its
2024
Information regarding
ticket on-sale dates, pricing, and
available packages will be
announced at a later date.
essential habitats supporting a wide spectrum of ecological areas and reservoirs. Mecca Farms, a site just north of
resources. In the decades to follow, the South Florida Northlake Boulevard on Seminole Pratt Whitney Road
Water Management District (SFWMD) embarked on a will serve as one of the water storage areas. Additionally,
plan, in collaboration with local government and drainage rock pits owned by Palm Beach Aggregates on the north
districts to create additional water storage in the L-8 canal side of Southern Boulevard at Twenty-Mile Bend are the
basin in order to protect and restore the Loxahatchee River. site of a multiphase public/private project comprising the
Components of the Lower East Coast Regional Water C-51 Reservoir.
Supply Plan affecting Northern Palm Beach County – Local government agencies have contributed expertise
including Loxahatchee River restoration – are part of the and funding to plan and implement features of the overall
vast Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project, led project, such as the L-8 reservoir, purchasing and restoring
by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. wetlands to connect the flow of water, construction of
Project goals seek to capture water flows through canals control structures and pumps, and increasing capacity.
and basins to meet drinking water demands; recharge These agencies include Palm Beach County, the City of
canals and wells; reduce discharge to tide; treat/filter water West Palm Beach – whose drinking water supplies relies
headed to the Loxahatchee River and the Lake Worth on adequate levels of filtered water in Grassy Waters
Lagoon; and, reduce flooding. Preserve, Indian Trail Improvement District, SFWMD,
Water managers and project engineers have determined South Indian River Water Control District, Lake Worth
that these goals are achievable by utilizing wetlands under Drainage District, and Pal Mar Water Control District.
conservation and by constructing stormwater treatment The county also receives input on options studied and
recommended through its Water Resources Task Force
Advisory Board, and the Loxahatchee River Management
Coordinating Council.
Local initiatives rely on financial support from state
and federal partners. Recently, Palm Beach County
levee at the southeast side of the J.W. Corbett Wildlife
received a $7.7 million grant from the Florida Department
of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to upgrade the
Management Area, which will reduce the risk of flooding
in the Acreage and Loxahatchee communities within the
Indian Trail Improvement District.
Additionally, FDEP awarded grants totaling $113
million to the county toward the construction of Cells 12
and 13 of Phase II of the C-51 Reservoir. The L-8 Canal
sends water from Lake Okeechobee into our region.
Once these cells are fully connected to the L-8 Canal, the
reservoir will be capable of providing water to restore the
northwest fork of the Loxahatchee River and connected
wetlands, combat salt water intrusion by canal recharge,
and increase water supply.
Each of these costly and complex projects are pieces of the
overall puzzle to effectively store, filter and manage water,
while enhancing our natural environment, and as you can
see, requires the help of numerous stakeholders to achieve.
At the end of the day, water is a precious resource and
our county continually needs to think outside the box to aid
in water management strategies. As a man stated recently
at a county commission public hearing, water is life.
Please contact me if I can assist you at (561) 355-2201
or by email at mmarino@pbcgov.org.
It’s The Law!
Did You Know That, In Florida…
By Adam S. Gumson, Esq.
Florida law allows both
voluntary and involuntary
guardianships . A
voluntary guardianship
may be established for
an adult who, though
mentally competent, is
incapable of managing his
or her own estate and who
voluntarily petitions for the
appointment. A plenary
guardian is a person appointed by the court to exercise
all delegable legal rights and powers of the adult ward
after the court makes a finding of incapacity. Wards in
plenary guardianships are, by definition, unable to care
for themselves.
Life insurance proceeds are payable to the named
beneficiary and are exempt from creditor claims of an
estate unless the policy provides otherwise.
Real estate purchased prior to a marriage may not
always be considered a nonmarital asset if marital funds
were used for mortgage payments. It is important to
maintain good records so that you can trace the funds
and show that no monies were commingled.
Signing a revocable trust is only part of the solution to
avoid probate. A trust must be funded, meaning that assets
should be transferred or titled in the name of the trust or the
trust should be designated as a beneficiary.
Jupiter Law Center is a private neighborhood law firm
located in the RiverPlace Professional Center, 1003 W.
Indiantown Road, Suite 210, Jupiter, Fla., (561) 744-4600,
jupiterlawcenter.com. The firm provides peace of mind by
solving problems with integrity and compassion in the areas
of estate and business planning; probate, guardianship and
trust administration; probate and guardianship for personal
injury firms; family law; and real estate.