Page 5 - The Shores of Jupiter - February '24

The Shores, Page 5
northern notes

nonnative Species and as they become owned property. They asked that all landowners be made
used to different
aware of the following.
hunting On northern climates. iguanas, Please be advised that, while permissible on private
Burmese pythons,
property with permission, hunting an invasive species
property tegus, Cuban tree is expressly prohibited on real property owned by the
frogs, cane toads, Northern Palm Beach County Improvement District.
By Katie Roundtree, Muscovy ducks, This property includes lakes, canals, parks and preserves
Director of Finance and and Egyptian geese owned by Northern. The only exception is state-licensed
Administration, Northern are other commonly trappers authorized by Northern to trap and remove wild
Palm Beach County encountered invasive hogs, threatening alligators, or other invasive species.
Improvement District species in our area. The FWC asks that the public report sightings of
Northern Palm Beach Nonnative species nonnative species. Reporting observations helps to
County improvement District are not protected in manage nonnative species. The best reports of nonnative
(“Northern”) owns over Florida except by species are credible reports. These are reports that the
2,000 acres of preserves, the anti-cruelty law, FWC can verify for the species in question, and all
approximately 50 miles of Florida Statute § 828.12. They can be captured and necessary data is included. Credible reports contain three
canals, and more than 370 humanely killed on private property at any time with elements.
water bodies with associated landowner permission. The Florida Fish and Wildlife • A photograph showing the animal in question that is
maintenance areas or easements. An abundance of native Conservation Commission (FWC) recommends contacting not blurry and has a high enough resolution so that it can
animals and plant species reside in those areas. Northern’s a nuisance wildlife control operator if concerned about be enlarged to ensure species identification
staff take pride in ensuring their continued success. invasive species on their property. A list of trappers can • The location where the animal was seen. GPS
Unfortunately, nonnative species also encroach and be found at MyFWC.com/Trappers. coordinates are best, but the location can also be a street
reside in many of the same areas. While some do not cause A recent incident involving the shooting of Egyptian address or a detailed description of the area.
problems, others are considered invasive, meaning they geese on the bank of a lake owned by Northern Palm • The date when the animal was seen
negatively impact native fish and wildlife, cause extensive Beach County improvement District was brought to the You can use the web form at iveGot1.org to report
damage, or threaten human health and welfare. attention of Northern’s staff and Board of Supervisors. nonnative animals. The form will prompt you for the
As discussed last month, wild hogs are one type of During a recent board meeting, the Board members information and has a map where you can select the
invasive species whose population continues to expand discussed the hunting of invasive species on Northern- location if you do not have the GPS coordinates.
npdeS tip: Don’t feed wildlife, especially near ponds,
lakes, and streams. Attracting a large amount of wildlife
Clerk alert to one location can lead to an increase in nutrients and
bacteria level from wildlife waste. This can contribute to
the pollution of our lakes and streams.
making your Tax dollars discuss strategy and monitor portfolio performance. This
allows us to maximize investment earnings while ensuring
Work as hard as you do that tax dollars are protected.
Our investment team is guided by the county investment
Palm Beach County’s policy, developed by our in-house professionals and the
investment portfolio has county’s investment policy committee. That policy
enjoyed record-setting governs what type of investments our team can make
returns in 2023, earning and provides guidelines related to risk management and
a record $172 million in reporting requirements.
investment income for the In technical terms, the portfolio benefited from money
fiscal year that ended on invested in short, fixed income investments tied to rising
Sept. 30. interest rates. This fueled the portfolio’s growth, with
This income is money investment income for the 2023 fiscal year reaching its
that Palm Beach County highest point ever – more than five times the $32.6 million
will use to help ease of income earned in fiscal year 2022.
the financial burden on investment balances are at an all-time high, peaking at over
taxpayers, supporting vital services such as community $4.5 billion, and include conservative financial instruments
centers, public safety and parks. such as certificates of deposit, money market accounts, small
How did we achieve such strong growth this past fiscal business administration pools and israel bonds.
year? To put it simply, in my role as comptroller i lead a in addition to our role as comptroller, we play a crucial
team of investment professionals who safeguard and invest role in maintaining accurate and transparent county
county tax dollars. Unlike many other counties, our finance records. We are committed to providing our community
team operates entirely in-house, which gives us greater with information to help people understand how their tax
control and flexibility over our investments. money is being invested and spent.
Our investment team – which includes me, Treasurer Visit www.mypalmbeachclerk.com/countyfinances
Felicia Landerman, investment Analyst John Burford and for investment information and to review other county
Radcliffe Brown, our chief operating officer of finance – financial reports.
combined have eight decades of professional investment My team is dedicated to making sure that your tax
experience. Our investment team earned certification from dollars work as hard as you do. if you have any questions,
the Centre for Fiduciary Excellence (CEFEX) for the last do not hesitate to contact my office.
15 consecutive years. Regards,
Together, we have positioned Palm Beach County at the Joseph Abruzzo,
forefront of investment opportunities, meeting weekly to Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller

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