Mayor, City Commission Approvals and Decisions for Monday, Sept. 15

Published on September 16, 2025

West Palm Beach Mayor and City Commission Meeting Approvals and Decisions

WEST PALM BEACH, FL (September 16, 2025) – Below is a summary of the approvals and decisions made by the City Commission meeting on Monday, September 15, 2025.

MAYOR’S OFFICE – Proclaimed September 15 through October 15, 2025, as National Hispanic Heritage Month. Mayor Keith A. James and the members of the City Commission recognized six distinguished community leaders as 2025 Hispanic Heritage Honorees.

Mayor James presented a proclamation to honoree Caroline Villanueva, Director of External Affairs at Florida Crystals. Ms. Villanueva oversees a diverge range of projects that span across policy initiatives, economic development and fostering strong community relations. She is past president of the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches and secretary of Lakeside Health Advisory Board for the Palm Beach County Health Care District. Also, she serves on the boards of the United Way of Palm Beach County, Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce, Western Palm Beach County Farm Bureau and Lake Okeechobee Regional Economic Alliance.

Carolina Villanueva with Mayor Keith A. James

City Commissioner Cathleen Ward presented a proclamation to honoree Estrella Parada. A native of Spain, Ms. Parada is a manager and community liaison at Harrington Legal Alliance where she works with small business overs and understands their struggles. To advance small businesses, Ms. Parada opened Space Connect, a work-lounge that offers small businesses a “VIP experience,” including providing access to education, training, workshops, certifications and networking opportunities.

Estrella Parada and City Commissioner Cathleen Ward

City Commissioner Shalonda Warren presented a proclamation to honoree Father Frank O’Loughlin, founder of the Guatemalan-Maya Center and co-founder of the Hope Rural School. “Father Frank” emigrated from Ireland to South Florida 57 years ago and worked side-by-side with civil rights leader Cesar Chavez to organize farmworkers and secure better working conditions and wages. He remains a fearless and faithful advocate for the voiceless and the oppressed. Among his other duties, Father Frank heads the Migration and Refugee Services of the Archdiocese of Palm Beach.

Father Frank O'Loughlin and City Commissioner Shalonda Warren

City Commissioner Christy Fox presented a proclamation to honoree Michelle Oyola McGovern, vice president of Government and Regulatory Affairs at Comcast. In serving the community, Ms. McGovern is serving or has served as Chair of the Palm Beach County Commission on Women, trustee of the Pace Center for Girls Board, board member of The Orange Bowl Committee, and advocate for the Homeless Coalition of Palm Beach County. She has also contributed her leadership to the Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida, SunFest, West Palm 100, Leadership Florida, and the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches. In addition, she plays an instrumental role as an Executive Board member of the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County.

Michelle Oyola McGovern and City Commissioner Christy Fox

City Commissioner Joe Peduzzi presented a proclamation to honoree Rick Gonzalez. Mr. Gonzalez is a nationally recognized architect with over four decades of experience shaping landmark projects across Florida. Also, he is a recognized authority in historic preservation, provides expert witness testimony, consulting services, and advisory roles that influence both public and private sector decisions. Mr. Gonzalez’s leadership left a lasting mark with the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation where he currently serves as a Member Trustee Emeritus. Furthermore, his leadership has also earned him appointments to the Florida Historical Commission and the Florida Board of Architecture and Interior Design, as well as an appointment to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in 2020 by President Trump. That same year, he was honored with the Palm Beach AIA Gold Medal, the region's highest recognition for design excellence.

Rick Gonzalez and City Commissioner Joe Peduzzi

City Commission President Christina Lambert presented a proclamation to honoree Claudia Mendoza, a trailblazing entrepreneur, architect, and tireless advocate for the Hispanic community. She serves on the Palm Beach County Zoning Commission, the Board of Directors at Mounts Botanical Garden, and actively contributes to the Hispanic Heritage Chamber of Commerce and the Women’s Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Mendoza also is the host of her own radio show, Tiempo Real con Claudia Mendoza.

 Claudia Mendoza and City Commission President Christina Lambert

MAYOR’S OFFICE -- Approved a resolution approving the proposed public art works by Carolyn Salas and GT2P for the NORA District West Palm, commissioned by NORA Holdings, LLC to satisfy their public art requirement (1% escrow $795,045).

DEVELOPMENT SERVICES – Approved an ordinance after first public hearing regarding a Future Land Use Map Amendment to change the Future Land Use designation of approximately 2.46 acres located at 2410, 2460, and 2508 North Australian Avenue from Community Service (CS) and Commercial (C) to Multifamily (MF); and approved an ordinance after a first public hearing regarding a Rezoning to change the Zoning designation of approximately 2.46 acres located at 2410, 2460, and 2508 North Australian Avenue from Recreation and Open Space (ROS) and Neighborhood Commercial (NC) to Multifamily High Density Residential (MF32).

ENGINEERING – Approved a resolution approving a Mobility Improvement Assistance Agreement among WPB Mobility Coalition, Inc., the City of West Palm Beach, and the West Palm Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) commencing October 1, 2026, in the amount of $335,000 for three (3) years.

FINANCE – Approved a resolution updating the Comprehensive Fee Schedule for the City of West Palm Beach for Fiscal Year 2025/2026.

FIRE DEPARTMENT – Approved a resolution approving the submittal of an application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for a grant in the amount of $6,063,135 under the 2024 Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Program for the hiring of Firefighters.

HOUSING and COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT – Approved an ordinance after a first public hearing authorizing the sale of City-owned property located at 2410 N. Australian Avenue, in the amount of $660,000, for the development of an employee-based workforce housing project.

PUBLIC UTILITIES – Approved a resolution approving submittal to the State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection multiple applications to the Resilient Florida Grant Program.

For the complete list of approvals and decisions made at the Monday, September 15, 2025, Mayor and City Commission meeting, click here for the pass/fail agenda(PDF, 210KB) .