Our Commission has acted to support our cause!

Dear friends and neighbors,

 At the Commission meeting on Tuesday, May 6, our Commissioners voted unanimously to take the first step of a long overdue journey.  They have agreed to file official inquiries with the Inspector Generals of the US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) regarding Hillsboro Beach's unnatural erosion issues.  This is very good news!  This was the goal of the petition that has recently been circulating through Town.

 The negative impact caused to our beach by the Deerfield Beach groins and the Boca Raton Inlet is a result of permits issued by the Corps and the DEP. Now, for the first time ever, the basis and propriety of these permits will be officially evaluated.  

 To start the process for contacting the Inspector Generals (IG¹s), Commissioners have asked Coastal Planning and Engineering (CPE), the engineering firm with which the Town contracts, to draft a letter to the IG's that includes input from Hillsboro Beach Advocates.  This letter is slated for presentation to the Commission at their next meeting, which will be held June 3rd.  Please keep in mind, this is only the first step of a very long process‹just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.  It will be necessary for US, the residents of Hillsboro Beach, to stay involved with this process every step of the way to ensure things keep moving through the necessary bureaucracy. 

 At the meeting, the Commission also passed a motion to pursue the establishment of an official advisory board regarding beach issues.  Theoretically, this board would add an element of residential involvement to our Town government.  The specifics for the advisory board will be discussed as an agenda item at the next Commission meeting.

 We have cleared the first hurdle in resolving our beach erosion issue‹our Commissioners agree we must address the root causes of the problem.  The Commission and residents can now speak with one voice.  It's important for us to support our Commission in their efforts, while assuring that progress continues.

 To those of you who have attended meetings on the issue and/or signed the petition, thank you VERY much.  And thank you also to those who attended the Commission meeting.  By filling every seat in Town Hall, we made quite an impact!   :-) 

 Hillsboro Beach Advocates will do our best to keep you up-to-date on new developments.  Have you heard?  We¹ve created a Œblog¹ that contains current and past news updates, information about beach erosion, and links to relevant sites.  Look for HillsboroBeachAdvocates.blogspot.com, where you can also sign up for automatic notices or give us feedback.

 If you are interested in becoming an information point-person for your building, please respond to this message and let us know.  We are shooting to have at least one person from each building taking information back to the folks in their building.  The President of each condo association, and/or a member of each board would be ideal.  In the meantime, please share this information with your neighbors as best you can.

 Thanks for your involvement! 

 Sincerely,

Hillsboro Beach Advocates

HillsboroBeachAdvocates.blogspot.com

 

(BTW, the first item on the agenda at the Commission meeting was to recognize the winner for the new Town by-line.  We are now officially known as "Town of Hillsboro Beach ‹ Florida's Magnificent Mile."  Very nice!)