PALM BEACH COUNTY — At the Feb. 9, Board of County Commissioners meeting, the board took the following action:

COVID-19 – received a report from Dr. Alina Alonso, director of the Florida Department of Health-Palm Beach County and new Emergency Management Director Mary Blakeney on local COVID-19 mitigation efforts. Since last March, a total of 111,437 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Palm Beach County, with 5,759 hospitalizations and 2,269 deaths. To date, 49% of the county’s population (732,734 individuals) have been tested for COVID-19.

Vaccinations – Through Monday (Feb. 8), 190,770 people in Palm Beach County had been vaccinated: 134,970 receiving the first dose and 55,800 receiving both doses. Dr. Alonso noted there is no shortage of second doses of the vaccine. Those who received the first dose are advised to go to the same location to get their second shot, unless otherwise notified. Appointments are required for all COVID-19 vaccinations.

Lantana Airport – approved, with a notice of appeal, a modified corrective action plan required by the FAA for access to the Palm Beach County Park (Lantana) Airport by jet aircraft capable of utilizing Runway 10/28. The board unanimously agreed to contest the FAA’s determination that the county’s jet restriction at the general aviation airport is not grand-fathered under the Airport Noise and Capacity Act (ANCA) and violates the county’s federal grant obligations.

PBIA – approved an airport medical testing center agreement with Helix Virtual, Inc. (Helix) in the amount of $27,845 to lease 851 square feet of space at Palm Beach International Airport (PBIA) to provide COVID-19 testing and limited medical services to airport passengers and employees. The initial lease term is through September 30, 2021, with three, one-year renewals.

Henrietta Townhomes – approved a $3,590 HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) funding increase to New Urban Community Development Corporation, Inc. (NUCDC), and other revised terms, for Henrietta Townhomes, an 11-unit rental property in West Palm Beach. The property is at risk of foreclosure. The new HOME award will pay off the first mortgage held by the Florida Community Loan Fund, thereby preventing foreclosure and preserving affordable rental housing stock.

Right of way – approved a quit claim deed in favor of Judith A. Hoover releasing any county interest in a 15-foot strip of right of way within the Palm Beach Farms Co. plat. The narrow strip is the south half of a 30-foot right of way known as Hooper Road, located east of N. Benoist Farms Road, north of Southern Boulevard in unincorporated West Palm Beach. The conveyed property contains water utility lines and the owner agreed to grant a utility easement to the county for maintenance purposes.

Hideout Kitchen – approved a deadline extension to March 31, 2021, for LJL Food Management, Inc., doing business as the Hideout Kitchen & Café, to complete construction of improvements under its lease of restaurant space in the Governmental Center parking garage. LJL Food’s lease approved in July 2019 requires it to spend $130,000 on restaurant improvements including new HVAC, electrical, walk-in-cooler, cabinetry, countertops, flooring and fire sprinkler upgrades.

Regional planning – adopted a resolution supporting regional planning councils in Florida.

Water – adopted a resolution supporting the state’s activities to monitor, analyze, protect and restore the quality of water resources, as well as provide funding support to local governments.

In memoriam – read into the record a proclamation honoring the life of former state Rep. Richard A. Machek of Delray Beach, who passed away on January 26, 2021, at age 83.