Tallahassee Update: Lake Worth Beach scores $1.5 million for water projects

Florida DOGE requests city spending data ahead of 2026 property tax debate

Two important Lake Worth Beach water projects got a $1.5 million boost from the state legislature this year.

Lawmakers approved $750,000 each for a new dual-zone monitoring well at the city water plant and stormwater improvements on South Dixie Highway near 10th Avenue South.

On top of that, the city will benefit from a Palm Beach County project that received $525,000 in state appropriations to improve the Lake Worth Lagoon.

“This, I think, was the most successful year for appropriations in the city of Lake Worth's, maybe, history,’’ the city’s lobbyist, Jared Rosenstein of Capital City Consulting, told city commissioners on Sept. 2.

“The fact that we were able to come away with not just the two projects we asked for but then a bonus project is a huge win for the taxpayers here,’’ he said.

The dual-zone well, required by the state Department of Environmental Protection, measures water quality at two depths or “zones” within the same well bore, city officials said. Instead of drilling two separate wells for shallow and deeper aquifers, a dual-zone setup allows a utility to evaluate both zones independently in one structure.

The stormwater improvements will reduce flooding along South Dixie Highway from Eighth Avenue South to Tenth Avenue South.

Rosenstein gave credit to Sen. Mack Bernard and State Rep. John Snyder for helping usher the bills through the approval process.

“It's been a long time coming for me to come back here and kind of do a victory lap with all of you guys,’’ he told city commissioners. “It was a very successful all around team effort.’’

The city’s lobbyist also offered a heads-up about next year, when Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to ramp up his efforts to reduce property taxes for homeowners. The governor has said he wants to put a constitutional amendment about property taxes on the ballot in 2026.

“The property tax debate is going to be lively next year. It’s going to be very aggressive,’’ Rosenstein said.

Central to the property tax reduction effort, he said, is the Florida Department of Government Efficiency, which has been asking counties and cities for financial information.

Lake Worth Beach has complied with three Florida DOGE requests this summer.

“They can't force you to do anything. They can audit you. They can tell the public about bad things cities supposedly are doing but they can't do anything about it,’’ Rosenstein said.

“The whole crux of this is to bolster their argument on the removal of property taxes: ‘Cities and counties are misusing ad valorem revenue and we should do something about it.’ DOGE is the mechanism to make that argument,’’ he said.

Coming up: The City Commission will host its first budget hearing at 5 p.m. on Sept. 11. Click here for more information.