Inspector General, Environmentalist Provide Updates at Community Forum

Commissioner Santamaria

Commissioner Santamaria

Inspector General Sheryl Steckler

JoAnne Davis, 1000 Friends of Florida

Commissioner Jess Santamaria held his monthly community forum on Oct. 19 at the original Wellington Mall. About 50 west-central area citizens and civic leaders attended.

Guest speakers were Palm Beach County Inspector General Sheryl Steckler and JoAnne Davis, community planner for 1000 Friends of Florida.

Steckler spoke for a little over an hour on some of her office’s key achievements in its first year of existence. The office was established in June 2010, and there are currently 16 employees assigned to investigations, contract oversight, auditing and administration.

Educating the public about the duties and responsibilities of the inspector general has been a top priority, Steckler said. From July 2010 through June 2011, Steckler and her staff attended 30 speaking engagements, conducted 11 training sessions, responded to 63 media contacts, and took more than 1,000 complaints and inquiries by phone, in writing and in person.

For a detailed breakdown of OIG activities, please see the status report posted on the OIG’s Web site, pbcgov.com/OIG. report

Davis gave an update on 1000 Friends of Florida’s efforts to reduce rock mining activity in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA). One lawsuit was won on appeal to the 4th District Court of Appeal, she said, and two other appeals are pending. Davis said her group is not opposed to rock mining, per se, they simply want companies to be required to monitor and test water quality near their mining sites and take corrective action if contamination has occurred.