9 vie for 3 seats in Indian Trail district, 'epicenter of growth in the western communities'
THE ACREAGE — Nine candidates are competing for three seats on the Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors in the Aug. 23 primary election.
All races feature newcomers who could decide how the district, which covers 110 square miles and is home to about 40,000 people, is governed, including whether it should again consider incorporating into a city or town.
Two races have incumbents, one being the board president vying for re-election.
The two top candidates for each seat will face each other in the Nov. 8 general election, unless one secures 50% or more of the votes in the primary.
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Seat 1
Three newcomers are vying for the seat, left open when Jennifer Hager decided not to seek re-election after 12 years on the board.
Elizabeth Accomando, founder of the nonprofit Narky Pines Animal Rescue & Sanctuary in Loxahatchee, said she is making her first run for office to preserve the community's “rural, small-town feel.”
Development is changing the district, said Accomando, who moved to the area in 2013 from Broward County. “This community was designed to be equestrian and agricultural, and I want to see it remain that way.”
She wants to improve roads that she says are now burdened by commuters cutting through streets and to make them safer for vehicles, equines and pedestrians. Another priority is to upgrade the water drainage system as the roads and interior water canals flood when it rains.
As recently as last year, Indian Trail residents have considered whether to incorporate the district. That process would require a vote of district residents and the approval of the state legislature.
Accomando believes incorporation should go up for a public vote but opposes the annexation of the district to an adjoining city, such as Westlake. With incorporation, the board could apply for county and state funding instead of relying on the taxes of residents, she said.
Indian Trail has considered building a community center for indoor activities, with a cost as high as $9.8 million. Accomando hopes to see one but said paying for it it may put too much of a burden on property owners. Instead, she would like to see an expansion of current facilities such as the Hamlin House or the district's administrative building.
Benjamin Beerman, the assistant facility manager at the Jupiter Island Club, previously was an account manager for Property Works and has been in the facility and project management field for more than 20 years. If elected, Beerman said he aims to improve both the board's communication with residents and its management of projects.
“I believe in the importance of having a professional board with transparency, and fiscal accountability,” wrote Beerman to The Palm Beach Post.
He would support upgrades to the district's drainage and roads services but wants to focus on the maintenance of the community’s parks and equestrian trails.
Incorporation is a sensitive topic that should be voted on by district residents, he said. He declined to reveal his personal stance on the issue.
Beerman said residents deserve a community center but he would only approve the project if it has a comprehensive plan, including for its costs.
Jerrad Jablonski, owner of Jabrewski's Pizza Co. in Loxahatchee, says he is running for office to "bring new ideas to the board."
In terms of traffic, Jablonski wants to propose an extension to State Road 7 to Northlake Boulevard to relieve some of the vehicle congestions in the community. He also would focus on bringing more events and activities to the district's parks.
If elected, he would vote against the district's incorporation into a city or town.
“Preserving this community by keeping it unincorporated,” wrote Jablonski who graduated with a degree in criminal justice from Palm Beach State College.
Seat 3
Incumbent Joni Martin is vying for a second term is facing two political newcomers in the August election.
Martin said she would make infrastructure improvements, to the district's drainage system and roads, her priorities if re-elected.
Martin also said she wants to establish an agreement with the county, which controls all traffic signals, to allow the district to add more stop signs and determine the speed limit on its roads. She also would continue advocating for the completion of State Road 7, which now dead-ends at 60th Street North.
Upgrades to existing parks, such as adding new playground equipment and shaded structures, also are necessary, Martin said. The cost of the community center make it unfeasible right now, she said.
Last year, Martin said she opposed the push to incorporate Indian Trail because she didn’t feel the community was ready. She said the board must conduct a transparent evaluation of the pros and cons and seek out community input.
“I saw it create a big divide in our community,” Martin said. “I am not in favor of tearing our community apart, or supporting any other neighboring municipality trying to annex any portion of our district.”
Patricia “Patty” Farrell, an administrative assistant at The Dorchester condo in Palm Beach since 2015, has lived in Loxahatchee for the last 19 years and raised her four children there.
She said says she isn't naive to the growth of the community. She supports incorporation and said residents should vote on it.
“Development is unavoidable,” she said. “We must look at working with the developers and the county in order to keep our area as close to rural as we can.”
A community center, she says, is overdue. “We have such a wonderful community but nowhere for the children and families in the area to gather beside outdoor parks,” Farrell said.
Newcomer Grissel Ramos, who has lived in Loxahatchee for 16 years, also is running for Seat 3.
She said she favors incorporating into a city or town. Without it, the district doesn't have a fair representation and role in the county’s decision-making.
“If our community members want to have a say in how things are done, then incorporation is the only way,” Ramos said. “Otherwise, we will have to conform to whatever the county's vision for our area will be.”
If elected, Ramos said she will protect the "Lox life” while also supporting the development of the district.
She doesn't support the community center project because of the costs residents would have to cover. Instead, Ramos says, renovations to existing facilities such as the Hamlin House or the district's administrative office should have priority.
"I'm not convinced that a new community center is worth the cost to our taxpayers, especially in the current state of our economy," Ramos said.
Seat 5
District president Michael Johnson faces two other candidates in August, one of whom also ran for the seat four years ago.
Johnson was first elected to the board in 2018, two years after he settled in the area. He works in agriculture as the plant manager for Belle Glade's TKM Bengard Farms.
“Loxahatchee is the epicenter of growth in the western communities,” said Johnson, a native of Michigan.
Johnson says he is seeking re-election to see through several projects that started during his term. He wants to see the completion of road projects intended to calm traffic such as the upgrades underway on Seminole Pratt Whitney Road and Northlake and Orange boulevards.
Indian Trail's roads "are not meant to be cut-through roads for all of the surrounding cities,” said Johnson.
A member of Palm Beach County's Water Resource Task Force, he wants to focus on funding the Corbett levee, a key piece of flood control in the J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area north of the district.
Johnson said the board is working with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Agency, the South Florida Water Management District and the county to complete the project without burdening district residents with costs.
Johnson declined to comment on his stance on incorporation, saying it is up to the district's residents and not its board of supervisors.
He says the community center would benefit residents but the money for the project isn't there yet.
Also competing for Seat 5 is John Rivera, owner and operator of Sunshine Safe and Lock, who unsuccessfully ran against Johnson in 2018.
Rivera says he was motivated to run to see more representation of the equestrian community in the board. An area resident since 1999, he says that if elected, his main focus will be to unite the community.
“Currently there is too much divisiveness in our community. We need to hold more community events to bring fellow residents together," said Rivera, a native of Puerto Rico.
Rivera declined to comment on whether the district should incorporate but said residents should have the final say. When the issue arises again, he says, the board must clearly explain the pros and cons to the community.
“Transparency of this information will be key to seeing which direction the residents will want to go,” Rivera said.
He supports the goal of building a community center but would only vote in favor if the plan doesn't put a costly burden on residents.
Todd Wax, an Acreage resident since 1989, is also competing for Seat 5. It's his first bid for office.
A native of Michigan, Wax has worked for the village of Royal Palm Beach for 23 years and now is its plan review intake coordinator. He also owns Wax Electric.
“We have a steady growth of residents, which will continue to grow, and our infrastructure needs to support these people," Wax wrote to the Palm Beach Post.
If elected, he will limit his focus to improving the tasks assigned to the district: overseeing drainage, road safety and parks and recreation centers.
He opposes incorporation, citing a lack of benefits for residents. Wax says the district doesn't have a substantial commercial tax base to cover the cost of incorporation and the cost to run a municipality.
“Palm Beach County does a good job of providing all the necessary government to support our community,” Wax said. “We do not need another layer that will impose more rules, regulations, enforcement and, most importantly, higher taxes.”
A community center, he says, can wait. “We first need to make sure our current facilities, roads and drainage are at the level that is required to support our current residents,” Wax said.
Valentina Palm covers Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Loxahatchee and other western communities in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. Email her at vpalm@pbpost.com and follow her on Twitter at @ValenPalmB.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County Elections 2022: 9 seek 3 seats on Indian Trail board
