BAKER: PB COUNTY ECONOMY ‘ON FIRE’

The economy — and the housing market — are “on fire” in Palm Beach County, Administrator Verdenia Baker said in her annual State of the County address at the Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting Wednesday morning.

“No one wants to go to a location where nothing’s happening,” Baker told audience members at the Marriott Hotel in Palm Beach Gardens. “We are on fire in Palm Beach County.”

Unemployment is down, the housing market is tight and money is flowing in from the increase in the county’s sales tax, said Baker in comments that also touched on the county’s work to address the opioid crisis, the aftermath of Hurricane Irma and the new Brightline rail system.

“Economic indicators continue to point to a growing and stable economy,” Baker said.

So far, the county has collected $64 million from the sales tax increase voters approved in 2016, Baker said. About $40 million of that has been spent so far, much of it on road and bridge work.

Tourism is booming. Last year, 7.5 million people visited the county, according to figures Baker shared with the audience.

The only dark cloud Baker pointed to in her speech is the continuing challenge of providing affordable housing to middle income professionals, a problem she said she and her staff will continue to address.

“We are a desirable place to live, work and play, and people are recognizing that,” she said.