Jesse Scheckner
Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman secured $19.18 million in state appropriations for House District 91 and its surrounding areas in Palm Beach County this past Session, including key earmarks for infrastructure, public safety, health care, environmental restoration and education.
That’s a record sum, a press note from her Office said.
“This funding is about results for our residents,” Gossett-Seidman said in a statement. “From clean water and community safety to support for seniors and our coastline, these projects make a real difference.”
Gossett-Seidman submitted nearly 40 local appropriation requests this year. Several scored major bucks.
Atop the list: $10 million set-aside — the full amount she sought — for a new Health Sciences Training and Research Facility at Florida Atlantic University, which feature labs, simulation and study spaces, and other amenities to train future health care professionals.
FAU notched another $450,000 for enrollment enhancement through another request Gossett-Seidman submitted, though the sum she originally asked for was markedly higher.
She also got $1 million for a road project along Spanish River Boulevard in Boca Raton, $494,100 for Rales Jewish Family Services, $400,000 for HabCenter Boca Raton and $250,000 for the continued development of a real-time crime center at the Delray Beach Police Department.
Palm Beach County scored funding for water infrastructure improvements too, thanks to Gossett-Seidman’s efforts, with new funding that includes $1.3 million for water main improvements in Lantana, $750,000 for drinking water infrastructure improvements in Boca’s Golden Harbor neighborhood and $525,700 to assess the Lake Worth Lagoon system.
“I always said I work for the people and the fish,” said Gossett-Seidman, who is known for her environmental advocacy, including since-passed legislation to protect state parks from commercial development and her sponsorship of the Safe Waterways Act, which would uniformize and speed water contamination warnings.
“Now I work for the people, the fish, and the monkeys — actually all zoo critters!”
That’s in reference to $950,000 she also obtained for habitat and security enhancements at the Palm Beach Zoo.
Gossett-Seidman, a Republican, said her latest haul underscores her reputation as a results-oriented legislator with strong, bipartisan credentials. She is a former Highland Beach Commissioner and is now in her second term in the House, where she has championed legislation on beach preservation, mental health care and hurricane preparedness.
So far, her Office said she’s gotten more than $30 million in appropriations for projects in and around HD 91, which covers a southern portion of Palm Beach County including Boca Raton and parts of Highland Beach and West Boca.
“Every dollar reflects a priority we fought for — whether it’s helping vulnerable neighbors, protecting our coast, or improving our quality of life,” she said. “This is what leadership in action looks like.”
