Palm Beach County commissioners voted unanimously to adopt a rewritten small‑business ordinance intended to simplify certification and make contracting preferences more consistent across county procurements.

The ordinance, presented by county staff, updates definitions, moves operational detail into a policies and procedures manual, raises evaluation preferences to represent up to 15% of total solicitation points on a sliding scale, and tightens commercially useful function (CUF) and domicile rules intended to ensure firms credited as local actually perform the work. Jonathan Brown, presenting for the Office of Small Business Development, said the changes will preserve active solicitations during a structured transition and provide clearer compliance tools for county departments.

Local small‑business owners who testified praised the changes. “We're the small engine of this county,” said Joe Sarkis of Boulder Construction, speaking in support of the ordinance. Veronica Vidal, a two‑decade county business owner, told commissioners the package will remove barriers and help businesses win contracts.

Vice Mayor Woodward and other commissioners pressed staff for specifics on the goal‑setting committee changes and whether thresholds from earlier ordinance versions were preserved. Staff confirmed previously adopted amendments remain in force, that airport projects are now included in goal‑setting discussions, and that the advisory committee will change from 15 members to a mix of district appointees and four at‑large seats. Staff said the change to advisory appointments does not require appointees to live in a particular commissioner's district; it simply designates which commissioner makes each appointment.

Commissioners also discussed removing dollar thresholds that previously limited when evaluation preferences could be applied; staff said the caps at $500,000 and $5,000,000 have been removed to allow preferences on larger solicitations as small businesses grow. Commissioner Woodward emphasized the need to ensure certified firms actually win work and urged stronger handoffs between certification and prime contractors on solicitation opportunities.

After questions and public comment, Commissioner Flores moved to approve the ordinance; the motion carried unanimously. Staff said the board will monitor implementation and that more procedural details will be handled in the policies manual during the transition period.