The Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners on December 1 approved an update to the county's Office of Small Business Development (OSBD) ordinance intended to simplify certification, clarify domicile and commercially useful function rules, and standardize scoring that favors small, local firms.

The board approved staff's ordinance amendments after a presentation from Jonathan Brown and OSBD staff outlining multiple changes: streamlining documentation for certification, moving detailed procedures into the policies and procedures manual, applying SBE evaluation preferences as 15% of the total available scoring on a sliding scale, and strengthening monitoring and good-faith-effort requirements.

Supporters from the local small-business community urged the board to approve the measure. "I think that will help all of us and open the door for local business to grow," said Joe Sarkis of Boulder Construction, who testified in favor of the ordinance. Veronica Bridal, a Palm Beach County business owner and former OSBD board member, told commissioners she had used the office's tools for two decades and welcomed the proposed improvements.

Commissioners asked staff how the revisions would affect previous changes to SBE thresholds and committee membership; staff said thresholds remain the same, but the ordinance removes outdated caps tied to solicitation sizes so SBE evaluation preferences and subcontracting goals can apply more consistently across procurements. The goal-setting committee will be reduced in size and updated to include airports as a standing member.

The board moved, seconded and approved the ordinance (vote 7-0). Staff said active solicitations would continue under current rules during a structured transition period and that underwriters and procurement teams would help implement the administrative changes.

Commissioners and small-business advocates emphasized follow-up implementation: tracking how many certified firms win contracts, monitoring waivers, and ensuring bonds of communication between OSBD and procurement departments so certified firms can connect with prime contractors. Staff committed to outreach, clearer documentation and a public appeals process.

The ordinance is intended to preserve competitive procurement while increasing access for qualified local businesses. The county clerk will post the ordinance per regular procedure; staff said advisory committee appointments and policy detail will follow in the policies and procedures manual.