Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Lobbyist Registration topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission approves annual lobbyist-registration fee with CPI adjustment and five-year review
Summary
Palm Beach County commissioners approved changing the lobbyist registration fee from a one-time $25 to an annual $100 per principal, and amended the ordinance to add CPI indexing and a five-year revisit; commissioners debated fee level and administrative details before voting 6–1.
County staff presented a proposed amendment to the county’s lobbyist-registration ordinance that would replace the existing one-time $25 fee with an annual $100 fee per principal, effective Oct. 1, 2026. Staff said the change is intended to clean and maintain an accurate lobbyist database and to align the county’s practice more closely with state registration procedures.
Commissioners questioned the fee level and administrative handling. Commissioner Joel Flores and others suggested a higher fee (e.g., $200) might be appropriate; Commissioner Gregg Weiss asked whether the new revenue projection (from approximately $9,000 to $36,000) would cover administrative costs. Staff said the county has an existing system and that the $100 annual fee would generate projected revenue and allow yearly cleanups of the list.
After discussion, a substitute motion to approve the ordinance as amended to include a CPI adjustment and a periodic review (five years) passed, with votes recorded as 6–1. Commissioners asked staff to return with implementation details and clarified that the item at this stage was being given permission to advertise and proceed through the ordinance adoption process.
