By Andy Reid May 7, 2012 05:57 PM Palm Beach County staffers are recommending against major charter changes that would shift the local balance of power more toward the County Commission. County commissioners are considering asking voters in November to change the county charter, which is like the constitution for local government. Among the possible charter changes commissioners have floated is consolidating local government by changing the sheriff, tax collector, property appraiser and supervisor of elections from independently elected officials to appointees of the County Commission. Those moves were billed as a way to give the County Commission the ability to do away with overlapping agency duties in order to cut the budget. But critics called it a power grab that threatened to take away ... Continue reading →
MARIA HERRERA has covered local government, immigration and Hispanic affairs, and growth and development in Florida since 2004. Maria joined the Sun Sentinel in 2006 to cover the city of Delray Beach and nearby unincorporated areas. She has worked at the Miami Herald and the Daytona Beach News-Journal. Maria was born in Caracas, Venezuela and moved to South Florida in 1993.ANTHONY MAN is the Sun Sentinel’s political writer. Concentrating on local political people, parties and trends, he also covers state and national politics from a South Florida perspective. Before moving to politics full time, he covered politics and Palm Beach County government for the Sun-Sentinel, including touch-screen voting and the Supervisor of Elections Office. He's also covered municipal, county, state, and federal elections and made ... Continue reading →