Maria Sachs

10/03/2026

A Letter from Maria Sachs, Palm Beach County Commissioner:

Thank you to those who came to the October 2 Ag Reserve workshop and shared your questions and comments. The turnout confirmed what I’ve said for years: our community is fed up with unchecked traffic and overdevelopment. Many of you raised concerns about recently approved projects, including the Islamic Center and the Tax Collector’s office, neither of which I had the power to stop under our current zoning rules.

The root of the problem is an outdated zoning process. As we discussed yesterday, projects in the county that are houses of worship and/or government buildings can be approved by the Development Review Officer (DRO), an administrative team within the County’s Planning, Zoning and Building Department, without a public hearing before the County Commission. If a developer’s plan meets the basic code, we can’t stop it. Until we rewrite these rules, our hands are tied and your voices are sidelined.

I can’t change this alone. It will take a vote of the County Commission. Please email all seven commissioners today at [email protected] and ask them to support zoning reform that protects the Ag Reserve. Please watch this page next week when I will share the dates for these critical votes.

We won't save the Ag Reserve by letting hostility and outrage distract us. We’ll save it by working together with respect and focus. Let’s use this momentum to change the rules and protect our land for generations to come.

Maria Sachs
Palm Beach County Commissioner

10/02/2026

You can watch the 5th Agricultural Reserve Workshop at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYLOwkmgRLo which will be starting momentarily.

My office has been hosting these listening sessions over the past several weeks to hear directly from the community. While this is the fifth in this current series, it is certainly not the last opportunity to get involved.

Real policy takes time to enact and will require a vote from the full County Commission. That's why I encourage you to be sure to email all commissioners with your feedback on the future of the Ag Reserve at [email protected].

Following today's event, my office will share clear next steps so we can harness this collective energy into meaningful policy change. Bring this energy to the fight ahead. We have real work to do to make the policy changes so that people have a voice in shaping the Ag Reserve.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYLOwkmgRLo

For information on this and other Palm Beach County programs and se...

09/30/2026

Friday, October 2 is the fifth of my Ag Reserve listening workshops. Due to an incredible response, we have reached fire-code capacity and cannot admit walk-ins. If you RSVP’d in time, you will receive an email notice confirming your attendance. The entire session will be live-streamed.

There will be many more opportunities to get involved, lend your voice, and be part of this effort to update the Ag Reserve zoning.

Please tune in to the live stream on Friday, October 2 at 9:30am and email your feedback to [email protected].

PBCTV - Channel 20 Government & Education Television Station Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners Your Channel for Palm Beach County Programs & Services

09/29/2026

Please see the official advisory below regarding Friday’s Ag Reserve Workshop at the Andre Fladell Civic Center.

5th Ag Reserve Workshop
This Friday’s meeting is an informal listening workshop focused strictly on the 22,000-acre Ag Reserve Master Plan.

No individual site plans, zoning changes, or houses of worship are being voted on or approved.

Circulating AI-generated images and flyers are unauthorized and unapproved by Palm Beach County government.

Venue capacity at the Andre Fladell Civic Center has been reached; only residents who receive an official email confirmation will be admitted.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE: Email comments regarding countywide zoning policies directly to the Board of County Commissioners: [email protected].

Protecting the Ag Reserve takes policy change, not panic. Let’s do the work together.

09/29/2026

Setting the record straight on our Ag Reserve workshops — and what comes next:

Over the past few weeks, our community has engaged in critical, overdue discussions about the future of Palm Beach County’s 22,000-acre Agricultural Reserve. Friday’s workshop is the fifth and final session in this community listening series, and our mandate remains clear: protecting farmland, managing corridor traffic, and stopping unchecked development.

You may have seen an unauthorized flyer, paired with inflammatory AI-generated imagery, circulating online falsely claiming that Friday’s meeting is an “urgent” public hearing on a specific proposed community center.

Let me be clear: That flyer was not produced, authorized, or approved by Palm Beach County government. Manufacturing fear with fake AI images to mislead the public is deeply irresponsible. Any official correspondence or notice regarding future county events will always come directly from Palm Beach County government or my office.

Residents of every background deserve to live in safety, dignity, and mutual respect. Exploiting real community anxieties with deceptive digital campaigns does nothing to solve our zoning challenges. If we want greater control over what gets built in western Palm Beach County, the path forward is not panic manufactured by online disinformation. It is working together to pass strict, enforceable ordinances that protect our agricultural heritage.

Important Update on Friday’s Workshop:
We have reached full venue capacity and registration is officially closed. Entry will be strictly capped at fire-code limits for the safety of all attendees. You will receive confirmation via email of your attendance for this meeting.

However, your voice will not be sidelined. If you wish to submit feedback regarding zoning regulations for houses of worship, institutional facilities, or commercial uses, please email your comments to [email protected]. These zoning rules apply countywide, and any binding policy changes require a vote by the full Board of County Commissioners.

Let’s stand united and do the serious work to preserve the land we call home.