As one local official defended Palm Beach County’s finances against allegations of waste, another lobbed a few of her own.
County Mayor Sara Baxter called the county’s 10-year contract with the Homeless Coalition of Palm Beach County a “waste of money” during a June 16 commission workshop, renewing a fight she’s waged against the organization since last fall.
“I haven’t seen the direct help to homeless,” Baxter said before asking the county attorney what it would take to terminate the contract before its 2029 expiration.
The coalition does not shelter or house people directly. Instead, it raises money, primarily through an annual gala called the Mayor’s Ball, and distributes it to agencies that do.
Five of those agencies presented their work to the board over several hours in conjunction with the Homeless Coalition, which holds $1.4 million in reserves and gets $150,000 a year from the county. When Baxter asked each whether they had received money this year from the Coalition, representatives from Gulfstream Goodwill Industries, The Lord’s Place, Adopt a Family of the Palm Beaches and Vita Nova all said no.
Homeless Coalition blames Mayor’s Ball dispute for lack of funding
Coalition CEO Alexandria Ayala Long, whose yearly salary of $148,000 takes up the bulk of the county-given funds, sat among the representatives. Attributing the delay to timing, she promised each that the money is coming.
The Mayor’s Ball — the Coalition’s primary fundraiser and the vehicle through which it distributes money to partner agencies — was pushed from its usual March or May slot to Aug. 29 at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens. Without ball proceeds, she said, the Coalition lacked the fundraising dollars it typically passes to partners.
Asked by Commissioner Bobby Powell for the reason behind the delay, Ayala Long pointed to “a disagreement on the way the ball should be held and represented.” In a subsequent interview, she offered a fuller account.
“They ask, why hasn’t the money been raised? Why hasn’t the event been held?” Ayala Long said. “Because county doubts, at multiple turns, have put us in a position where we’re unable to make financially and programmatically responsible decisions as a nonprofit.”
Dispute between group and Palm Beach County mayor began last year
The dispute between Baxter and the Coalition stretches back nearly a year. It began when Baxter pushed to move the Mayor’s Ball to Mar-a-Lago, a suggestion the coalition declined over cost and concerns about holding a nonpartisan event at President Donald Trump’s Palm Beach estate. Trump has endorsed Baxter in her re-election bid.
Baxter later became involved in creating a rival nonprofit registered under the name Palm Beach County Mayor’s Ball Inc., which dissolved after coalition supporters objected.
“It was a very clear attempt at undermining our event that’s been held for over a decade,” Ayala Long said.
This year, Baxter declined repeated invitations to serve as the ball’s host, breaking a tradition that dates to 2010. Vice Mayor Marci Woodward has agreed to preside over the event in her place.
The commission meeting unfolded the same day County Administrator Joseph Abruzzo drove to Boca Raton to confront Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia, who had accused the county of $443 million in wasteful spending. Baxter pointed to pressure from the state as an explanation for her own line of questioning.
“We’re under a lot of scrutiny, even as recently as today, with wasteful dollars from the state level and everywhere,” the mayor said.
She then asked staff to bring the contract, which gives the Coalition exclusive rights to the Mayor’s Ball name, back to the board?? or commission? for review and suggested other organizations could make better use of the Mayor’s Ball name and its fundraising potential.
Uncertainty looms in wake of meeting
Not all commissioners shared Baxter’s skepticism. Commissioner Joel Flores said he wants the coalition to continue, a signal that Baxter may again lack the votes to terminate the contract as she did when she first moved to defund the organization last fall.
After the meeting, Ayala Long said she felt proud of the Coalition’s presentation on its funding record and glad for the opportunity to better educate the public on the services it helps provide. What remained unresolved, she said, was whether the mayor saw it the same way.
“I was hoping for no more questions that could put the stability of our system in jeopardy,” Ayala Long said. “And unfortunately, with the contract questions, now we still have that uncertainty.”
Nevertheless, Ayala Long said, she and the rest of the Coalition will keep moving forward, “business as usual.”
“The people that we serve don’t have the luxury for us to stop doing what we do,” she said.
Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. Reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Sara Baxter renews Homeless Coalition ‘waste of money’ charge
Reporting by Hannah Phillips, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Hannah Phillips, Palm Beach Post | USA TODAY Network
