LAKE PARK PROPERTY TAX DATA PACKET PUBLISHED BY THE FLORIDA LEAGUE OF CITIES

The House Select Committee on Property Taxes was formed to consider and review property tax-related information to develop proposals for property tax reform. In response, the Florida League of Cities has created a property tax data packet for a city in each legislative district to help inform State lawmakers about municipal finances and the critical role of ad valorem revenue. To view the Town of Lake Park’s data packet, please visit https://flcities.com/data-packet/lake-park.pdf.

 

LAKE PARK HOME RULE HERO AWARD RECIPIENTS RECEIVE THEIR AWARDS

Local winners of the Florida League of Cities 2025 Home Rule Hero Award received their certificates at the Palm Beach County League of Cities luncheon on Wednesday, July 23. Among the distinguished winners were Lake Park Mayor Roger Michaud, Vice Mayor Michael Hensley, and Commissioner Judith Thomas. Home Rule Hero Award recipients are local government officials who consistently reach out to members of the Legislature and help give a local perspective on an issue. Lake Park’s three Town leaders were noted for their hard work and advocacy during the 2025 legislative session, working tirelessly to promote local voices making local choices. Congratulations to Mayor Michaud, Vice Mayor Hensley, and Commissioner Thomas, and thank you for all you do for the Town of Lake Park.

Pictured from left to right: Florida League of Cities Legislative Action Days – March 2025 - Lake Park Town Manager Richard Reade; Lake Park Commissioner Judith Thomas; Representative Joseph Casello; Lake Park Mayor Roger Michaud; Former Lake Park Vice Mayor Kimberly Glas-Castro; Lake Park Volunteer Liam Reade

The Commission and staff of the Town of Lake Park mourn the passing of The Honorable Joseph Casello, who dedicated his life and career to public service. As a member of the Florida House District 90, Representative Casello was a vocal supporter of several legislative items essential to the quality of life in Lake Park, including protecting Home Rule, preservation of Community Redevelopment Agencies (CRAs), supporting our first responders, and much more.

“Representative Casello will always be remembered as a steadfast supporter of the Town of Lake Park and the Palm Beach County Community. We offer our most sincere condolences to his family, friends, and those who loved him,” said Lake Park Mayor Roger Michaud.

Florida State Representative Casello served in the US Air Force prior to spending more than three decades as a firefighter – retiring as a lieutenant – in his home state of Massachusetts.

Later, Representative Casello entered politics after he moved to Florida, becoming a Boynton Beach City Commissioner in 2013. He then served District 90 for five (5) years in the Florida House of Representatives, where he ran unopposed, serving from 2018 until his passing on Friday, July 18, 2025.

Representative Casello was and always will be remembered as a friend and supporter of our community. Our hearts and prayers go out to Representative Casello’s family, friends and staff. We will miss him.

LAKE PARK TOWN COMMISSION PRESENTS PROCLAMATION TO RETIRING COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR VERDENIA BAKER

Mayor Roger Michaud, Commissioner John Linden, and Commissioner Judith Thomas attended the May 20, 2025 Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners workshop in order to present retiring Palm Beach County Administrator Verdenia Baker with a proclamation in honor of her significant accomplishments and widespread impact. Ms. Baker has served Palm Beach County since 1987, when she was hired as a Budget Analyst, rising through the ranks to attain several roles, including Assistant County Administrator, Deputy County Administrator, and ultimately County Administrator, a role she has held since September of 2015. Throughout her tenure, Ms. Baker dedicated herself and her career to improving the quality of life for residents and business owners in, and visitors to, Palm Beach County. A decade ago she made history by becoming the first woman and first Black person to serve as Palm Beach County Administrator. Ms. Baker will be retiring on May 31, 2025. Her presence will be missed, but her impact will continue to be felt for many years to come.

LAKE PARK MAYOR ROGER MICHAUD, VICE MAYOR MICHAEL HENSLEY, AND COMMISSIONER JUDITH THOMAS HONORED WITH THE FLORIDA LEAGUE OF CITIES 2025 HOME RULE HERO AWARD

The Town of Lake Park is thrilled to be able to announce that Mayor Roger Michaud, Vice Mayor Michael Hensley, and Commissioner Judith Thomas have received the Florida League of Cities 2025 Home Rule Hero Award. Home Rule is the ability for a city to address local problems with local solutions with minimal state interference. Home Rule Hero Award recipients are local government officials, both elected and nonelected, who consistently responded to the League’s request to reach out to members of the Legislature and help give a local perspective on an issue. The three Town leaders were noted for their hard work and advocacy during the 2025 legislative session, working tirelessly to promote local voices making local choices by sharing insights, local data, and real-world examples with state lawmakers.

Congratulations to Mayor Michaud, Vice Mayor Hensley, and Commissioner Thomas on this prestigious award!

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES VISITS LAKE PARK

Lake Park is honored to have been selected for a visit as part of the National League of Cities Centennial Roadshow: 100 Years, 100 Cities. Clarence Anthony, CEO and Executive Director of the National League of Cities, along with key staff members, visited Lake Park on May 21 to learn about our history and plans for our future, and presented us with artwork commemorating the event. We appreciate the support we receive from the NLC today and always.

VICE MAYOR KIM GLAS-CASTRO HONORED WITH 2024 HOME RULE HERO AWARD

The Florida League of Cities has once again recognized Lake Park Vice Mayor Kimberly Glas-Castro as a Home Rule Hero. Home Rule is the ability for a city to address local problems with local solutions with minimal state interference. Home Rule Hero Award recipients are local government officials who consistently responded to the League’s request to reach out to members of the Legislature and help give a local perspective on an issue. Ms. Glas-Castro was honored as a dedicated local official whose tireless advocacy for local decision-making made a difference.

Congratulations to Vice Mayor Glas-Castro on this prestigious award!

A 'biodetention' site at Bert Bostrom Park will contain and clean floodwaters like a man-made marsh. Officials hope it's a model for other towns.

Story By Lianna Norman, Palm Beach Post

LAKE PARK — The town of Lake Park is introducing an innovative, environmentally conscious solution for managing stormwater flooding.

The town updated its stormwater master plan last February. The plan involves placing a biodetention facility in Bert Bostrom Park. Biodetention facilities are essentially man-made wetlands, grounded with vegetation, that are built to mimic natural wetlands by collecting and cleaning stormwater runoff.

The addition of this green infrastructure at Bert Bostrom will relieve the effects of flooding in the park, along Seventh Street at the southern end of town, while preserving and adding to its existing green space.

"We're taking an environmental approach, because we've had issues in the town where there was flooding," Lake Park Town Commissioner Roger Michaud said.

(This rendering suggests how a stormwater biodetention area would look in Bert Bostrom Park, along Seventh Street in Lake Park. Several parts of town flood during heavy rains, and the system will help to lessen the problem.)

He said biodetention is one of three phases to the project, which will improve every part of the system that carries stormwater into Lake Park's southern outfall, which handles nearly half the town's runoff.

Stormwater runoff is a major contributor to pollution in urban areas. Flooding from the kind of rainfall that Palm Beach County sees during hurricane season carries trash, bacteria and heavy metals into storm sewers and local waterways — in this case, the Lake Worth Lagoon.

"We're housing 1.4 acres of underground filtration chambers," Michaud said. "That will hold a total storage capacity of 1.8 million gallons of stormwater runoff. What this will do is help mitigate the rate of discharge coming out."

The biodetention facility coming to Bert Bostrom Park will add an underground retention and exfiltration system designed to filter out and absorb these pollutants, and redirect the clean stormwater into the Lake Worth Lagoon through an underground chamber system.

The plan also recommends the use of federal grants to fund most of the project. The town intends to start work on the project during 2023.

"Fortunately for us," Michaud said. "We were awarded $11.1 million (in Florida Department of Economic Opportunity) funds from the Rebuild Florida Mitigation General Infrastructure Program. And the town's going to match more than $300,000 in kind toward the project as well."

This program provides funding for local governments such as Lake Park to develop large-scale plans like this one to better equip communities to withstand future disasters.

We're looking to be a model and a template for other towns in going in this direction with the environment," Michaud said.