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*New*  VIDEO: KEEP YOUR DISTANCE WHILE STAYING OUTDOORS
Tips to social distance while enjoying the outdoors in county parks and natural areas.

LATEST OPERATIONAL UPDATES FOR PALM BEACH COUNTY

PBC ORDERS, ACTIONS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Palm Beach County remains under a Continuing State of Emergency until May 15^th State of Emergency  
Click here to view Executive Orders.

Governor's Executive Order Number 20-120 Governor Ron DeSantis issued order, regarding Palm Beach County entering Phase 1 and the reopening of barbershops, hair salons and nail salons.

Governor's Executive Order Number 20-112  Governor Ron DeSantis issues order implementing Phase 1 of Florida's recovery. 

Frequently Asked Questions about Governor's Order Number 20-120.

Frequently Asked Questions about Governor's Order Number 20-112.

Palm Beach County will begin reopening pursuant to the State of Florida Executive Order 20-112 as amended by order 20-120 effective 12:01 a.m. on May 11. Residents may provide or obtain services at the following establishments authorized to proceed to Phase 1:

• Restaurants and food establishments licensed under Chapters 500 or 509, Florida Statutes, may allow on-premises consumption of food and beverage, so long as they adopt appropriate social distancing measures and limit their indoor occupancy to no more than 25 percent of their building occupancy. In addition, outdoor seating is permissible with appropriate social distancing. Appropriate social distancing requires maintaining a minimum of 6 feet between parties, only seating parties of 10 or fewer people and keeping bar counters closed to seating.


• In-store retail sales establishments may open storefronts if they operate at no more than 25 percent of their building occupancy and abide by the safety guidelines issued by the CDC and OSHA.


• Barbershops, cosmetology salons, and cosmetology specialty salons that adopt appropriate social distancing and precautionary measures as outlined by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation at the following link: www.myfloridalicense.com/emergency [myfloridalicense.com].


• Museum and library facilities may open at no more than 25 percent of their building occupancy, however, at this time Palm Beach County will not be opening these establishments and County library services remain virtual.


• For up-to-date reopenings go to PBCGOV.com Reopening Plans.

Department of Business and Professional Regulation - State of Florida

For the latest information on the reopening of businesses visit the COVID-19 page at DPBR.

*New* TESTING SITES

Health Care District of Palm Beach County's Testing for Tuesday, 5-12-20:

South County Civic Center-Cleveland Clinic Florida Testing
During today's testing for COVID-19 at the South County Civic Center, Cleveland Clinic Florida tested 135 patients. 70 patients are scheduled for tomorrow. Anyone over the age of 16 who has the following signs and symptoms will be eligible for testing at our South Palm Beach County drive-through location:

• Fever or Non Febrile respiratory illness (such as cough, shortness of breath, chills, muscle pain, new loss of taste or smell, and/or sore throat)
• Fever and gastrointestinal illness (such as diarrhea and/or vomiting)
  

Homebound Resident Testing
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue is setting up appointments and testing homebound residents. The first phase of the plan involves testing those residents who are on the county's Special Needs Registry. This is an ongoing process that is expected to take several days.

PALM BEACH COUNTY COVID-19 TESTING PROVIDERS
An updated list of current testing sites can be found here on Palm Beach County's COVID-19 website. 

*New* PBC TAX COLLECTORANNOUNCES SERVICE BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
Appointments will be required for in-person service beginning June 1. The agency's website at www.pbctax.com offers the convenience of completing common transactions online without the need to visit a tax collector office. Many transactions can also be completed by mail. Several requirements and safety measures for in-person service take effect June 1 including:

• Wait in your car. Lobby waiting areas will remain closed to the public. Clients may get in line 10 minutes before their scheduled appointment and must keep 6 feet of distance from other clients.
• Come to your appointment alone. Only the person with the appointment will be permitted into the tax collector's office. Exceptions will be made for caretakers for elderly clients, translators for clients speaking languages other than English, Spanish and Creole, and interpreters for hearing-impaired clients.
• Wear a face mask. Anyone entering the tax collector's office, including clients with appointments, shall be required to wear a face mask or cloth face covering.
• Observe social distancing. Clients shall be required to observe social distancing by keeping at least 6 feet of distance from other clients and following all markings on sidewalks and inside offices.
• Do not pay by cash. Paper bills are known to contain bacteria and viruses for long periods of time. Clients should be prepared to pay by credit or debit card or a contactless payment method such as Apply Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay.

The Tax Collector's Office located at 301 N. Olive Avenue in West Palm Beach remainsclosed until further notice. All other offices remain open.

PBC Property Appraiser

The Palm Beach County Property Appraiser's Office and five service centers are open Monday through Friday 8:30 am - 5:00 pm. Online business is encouraged rather than an in-person visit. Log onto the website:  www.pbcgov.org/PAPA call: (561) 355-2866 or email at PAO@pbcgov.org.

RESOURCES

*New* COVID-19 TAX TIPS: ECONOMIC IMPACT PAYMENTS

IRS.gov has answers to many questions people may have about their Economic Impact Payment.
Taxpayers who are required to file a tax return, can go to IRS Free File to file electronically. If they aren't required to file, they should go to the Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here tool and submit their information to receive an Economic Impact Payment.

For the complete lists of FAQs, visit the Economic Impact Payment and the Get My Payment tool pages on IRS.gov. The IRS updates these FAQs regularly.

Food Finder Map
United Way has launched an Interactive Food Finder map to assist in locating food and hot meals across Palm Beach County.

SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM
The Pre-Summer Food Service Program operated by the Palm Beach County Youth Services Department and Library System is offering meals at distribution sites in West Palm Beach, Greenacres, Belle Glade, Pahokee, South Bay, Lake Worth and Boca Raton.

Meals are distributed on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 am. to 1 pm., or until all meal kits are distributed. Each eligible child receives a week's worth of meals. Currently, the pre-summer feeding sites will be distributing food once per week, at each location through Wednesday, May 27.

Parents picking up kits without their child present must bring identification for the child. Acceptable forms include student ID, child's passport or other government-issued ID, birth certificate, adoption decree, immunization records, and school demographics. Meal kits will not be provided to parents who do not bring their child or do not provide proper identification. Proper safety measures must be practiced.

Monday Distribution:
Highridge Family Center, 4200 N. Australian Ave., West Palm Beach
Main Library, 3650 Summit Blvd, West Palm Beach
Greenacres Branch Library, 3750 Jog Road, Greenacres

Tuesday Distribution:
Lantana Road Branch Library, 4020 Lantana Road, Lake Worth
West Boca Branch Library, 18685 State Road 7, Boca Raton

Wednesday Distribution:
Belle Glade Branch Library, 725 NW 4th Street, Belle Glade
Loula V. York Branch Library, 525 Bacom Point Road, Pahokee
Clarence E. Anthony Branch Library, 375 SW 2nd Ave., South Bay

The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) ensures that school-aged children, 18 years and under, continue to receive nutritious meals beyond the school year and during the summer months (June - August) as well as times of emergency school closures.

CAREER SOURCE Online Virtual Job Readiness Workshops
Get a head start on getting ready for your first – or next – job opportunity with new online virtual job readiness workshops now being offered by CareerSource Palm Beach County. Job seekers can access a series of 18 professional workshops from their home computer or mobile device 24/7 available from the organization's home page at www.careersourcepbc.com. 

211 HELPLINE AND CRISIS LINE is free, confidential, and available 24/7.

211 provides crisis support, suicide prevention, and assistance with available resources and services-

for people of all ages, and is multilingual capable.

Dial 2-1-1 or Text your zip code to 898211. 211 staff also respond to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 and the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990

211's Sunshine is a free program that provides a daily phone call with a friendly hello and well-being check for seniors who are feeling isolated and alone.  The Sunshine program is for individuals 60 or older, or those who are housebound or disabled. Dial 2-1-1 or visit https://211palmbeach.org/seniors [211palmbeach.org]

UP-TO-DATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH COVID-19 DASHBOARD
Find the latest information about your specific zip code and cases of COVID-19. The Florida Department of Health COVID-19 Dashboard can be found here at the bottom of the page: COVID-19 Dashboard .

SBA Disaster Loan Virtual Office

The U.S. Small Business Administration South Florida District Office will host virtual office hours to answer questions about the SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program. Limited to 250 callers at one time. Participants may call at any time and are welcome to enter and exit at will. Callers will be muted upon entry and will be taken in the order they are received. The virtual office hours are 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Skype: https://meet.lync.com/sba123/jfhein/DRJCSWGT [lnks.gd]
Phone: (202) 765-1264; Conference ID – 143765659

PBC SCHOOL DISTRICT

Distance Learning

PBCSD campuses will remain closed for the 2019-2020 school year. Distance learning (info here) will continue through the last day of the school year, Friday, May 29.

School Feeding Sites

Twice-a-week meal distribution will return on Tuesday, May 12, and Thursday, May 14, and continue through the month of May.  For the list of School District and Community Feeding Sites visit: PalmBeachSchools.org/FeedingSites

COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT
Online services available here.

Rental & Utility Assistance

Individuals and families experiencing loss of employment can apply for assistance through the Community Services Department.  Residents who are eligible can access emergency rental and utility assistance online by visiting the website or by calling the following phone numbers:

• Online application for all services including rent and utilities: www.pbcgov.com/OSCARSS
• Phone number for rent: 561-904-7900
• Phone number for utilities: 561-355-4792
• Phone number for seniors EHEAP: 561-355-4746

Courts have temporarily suspended hearings on evictions, and a moratorium has been placed on utility shutoffs. Visit the website for more information about how to prepare and budget: www.pbcgov.com/communityservices

Free Telemental Health Services to Residents of Palm Beach County

For information about Telemental Health and other services provided by Palm Beach County Youth Services, visit our website.

Florida Department of Health Resources in Multiple Languages

Comprehensive Mental Health Resources

FEEDING SOUTH FLORIDA

Feeding South Florida Calendar of Food Distributions at www.feedingsouthflorida.org/covid19

These sites provide groceries in a drive-thru style. The list is updated daily, dates, times and
locations may change.

HOUSING & ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY
Palm Beach County Housing and business assistance programs can be found here.

LIBRARIES

The Palm Beach County Library System is migrating its e-book and e-audiobook service from OverDrive to cloudLibrary. OverDrive will be available for use until Sept. 30. Titles can be viewed at https://bit.ly/2VTuNSa.

Virtual Services

The Palm Beach County Library System has many resources available to help students, parents and job seekers during this time. Staff are available by phone, email and chat to answer technology and other research questions through Ask-A-Librarian at www.pbclibrary.org.  Visit the virtual library page to view the resources available to you.

ABCMouse – FREE with your library card

The Library System has partnered with Age of Learning to provide free home access to ABCmouse, Adventure Academy, and ReadingIQ. Just complete a form to receive an email with an access code and instructions to redeem the code online. Don't have a card? You can get a temporary card which will give you access to all library online resources.

BookSquad
Looking for your next great read? Our BookSquad is available to help. Complete our online form and we will send you a personalized list of suggested titles.

Providing Read-Aloud to the School District's Virtual Classrooms
Palm Beach County Library System is offering the School District virtual read-aloud in the virtual classroom. Teachers can select a book and time slots and fill out a form and one of our librarians will visit your virtual classroom to read a book to your students. Speak with your school's media specialist to register. Librarians have access to many of the 2020 Sunshine State Readers.

PALM BEACH COUNTY VICTIMS SERVICES

The Palm Beach County Victim Services & Certified Rape Crisis Center helpline is available for information, options and support: 561-833-7273. Services are free, confidential and private.

TRANSPORTATION

Palm Tran Lobby Closure
The lobby at 3201 Electronics Way in West Palm Beach, FL is temporarily closed to visitors. If you need assistance please call 561-841-4200 or visit our website at www.palmtran.org

Palm Tran Fixed Route and Paratransit

• All passengers are required to have a mask covering their nose and mouth while riding starting May 11.
• The number of people onboard has been limited to no more than 15 passengers.
• Palm Tran Fixed-Route continues to operate on a Saturday schedule except routes 1, 2, 3, 43  
  and 62 which are on a regular weekday schedule. Sundays continue to operate on a
  Sunday schedule.
• Palm Tran Connection is essential trips only.
• Please anticipate delays.
• Palm Tran will resume a normal schedule on May 18.
  

Go Glades Service

• Palm Tran's western community bus service, Go Glades, Routes 1, 2, 3 and 4 are currently not running a regular service. You will be able to book a trip directly to and from your destination by calling: (561) 649-9838.
• The Palm Tran call center (561) 841-4BUS (4287) is operating from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Many trip planning functions may be done through the Palm Tran app and on palmtran.org.

Tri-Rail

• Passengers are urged to wear masks while riding. Tri-Rail continues to offer an amended schedule until further notice, with 18-trains every 2 hours starting at 4:17 a.m. on weekdays, and 12-trains every 3-hours starting at 5:17 a.m. on weekends. Trains have suspended fares.
  

Brightline

• Train service is suspended until further notice.
  

SOLID WASTE AUTHORITY:

• Garbage, recycling, yard waste and bulk waste collection continues to operate as scheduled.
• Residents are asked to continue to place all of their household garbage into a plastic garbage bag and securely tie it before placing it to the curb.
• If residents are doing a lot of cleaning up and cleaning out, they should continue to use curbside bulk collection for safe disposal.
• All seven Home Chemical and Recycling Centers are open for household hazardous wastes.
• The Customer Convenience Drop-off Center at the North County Landfill is open for residents and small haulers.
• Visitors are asked to wear masks to any SWA facility.
• The SWA Greenway Trail system is open.
• The June CAC and Governing Board meetings are still scheduled. The CAC meeting will be done by phone conference. The Governing Board meeting is to be live. Special instructions will be provided for public comment if residents are not able to attend in person.
• To see the full list of SWA service impacts due to the pandemic response, go to www.SWA.org/COVID19.

SUICIDE PREVENTION
For resources to help cope during the coronavirus pandemic please follow this link: Suicide Prevention and COVID-19.

JURY DUTY

All jury selection proceedings are suspended through May 29. Jurors who were summonsed for jury duty through May 29 do not have to report for service. Those with questions regarding jury service can call 561-355-2930 or visit www.mypalmbeachclerk.com/jury.

CIRCUIT COURT

The Fifteenth Judicial Circuit is limiting most face-to-face hearings. Anyone who enters the courthouse will undergo a non-invasive temperature scan. Any person who refuses to have their temperature taken or has a temperature of 100.4 º F, or higher, will not be permitted to enter the courthouses. For updated information, visit http://15thcircuit.com  

LOCAL CALL CENTERS
PBC Emergency Information Center remains open 7 days a week from 8 am – 6 pm. @561-712-6400

• Boca Raton 561-982-4900 
• Greenacres 561-642-2000 
• Town of Palm Beach 561-227-7070 
• Riviera Beach 561-812-6597 
• Wellington 561-791-4000
• West Palm Beach 561-822-2222
  

Individuals with questions related to the coronavirus should call the Florida Department of Health's Coronavirus Call Center at 1-866-779-6121 which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week or email COVID-19@flhealth.gov. They can also visit http://pbchd.org for the latest health information. Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For the latest information and updates from Palm Beach County, visit http://pbcgov.com/coronavirus.