Federal law requires a census count of the total U.S. population every
10 years. A census count was taken in 2010, resulting in an increase in population for the state of Florida and Palm Beach County. The 2010 U.S. Census reflected a population increase from 15,982,378 to 18,801,310, an increase of 17.6% over the 2000 census count. Palm Beach County’s population increased from 1,131,088 to 1,320,134, an increase of 16.7% over the 2000 census count.
Legislative and congressional districts, as well as single-member districts within counties and municipalities in the state of Florida are required by federal law and Chapter 124 of the Florida Statutes to redistrict. Districts must be maintained as nearly equal in proportion to population as possible and modifications shall be made only in odd-numbered years.
On May 3, 2011 the Board of County Commissioners approved the following criteria to be utilized in the analysis, review and development of proposed commission district plans based on the 2010 Census data:
- Achieve population equity (10% or less variance among districts population) among commission districts
- Adhere to Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended and interpreted through case law
- Follow major natural and man-made boundaries
- Maintain integrity of communities of interest, including municipal boundaries when possible
- Insure compactness
- Contiguity of districts
- Preserve the core of the existing districts
Following the board's direction, county staff began work with the assistance of two hired consultants, thoroughly reviewing and analyzing the 2010 Census data. A public meeting aimed at informing and requesting citizen input on the redistricting process was held on July 14, 2011 at the Palm Beach County Vista Center complex.
Revised district boundaries based on the above criteria, as well as citizen input, were presented to the board in the fall and adopted by commissioners on December 20, 2011. The revised boundaries shown on the right have been forwarded to the state for adoption.
Individual District Maps
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Revised PBC Commission Districts
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