Spending scrutiny: Palm Beach County Commission takes hard look at grants to help young people
By Jane Musgrave | Stet News
August 19, 2025 at 1:00 PM EDT
Story updated on Aug. 21, 2025.
A Palm Beach County agency that provides grants to nonprofits to help struggling teens and their families is in the crosshairs of the state’s DOGE team and county commissioners.
At a meeting Aug. 26, leaders of the county’s Youth Services Department will be asked to justify why they want to give $3.1 million in tax money to 33 agencies. It marks the commission’s first critical inquiry into spending since it created the department 10 years ago.
The review comes as Gov. Ron DeSantis’ government efficiency team scours county books for waste. Before the Florida DOGE auditors arrived in the county on Monday for a two-day visit, they said they wanted to take a close look at the $18 million-a-year Youth Services Department, which is unique among the state’s 67 counties.
READ MORE: Palm Beach County rolls out welcome mat for DOGE
The commission’s scrutiny of spending by youth services — along with its review of the county’s larger Community Services Department plan to award $8.9 million in grants to nonprofits for mental health, substance abuse and housing programs — has nonprofit leaders spooked.
Worried that commissioners may cut government assistance to nonprofits, much like billionaire Elon Musk did when he was in charge of the federal DOGE operation, agencies are rallying.
Marlene Passell, manager of the Lake Worth Beach-based Nonprofit Chamber for Health & Human Services, sent an email, urging leaders of her 72-member organization to show up.
“It is important that we share with commissioners the importance of nonprofits and the crucial role public-private partnerships play in keeping our community healthy and strong,” she wrote to the agencies, some of which have tens of thousands of dollars at stake.
Vice Mayor Sara Baxter, who spurred the review, declined to detail her plans.
“My goal is to fully support Governor DeSantis’ goal for the DOGE team to cut waste, fraud and abuse from county spending, which could include some nonprofits,” the Republican said in a statement. “It is my job as a Palm Beach County commissioner/vice mayor to protect taxpayer dollars.”
Pace Center for Girls at the Believing in Girls Luncheon. (927x569, AR: 1.6291739894551844)
Commissioners balked July 8
The grants that are awarded for three years were expected to be approved nearly two months ago. That would have given county staff time to draft contracts to let the money begin to flow Oct. 1.
Instead, during a July 8 meeting, Baxter criticized youth services staff for not giving her enough time to review information to see if the proposed grants were duplicating efforts of the Children’s Services Council. The council, an independent taxing agency approved by county voters in 1986, collects $167 million annually for programs that help kids and families.
“I want a breakdown of how many are getting money from the Children’s Services Council and the county,” said Baxter, who is on the council’s board. “Is it one agency? Is it the other? Is it both?”
Commissioners on both sides of the aisle supported Baxter’s request.
According to documents provided by county staff, some agencies receive money from both the county and the council. But, in almost all cases, the money goes to different programs offered by the various agencies.
For instance, youth services is planning to give the Center for Child Counseling $652,000 in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. The council is planning to give the Palm Beach Gardens-based nonprofit $3 million.
The bulk of the council’s money will be used for the center’s Child First program, which provides in-home counseling and other services to help children overcome the trauma of poverty, violence or both.
The Youth Services Department plans to subsidize four of the center’s other programs, including one that offers mental health screenings at pediatricians' offices.
Because the grants are awarded for three years, some of the money was awarded previously.
However, this year, there is more overlap than in the past.
Duplication’ is a misnomer
It’s no accident that the council decided to give money to six programs that the county is also planning to support, said Lauren Zuchman, chief communications and engagement officer for the council.
Having focused mainly on children below the age of 6, the council recently decided to expand its services to those ages 6 to 18, she said.
The six agencies were selected for council grants of up to $50,000 because they offer programs for older children who received high scores from outside professionals who reviewed the applications for the county.
The programs, offered by agencies such as Compass, the Milagro Center and Children of Inmates, focus on education, building life skills, suicide prevention, financial planning and family counseling.
The idea is to help at-risk youngsters build productive lives. Studies have shown that even “hard to reach” kids, who have endured poverty, violence or discrimination, can be turned around if counseling and guidance are available.
County officials say nonprofits already focused on providing such services can provide it more efficiently than government workers.
Rather than make the agencies spend time and effort submitting separate grant applications, council staff reviewed those that were submitted to the county, looked at the high scores each received and decided to fill the financial gaps, Zuchman said.
The term “duplication” is a misnomer, she said. “It’s not a duplication of families and children being served,” Zuchman said. “It allows us to expand the program’s reach to serve more families in the community.”
But, the council’s decision to support the six programs comes with a catch. For it to provide assistance, the county must do the same, according to a resolution the council’s board approved in July.
If county commissioners decline to subsidize the programs, the council could withdraw its cash as well.
But, Zuchman said, the council may decide to give the agencies the money for the programs even if the county doesn’t. “We would go back to the drawing board,” she said. “We would see what the board wants to do.”
Like the county, the council relies on property tax revenue for much of its spending.
Unquestioned by past county commissions
Over the years, commissioners have supported both the Youth Services Department and the council.
The mostly Democratic-majority County Commission formed the Youth Services Department in 2015, nearly 30 years after county voters created the Children’s Services Council. School, juvenile justice, church, nonprofit and other community leaders agreed that older children were falling through the cracks and needed help. The department was charged with providing it.
Commissioner Marci Woodward, a Republican, said she can’t imagine money for nonprofits will be eliminated. She said she wants to make sure the agencies aren’t relying solely on the county.
“If we’re helping them, I’m OK with that,” she said. “But if we’re providing the bulk of their funding, we need to bring it in house.”
She also said she wants taxpayers to know how their money is spent. For too long, she said, the money was simply doled out.
“It becomes automatic,” she said. “There’s so many nonprofits in the county that are doing amazing work. But we do have to make some hard choices.”
At the July meeting, County Mayor Maria Marino, a Republican, said commissioners needed more information. Some commissioners, she said, may not know the history of youth services or be aware of a master plan it uses to determine how money is spent.
Commissioner Maria Sachs, a Democrat, agreed. “We need to know the full picture,” she said. “It could be more money. It could be less money. I don’t know. This is a very important part of what we do in this county.”
Editor’s note: This story was corrected to say the Center for Child Counseling is a Palm Beach Gardens-based agency and that one of its programs under review offers mental health screenings to youngsters at pediatricians’ offices.
This story was originally published by Stet News Palm Beach, a WLRN News partner.
A Palm Beach County agency that provides grants to nonprofits to help struggling teens and their families is in the crosshairs of the state’s DOGE team and county commissioners.
At a meeting Aug. 26, leaders of the county’s Youth Services Department will be asked to justify why they want to give $3.1 million in tax money to 33 agencies. It marks the commission’s first critical inquiry into spending since it created the department 10 years ago.
The review comes as Gov. Ron DeSantis’ government efficiency team scours county books for waste. Before the Florida DOGE auditors arrived in the county on Monday for a two-day visit, they said they wanted to take a close look at the $18 million-a-year Youth Services Department, which is unique among the state’s 67 counties.
READ MORE: Palm Beach County rolls out welcome mat for DOGE
The commission’s scrutiny of spending by youth services — along with its review of the county’s larger Community Services Department plan to award $8.9 million in grants to nonprofits for mental health, substance abuse and housing programs — has nonprofit leaders spooked.
Worried that commissioners may cut government assistance to nonprofits, much like billionaire Elon Musk did when he was in charge of the federal DOGE operation, agencies are rallying.
Marlene Passell, manager of the Lake Worth Beach-based Nonprofit Chamber for Health & Human Services, sent an email, urging leaders of her 72-member organization to show up.
“It is important that we share with commissioners the importance of nonprofits and the crucial role public-private partnerships play in keeping our community healthy and strong,” she wrote to the agencies, some of which have tens of thousands of dollars at stake.
Vice Mayor Sara Baxter, who spurred the review, declined to detail her plans.
“My goal is to fully support Governor DeSantis’ goal for the DOGE team to cut waste, fraud and abuse from county spending, which could include some nonprofits,” the Republican said in a statement. “It is my job as a Palm Beach County commissioner/vice mayor to protect taxpayer dollars.”
Pace Center for Girls at the Believing in Girls Luncheon. (927x569, AR: 1.6291739894551844)
Commissioners balked July 8
The grants that are awarded for three years were expected to be approved nearly two months ago. That would have given county staff time to draft contracts to let the money begin to flow Oct. 1.
Instead, during a July 8 meeting, Baxter criticized youth services staff for not giving her enough time to review information to see if the proposed grants were duplicating efforts of the Children’s Services Council. The council, an independent taxing agency approved by county voters in 1986, collects $167 million annually for programs that help kids and families.
“I want a breakdown of how many are getting money from the Children’s Services Council and the county,” said Baxter, who is on the council’s board. “Is it one agency? Is it the other? Is it both?”
Commissioners on both sides of the aisle supported Baxter’s request.
According to documents provided by county staff, some agencies receive money from both the county and the council. But, in almost all cases, the money goes to different programs offered by the various agencies.
For instance, youth services is planning to give the Center for Child Counseling $652,000 in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. The council is planning to give the Palm Beach Gardens-based nonprofit $3 million.
The bulk of the council’s money will be used for the center’s Child First program, which provides in-home counseling and other services to help children overcome the trauma of poverty, violence or both.
The Youth Services Department plans to subsidize four of the center’s other programs, including one that offers mental health screenings at pediatricians' offices.
Because the grants are awarded for three years, some of the money was awarded previously.
However, this year, there is more overlap than in the past.
Duplication’ is a misnomer
It’s no accident that the council decided to give money to six programs that the county is also planning to support, said Lauren Zuchman, chief communications and engagement officer for the council.
Having focused mainly on children below the age of 6, the council recently decided to expand its services to those ages 6 to 18, she said.
The six agencies were selected for council grants of up to $50,000 because they offer programs for older children who received high scores from outside professionals who reviewed the applications for the county.
The programs, offered by agencies such as Compass, the Milagro Center and Children of Inmates, focus on education, building life skills, suicide prevention, financial planning and family counseling.
The idea is to help at-risk youngsters build productive lives. Studies have shown that even “hard to reach” kids, who have endured poverty, violence or discrimination, can be turned around if counseling and guidance are available.
County officials say nonprofits already focused on providing such services can provide it more efficiently than government workers.
Rather than make the agencies spend time and effort submitting separate grant applications, council staff reviewed those that were submitted to the county, looked at the high scores each received and decided to fill the financial gaps, Zuchman said.
The term “duplication” is a misnomer, she said. “It’s not a duplication of families and children being served,” Zuchman said. “It allows us to expand the program’s reach to serve more families in the community.”
But, the council’s decision to support the six programs comes with a catch. For it to provide assistance, the county must do the same, according to a resolution the council’s board approved in July.
If county commissioners decline to subsidize the programs, the council could withdraw its cash as well.
But, Zuchman said, the council may decide to give the agencies the money for the programs even if the county doesn’t. “We would go back to the drawing board,” she said. “We would see what the board wants to do.”
Like the county, the council relies on property tax revenue for much of its spending.
Unquestioned by past county commissions
Over the years, commissioners have supported both the Youth Services Department and the council.
The mostly Democratic-majority County Commission formed the Youth Services Department in 2015, nearly 30 years after county voters created the Children’s Services Council. School, juvenile justice, church, nonprofit and other community leaders agreed that older children were falling through the cracks and needed help. The department was charged with providing it.
Commissioner Marci Woodward, a Republican, said she can’t imagine money for nonprofits will be eliminated. She said she wants to make sure the agencies aren’t relying solely on the county.
“If we’re helping them, I’m OK with that,” she said. “But if we’re providing the bulk of their funding, we need to bring it in house.”
She also said she wants taxpayers to know how their money is spent. For too long, she said, the money was simply doled out.
“It becomes automatic,” she said. “There’s so many nonprofits in the county that are doing amazing work. But we do have to make some hard choices.”
At the July meeting, County Mayor Maria Marino, a Republican, said commissioners needed more information. Some commissioners, she said, may not know the history of youth services or be aware of a master plan it uses to determine how money is spent.
Commissioner Maria Sachs, a Democrat, agreed. “We need to know the full picture,” she said. “It could be more money. It could be less money. I don’t know. This is a very important part of what we do in this county.”
Editor’s note: This story was corrected to say the Center for Child Counseling is a Palm Beach Gardens-based agency and that one of its programs under review offers mental health screenings to youngsters at pediatricians’ offices.
This story was originally published by Stet News Palm Beach, a WLRN News partner.