'Honrado': Joel Flores becomes first Hispanic elected to Palm Beach County Commission

GREENACRES — Joel Flores knew exactly which word described how he felt to be the first Hispanic elected to the Palm Beach County Commission.

"Honrado," he said Wednesday, invoking the Spanish word for "honor" hours after winning the District 3 seat, the first election since the county redrew the boundaries of the Greenacres-Palm Springs district to have a Hispanic majority.

"It's been a long time coming," Flores said. "It matters, because this district is pretty much the workforce of the county, and to have them have a voice, to have someone who looks like them, feels extremely important."

A Democrat and two-term mayor of Greenacres, Flores defeated incumbent Republican commissioner Michael Barnett with 54% of the vote, finishing about 6,000 votes ahead, according to preliminary figures from the county Supervisor of Elections office. Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Barnett to the position in 2023.

District 3 residents voted for the candidate who had a longer history of service in the area, one who saw how the area had remained "stuck in time," said Alexandria Ayala, a Palm Springs resident and the county's first Hispanic School Board member.

"Our district has long been forgotten and dismissed in terms of progress, both on the economic development front and community building front," said Ayala, who is leaving office this year.

As county commissioner, Flores will face the challenge of attracting public and private investment to the district, which lacks jobs and affordably priced homes for its growing population.

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Hispanics are Palm Beach County's largest and fastest-growing minority group, at about 350,000 of the county's 1.5 million residents. Many live along the Lake Worth Road corridor between Lake Worth Beach and Wellington. As of 2022, almost 45% of Greenacres' population identified as Hispanic; Palm Springs is at 62%.

In light of that growth, the county commission voted in 2021 to create its first Hispanic-majority district, which covers Greenacres, Palm Springs, Lake Clarke Shores and parts of suburban Lake Worth Beach and West Palm Beach.

The new district is teeming with recent arrivals to the U.S. from the Caribbean and South and Central America.

Brandon Cabrera, a longtime Greenacres resident and developer, says the area had "gone underfunded for too long" and hopes that Flores' relationships and experiences in the community help fuel much-needed investments into infrastructure and businesses.

"History has been made with Joel Flores being elected as our first Hispanic commissioner, which shows that the Hispanic voice will be heard in Palm Beach County," said Cabrera, a Republican whose family founded the landmark Tropical Bakery in Palm Springs.

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Mail-in vote gave Flores edge in race for commission seat

Flores, a veteran and a wealth management advisor, left the office of mayor in March. The Puerto Rican native moved to the city with his family in 2010 when the U.S. Army deployed him to Afghanistan.

He won the county commission seat on the strength of mail-in votes, a total more than double that of Barnett. The two fared nearly the same during early voting and on Election Day, with Barnett holding slight leads in both areas.

Flores said his campaign encouraged district residents to vote early either in person or by mail and also focused on educating voters on how to cast their ballot before Election Day.

"They wanted a change in their leaders," Flores said. "People voted and democracy was heard last night."

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Housing, traffic, public safety are Flores' priorities in office

Flores said his first priority is to bring workforce and affordable housing projects to the district, which is home to many of the county's workforce in the education, health care, construction and food service industries. Many of them are caught in a housing squeeze, with too few new homes being built and existing ones priced beyond what they can pay.

"We have to retain these workers, otherwise our businesses can't operate," Flores said. "And then our economy is going to suffer.

He also wants to focus on the area's traffic problems and bring in transportation infrastructure to deal with the area's growing population. He added support for law enforcement was crucial to District 3's reputation as a safe place for young families.

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Barnett praised for 'digging into the community' while in office

Barnett joined the commission when longtime commissioner Dave Kerner resigned to lead the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. A personal injury lawyer and then a resident of Boca Raton, Barnett has lived in Palm Beach County since 1987 and was chairman of the county Republican Party prior to joining the commission.

A focus of his time on the commission was bringing a multicultural center to the district to house programs that can help its newer residents.

Barnett, who had the endorsement of President Donald Trump, who was re-elected Tuesday, told The Palm Beach Post on Wednesday that he was grateful to all his supporters, volunteers and donors who believed in his campaign.

"We developed a strong relationship with the residents of District 3 and became an office dedicated to serving the community, especially seniors, the elderly, unhoused, and others most in need," said Barnett. "I'm proud of my commission staff and the work we accomplished."

Ayala added that during Barnett's time on the commission, he brought the district's housing needs to the forefront, recognized local leaders and got involved in community events. He had regular office hours at Palm Springs Village Hall.

"I thank him for really digging into the community," Ayala said. "To understand the issues, to connect with the community, to have a vision and a plan."

Valentina Palm covers Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Greenacres, Palm Springs and other western communities in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at Support local journalism: Subscribe today .