LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. — Months of meetings and advocacy comes down to Thursday when Palm Beach County commissioners will vote on a new proposed ordinance that will directly impact truckers in the Loxahatchee and The Acreage area.
On Monday, truckers and their neighbors held a rally in Loxahatchee showing their support on behalf of hundreds of truckers in the area.
"That's the only way I got to make a living and bring food to our table," Roberto Barrabi said.
He said he has two dump trucks that he uses to support his family of four.
"That's why I moved here first thing to have everything at my house so I got more time for my family," Barrabi said.
He said he may have to move after 16 years as his trucks are above the 1,600 pounds limit in the new proposed ordinance.
"I just don't think that, you know, this is the area for them," Carolyn Abbey, who lives in Loxahatchee, said.
During a meeting in January, commissioners voted against the large trucks due to traffic concerns, safety issues and the damage that the trucks can cause on the roads.
"I'm not against their industry," Abbey added. "I feel that we should have a lot somewhere, and it will not bother our traffic and our roads and our beautiful equestrian place that we live in."
Commissioner Sarah Baxter had originally proposed what she considered a compromise: allowing up to two vehicles over 1,600 pounds on properties as the driveway is at least 24 feet wide and operating at limited hours.
A proposal that was revised by commissioners during the January meeting could then be finalized during a Thursday vote.
"Sara Baxter is the most wonderful commissioner we've ever had representing us out here," Sharon Waite, who lives in Loxahatchee, said. "She's the only one that's ever lifted her finger in the 28 years I've been here that's ever done anything for us."
A parking lot for the trucks is a possible solution that was mentioned but may be years down the road.
During an interview in January, Commissioner Gregg Weiss said he's looking into federal funding to build a place where small businesses can park their large trucks legally and continue to operate.
Barrabi said parking his trucks away from his home isn't safe and would cost him an extra $800 a month to use.
Jorge Garcia, who attended the protest, doesn't drive a large truck but lives in the Acreage.
"I have a lot of trucker neighbors," Garcia said. "They're all in the same boat. They don't know where they're going."
Part of the protest is also a challenge to Palm Beach County commissioners to stop using any product or service that requires a truck until the Thursday meeting.
"My message is anything they have comes in a truck. If they eat, it came in a truck. If they shower, their soap came in a truck. If they take us all out of here, where are they going to go get their stuff?"
