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Commissioner Marcus serves as a member of the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners, representing District One. She has also served as President of the Florida Councils Association and was President of the Florida Association of Counties from November 2000 to June 2002. Commissioner Marcus has served on the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council since first being elected to the County Commission. For many years she chaired the School Advisory Council for Palm Beach Gardens High School, during the time her daughters attended the school, having graduated from there herself.

Since she has been in office, she has supported the acquisition of more than 1,430 acres of park and recreation property in District One alone. Through various funding sources, parks and beaches such as Ocean Cay, Diamond Head/Radnor, Riverbend Park and many others will be available for all of us to enjoy. Northern Palm Beach County has 22 parks and has more public beachfront property than any district in the entire county. Riverbend Park is considered the “jewel” of the County’s parks system and is located along Florida’s first nationally designated “Wild and Scenic River”, in Jupiter Farms. The Park boasts 684 acres of natural beauty and historical sites and is now open seven days a week. In February, 2008, Palm Beach County purchased the 230 acre Hatcher/Halparin property, which is located immediately west of Riverbend Park in Jupiter Farms. A portion of the property will be used as a natural area preserve and storage for the treatment of stormwater, and the remaining property will being added to Riverbend Park.

A advocate to protect Palm Beach County’s natural resources, Commissioner Marcus supported the acquisition of 29,000 acres of environmentally sensitive land to protect it from development. She helped garner the public’s support to approve a bond issue in 1991 to purchase environmentally sensitive land, and again in 1999 to preserve environmentally sensitive lands and agricultural property in the Ag Reserve. Commissioner Marcus received the Nature Conservancy’s distinguished Public Service Award and the Nature Conservancy’s Grassroots Leadership Award.

Commissioner Marcus also worked to get approval and funding for the Juno Pier and negotiated to keep baseball in Palm Beach County which resulted in the building of Roger Dean Stadium at Abacoa. In addition, she took the lead in the preservation of the historic 1916 Courthouse in West Palm Beach for use as a history museum.

In her most recent activities, Commissioner Marcus, as Chair of the Board, took the lead in negotiations to bring the Scripps Research Institute to Palm Beach County in District One. Although a complex and complicated project, Commissioner Marcus is making sure Scripps positively impacts our current residents. Working together with the Town of Lake Park, City of Palm Beach Gardens, Town of Jupiter, Town of Mangonia Park, City of Riviera Beach and the Glades Region, the North County LifeScience Corridor - Scripps Florida at Abacoa became a reality when the site was chosen by the County Commission on February 14, 2006. This will transform Florida and Palm Beach County into a leading center for scientific and medical research. In 2009, the Max Planck Florida Corporation is expected to break ground on their facility, joining Scripps at Abacoa. The Max Planck Society is a 60 year old research institute that will bring an international component to Palm Beach County’s bioscience industry.

Commissioner Marcus is the recipient of the distinguished Executive Women of the Palm Beaches 21st Annual Women in Leadership Award for the Public Sector for 2004 in recognition for her achievements in government and the demonstrated difference she has made in Palm Beach County. She was named a Community Development Leader in 2006 by the South Florida Local Initiatives Support Corporation in recognition of her efforts to provide affordable housing in Palm Beach County.

Karen is a native Floridian. She is married and has three daughters and four grandchildren.