Homeowner fined $50.00 /day for placing artificial turf in her front yard!
A story on channel 5 (WPTV) tells the story of Judy Barron, a homeowner, who is being fined by the City of WPB $50.00/day for placing artificial turf in her front yard, and when you are done reading the story you will read who has not been fined for the same violation. Below are excerpts from the story and you can read the entire story below. My comments in Italic
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. —” During these hot summer days, keeping lawns green can mean higher water bills, prompting some residents to turn to artificial turf. But not every city is on board with this decision.
Homeowners don’t have to water it, put down fertilizer or cut it every week. It’s similar to what you see at sports stadiums.
But in West Palm Beach, as good as it may look, there are restrictions.
Judy Barron loves her artificial turf lawn.”It’s very comfortable on my feet, like walking on carpet,” Barron said. Stretched across the front of her house on Alpine Road, it has the look of a well-manicured golf course.
Lush and green, she said she often gets compliments but not from City Hall.
“Oh yes, $50 a day I’m being fined since the end of March,” she said.”
Elsewhere in the city, in public places, it seems artificial turf is allowed. WPTV spotted it in areas in and around Rosemary Square.” Rosemary Square is owned and operated by Related Group, Real Estate Developer, the City’s favorite developer for high rise buildings.
Barron said she plans to keep on fighting the fines.” Between 3/31/2022 and July 15,2022 there are 106 days X $50.00/day = $5,300.00 in fines and growing.
On June 30, 2021 WPB Watch posted a story on the subject titled “Artificial Turf Has Residents Damn Mad.”
The City allows homeowners to place Synthetic grass in the back yard, and both sides of their home. The City does not allow Synthetic grass in the front of their home. To my knowledge the City does not explain it’s reason.
Synthetic lawns help in saving the surrounding air and soil from further pollution of harmful chemicals that usually come along with keeping a well-manicured, natural lawn.
Water conservation: Synthetic grass makes it easy to comply, dramatically reducing water usage without sacrificing aesthetic standards set by homeowners’ associations. Conserving water is not only Eco-friendly, it’s budget-friendly, in a big way.
Non-allergenic, Synthetic grass doesn’t grow. Goodbye, grass pollen.
No harmful chemical residues. Synthetic turf requires no herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers to remain beautiful and bug-free.
That’s safer for your family, and safer for the environment. thanks to eliminating the expense of ongoing lawn care. After that, it’s all savings. Plus, an attractive grass lawn boosts the resale value of your home.
City Commission Meeting held on June 28, 2021 residents waited for a chance to address the Mayor and City Commissioners and complained about Code Enforcement filing complaint’s against homeowners for installing Synthetic grass in their front yard.
City Commissioner Lambert after listening to residents, asked the Mayor to set a workshop to discuss the issue. The audience applauded her realizing someone not only heard their concerns, but was willing to discuss it. Good for her. Over a year later was the workshop scheduled, or did it fall through the cracks?
A fine against a business on Clematis St. who removed three tree’s without a permit was fined a total of $37,500.00. Double click picture to enlarge.
The City of West Palm Beach will hold a General Municipal Election on Tuesday, March 14, 2023 to vote for the mayor of WPB. That’s less than 8 months away, and someone will step up to challenge Mayor James and if he is re-elected it’s not by the people who voted for him, but by the people who didn’t cast a ballot. Please think about that.
The end!
City Honors WPBFF
On June 27, 2022 the City of West Palm Beach honored our Fire Fighters with a presentation for Surfside Remembrance and Recognition for the Champlain Towers South Condo collapse in Surfside, Florida.
Below is a list of the brave men and women who volunteered to aid in the search and rescue for survivors and then a secondary search to locate any unaccounted-for victims.
FF Bryan Bartlett, FF Michael Beets, Lt. William Charbonneau, FF Elizaveta Clavijo, LT. Jacqueline Curtis, FF Jennifer Collins, FF Stephen Diaz-Lies, Lt. Brian Dolan, FF Josh Forbes, FF Luis Gonzalez, Driver/Engineer Iris Hernandez, FF Robert Jacques, Driver/Engineer Travis Kolb, Lt. Brett Koning, FF Nolan Lynch, FF Gil Mendez, Lt. Wilmer Morales, FF Alejandro Moreno, FF Richard Murphy, Lt. Jason Ramirez, Capt. Gregory Rogers, FF Benjamin Shultz, FF Daniel Valentin, Capt.
Adam MacKillop and his K-9 Phire (pronounced Fire) who is a female Black Labrador Retriever. Capt. MacKillop and Phire searched the collapsed rubble for victims. She is a live search K-9 who looks for live victims. Dogs can smell up to 100,000 times better than a human and play a key role in search and rescue. These USAR canines are highly trained and tested to National standards regularly. She was one of dozens of canines used in the response.
“Canines’ Role in Urban Search & Rescue: Canine search teams play a critical role in supporting local and state response efforts with the capability to locate disaster survivors and human remains using canine teams (dog and human handler).”
https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/national-preparedness/frameworks/urban-search-rescue/canines
Fire Chief Diana Matty also responded to the collapse and got to witness the selfless service of the firefighters involved in this mission, which lasted for 28 days. Chief Matty proudly said that with the robust response from the local fire departments in Dade County the State of Florida USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) Teams, and FEMA ( Federal Emergency Management Agency) the remains of all 98 victims were able to be located and returned to their families.
“The Surfside condo collapse: An operational play-by-play, from deployment to AAR. (After Action Review) Detailing the US&R (Urban Search & Rescue) system in Florida, challenges faced by SAR crews, and lessons learned from the catastrophic incident”
After the presentation I met the Fire Fighters in the City Courtyard and thanked them for their service and what they did for Champlain Towers and one firefighter remarked they followed the lead of their Fire Chief Matty and remarked she was a great leader. I regret not asking for his name.
K-9 Phire: Was also at the presentation and I asked permission to pat her and it was granted. I approached her and she immediately laid down, rolled over on her back and looked at me as if to say well I’m ready, are you going to rub my belly or not? I rubbed away.
Channel 5 (WPTV) SURFSIDE, Fla. — “On the one-year mark since the Surfside condominium collapse, first responders are reflecting on their time spent working at the collapse site. West Palm Beach firefighters recall grueling search in aftermath of Surfside condo collapse. Firefighters feel sorrow for those they couldn’t save”
West Palm Beach Fire Rescue Lt. Jason Ramirez and Lt. Jacqueline Curtis spoke to WPTV and told their stories of sorrow at not being able to save more people.
Another hero was Anthony Zorbaugh “We knew that people needed to eat,” he said. “So the biggest thing for us was to come down there with our product, with what we had, and be able to serve food. So the amount of chaos and the devastation that you’ve seen down there is life-transformational for our staff that was there.” Read the story below.
You hope you never need the assistance of the WPB Fire Department, but if you do they are ready and willing to put it all on the line for us and then deal with the aftermath.
In your travels if you see these hero’s out and about, please take the time to thank them for their service and watch the smile come across their faces. Always good to know your appreciated!
The end!
Happy Birthday To Me, Here’s Your Parking Ticket!
Updated 5/26/2022 @ 10:00am Received a response from James campaign with a request to make a correction to the story. Appears the birthday card was paid for by Keith James for mayor campaign and taxpayer dollars were not used.
The card came in the mail, and I can’t recall ever receiving a card from the City before. The front of the card included a quote from Maya Angelou “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away”
The front of the card reads: Happy Birthday from Keith James, Mayor of West Palm Beach. The opposite side has Keith James name 4 times and includes his business address on Okeechobee Blvd.
This bother’s me on many fronts and raises questions which I will never receive an answer.
How does the City know when my birthday is? Why did James decide to send greetings to residents? I have a theory and it concerns his bid for re-election.
My birthday card:
Question: Who paid for the printing, postage and labor to send the cards? Did James mean it when the card said “I believe the people– like you– are what makes West Palm Beach such a special place to live. On your special day, I’d like to wish you a wonderful birthday. Yours in service” I was having a good day until the mailman arrived, and I started to think.
Mayoral Town Hall Meetings:
I attended 2 of these meetings and James spent the time telling residents what a great job he was doing in the City. The last 15 minutes was spent on residents concerns. James never answered a question but instructed staff to gather their information and it would be followed up. Residents were invited to the buffet table where a nice selection of food and drink was offered.
Question: Who paid for the event, taxpayers or James campaign fund? He did meet with residents so I’m betting taxpayers money paid for all the re-election events held.
As I’m writing this story I’m listening to channel 12 news when they report on the new parking rate increases in WPB.
Reporter Kara Duffy interviewed Jay Brown a downtown resident, who was “shocked” by a recent development. Hear the interview below.
Below are excerpts from the City Minutes, and the entire document can be read below. My comments in Italic, and underlined to draw readers attention.
3/21/2022 City Commission meeting: Item # 8.4 Resolution No. 88-22 amending existing parking rates and hours of operation for the City Parking System.
“Edward Davis, Parking Systems Administrator, discussed the downtown parking rate structure as follows: introduction-impact of parking rates being too low, reason for parking fees; metered parking-Clematis improvement impacts; current on street parking rates comparisons; current off street (garage parking) rates; off street (garage parking); on street parking rate re-structure; future upgrade/maintenance; citation fines (current); WPB proposes citation fines; and proposed monthly parking permit rates.”
“Mayor James asked Mr. Davis to explain about the benefits of making these changes so people will know that it is not about making money. He said that this is about changing behavior as we have been working on this for two years and it is time to implement it”
James was sworn in as Mayor on April 4,2019, nearly 3 years in office, so it was his idea to dig deeper into small business and residents pockets. Of course it’s about making money, every dime collected on parking fines goes to the City, and they will offer a reason why it is needed.
“Mr. Davis said that by changing these rates they are trying to create an atmosphere of compliance”
Compliance? James is forcing people to bypass WPB to dine and have a few drinks with friends for a nearby city that doesn’t rob them with obscene parking rates, or a two hour time frame. Imagine sitting with friends having dinner and you jump up and leave the restaurant because your two hours are up at the meter. You can’t feed the meter, you have to move your car, find another space. Where are you dining next time? I bet not in the downtown City of WPB.
In my opinion, James is destroying a city he claims to love, and will destroy most small businesses in the area. There is a parking problem downtown, a problem he created with the streetscape design in 2019 when there were 121 parking meters on Clematis St. and now there are 49 meters and in his wisdom he removed many handicapped parking spaces.
Tickets for overtime parking currently is $27.50 they’re proposing $37.50 for the first offense second offense within six months it’ll cost you $75.00 and if you get three in one year it’ll be $150.00.
The deck is stacked against residents and especially small business, and the hospitality workers who depend on your business. Read the minutes below:
Mr. Davis making the presentation to the City Commissioners for their approval of the new parking rates named three cities and their hourly parking rate.
“Delray Beach two dollars, Fort Lauderdale 3 to 4 dollars, Boca Raton 2 to 3 dollars and West Palm Beach new rate will be $2.50 per hour”
His information was easily verified by googling the cities, which I did.
Delray Beach: On-Street Parking is available for $2/hour for up to 3 hours between 12 p.m. and 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 12 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Beach Parking — Street parking is $1.50/hour for up to 3 hours seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Beachside public lots are also $1.50 per hour seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Public Parking Garages are free if you arrive prior to 4 p.m. and thereafter a $5 flat fee from 4 p.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday. Parking is free in public garages on Sundays.
Fort Lauderdale: The city’s rates currently run from $.50 to $2 an hour on the barrier island, $1 to $1.75 an hour downtown, and $.50 to $1.25 an hour in other parts of the city. Residents would be charged $1.50 an hour for the beach and downtown areas and $1 an hour in other sections of the city under the new proposal.
Boca Raton: Be ready to pay the next time you park your car in downtown Boca Raton. The city is phasing in parking meters for street-side parking.
It will cost you $1 per hour during the day and $2 an hour overnight. A city spokesperson said the goal is to create turnover downtown and bring more customers to businesses. But some business owners worry meters will scare customers away.
Mr. Davis neglected to mention downtown Lake Worth parking was free, but did mention there are three parking meter’s on the 200 block of Clematis Street.
Commissioners please do your homework and stop accepting what staff presents as the whole truth. Population of WPB is 114,646 that’s the people who’s interest you are supposed to protect.
Common sense goes a long way. Bottom line poor planning poor management, City Commissioners voting on issues with not enough information.
The end!
Parking Rates Recap
March 21, 2022—City Commission Meeting:
Ordinance/Resolution: “RESOLUTION NO. 88-22: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA, ESTABLISHING NEW RATES, FINES AND HOURS OF OPERATION FOR THE CITY PARKING SYSTEM”
Staff member, Parking Administrator Edward Davis and Assistant City Administrator, Amando Fana along with Mayor James had the job of selling the new rates to the Commissions and they did a good job. Two residents spoke against 88-22 and one resident requesting the rates not be changed and another asked the commission to table it until Commissioner Fox was in attendance and also mentioned he didn’t hear about the meeting until 3:21 that afternoon. The City Commissioners passed it unanimously and the new rates went into effect May 1, 2022.
May 4, 2022— West Palm Beach Merchant Group Meeting: Led by Rodney Mayo.
Meeting was held with the West Palm Beach Merchant Group concerning the new parking rates and the 5 City Commissioners were invited to attend and hear the problems the group anticipated with the parking rate increase.
Of the five invited Commissioners Fox, Lambert, Peduzzi, Ward and Warren only Fox attended. Not invited, but attended was Edward Davis, Parking Administrator and Amando Fana, Assistant City Manager.
May 9, 2022— Recap Merchant Meeting Wednesday May 4th written by Rodney Mayo reads in part:
(1) “The parking department referred to a study of unlimited hours for street parking and the negative impact it had on businesses. Could we please get a copy of that study along with any updated parking studies that may have followed the study dated September 2017?
(2) City Staff referred to a study regarding Sunday parking fees and the net result of decreasing problems with brunch customers downtown. Could we please get a copy of that study?
Parking department was looking into how many spaces will be available for employee parking downtown at the discounted rate of $50. We were told there is some jumbling around of spaces and an accurate number was not available last week at our meeting. With an estimated 2,500 hospitality workers along the Clematis corridor it seems imperative we have a number of spaces available for our staff. Even if it is somewhat of a rough estimate we need to know if this number is 100, 500, 1,000, 2,000 etc. The Merchant group has expressed strong concern over this issue as businesses are already experiencing employee complaints of not being able to afford to work downtown with $20 parking rates for a full shift currently. Hospitality employees are bearing the cost of these new rates now and we would hope city staff would have this figured out and the structure in place prior to enacting the rate increase”
Dear Mr. Mayo,
Hopefully, but I doubt you received the 2 studies mentioned above. Let me share with readers my PRR sent to the City, and their reply.
May 11, 2022— RE: PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST of May 11, 2022, Reference # R031390-051122
The City of West Palm Beach received a public records request from you on May 11, 2022.
Your request mentioned:
“How many spaces will be available for hospitality workers, employee parking in the five garages listed below ? Please list parking spaces available for each garage.
What will be the cost of parking in a City Garage for an 8 hour shift?
How many hospitality workers, employee’s have requested their name be placed on a waiting list to secure a parking spot in the 5 listed parking garages?
Banyan Garage at Banyan Blvd & Olive Ave, City Center Garage, Clematis St. Garage at Clematis & Quadrille, Evernia Garage at Evernia St. & Dixie Hwy; Police Garage on Clematis Street”
May 13, 2022 1:46 pm— City’s response to my PRR:
“The City does not answer questions in response to a public records request; however, there are no documents in response to any of the questions.”— “This email is to notify you that no records exist. Your request has been closed.”
May 13, 2022 3:39 pm— “This is the response added in the system. I have attached the City’s public records policy regarding responding to questions.” “No files exists for the questions, Daniel Giust” Who is Mr. Giust?
Public_Records_Request_policy_05012020
Double click to enlarge pic.
Parking Meter No more free parking on Sunday, Holiday’s and between the hours of 7:00 PM til 7:00AM.
New Rates:
Effective May 1, 2022
Meters Enforced 24/7
2 Hour Max. 6 AM to Midnight
Vehicle must be moved After 2 Hours
Overnight Parking
Midnight to 6 AM
Paid by ParkMobile Only
We Accept
Discover MasterCard Visa
Dollar coins, Quarters and ParkMobile
Meter Malfunction Please Call (822) 1500
Handicapped Parking:
If you have a Handicap Placard you are allowed to park where a handicap sign is located, or park at a parking meter for four (4) hours at no cost. Clematis St; one city block between Quadrille and Dixie there were three (3) handicapped spots. Now there are Two (2). Roxy’s on Clematis has the handicapped sign stenciled on the street, but no sign on a pole. Please fix it or someone will park, and receive a $250.00 fine.
Paid by ParkMobile Only:
Millions of people have a smart phone, millions more do not. You can’t use ParkMobile with a dumb phone. Older residents would have a problem downloading the app. Remember we didn’t grow up with computers!
Dear Commissioners,
When the Ordinance/Resolution was passed on March 21, 2022 Commissioner Shoaf represented District 1, and the reins were turned over to Commissioner Ward. Common Sense would dictate this was not going to be popular with business owners, employees and residents.
As mentioned above 2 residents spoke against the new rates. It appears no one was surprised the Commission Chamber was empty, so once again you were told one side of the story— Mayor James and City Administrator side. Empty chamber should have been a heads up.
If you haven’t signed the petition to help our down town businesses and hospitality workers who depend on the generosity of patrons to enable them to pay rent and put food on the table and not into a parking meter here is one more opportunity.
https://www.change.org/p/city-of-west-palm-beach-increased-parking-rate-repeal/u/30506895
The end.
City of West Palm Beach Increased Parking Rate Repeal.
Below was written by Rodney Mayo in an attempt to keep residents apprised of the major change to the parking rate increase that will effect every resident who owns an automobile. There is more to the story and I ask readers to take the time to read the entire piece.
Also included is a petition that will be presented to the City Commission in the hopes they will not approve the new parking rates.
The City’s motto “We Want To Hear From You” please take them at their word and sign the petition. If not you——who?
Residents who have signed the petition (Reason for Signing) have left comments on why they have signed and interesting points were made.
“The City of West Palm Beach passed a sweeping parking rate increase, the largest in the history of our city at the commission meeting on March 23, 2022. Despite the parking department showing an annual profit of 2.5 million dollars last year, the adopted increases include 24/7 enforced parking, flat rate weekend parking, added rates on Sunday, increased event rates, increased monthly rates, increased penalties and a 300% increase in metered parking rates. The one benefit the City claims of the new program is 50% discounted hospitality employee parking. Unfortunately, they do not disclose there are no spaces available at this rate in most all the garages.
The City Commission adopted these new rates after giving less than 48 hours’ notice to the public. The merchants and residents were not given the opportunity to participate in the discussion. The City references a zoom meeting on March 3 of 2021, over one year prior, as sufficient notice and opportunity for merchants and residents to be a part of the process. That zoom meeting comprised of 5 city employees and no merchants or residents.
These new parking rates will hurt the already struggling businesses who are finally rebounding after 2 years of the pandemic. Residents who do not have assigned parking spaces will bear an additional cost of $300 per month in a time of skyrocketing rental rates and inflation. These new parking rates will make the City of West Palm Beach the costliest city to park in all of South East Florida, less a few special districts in South Beach”
https://www.change.org/p/city-of-west-palm-beach-increased-parking-rate-repeal
The end!
POLICE INTERNAL AFFAIRS AUDIT AUD20-
This report is the third and final report received from the IA (Internal Audit) Dept. concerning the WPB Police Dept; The report consist of 24 numbered pages and I urge readers to read the entire report to fully understand the duties of the WPB Police Internal Affairs Dept. I gave readers a synopsis of the audit below, and the Internal Auditor report goes into detail, and can be found at the end of the story.
Executive Summary
OVERVIEW
“The Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) is a division of the City’s Police Department (PD) that serves as a mechanism for internal accountability. The goal of the IAU is to ensure all citizen and internal complaints of improper conduct against sworn members of the PD are systematically, objectively, and impartially investigated. • Internal complaints of a serious nature are typically investigated by the IAU. The IAU is composed of one IA Commander and three investigators, including one Lieutenant and two Sergeants. Investigations are classified as Citizen Complaints, Administrative Departmental Investigations, Internal Affairs Investigations, and Critical Incident Team Investigations. The Internal Affairs Unit uses the IAPro system to store pertinent information necessary to manage, oversee, and control the receipt, processing, and investigation of complaints. The IAU also uses the Blueteam program, which interfaces with IAPro, and was designed to facilitate electronic filing of incidents while in the field.”
Background
“The Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) is a division of the City’s Police Department (PD) that serves as a mechanism for internal accountability. The goal of the IAU is to ensure all citizen and internal complaints of improper conduct against sworn members of the PD are systematically, objectively, and impartially investigated.
Complaints of inappropriate PD member behavior can be filed anonymously, in person, by telephone, letter, or online. Citizen complaints are typically investigated by field supervisors. However, depending on the nature of the complaint the Chief of Police assigns the IAU to conduct the investigation. Internal complaints of a serious nature are typically investigated by the IAU. The IAU is composed of one IA Commander and three investigators, including one Lieutenant and two Sergeants. Investigations are classified into four types: 1. Citizen Complaints, 2. Administrative Departmental Investigations, 3. Internal Affairs Investigations, 4. Critical Incident Team Investigations.
During the audit period, there were a total of 291 investigations as shown in the table below, broken down by type.” Please read page 1 for the table.
Internal Affairs Employee Survey
“We conducted a survey of all PD members to capture views and opinions on various aspects of the internal affairs function. A total of 104 surveys were received of 338 surveys distributed (31% responded).” Please read page 2 for survey results.
Statement of Scope “The scope of the audit included all investigation types during the audit period, which was from January 2018 to October 2020.
Statement of Objectives,
The objectives of this audit were to:
Statement of Methodology
We utilized several audit methodologies to gather evidence and achieve the objectives. These techniques included, but were not limited to:
Statement of Auditing Standards
We conducted this audit in accordance with Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives.” Please read page 3
Audit Conclusions and Summary of Findings
Our assessment of the internal affairs function, including the internal controls, indicated that the PD would benefit from implementing measures to address areas of improvement as follows: Data collection, review, and analysis, Policy compliance, Community engagement and community outreach.
Noteworthy Accomplishments
In November 2019, the PD created an independent Use of Force Review Board (the Board) in an effort to build transparency and hold officers accountable. The Board discusses new laws and updates training practices. At the discretion of the Police Chief, the Board also reviews use of force incidents within the department. Please read page 4.
Police Department Organization Chart. Please read page 5
Opportunities for Improvement
“Complete and Accurate Data Condition There is no formal policy that states when and how the data in IAPro should be entered and reviewed to ensure uniformity, consistency, and completeness. Data analytics1 performed of Internal Affairs case information stored in IAPro disclosed issues related to the completeness and accuracy of the data in the following three areas: 1. Complainant Racial Data, 2. Investigation Turnaround Time, 3. Officer Years Of Experience.”
Criteria
“Collecting, tracking, and reporting accurate and complete data is a necessity for law enforcement agencies in today’s environment. When utilized at their full capability, data systems like IAPro can be used to enhance public safety, improve officer performance and transform organizational culture.”
Cause
“IAPro is used as a repository of case data, not as a tool to proactively and continually analyze the data to identify opportunities to improve the process or officer performance.”
Effect
“Incomplete and inaccurate data hinders the department’s ability to conduct in-depth analyses and make data driven decisions regarding officer performance.” Internal Auditor made four recommendations Recommendation 1a, Recommendation 1b, Recommendation 1c, Recommendation 1d,” and can be read in it’s entirety on pages 6-8
2. Policy Compliance
“Condition Internal and external complaints are not always processed in compliance with key requirements of the Internal Affairs policy (SOP IV-22). An in-depth review of 109 (48%) of the 225 cases in our sample showed a total of 122 (9%) instances of noncompliance with policy requirements”
Result of Policy Compliance Analysis, Criteria and Cause, along with Recommendation 2 (A&B), Management Response 2 A&B. Can be read on pages 9-11
3. Quality Review of Investigations
Condition
“We performed a quality review of a judgmental sample of 15 completed Internal Affairs investigations from the 109 cases that we evaluated for policy compliance (see Finding 2). The cases were selected based on complexity and the seriousness of the circumstances. The quality review focused on the investigation process and included related deviations from policies and procedures. As a result, we identified opportunities to improve the quality of investigations in 13 of the 15 selected cases. Examples of areas of concern included:” Criteria, Cause and Effect, Recommendation 3, A&B, Management Response 3 A&B, Can be read on page 12&13.
4. Monitoring Use of Force Incidents
Condition
Background: “All incidents involving the use of force are investigated at the platoon level (Shift Commander) whether or not any misconduct occurred. All results of the investigations are submitted to the Police Chief to determine whether the incident a. warrants an additional investigation by Internal Affairs, b. if the incident is justified, or c. if it is a minor violation. The documentation is stored within software that is managed and controlled by Internal Affairs.”
Empty Data Fields, Total Use of Force Incidents and Other Violations, Criteria, Cause, Effect, Recommendation 4 A, B & C,
Management Response 4 A, B & C Can be read on page 14-16
5. Undocumented Key Control Procedures and Training
Condition
“An evaluation of key elements of the Internal Affairs function indicated that improvements can be made within the processes to communicate and interact with citizens and the community:”
Complaint intake, Complainant communication throughout investigations, Citizen outreach program, Criteria, Cause, Effect, Recommendation 5 a,b,c,d,e & f, Management Response 5 “The Police Department Management agrees with the recommendation.” Can be read on page 17 & 18.
6. Administrative Departmental Investigations
Condition
“We found that a procedure for investigations conducted by line supervisors, known as Administrative Departmental investigations (AD investigations), is not specifically documented as a department procedure.”
Criteria, Cause, Effect, Recommendation 6 a,b,&c, Management Response 6 “The Police Department Management agrees with recommendation.” Can be read on page 19
Exhibit A – Quality Review Case Summaries
“To ensure the quality and accuracy of our assessment, we reviewed our results with management. However, it should be noted that according to applicable laws and regulations, the following cases do not appear eligible to be reopened. Therefore, the findings from this review should be used for training purposes and to strengthen officer and department performance.” There are a total of 15 case samples and can be read on pages 20-24.
Below is the WPB Internal Audit Report report on the WPB Police Internal Affairs Dept.
Police Internal Affairs Audit Report AUD20-05(1)
On a personal note:
The school board has approved a new chief for the district police force and her name is Sara Mooney, former WPB Police Chief. Chief Mooney has always been about the kids and I watched her for years interact with them on our monthly Peace Walk. She wanted to reach the kids before the gangs did. I wish her well in her new position.
“Downtown Merchant Meeting, May 4th at 5pm O’Shea’s Pub 531 Clematis St. on the Patio. Please circulate flyer to any business owners, managers or property owners. Our goal is to keep you informed and give you an opportunity to ask questions and voice your opinions. The Downtown Merchant Group is an independent organization of business and property owners.” Hope to see you there.
The end
Residents Spoke— City Commissioners Listened
Update: 4/18/2022, item “#8.1 Resolution # 87-22 amending the Comprehensive Fee Schedule for Sidewalk Cafe permits between downtown businesses and Northwood Village.” Is this a new fee for Northwood Village? I’m not sure. One area is in District 1 (Cathleen Ward) and District 3: (Christy Fox.)
Residents and business owners attended the (1) CRA and (2) City Commission meeting and spoke on the issue, claiming they weren’t given enough notice concerning the raise hike and presented a petition for a postponement.
One resident, from Delray Beach, spoke against the hike and when she was through Mayor James said “Delray Beach” I took his 2 word statement as this was not her concern. Did James ever consider people traveled from surrounding cities to dine on Clematis St. Why was she not dining in Delray Beach? If the City does raise the fee, businesses will raise their prices to off-set the new rates. Especially in this economy people are finding ways to save money, not pay double the parking fee’s and if restaurants raise their menu prices diners will go elsewhere.
The examples used to determine a rate for downtown West Palm Beach is greatly skewed. The 3 rate comparisons used were among the top 3 per square foot rates charged for sidewalk cafes in Florida. The examples used was Lincoln Road in Miami Beach at $325 PSF (per square foot) Las Olas at$125 PSF and Atlantic Ave in Delray Beach $115 PSF. Double click picture to enlarge.
Staff reported Clematis lease rates were at average of $50 PSF This is not correct. Rates are $30-$35 PSF. Staff neglected to list the dozens of Cities that do not charge a PSF price and similar fees as we currently have in WPB for sidewalk cafes. Reminds me of the time when WPB raised the Fire Fee from $25.00 to $50.00, and staff mentioned two local cities that collected $100 and another $125. Again, staff neglected to report to Commissioners the many local cities that had no such fee. James was elected and immediately raised the Fire Fee to $100.00.
Staff told the dais this was discussed in March 2021 and Commissioners approved the motion on first reading, so downtown businesses were aware of the rate hike that was coming. Commissioner Warren mentioned she was not an elected officials at the time, and this was the first she heard of it. Commissioner Cathleen Ward was recently elected so she’s hearing it for the first time also.
Mayor James worked as hard as staff members to convince the Commissioners the resolution was needed.
Commissioner Christy Fox asked that the item be brought back to give downtown businesses a chance to respond, as did Commissioner Warren.
A frustrated James said “I’ll entertain a Motion” Meaning he wanted either Commissioner Fox or Ward to approve the resolution. The deafening silence was much appreciated by myself and people in the audience. Finally a voice speaks up. Commissioner Joe Peduzzi who represents District 4
“Mayor I move approval of resolution 87-22.” “James, do I hear a second?” More glorious silence. James, “Motion dies for lack of a second.”
Commissioner Peduzzi I believe you tried to do a favor for James, but it backfired, and gave the impression you didn’t hear residents or bother to look at the petition or you didn’t care.
Commissioner Fox. Made a motion to bring the item back in a month, quickly seconded by Commissioner Lambert.
The City Commission decided unanimously to postpone their vote for 30 days to give the merchants a chance to meet, ask questions and give input.
The entire Commission meeting lasted 1:46:25. If you are interested in viewing the meeting scroll to beginning time 9:48 to end time 42:46 discussion lasted 33 minutes. For some reason the City has decided to run an ad before the meeting comes up. Please be patient.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOZC6gcDUNU
City Commissioners: Info. For Newly elected Warren and Ward.
You heard people say they were not aware of the upcoming changes to the Fee Schedule for Sidewalk Cafe, and heard how the City mailed and hand delivered notices to businesses. Here’s how it went in the good old days. (before James and Johnson)
The City emailed a list of the upcoming weekly meetings to all residents who signed up to receive the information. One of the last time this courtesy was extended was 4/27/2021 when I received a DRAFT agenda for upcoming meetings to be held May 3 – 7, 2021.
WeeklyMeetingList_2021-0503-0507_Draft
(email rec’d) Fri, Apr 30, 2021 FINAL agenda for the 5/3/2021 City Commissioner meeting.
FINAL City Commission Agenda _05_03_21
(email rec’d) Tue, Mar 2, 2021 UPDATED Tentative Weekly Meeting List for the Week of March 1 – 5, 2021 This update cancels the CWPB-IAFF Impasse Hearings on:
(1)Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at 9:00 AM; and
(2)Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 9:00 AM.
I attended every meeting of the CWPB-IAFF (City West Palm Beach International Association of Fire Fighters) and because of this notice did not waste my time and energy traveling to City Hall for a meeting that was canceled. If you want to attend a meeting now you should check the City website to insure the meeting will take place.
In closing right before the City Commission meeting I listened to the CRA meeting which I could 
understand with the help of the CC (Closed Caption) button. When it came to the Commission meeting I received the message “Subtitles/closed caption unavailable” Why?
I believe I credited the correct City Commissioners with the comments made above, and if I’m wrong please let me know and I will edit the story. It’s hard to understand muffled voices behind a mask and I do depend on re listening to the meeting and using the CC on the city’s website. New Commissioner Ward removed her mask when addressing the public, much appreciated, thank you.
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ADDENDUM TO PAYROLL AND OVERTIME AUDIT
I will always support the WPB Police Dept; and the men and women who protect the residents every day while knowing they are targeted by some. There are a few officers who make it difficult for others to do their jobs and cast a dark shadow over the City. This report covers 2019 with a change in Administration.
City of West Palm Beach Internal Auditor’s Office 7 pages, and can be read below.
“During the original City-wide audit of Payroll and Overtime, we identified inaccurate timecard reporting that contained overlapping hours within the City’s Police Department (Finding 5 of the Payroll and Overtime Audit Report). Our testing was limited to the top 20 Earners of City-paid and vendor-paid overtime during FY2019. The process to analyze the records was time consuming and labor intensive, thus we did not have the resources to expand the review to all officers within the scope period of the audit. Subsequently, we requested resources to conduct testing on all officers during the audit period which was
granted. As such, we have attached the Internal Auditor’s Office Addendum Report to the Payroll and Overtime Audit which details the results of the additional testing.
We thank our contracted auditors, Monica Sanchez and Elena Gonzalez, for their work in completing this audit. Further, we thank the management and staff of the Police Department for their time, assistance, and cooperation during this audit.
Opportunities for Improvement – Addendum
Inaccurate Police Officer Timecard Reporting
Condition
We conducted a review of all police officers (about 285) that had City-paid and vendor paid work hours in FY19 to determine if there were any instances where the hours overlapped, and officers were potentially overpaid. We found that 77 (27%) officers had numerous instances where hours overlapped, meaning that they logged work hours for multiple locations at the same time, for a combined total of 462.25 overlapping hours. Using the hourly pay rate of the officers that had overlapping hours, these officers were
potentially overpaid by the City and/or the vendor for a combined total of approximately $19,6531.
Criteria
All City employees are expected to accurately report time worked. Further, the City hasan ethics policy that all City employees are required to adhere to.
Cause
The conditions we identified occurred due to:
Vendors are permitted to pay officers directly for hours worked and no requirement exists for vendors to track officer hours paid versus hours worked;Systems that do not communicate with one another, thereby making it difficult to flag overlapping hours; Higher ranking staff that can enter their own hours and do not require approval; and Lack of ongoing reconciliation of total (vendor-paid and City-paid) hours worked.
Effect
Failure to properly manage and oversee the total employee hours worked, results in an organization that is highly susceptible to improper actions and is exposed to financial loss. When abuse goes unidentified or unquestioned the organization can develop a culture where abuse becomes normal, which ultimately hurts the City’s reputation. It should be noted that when conditions are such that: 1. controls are weak or virtually
nonexistent it creates an opportunity; 2. there is a need which creates pressure; and 3. there is a pay discrepancy which permits rationalization of actions; the organization now has the three elements of the fraud triangle, and it becomes highly likely that fraud may occur or could be occurring undetected.
Recommendation
NOTE – The following recommendation replaces Recommendation 5 from the original Payroll and OT Audit.
The Police Department should ensure adequate monitoring and accurate reporting of hours worked by:
A. Improving technology and access to data. Dedicating resources to finding one automated solution that can support all aspects of the extra-duty and outside employment program, satisfy all data needs, and integrate with the City’s timekeeping and financial systems.
Management Response
Management agrees improved technology would allow for better oversight of both regular duty and overtime.
B. Recovering the overpayments identified in this analysis and/or future overpayments wherever warranted, cost-effective and within the confinement of existing laws and regulations.
Management Response B1
Management does not agree it is prudent to pursue “recovery of overpayments.”However, future oversight and identification of similar “overpayments” would warrant an investigation, appropriate discipline and/or restitution.
Administration Response B1
City Administration agrees with the Police Department that it is not prudent to pursue “recovery of the questionable overpayments” for the various reasons stated in the report among some others.
Auditors Comment B1
The Auditor’s Office recognizes that it may not be cost effective to recover all overpayments, however, it may be helpful to conduct an analysis and determine if it would be cost effective to recover some of the overpayments.
Management Response B2
The audit team made a historical finding for FY2019 of 462.25 hours of potential overlapping hours. An average hourly salary (from an Assistant Chief to new Officer) has been determined to be $41.89. The estimated total potential monetary amount in question is approximately $19,363.65.
Auditor’s Comment B2
We spent a significant amount of time with PD management to validate the exceptions found related to the 77 officers. PD management was given ample time to review the exceptions and provide any additional information that could impact the results. As such, the results provided here represent discrepancies that PD management could not reconcile after exhaustive reviews.
Management Response
Management agrees there must be more effective review of hours worked by all employees; improved distribution of relevant information to supervisors should allow for appropriate reconciliation of work hours without designating more staff to track employee hours worked. The training and use of the new EDS reports during payroll approval can be implemented by November 30th.
C. Designating staff to periodically reconcile all vendor and City-paid hours. To accomplish this task, the designated staff should have access to all systems that track employee hours worked.
Management Response
Management agrees there must be more effective review of hours worked by all employees; improved distribution of relevant information to supervisors should allow for appropriate reconciliation of work hours without designating more staff to track employee hours worked. The training and use of the new EDS reports during payroll approval can be implemented by November 30th. Entire Internal Auditors Report can be read below.
Addendum to the Payroll and Overtime Audit Report AUD19-04(1)
Personal message
City Commission meeting 4/18/2022 and I spoke under Public Comment when my time ran out so what I wanted known will be added to the story as I want my experience on the record
I left a City Commission meeting in Oct. 2021 and made it to 45th. St. when one of my tires began to go flat. I made it home and parked. The next morning both front tires were flat. A friend arrived to help and said he would put “plugs” in the tires. He removed both screws and placed a plug in each tire, which helped, but both tires had a slow leak. New tires were not in my budget so I had to inflate both tires 2-3 times a week. Nov. 2021 tires were replaced.
2/22/2022 I was removed from a City Commission meeting for refusing to put on a mask until Mayor James did. I was escorted from City Hall when I was asked to sit in the courtyard for a little chat, which I did. I was kept there listening to information I had no interest in. When I finally asked him why he was telling me this, his response was he wanted me to know a few things about him. He received a text message, got up and said he had to go. 20-25 minutes of my life I will never get back. It surprised me to learn he knew I had a handicap placard.
I drive a Hybrid and while driving on 95 my car just died and I had the car towed to my home. The Hybrid battery was guaranteed for 10 years and the dealer wanted $4,000.00 to replace it. I knew it had to be replaced when I was told about a company called “Green Bean” who charged $1,500 to replace with a lifetime guarantee.
A technician arrived with a new battery and while installing it noticed I had a small oil leak. He was kind enough to look under the car and the leak was coming from my oil filter. He called me over and told me to look down and he turned the oil filter back and forth, and then hand tightened it, looked at the dipstick and told me I had no oil in the car I assumed it was the battery that caused my car to die, it wasn’t. I bought 2 quarts of oil, which was enough to get me the station for a new oil change.
Two incidents with my car after leaving City Hall is 2 to many and as I have told readers in the past I don’t believe in coincidences. It makes me angry and I don’t go away, I dig in and if I believe residents need information on what goes on behind the scenes I tell them. For example:
The City Charter says the City Administrator MUST live within City Limits. and I made an issue of it a few times. Well I’m happy to say the City Administrator Faye Johnson purchased a condo in November and it’s located within City Limits. What I don’t understand is why her car still resides in unincorporated Palm Beach County.
The end
City Raising Fees Again
My plan was to give myself and readers a break from WPB Watch City stories over the Easter weekend. You know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and man. Things change and plans are altered. I received an email today and I feel I must share it with readers as timing is crucial.
Those who have read about the increase in parking, presented to residents at the last possible moment to avoid pushback from voters & taxpayers.
The city has done it again and why not it worked before with the parking increase. This is what happens when people don’t pay attention and the results are no one complaining at the City Commission meetings.
There are different problems in all areas of the city, and lately it appears the powers to be are concentrating on the downtown area once again.
Most readers will not be impacted by this notice but I ask for unity and your involvement in this issue. Help the downtown area with your voice, and hopefully when they come for you and changes the city want to make in your area the downtown will stand with us and use their voices.
Below is the email I refer too.
“Hello Downtown Stakeholders,
I know we have all been very busy and understandably may not had the time to keep up with the happenings within our government downtown. I just received in the mail the new proposed resolution No 87-22 (attached) which goes to a Commission vote this Monday, April 18th. I was not aware of this proposal until 3 days ago . The City and DDA said there were merchant meetings discussing it but the most recent was over one year ago and as I am getting on in years, I do not remember it.
The proposal changes the way we are charged for Sidewalk annual permits. Currently we pay a $150 annual permit fee. The new proposal will be a $200 fee plus an annual charge of $5 per sq foot of your sidewalk cafe area. For some it may be a minor amount and for larger establishments more impactful. For the average sidewalk patio it does represent a 1,500% increase in fees. I’m sure we would all support such a tax IF we knew where the additional revenue was going ie. mitigate homelessness, keep streets cleaner, more security downtown etc. I’m just afraid it will wind up in the City cloud slush fund.
After last weeks dramatic parking rate increase, which I also do not feel the downtown merchants had a chance to participate in, this is just another unnecessary tax on businesses downtown. Again this may not effect most of us but I do think it will effect some of the struggling businesses that are barely recovering from the covid pandemic.
We are only asking in this petition for a 30 day delay in the Commission vote to allow time for a merchant meeting, which is long overdue, and a chance for us to ask questions and give some input.
Please consider signing the petition, Fill in your business name. We will send the results to the commission at their meetings this Monday.”
https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/city-of-west-palm-beach-commision-sidewalk-cafe
Notice from the City can be read below.
The end.
WPB Internal Audit on David
My comments in Italic.
City Commission Meeting held 4/4/2022. Item 9.1 on the agenda reads:
“Submittal of the following reports from the Internal Auditor’s Office:
1. Parking Driver and Vehicle Information Database (DAVID) Audit Report
AUD22-01;
2. Police Internal Affairs Audit Report AUD20-05; and
3. Addendum to the Payroll and Overtime Audit Report AUD19-04.
Originating Department: Internal Audit
Staff Recommended Motion: Receive, Approve, and File.”
Background Information:
“The reports were presented to the Audit Committee on March 29, 2022,
where they were approved by the Audit Committee Members. Copies of
the reports have been provided to the Mayor and the City Commissioners.
Fiscal Note:
No fiscal impact.”
3/29/2022 Internal Audit meet with the IA Committee members and presented the findings. I attended via Zoom, and had concerns and questions particularly concerning police overtime.
Below is the first of 3 reports from the WPB Internal Auditor Department which the City Commissioners received, approved and filed on 4/4/2022 without one question being asked or one concern being shown. I have presented parts of the report and the entire report, containing 12 pages can be read below and I ask readers to note how many employee positions are vacant on the Parking Department Organization Chart. (page 4)
Background
“The City’s Parking Department and the Code Enforcement Division utilize personal information that is obtained from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) to identify or confirm driver or vehicle owner information as related to parking and code violations. In order to utilize the data provided, the City and the FLHSMV entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that outlines the City’s obligations to meet internal control measures designed to ensure that confidential personal information is adequately protected from inappropriate access or use.
To access the data from the FLHSMV, the City and its employees utilize an online portal known as DAVID (Driver and Vehicle Information Database) that is managed by the FLHSMV. While FLHSMV owns and manages the DAVID system, the City is required to appoint an Agency Point of Contact (APOC) to administer and perform local services.
Examples of these services include deactivation of terminated users, user access reviews, quality control reviews, and obtaining acknowledgements of the confidentiality of information, including criminal sanctions for confidentiality violations. This audit is a requirement in the MOU agreement and it was conducted to evaluate the internal controls in place to ensure that data provided or received is protected from unauthorized access, distribution, use, modification, or disclosure. We note that in the
MOU, the Parking Department is the primary requesting agency and the Code Enforcement Division is the sub-requesting agency. As such, the Parking Department is responsible for ensuring that all users comply with the MOU requirements. However, the Code Enforcement Division is within the Police Department and the Parking Department does not have authority or oversight over Code Enforcement employees.”
Statement of Scope
“The scope of the audit was from December 1, 2018 to September 30, 2021 (audit period). The audit included tests and reviews of systems, policies, procedures, and processes. Other procedures and reviews outside the audit period were conducted as deemed necessary.”
Statement of Objectives
“The objectives of this audit were to: A. Determine whether the internal controls governing the Parking Department’s access and usage of DAVID data complied with the requirements in the MOU, and B. Determine whether there were any additional opportunities for improvement.”
Statement of Methodology
“The methodologies used to meet the audit objectives included the following:
• Conducting interviews and inquiries of personnel;
• Reviews of relevant agreements, State laws, internal policies and procedures;
• Evaluating and testing internal controls as related to applicable systems;
• Analyzing data, and
• Other audit procedures deemed necessary.
To the extent possible, testing was conducted on the entire population. However, where sampling was employed, we utilized a statistically valid sample that provided a 95% confidence level with a 5% margin of error. As such, these results may be extrapolated to the entire population.”
Opportunities for Improvement
1. “Distribution of DAVID Data . During our review, we found that the Parking Department inappropriately distributed Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicle (FLHSMV) DAVID data to the sub-contracting collection agency to assist with collecting on delinquent parking accounts.
Furthermore, we found that the terms of the agreement with the subcontractor did not adequately disclose the applicable laws, security, and confidentiality requirements surrounding DAVID data.”
Criteria
“Per the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Section IV, “Statement of Work”, the Requesting Party agrees to:
• Refrain from assigning, sub-contracting, or otherwise transferring its rights, duties, or obligations under this MOU, without the prior written consent of the Providing Agency,
• Not share, provide, or release any DAVID information to any law enforcement, other governmental agency, person, or entity not a party otherwise subject to the terms and condition of this MOU, and
• Protect and maintain the confidentiality and security of the data received from the Providing Agency in accordance with this MOU and applicable state and federal law.”
Cause
“Parking was not aware of the MOU requirements that prohibit the sharing of DAVID data without prior written consent of the FLHSMV. Additionally, Parking did not inform the Office of the City Attorney of the sub-contracting/third party distribution of DAVID data, prior to establishing an agreement for the collection of delinquent Parking citations.”
Effect
“Transferring DAVID data obtained from the FLHSMV to a sub-contracting collection agency without consent violates the terms of the MOU. More importantly, it increases the risk of inappropriate access to confidential information that could be misused.
Furthermore, this may leave the City susceptible to litigation and reputational damage, due to inappropriate distribution of personal identifiable information.”
Business Justification for Searches
Condition
“During the audit period, there were 14 users with DAVID access, of which 10 users performed searches. The 10 users conducted a total of 3,131 searches. We reviewed a statistically valid sample1 of 343 searches and found that for 94 (27%) searches performed, the Parking Department was unable to provide a business justification or other supporting documentation to validate whether the DAVID searches were for a legitimate business purpose. We also found the following DAVID search activities:
• 85 of 94 (90%) searches were performed within Parking, and
• 9 of 94 (10%) searches were performed within the Code Enforcement Division.
It should be noted that while a process for documenting business justifications for DAVID searches exist, we found that this process was not being consistently followed. Further, the Parking Department does not have oversight or authority over Code Enforcement staff because Code Enforcement is within the Police Department. This presents challenges for the Parking Department to enforce the MOU requirements or monitor the access and use of the DAVID data.”
Criteria
“Per the MOU, Section V, “Safeguarding Information”, the parties mutually agree that information exchanged will not be used for any purposes not specifically authorized by this MOU. The MOU further states that unauthorized use includes, but is not limited to, queries not related to a legitimate business purpose, personal use, or the dissemination, sharing, copying, or passing of this information to unauthorized persons.”
Cause
“As related to the Parking Department, there was insufficient oversight of DAVID users to ensure that a business justification was documented or other support was maintained, for each search performed. As related to Code Enforcement, the Parking Department did not have the authority or oversight of the Code Enforcement Division to ensure that searches had a documented business justification.”
Effect
“Failure to document a business justification or maintain other supporting documentation to justify searches performed in DAVID could result in the Parking Department’s inability to demonstrate to the FLHSMV that the searches are in fact legitimate and for a business purpose. Further, this increases the risk of inappropriate searches being performed. Finally, there is a heightened risk to the City of being liable for unauthorized access or misuse of confidential personal information, as well as a loss of public confidence.”
Access Termination
Condition
“During the audit period, DAVID access was added and/or removed for 14 users within the Parking Department. We reviewed access termination and found that the Parking Department did not deactivate DAVID user access in a timely manner for 4 (28%) employees with a terminated or transferred status. Their access remained active for 8 to 886 days. The following table provides the details of what we found:” Please see page 11 for Table,Criteria, Cause and Effect.
The Internal Auditor’s findings demonstrate that the city administration lacks the ability to properly train and monitor employees assigned to the parking department. Fault and blame for lack of over-site is attributable to the Mayor as Chief Executive and the City Administrator, Faye Johnson.
Previously a story was posted on WPB Watch that 275 WPB employees resigned between 4/1/2019 until 9/30/2021. If you missed the story you can read it below. How many employees were from the Parking Department, gone and not replaced?
https://wpbwatch.com/2021/10/city-employees-resigning-why/
Read the entire Internal Auditors Report Below. This is a great example of why the IA Dept. is so critical to the city. It finds the problems so the City can repair the damage. Let’s hope they do.
Parking DAVID Audit Report AUD22-01
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