[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6351609,"mediaKeyId","2229646-c7db943bc353cbfcf9f60498509487a9","parentId",2229646,"title","Consultant outlines code-enforcement review; commissioner presses for expanded scope","audioSeconds",322,"startMs",866000,"endMs",1188000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2229646-c7db943bc353cbfcf9f60498509487a9&start=866&end=1188","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2229646-c7db943bc353cbfcf9f60498509487a9/thumbnail_866000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6351609/Delray-Beach/Palm-Beach-County/Florida/Consultant-outlines-code-enforcement-review-commissioner-presses-for-expanded-scope","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6351609-957341309c44e3344f73f871bf6119f2/orig.mp4?Expires=1774934835&Signature=Zgh~0ndNBPPV0QJsmjgr57gwQzEAtCsn0rpjzGK9jyRi9AvR2gqTKx8UAuY6ayF0lCaD74vdCiOd0povhISLAusprhPCo2bvcc8qPX4CVb9vrEGOW-BWV9FGAAd6Gz1Vc81UOze7JcEHSLIf-EulbHFwqNv3T86JFSUNCAJaAGegBPUoEhpfvFwls9lWhpHUh-TVBaIdSxgYRqkZbUYSlgiduwxRYNUSRD0L7K6yT9j8Gp2~5yWkWTHXVF2OWe2mPF~SdFK6jqQwo9Tv0NQNGsowk76ygOPsqetG~Z49PqsovhWl8vmn7ZILjYa9Vjd2e~e0FG0s9PG0ESnc0Lnd5A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Delray Beach, FL","date","2025-02-05T12:49:09Z","article","Calvin Giordano & Associates provided an update on a review of the Delray Beach Code Enforcement Division, and a commissioner asked the consultant to expand the study's scope to address specific questions raised by recent complaints.

Consultant presentation: Bernard Pita, director of code services for Calvin Giordano & Associates, told the commission he completed interviews with division leadership and staff, observed field operations and conducted ride-alongs. He described the division as \"very unique\" with many operational \"tentacles\" and said next steps include interviewing five external stakeholders, finalizing the report in mid-to-late February and presenting findings to the commission in March 2025.

Commissioner concerns and requested additions: Commissioner Angela Burns said the 35-page draft the city received did not address some specific local concerns. Among the items she requested be added or reviewed in the final report: whether managers were informed about allegations of bribery and extortion by a department employee; whether a staff member improperly removed a lien from their own property; whether enforcement notices comply with the statute referenced in the meeting (transcript: \"162\"); explicit reference to the city's Code of Ordinances Chapter 37 and whether the division's practices comply; review of employee personnel files; assessment of the legal-notice process and relief/stipulated-settlement agreements; whether violations are tiered and whether fine mitigation or incentives for compliance are appropriate; and comparison with nearby municipalities (the consultant had completed a similar review for Dunedin in 2019). Pita said reviewing employee files had not been part of his original scope but that he had reviewed the municipal code available online.

Next steps: The consultant reaffirmed his schedule to complete stakeholder interviews and finalize the report in mid-to-late February, followed by a commission presentation in March. Commissioner Burns requested the final report address the specific items she raised; the consultant acknowledged those requests and the commission asked staff to ensure the final report covers compliance with statute and local code, and the relief and fine mitigation questions.

Why it matters: Code enforcement operations affect fairness and public trust in municipal government; commissioners asked the consultant to clarify whether processes and outcomes are applied uniformly, to describe improvements to reduce perceived or real conflicts of interest, and to propose remedies if internal controls or procedures are inadequate.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Commission Meeting 02-04-2025 5:00 PM","oneSentenceSummary","A consultant from Calvin Giordano & Associates gave the City Commission an interim overview of a review of Delray Beach's Code Enforcement Division, and a commissioner pressed the firm to expand the final report's scope to address specific compliance and personnel questions.","taxTitle","Delray Beach, Palm Beach County, Florida","taxId",5598,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6351613,"Commission denies appeal, directs city to craft conditional-use path for gunite yard in MIC district",1417,5719000,7136000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2229646-c7db943bc353cbfcf9f60498509487a9&start=5719&end=7136","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2229646-c7db943bc353cbfcf9f60498509487a9/thumbnail_5719000.jpg","/articles/6351613/Delray-Beach/Palm-Beach-County/Florida/Commission-denies-appeal-directs-city-to-craft-conditional-use-path-for-gunite-yard-in-MIC-district","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6351613-38b065ac288297c00c20d75fde35020e/orig.mp4?Expires=1774934835&Signature=gpCUm-cEeLpX6QoFTp8ClWux4PohTQ7Jy2I5UtFNtAKy7bW8cPVKmDWgotm81tqVeSMUGbePLLN4TLTmjIJDWYjBoAbfSCZRYYjgR3UtIFppADJjEQ4swZnawmzJJkmjK5vwo0p9EiCXO-EswX77BUzSVHYpX8U904ZkvjN3KcD5BEVCK1QPPC1EDwyPIhihjrCRsoZYyzQNmy0uzM34ElSpiqKGwtG6~~vcPkG5BohQxy3WZOGNQF-uXPtf1MmqaThlxXZuJt1adTuJGs5W98uicoRBXzQw-qFdyPIiVUXkB6T8vQGHGcDkH45Zu1UTDGLdRUx2aXR4YLeEBnTDMg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Delray Beach City Commission voted to deny an appeal of a Planning & Zoning Board decision and directed staff to draft a text amendment to permit gunite yards via conditional use in the city's Mixed Industrial/Commercial (MIC) zoning districts.

Background: The item concerned whether a \"gunite yard\" (a site that stores and distributes gunite materials such as sand and cement for on-site mixing and application) is similar to uses already permitted in the MIC district, specifically \"wholesaling, storage and distribution of ceramics and plaster.\" The city's development-services director had determined the operation is a concrete-products manufacturing use, which is not allowed as a main permitted use in MIC.

What the commission decided: After hearing from the applicant's attorney, city planning staff and no public speakers, commissioners voted to deny Resolution 0925 (the appeal). The vote was unanimous. Commissioners asked staff to prepare a city-initiated LDR (land development regulation) amendment that would create a conditional-use pathway for the operation while preserving the commission's ability to review compatibility and impacts on a case-by-case basis. Staff said the process will be city-initiated and would be designed to allow mitigation and site-specific review; staff also indicated the current site's operations will be addressed by code-enforcement processes pending the text amendment.

Key details from the hearing: The applicant, represented by counsel, said the site is a wholesale storage and distribution yard (not manufacturing): materials are delivered, stored in silos, loaded into mixer trucks and transported to job sites where the final mixing/application occurs. The applicant provided photos, a proposed site plan and environmental permits, and described a portable cement silo (37 feet in length) and truck-loading pattern. Planning staff summarized the city code's intent: while wholesaling of finished ceramics or plaster is permitted where it occurs inside a building, outdoor storage and distribution of raw materials on a site is not a main permitted use in MIC and concrete products manufacturing is considered a more intense industrial use that is conditionally allowed only in heavier industrial zones.

Why it matters: Approving a citywide similarity-of-use finding could have authorized gunite yards across all MIC districts without site-specific review. The commission's direction to pursue a conditional-use text amendment preserves staff and commission control over compatibility with nearby residential and commercial uses.

Next steps: Staff will draft a city-initiated LDR amendment to add a conditional-use review for gunite/ready-mix distribution yards in MIC. The applicant was told the city can allow operations to continue as staff processes the amendment, but the site also remains subject to existing code-enforcement actions.

Vote: Motion to deny Resolution 0925; seconded; roll call unanimous in favor (Deputy Vice Mayor Long, Vice Mayor Cassell, Commissioner Burns, Mayor Carney, Commissioner Markert).","After a quasi-judicial hearing, the City Commission voted unanimously to deny Resolution 0925 (the appeal of a Planning & Zoning similarity determination) and asked staff to prepare a city-initiated land-development regulation amendment to create a conditional-use permitting process for gunite/ready-mix distribution yards in MIC zones.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6351618,"Delray Beach commission votes to retain fluoride after divided public hearing",2828,2752000,5580000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2229646-c7db943bc353cbfcf9f60498509487a9&start=2752&end=5580","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2229646-c7db943bc353cbfcf9f60498509487a9/thumbnail_2752000.jpg","/articles/6351618/Delray-Beach/Palm-Beach-County/Florida/Delray-Beach-commission-votes-to-retain-fluoride-after-divided-public-hearing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6351618-0e71f234802f4655456771460de170f5/orig.mp4?Expires=1774934835&Signature=gvI5Zo17znbDGFexDvEBS26YWkySWuggtU-rUnAk1j3aACtP4puQKfWv~bN3a0qXXdLkRPmi3fQPYMByrhp92Jo5aQvPvC~4WWcRyNlpPwlpsInerf-25RAmRxR34EYxNzOw1ChcVQXLzYPaKDGwIPxrNzYjXjrGfGQYnqIwSZbrXD0ahY-asH3TNLk0i6RlTIwCwrbIIJGWLTzh6yLQGny8EbT~of-TllBGvtbTQVsGQLvAa1HoL43zsOPglIGz9V4frX6OseI6h2pe3Ef5v2dGDputcRNJ-hh6Qo96Z84cGd8rHRQ1~v5LhAfb~R-bxlqZ9R4k1iu9GxcnB4-72g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Delray Beach City Commission voted to keep fluoride in the city's potable water system following a contentious public hearing that featured the Florida surgeon general and multiple dentists, public-health experts and residents.

The commission considered whether to continue or discontinue adding fluoride after an outside presentation and a wide-ranging public comment period. Commissioner Angela Burns moved to eliminate fluoride from the municipal water system; Deputy Vice Mayor Ben Long seconded the motion for a vote. The roll call was: Commissioners Markert, Long and Vice Mayor Cassell voting no; Commissioner Burns and Mayor Carney voting yes. The motion to remove fluoride failed, and the practical effect of subsequent procedural clarification was to continue fluoridation under existing operations.

Why this matters: supporters of fluoridation told the commission the practice remains one of the most cost-effective, population-wide measures to reduce tooth decay, while opponents cited recent federal and scientific reviews raising possible neurodevelopmental concerns and urged individual choice. The hearing brought scientific evidence, local clinical experience and legal guidance into direct conflict.

What commissioners heard: Dr. Joe Ladapo, Surgeon General for the State of Florida, told the commission that recent reviews, including a National Toxicology Program assessment, and studies in North America show a possible link between fluoride exposure and lower childhood IQ and behavioral effects; he recommended stopping community water fluoridation. Local dental and public-health professionals, including Dr. Jeffrey Ganelis and Dr. Richard Kitt, said decades of evidence and endorsements from major public-health groups support continued fluoridation at the recommended level (0.7 mg/L) and warned of higher cavity rates where fluoridation is removed.

Commissioners split. Deputy Vice Mayor Long said he was \"leaning\" to keep fluoridation after reviewing materials and hearing both sides; Commissioner Markert described the issue as a \"jump ball\" and favored a workshop but was leaning to retain fluoride; Commissioner Burns said she favored choice and voted to remove it. Mayor Carney and Commissioner Burns voted to remove but the motion failed on roll call, and the commission recorded the resulting policy direction as continuing fluoridation.

What the record shows and next steps: the record includes state-level guidance and peer-reviewed studies presented by both sides. Commissioners asked staff to preserve documents and links referenced during the hearing and to consider whether additional local analysis or a workshop would help inform any future reconsideration.

Votes at hearing: Motion to eliminate fluoride: moved by Commissioner Angela Burns; seconded for the vote by Deputy Vice Mayor Ben Long; roll call No: Markert, Long, Cassell (3); Yes: Burns, Carney (2). Motion failed; policy remains to continue fluoridation.","After a lengthy public hearing featuring state Surgeon General Joe Ladapo and local dental professionals, the Delray Beach City Commission voted to continue fluoridation of the municipal water supply. A motion to remove fluoride failed on a 3-2 roll call; the commission’s procedural confirmation left fluoridation in place.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6351603,"Delray Beach issues proclamation recognizing 2-1-1 awareness and local use of statewide helplines",93,561000,654000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2229646-c7db943bc353cbfcf9f60498509487a9&start=561&end=654","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2229646-c7db943bc353cbfcf9f60498509487a9/thumbnail_561000.jpg","/articles/6351603/Delray-Beach/Palm-Beach-County/Florida/Delray-Beach-issues-proclamation-recognizing-2-1-1-awareness-and-local-use-of-statewide-helplines","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6351603-b49d678707c3ee293e1820067fae8ece/orig.mp4?Expires=1774934835&Signature=OAy-MgLOxBqa4SvuJZSkeycli8vG0txC6DXYuOJzVksdJCgUXhCLYhq-bDnfQG-Wza72bNChQkHZcWSEafGPJpP32hr8f923UdRr-zj7RhvzWootpjJgOn8MVIFK9gFNkluKehmAsbgy-Y7aog8uVoW426kxKbMaoGoPuJnBrO1EN3sl~ogv-jIxSXRgT1fIAPXk6ThN0b5Ocx55p1ztmIrUggUc3aBQFyL8eu012JKbLdHZh5RqA~0bA8o8KeoER8K7us2D4GaBjPED-kDMLPuWBpYV4zYGfinW~xpn4uCnmnFZg01BgDg0UQo7zZjMXPIuPHMg8bpqgpSgnFmK6w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The City Commission presented a proclamation recognizing 2-1-1 awareness after a short presentation from Sharon LaRue, director of the regional 2-1-1 service.

LaRue described the service as a 24/7 regional helpline and information line that also handles calls for the national 9-8-8 suicide prevention line. She told commissioners the regional system responded to more than 100,000 requests for help last year; of those, roughly 4,000 callers identified themselves as Delray Beach residents and over 200 were described as actively suicidal. LaRue said residents can reach 2-1-1 by phone, text, chat or email and thanked the city for the proclamation and recognition.

Why it matters: 2-1-1 is a centralized access point for social services and crisis intervention—local recognition underscores the role of the service in supporting residents in behavioral-health crises and in referring callers to local resources.

No formal action was required beyond the certificate/proclamation presentation.","City commissioners presented a proclamation to 2-1-1 leadership. The 2-1-1 director reported the service handled more than 100,000 requests regionally last year and more than 4,000 from Delray Beach residents, including over 200 callers identified as actively suicidal.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Consultant outlines code-enforcement review; commissioner presses for expanded scope

Commission denies appeal, directs city to craft conditional-use path for gunite yard in MIC district

Delray Beach commission votes to retain fluoride after divided public hearing

Delray Beach issues proclamation recognizing 2-1-1 awareness and local use of statewide helplines