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West Palm Beach launches Clean Streets task force, cites arrests and Keep America Beautiful affiliation
Summary
City officials described a multi-department Clean Streets task force addressing illegal dumping, litter and abandoned vehicles, and said commissioners approved joining Keep America Beautiful; Public Works reported five recent illegal-dumping arrests.
West Palm Beach officials described a new, citywide Clean Streets task force on a panel hosted by Florida International University, saying the multi-department effort will target illegal dumping, abandoned vehicles and litter. Public Works Director Josh McDermott said the effort grew from the mayor’s Neighborhoods First initiative and includes residents, multiple city departments and three subcommittees focused on illegal dumping, abandoned vehicles and litter.
The task force will use data to prioritize cleanup. “We’re going to complete a litter index, and we’ll be able to prioritize and focus our efforts on certain areas of the city,” Josh McDermott, public works director, said. McDermott said the city recently gained commission approval to become a Keep America Beautiful affiliate and expects that affiliation to add resources.
Officials said the police department has supported enforcement. McDermott credited three sergeants — identified on the panel as Sergeant Gellin, Sergeant Heizer and Sergeant Pruse — and said, “We’ve made 5 arrests recently, related to illegal dumping.” He said the combination of enforcement and neighborhood engagement is helping build trust in neighborhoods that report problems.
Mayor Keith James framed the task force within his neighborhoods-first approach and said public-works work “impacts quality of life, and it is related to safety,” listing potholes, sidewalks and streetlights as linked to safety and livability. Panelists emphasized that the effort involves both internal coordination across nearly every city department and citizen volunteers who serve on the task force.
Officials did not provide a timetable for citywide benchmarks or a vote record for the commissioners’ approval to affiliate with Keep America Beautiful beyond saying commissioners had granted permission. City staff described the approach as combining enforcement, service delivery and targeted outreach to neighborhoods identified through a litter index and other data.
