On June 18, 2025, the Riviera Beach Utility Special District Board of Directors discussed a proposal to have US Water Services Corporation take over operation of the city's water plant; a motion to explore that change was made by Board member Bruce Guyton but died for lack of a second.

The item came after repeated public concerns about water quality and past enforcement actions. Guyton told the board he campaigned on the water system and said he wanted "experts come in here and run our water plant until we get it to a level that is comfortable and acceptable to not just the evaluating agencies, but the community." He framed the proposal as a way to reduce taxpayers' exposure in the event of future violations.

Supporters and critics both cited the city's recent regulatory and oversight history. Mike Miller, who identified himself as the acting executive director for US Water in a contractual role, said US Water had performed an initial system assessment in 2016, provided training in 2024 and returned to audit progress. Asked whether US Water's insurance would have covered a prior fine, Miller said, "I'm not really sure how to answer that question. We do have insurance, but, that's not in my area. But, I'm quite sure that, there would probably be some level of responsibility if we if we were the ones that actually have, made, cost of violations."

Other board members and city officials urged caution. City Manager Jonathan Evans and several board members said US Water has helped bring the plant into compliance with state and federal requirements and recommended continuing the current partnership while the newly hired executive director settles into the role. One board member summarized the current approach as keeping US Water in a supportive, limited role while building internal capacity; the board also noted US Water's current contract expires in December.

Plant operators and union representatives who spoke during public comment pushed back on any suggestion that front-line employees were the cause of past problems. Erwin Sineas, a representative of the SCIU Florida Public Service Union, said employees "bust their **** every day" and that failures reflected "failed leadership" and the plant's poor condition rather than operator competence. Water plant operator LaTaj Brinson told the board operators are licensed and rely on aging equipment, saying, "All us operators can handle the job... but we need the equipment and whatnot fixed." Another employee, Emilio Brown, asked for a private meeting with council to explain issues "in house." Joseph Bedford Sr., who spoke on a separate community event earlier in the meeting, thanked staff and police for volunteer work at a Family Expo.

During the formal portion, Guyton moved "that we explore bringing on US Water to run our operations until we get it to a level that we feel is comfortable for the city to take back over." The motion had no second and therefore did not advance. The clerk announced, "Motion dies for lack of a second."

The board directed staff and the city manager to coordinate one-on-one visits between council members and the water department so board members can inspect operations and hear employee concerns. City Manager Evans also said finance staff expect to finish reconciling a separate pay-related issue (standby pay) for employees within about a week.

The discussion underscores continuing community attention to water service in Riviera Beach, ongoing oversight by state and city agencies, and differing views on whether the next step should be a short-term operational takeover by a private contractor or continued investment in city staff and plant upgrades.