The Riviera Beach City Council voted unanimously June 18 to expand the Riviera Beach Housing Authority from five to seven members and to appoint three individuals recommended by the mayor.

The change moved after a prolonged discussion about the authority's bylaws and whether a council resolution was required. Councilmember Glenn Spiritus raised the initial concern, saying, “If we do all these appointments, we're over the amount of members that were permitted by the housing authority's bylaws.” City attorney and staff said state law allows five to seven members, but the city’s original resolution establishing the authority did not clearly specify a number.

Why it matters: The Housing Authority is the agency that oversees public-housing policy and certain housing assets in Riviera Beach. Raising the authorized membership lets the city add more commissioners but requires the council to adopt a formal resolution and the housing authority to amend its bylaws to conform.

Council and staff said the practical steps are: adopt a resolution to increase the maximum to seven, ask the housing authority to amend its bylaws, and clarify staggered terms so appointments do not all expire at once. City manager Jonathan Evans told the council the administration will bring a resolution back for the July 2 meeting to “clean up” terms and the number of seats.

During the discussion, staff and the housing authority’s executive director provided background on recent certified appointments. Evans reported that appointees Leroy Kelson IV was certified May 1, 2024; Joe Anderson and Troy Patrick were certified May 21, 2025. Director Hirt and council members noted gaps and unclear records on seat terms and expiration dates, and advised reestablishing staggered terms per Florida statute.

Public comment on the item included several speakers urging the council to prioritize resident interests and to ensure appointments benefit people in need of housing. Lloyd Brown questioned whether appointees are serving residents who lack housing and urged the council to produce concrete results.

Formal actions taken: the council adopted a motion to increase the housing authority membership from five to seven, and later approved the mayor’s recommended appointments for the expanded board. Both measures passed by roll call.

Next steps: Staff will prepare a resolution for council consideration to formalize the increase in board size and will work with the housing authority attorney to amend bylaws and set staggered terms. The council directed staff to provide a clear list of current members and term expirations to avoid future confusion.