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Riviera Beach clears Barracuda Bay and approves site plan for new police headquarters amid county funding questions
Summary
The city council approved land‑use changes, street abandonments and a site plan to build a new Riviera Beach police headquarters at the Barracuda Bay site, accepted a $124,500 demolition grant, and directed staff to pursue county agreements to avoid a potential $1.5 million payback obligation.
Riviera Beach City Council voted Nov. 3 to clear the way for a new police headquarters at 1621 West Blue Heron Boulevard, approving an abandonment ordinance, a future‑land‑use change and a site plan that together allow demolition of the Barracuda Bay aquatic center and construction of a two‑story police headquarters, evidence building and associated support facilities.
Staff described the proposal as a multi‑component project: abandon unimproved platted streets, change the property’s future land use from recreation to community facility, and build a headquarters campus that includes an evidence and gun‑range building, outdoor training area and a generator building. The plan shows no vehicle ingress from Broadway; access is proposed from West 11th and West 12th streets, with 24‑hour operations and landscaping and streetscape enhancements along adjacent rights of way.
The council accepted a $124,500 Solid Waste Authority blight‑prevention grant to fund demolition of asphalt parking and site work for Barracuda Bay. Billy Brooks, president of the Riviera Beach Police Foundation, urged the council to “vote favorably for this project” to expedite construction and help raise private support.
The vote to move the project forward was not unanimous. One councilmember recorded a dissenting vote during the site‑plan approval, and several council members raised questions about a separate 30‑year interlocal agreement the city made decades ago with the county. That agreement, staff said, contains a clause the county could enforce if the city does not operate a replacement aquatic program and would, under one option discussed by county staff, require the city to pay $1.5 million as a remedy.
City Manager Jonathan Evans told the council staff had been negotiating with county officials and their district representative and that the county had described several paths used with other municipalities, including temporarily holding the county‑funding obligation in abeyance while the city builds or operates an alternate aquatics program. Evans said the county administrator would ultimately take any modification to the Board of County Commissioners and that staff had “good sureties and confidence” the city can secure a workable outcome, but he cautioned there is no substitute for a formal county action.
Supporters said the chosen site keeps the facility on city‑owned land and places the police headquarters near local schools, while backers including the police chief asked for regular, public project updates and a designated project manager. Commenters urged transparency in schedule and spending as the city transitions aquatic programming for residents while the site is cleared.
Next steps: staff will execute the grant agreement for demolition, proceed with required reviews and coordinate with the county to finalize any amendment to the Barracuda Bay interlocal agreement before substantial construction begins.
