West Palm Beach commissioners sharply criticized city leadership at a tense meeting over the city’s handling of last week’s historic flooding, which left neighborhoods underwater. Commissioner Christy Fox called the city’s empathy toward residents “pathetic.”
Mayor Keith James was in Barcelona, Spain, attending the Smart City Expo World Congress, held Nov. 3-5, where he spoke on behalf of the city. James said he remained in charge of operations and was in constant contact with staff. “Me, as mayor of the city, I was in charge,” he told commissioners.
The city’s leadership was thin during the storm. City Administrator Faye Johnson was on leave, and a deputy city administrator had recently retired, leaving one deputy overseeing daily operations. Commissioners said they were told they could not call an emergency meeting while the mayor was overseas.
Commissioner Cathleen Ward said the city could have communicated better. Fox pointed to the city’s social media posts, which she said amounted to two graphics over seven days telling residents to stay indoors and use caution. Police and fire rescue crews responded to emergencies, but no news conferences were held, commissioners said.
Residents at the meeting said water still stood in their streets and around their homes after the rain stopped, and garbage collection had been disrupted. James acknowledged the city may have fallen short on empathy but defended employees and first responders.
Commissioner Joe Peduzzi, who chairs the Audit Committee, said he plans to pursue an internal audit of the city’s flood response. The review would examine what went wrong and how the city can avoid similar problems in future storms.
