Riviera Beach Special Utility Compliance Manager Margie DeBerry said superiors asked her to “wait” on sending potential violations to the Palm Beach County Health Department, according to records WPTV’s Ethan Stein received from a public records request.
DeBerry said she got a similar opinion from Assistant Utility Director Stephen Doyle. But she ignored her supervisor’s advice and sent months of unreported tests to the health department. The city is now under investigation for breaking state or federal laws related to water quality 189 times, which could result in a fine.
Riviera Beach
This city is under investigation for breaking water quality laws 189 times
DeBerry said she found the unreported tests while responding to public records requests and the Office of the Inspector General in Palm Beach County, who is investigating the utility’s response to a water contamination event in June 2023. She said all of the current violations were avoidable.
“Any current violations we have, those could have been avoided,” DeBerry told an independent investigator during a conversation with other utility employees lasting over an hour. “Again, had the information been reported properly and had the follow-up actions been taken.”…