PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Invictus Security, a private security firm previously tapped by the School District of Palm Beach County to train security guards at charter schools in the county, has filed a lawsuit against the district for breach of contract.
Invictus says the district owes the company more than $97,000 for the training provided, according to court records.
The Palm Beach County School Board voted to cut ties with Invictus on Aug. 21, after the company's training came under scrutiny from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission.
The board also voted to sue Invictus for the $77,000 that they spent on training.
The owner of Invictus previously defended the training, saying he did not doubt that the guards were ready to protect students.
"I believe it's politics. I’m not a politician. I’m a subcontractor. I’m doing what’s best for our schools for providing top-tier training," said Patrick Miller, owner of Invictus Security, in an interview with WPTV NewsChannel 5 in August.
However, a review by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office determined the training did not comply with Florida law.
The MSD Public Safety Commission was critical of the district's decision to hire a firm to train private security guards for charter schools, rather than using state funding to have guardians trained by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
At a meeting in August, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, chairman of the commission, said the district took the position that "there is at least ambiguity in the statute that makes it permissible for them to have security personnel trained by a private company as opposed to the sheriff."
The security guards are being retrained by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
WPTV NewsChannel 5 reached out to both Invictus Security and the School District of Palm Beach County for comment. The school district said it doesn't comment on pending litigation, and the owner of Invictus but he was unavailable for comment.
🔽 READ THE LAWSUIT HERE 🔽