RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — Plans to build a new police station in Riviera Beach are temporarily on hold after a former council member sued the city for not properly advertising the change as required by state law.
WATCH BELOW: WPTV's Ethan Stein digs into lawsuit by former council member Tradrick McCoy
Records reviewed by WPTV show the city advertised various regulatory changes to the land at Barracuda Bay, the city's only public pool, with the wrong address and wrong parcel number. The lawsuit likely means city council will have to revote on the project, which was scheduled to break ground on Thursday. A spokesperson for the city said it doesn't comment on pending litigation.
The city of Riviera Beach said it has needed a new police station after moving the department to a temporary location off of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in a shared space almost three years ago. The city said it made the change after water damage and mold was discovered at the old police headquarters building off of Blue Heron Boulevard.
A new police station is part of the city's plans to build multiple new public facilities after voters approved three bond referendum questions in 2024, collectively worth $110 million. However, there was still some debate about Barracuda Bay being the best site for the new station during a February meeting where the project was finalized.
Cindy March, who is against putting the new police station at the city's only public pool, said she doesn't understand the rationale for not building a new facility at the old location. She said the choice by the city takes away an affordable amenity for people to cool off during the hot summer months.
"When they [kids] get out of school they don't have no where to go," March said. "Where do you think they're going to end up at? They'll end up on the street corner somewhere."
City Manager Jonathan Evans said the city has already spent more than $3 million on design costs related to putting the project at Barracuda Bay. He also said the way the voter referendum was approved means the police station must go on the Barracuda Bay site or else the city won't get to access the $35 million in funding, during a city meeting in February.
"By going through a redesign project and moving it [the police station] back to the city hall campus if that is the desire of the board, it will result in delays," Evans said. "You are spending approximately $700,000 a year for lease payments as it stands right now. And so it would be staff's hope that the board would move forward with supporting this particular project in its current form."
A majority of council members voted to move forward with the project after Evans also said the lack of a facility is causing the city to lose police officers and they don't have the ability to train officers within the city. The city also entered into an agreement with Palm Beach County to pay back the $1.5 million originally used from the county to build a facility if a new public pool isn't completed by December 2029.
However, Riviera Beach's city council will likely have to revote on the project after a former council member sued the city for not following the proper procedures when announcing a vote. Tradrick McCoy, who has sued the city for similar issues multiple times and won, while acting as his own attorney, said the city advertised the project's location as 1621 West Blue Heron Boulevard when in reality the property was located at 2125 Avenue South. He said a similar discrepancy occurred with the property's parcel number, which allowed city staff to stop a "critical public amenity" relied on by underserved people.
"Defendant City of Riviera Beach has deprived its residents of the right to be heard on the decision to change the use of the Palm Beach County-funded water facility," McCoy said. "The defendant's actions not only violated state law but also paved the way for the Barracuda Bay aquatics facility to be demolished in March of 2026, with a groundbreaking on March 12, 2026."
McCoy said he wasn't available to talk with us about the lawsuit on Monday. A spokesperson for the city said it doesn't comment on pending litigation.
