WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Downtown West Palm Beach had no assigned code enforcement officer for about nine months, according to a city spokesperson.
WPTV uncovered the issue after inquiring about a few properties that were cited for violations after sitting untouched for years. Those buildings appear vacant with overgrown plants, chipped paint and graffiti on walls. It's one of the first times we've seen code enforcement actions within the downtown area.
Kat Joy, who is a spokesperson for the city of West Palm Beach, said code enforcement is complaint-driven.
However, the city also has a staffed code enforcement officer in various geographic zones of the city. She said the downtown position was vacant in September 2024 and then filled in June 2025, which is a gap of about nine months.
"Staffing may be temporarily adjusted if positions are vacant or officers are reassigned," Joy wrote in an email. "Downtown has an assigned officer who conducts routine proactive inspections and responds to complaints submitted through the City's official channels."
The properties WPTV saw code violations included:
- 530 Clematis St.
- 527 Datura St.
- 525 Datura St.
State records show each of those properties is owned by an LLC controlled by well-known real estate developer Jeff Greene.
On Thursday, WPTV saw employees trying to clean up the graffiti at the properties on Datura Street.
Anges Hunt, who said she works near these properties, has walked past these locations often over the last four years. She said she's surprised the city decided to cite them recently for code violations since they've sat untouched for years.
"I'd be frustrated if I'm the owners," Hunt said. "All of a sudden, now you just come and say, 'Hey, you need to do this! You need to do that!' It needed to be enforced long ago."
The position for downtown code enforcement officer became open after Jennifer Ferriol, who was also the director of Housing and Community Development, took over the city's code department in late 2024.
However, WPTV reporter Ethan Stein learned Ferriol left the city earlier this month.
Both the city and Ferriol declined to give any rationale for her departure.
This now means a new person will oversee the city's affordable and workforce housing development, real estate and lease management, homeless and social services, various entitlement programs and code enforcement.
