WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Around 41 different areas of the West Palm Beach Police Headquarters building need mold or malodor remediation, according to records WPTV obtained from a public records request.
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The mold was found throughout all three floors and the building’s basement. WPTV requested the report after the city sent a press release claiming the building remained safe for daily operations. The report said abnormal mold was discovered within the walls in multiple senior command staff offices and hallways across the building.
The city-paid contractor also found abnormal issues at the department’s gym, crime cubicles, staff services training area, locker room, contracts offices, bomb squad area, gun processing area, laser lab, chem lab, traffic LT, mechanical room and other locations.
A West Palm Beach spokesperson said the current condition is the result of deferred maintenance and postponed upgrades to its roof and HVAC systems in the press release sent earlier this week. The city said the building is safe for employees and the public, but it will temporarily relocate people like senior command staff last month.
Adam Myers, who is the president for the Fraternal Order of Police for West Palm Beach, said he doesn’t know if the building is safe and is aware that many of the officers he represents as a union official also have questions about the building's safety. He said the health risks are his biggest concern about the mold assessment report, but he said he believes the mold issue is a microcosm for how the city has dealt with other issues within the police department.
“This is a problem kind of similar to a lot of the other issues that remain within the agency and the police department,” Myers said. “It’s an issue that the city and several city administrations have been aware of and yet have taken no action or full corrective action to address it. They kind of put band-aids on problems to save money…but it just causes the problem to fester.”
Myers credited Chief Tony Araujo for getting the city to start addressing the problem. He said officers have complained about leaks within the building for years. The contractors said the maintenance supervisor for the West Palm Beach Police Department indicated his concerns about the presence of abnormal mold growth in wall cavities that were impacted by or near water events or other suspected areas
The city hired a public contractor, Belfor and the Mold Inspector, to test the building. The contractor said the maintenance supervisor for the West Palm Beach Police Department indicated his concerns about the presence of abnormal mold growth in wall cavities that were impacted by or near water events or other suspected areas.
Dan Hartwig, who owns a consulting company that specializes with mold in Florida, reviewed the report WPTV obtained from the department. He said it was one of the least professional reports that he’s seen within his 50 years in the industry.
“It’s really not a good scientific report,” Hartwig said. “They don’t indicate how they perform any of the tests…There is no indication of the use of a qualified laboratory.”
He also used the report to use unusual language, an unusual amount of red ink, and lacks language about the equipment used to make determinations. He said this makes it difficult to understand how bad the conditions are inside the West Palm Beach Police Station.
“A person who has to make a decision may underreact or overreact,” Hartwig said. “…Getting a second opinion is probably wise.”
A spokesperson said the city started spending $6 million to address long-standing maintenance issues and extend the life of the building. This includes sealing the building's roof in November 2025 to prevent future leaks from developing. It expects all work to be finished by August 2026.
