LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — Park rangers could soon be a regular sight at some of Lake Worth Beach's most popular public spaces.
City leaders just approved a $500,000 Park Ranger Program aimed at keeping local parks clean, safe, and family-friendly. The plan, approved at Tuesday night's city commission meeting, would create a new Park Ranger Division within the city's Leisure Services Department.
WATCH BELOW: 'We really want to embed them with the community,' Leisure Services Director Stuart Sword
At Bryant Park, a father and son duo were having lunch at a bench when they learned about the city's latest move.
"Quite frankly, I think the park seems pretty safe right now," said parkgoer Chase Patterson.
While Patterson said he generally feels comfortable at the city's parks, leaders said the new initiative is meant to further enhance that sense of safety for families and visitors who frequent the city's green spaces.
"$500,000 is a lot of money for the city of Lake Worth," said Elam Patterson.
Of that half-million dollars, about $352,146 will go toward wages and benefits, and another $66,000 for other expenses including mountain bikes, uniforms, certifications, and marketing materials. That leaves more than $80,000 in reserve as the city evaluates the program's first phase.
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Stuart Sword, the city's director of Leisure Services, said the idea has been months in the making. He describes it as a "cold start program" — the first of its kind for Lake Worth Beach.
"So, the park rangers will initially be at the beachfront, in Bryant Park, in Sunset Ridge, and Howard Park," Sword said. "Those parks are cumulatively about 30 acres of green space."
Sword said those four parks will act as a focus group to gauge the success of the program before expanding to others.
"Their footprint is not just limited to those four parks, they could go to the other 32 open green spaces throughout Lake Worth Beach," said Sword.
While Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputies will continue overnight patrols under the city's $15 million contract, the park rangers' duties will differ.
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"A park ranger is not a law enforcement officer. They are not certified under the criminal system, so when they approach a citizen and they're not in line with a city ordinance, they will issue a warning," Sword explained. "They will have the ability to issue citations if the situation warrants that citation being issued, they will not have arresting authorities but they will go through F.A.C.E training, that stands for Florida Association of Code Enforcement, once they go through that training, they will be they will be certified to enforce city ordinances. A lot of those city ordinances do pertain to our parks, beach front, and our recreation facilities."
City commissioners said the move comes after complaints from residents who said they've felt unsafe in certain areas, particularly Bryant Park, where issues with homelessness and vandalism have been ongoing. Months earlier, WPTV reported that the city spent nearly $100,000 on restroom upgrades to prevent repeated damage. Those improvements included concrete sinks, sturdier dividers, and tile that's harder to damage and easier to clean.
Sword said the Park Ranger program will roll out in phases beginning with recruitment, training, and community outreach before rangers hit the parks. The program would start with one manager, three full-time rangers, and two part-time rangers, they'd focus on education, enforcement, and community outreach, using bike patrols to stay visible and approachable.
"Ideally, in the next 120 days, you will see a uniformed park ranger in one of the four parks I mentioned," Sword said. "We really want to embed them with the community, we're excited to kick this off."
