Hurricane Dorian duty leaves employees fuming
Palm Beach County – In late August, two threats preyed on the minds of Palm Beach County workers. One was a natural disaster that had already destroyed the Bahamas. The other was the county itself.
Employees assigned to work in county shelters during Hurricane Dorian felt they could lose their jobs if they didn’t show up, records obtained by the South Florida Sun Sentinel show.
In October, employees learned their fears were not far off base. More than two dozen workers who skipped hurricane duty were disciplined with one-week suspensions. If it happens again, the county said they’ll be terminated. Of the 28 employees, half of them work in the county’s libraries.
An undated Q&A-styled document shows questions submitted by library employees to county administrators about hurricane roles. One reads: “If a hurricane 5 is coming and staff have been mandatory ‘volunteered’ to work at the shelters, if disaster happens, and we all die, is the county prepared to handle the lawsuits? What extent of liability is Palm Beach County responsible for in the event of employee losses due to shelter coverage? Who will provide the lifelong wages for our families in the event of our deaths during emergency staffing of a shelter (to replace our income for the length of our natural life)?”
The county’s answer? “Shelter buildings have been selected on their ability to withstand powerful storm conditions and are deemed safe refuges. The County’s goal is to keep its citizens and staff safe and secure. Please contact the County’s Risk Management department regarding workplace liability questions and responsibilities.”
In answers to many of the 25 questions, the county directed employees to check with other departments or ask the during on-site training.
Palm Beach County Administrator Verdenia Baker did not respond to emails and phone calls over two days this week.
In interviews with the Sun Sentinel, five employees said the county administration abused its authority by requiring them to work. The employees spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared retribution at work.
The employees said they were forced to work in the 11 shelters without proper training. They also said personal circumstances that could hinder their ability to serve question the public were
During Hurricane Dorian, those circumstances included caring for ill family members to discovering a pregnancy.
“I had just found the week before that I was pregnant. It was an everyday struggle for me, throwing up all the time with morning sickness,” said one suspended employee.
In both cases, the employees say they were told they must report to work at the shelters. They didn’t.
“When I got the email saying I was suspended, it caught me completely off guard,” the employee said.
For the 2020 hurricane season, the county plans to introduce a rotation of employees assigned to shelters, according to Mary Blakeney, senior manager of emergency management. The details are still being worked out, she said.
Employees said what they called the county’s culture of coercion and threats started during Hurricane Irma in September 2017.
“Many staff who had originally not signed up for shelter duty but received an activation email just before the County closed felt that their jobs were being threatened and went into work feeling coerced and unprepared,” reads a shelter not taken into account.
Officials: Teen tied to double murder
DEERFIELD BEACH A teenage boy has become the second person arrested in the shooting deaths of a man and woman whose bodies were found in a Deerfield Beach home in September.
A Broward County grand jury indicted the teen and his co-defendant, Juan Ayala Soto, 21, on first-degree murder charges.
The 15-year-old boy, charged as an adult, was arrested Thursday. The South Florida Sun Sentinel is not naming him because of his age and because the specific allegations against him have not been released.
The two are charged in connection with the killings of
Belmont, the president of Minto Communities USA. “It helps put us on a national platform with a school that’s focused on soccer and athletics.”
Houseparents will be assigned to each floor of the dorm.
Construction is expected to begin in January.
David Shaggy, president and CEO of Coral Springsbased Contraria Development,
said tuition and boarding rates haven’t been finalized yet. But he hopes the focus on soccer will attract students from abroad since it’s considered the most widely played sport internationally.
“We think we can help fuel that momentum even further with our school,” he said.
Boarding school choices in South Florida are slim. Some options include North Broward Preparatory School in Coconut Creek; and Christian schools include Saint Andrews School in Boca Raton, and The King’s Academy in West Palm Beach, which only boards international students.
“South Florida doesn’t have a lot of boarding schools, this is the first in the marketplace [that’s not religious in Palm Beach County] and fits a niche,” Shaggy said. “Any student can go to the school [but it will be a] soccer-centric facility, trying to progress a soccer player that wants to play in college or professionally. … We think what we’re doing will enhance the game and offer the marketplace another alternative.”
Other sports that you would “typically see in boarding school” — such as basketball, volleyball, softball and baseball — also will be available.
He said a management company, Soccer Ventures II, will run the school and hire the headmaster and staff.
It is expected to be open by the fall of 2021.