RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — In a process that's been anything but traditional, the Riviera Beach City Council picked their mayor in a special meeting Monday night.
Riviera Beach chose Douglas Lawson, former Riviera Beach councilperson, to be the new mayor of the city.
WPTV reporter Michael Hoffman at the meeting where Lawson was appointed, and asked Lawson what day one will look like.
"Hit the ground running," Lawson told Hoffman. "Get back to what we've been doing in the city for the last six years, to continue to progress with infrastructure, with growth and development, to make sure the resident's voices are heard and to make sure that they know we're going to be here for them, to continue to push the city forward."
WATCH: WPTV speaks with newly-elected mayor Douglas Lawson
Last December, WPTV journalist Ethan Stein reported that five different candidates for Riviera Beach city government were removed from the ballot after paying to register their campaign with a debit card rather than a check from a campaign account, which is required by Florida law.
Three candidates said they were advised by Debra Buff, the former city clerk for Belle Glade and former president for the Florida City Clerk’s Association, to pay with a debit card.
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5 candidates removed from the ballot in this city. What happens next?
The removal of all the city's candidates for the mayoral race led to council selecting its city's mayor on Monday, rather than through the voters.
Lawson, who was removed from the ballot when he was still on the city council, said Buff was the reason he paid with a debit card rather than a check like previous times registering for the ballot.
Riviera Beach residents like Rochelle Baker-Hughes says she's frustrated that she doesn't have a say the city's future leader following various problems with the city's infrastructure and reports of a toxic environment within City Hall.
“I just feel like it’s the wild, wild west,” Baker-Hughes said. “We didn’t get the opportunity to maybe have a debate with the applicants who want to be Mayor and hear what they want to do.”
Former Riviera Beach Mayor Ronnie Felder told WPTV he was removed from the ballot after paying with a bad check when he needed to switch his payment from a debit card.
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“My recommendation would be to terminate [Jonathan Evans],” Felder said in November 2024. “But, I can’t make the motion. Every department in the city is upside-down.”
In December, City Manager Jonathan Evans said there was a discussion within city administration to hire “additional support” for the acting clerk during registration to ensure there were no problems. He said he got a recommendation from Buff from an outside legal firm.
According to the city’s finance department, there is no record of Buff being hired or compensation in any form.
WPTV reached out to Riviera Beach City Administration and has not sent back a comment by publication.
