Did LWB Mayor Betty Resch Violate Her Fiduciary Duty to Lake Worth Beach?

Mayor Betty Resch’s alleged suggestion that a private homeowner apply for abandonment of public shoreline access as a solution to crime is not just misguided — it’s a potential violation of her fiduciary duty to protect public assets and uphold the City Charter. Using public safety as cover to help private residents increase property value through the loss of public land sets a dangerous precedent. Public land is not hers to give away. It belongs to all of us — and abandoning it without a vote is both unethical and illegal. Residents must demand accountability and vote NO on Resolution 21-2025.

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In recent weeks, residents have learned that Mayor Betty Resch allegedly advised a private homeowner to apply for the abandonment of public shoreline land as a solution to local nuisance activity — including drug use, prostitution, and unhoused individuals near 13th Avenue South.

Let’s be very clear:
Suggesting the surrender of public land to private ownership is not a lawful or ethical remedy for citywide crime.

It is a dereliction of duty — and possibly a violation of her fiduciary obligation as an elected official.

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🔎 What Is Fiduciary Duty in Public Office?

Under Florida law and public ethics standards, elected officials owe a fiduciary duty to the residents they serve. This includes:

• Acting in the public’s best interest, not private individuals

• Upholding the City Charter and local laws

• Protecting public assets

• Avoiding conflicts of interest or preferential treatment

Mayor Resch’s alleged recommendation — to abandon a decades-used public shoreline access to appease one set of neighbors — undermines all four.

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⚠️ Abandonment ≠ Public Safety

If the mayor truly believed that 13th Avenue South posed a public safety threat, the lawful response would have been to:

• Demand increased PBSO enforcement

• Push for better social service intervention

• Propose neighborhood-level cleanup and monitoring programs

Instead, she allegedly told the homeowner to pursue abandonment — a legal process that benefits the adjacent property owners by increasing their property value and privatizing public land. This is not just an inappropriate response — it’s a dangerous precedent.

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🧾 Public Trust Is Not a Land Giveaway Program

Public shoreline access is a shared asset. The Charter of Lake Worth Beach explicitly protects it, requiring a public vote before any land west of A1A or designated as a park can be conveyed, leased, or abandoned.

To encourage a workaround of that process — especially under pressure from wealthier constituents — raises serious questions:

• Was there a backroom agreement?

• Has this path been suggested to others, or only to those with influence?

• Is the Mayor willing to abandon Charter protections to avoid political discomfort?

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🗣️ The Bottom Line

Mayor Resch was elected to serve the public — not to help private property owners manipulate the system to solve their personal issues.

Using her office to recommend the transfer of public land — especially under the guise of public safety — is not only ethically questionable, but could be construed as a violation of fiduciary responsibility and abuse of public trust.

The citizens of Lake Worth Beach deserve better. They deserve leadership that defends public land — not leaders who give it away.

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✅ Call to Action

📣 Hold Mayor Resch accountable.
Email the City Commission and demand transparency and adherence to the Charter.

📄 File a formal ethics complaint.
If you believe this conduct violates public trust, you have the right to file with the Florida Commission on Ethics:
https://www.ethics.state.fl.us/

🗳️ Vote and show up.
Public shoreline belongs to all of us — not a privileged few. Let your voice be heard at every Commission meeting.

🧾 Sign and share the petition:
https://www.change.org/p/protect-lake-worth-beach-s-public-waterfront-access-for-all

💬 Talk to your neighbors.
This isn’t just about one street — it’s about setting a precedent that could threaten access across all of Lake Worth Beach.

Because once public land is gone — it’s gone for good.