Public safety statistics remain strong, with the Royal Palm Beach Village Council attributing these numbers to the excellent service provided by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) and Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue (PBCFR).
Officials from the two county agencies presented their annual reports to the council at a meeting on Thursday, June 18.
PBSO Capt. Ulrich Naujoks’ report showed that District 9 deputies had a total of 149,419 computer-aided dispatch incidents, of which 20,676 were calls for service. The rest were traffic stops and business/residence checks. The calls for service represented a 1.3 percent decrease, with 276 fewer calls for service than the previous year.
The village continues to see a slow increase in population, but the total crime index dropped by 20.6 percent from 649 in 2024 to 515 in 2025. Deputies were able to have a 38.6 percent clearance rate across seven major crime categories.
On traffic, one of the biggest calls for service in Royal Palm Beach, crashes along the village’s major roadways saw decreases. There were 1,380 crashes in 2025, which is 87 fewer than in 2024, or a six percent decrease.
PBSO officials send out service quality surveys to individuals who requested assistance from deputies throughout the year. Of the 480 surveys mailed, 46 were returned, and 93 percent rated the PBSO’s service as excellent.
Looking ahead, Naujoks said that his team is looking to prioritize crime reduction and traffic safety.
“In 2026, District 9 deputies will continue to do what they have done, always will do, and will do under my command, which is make sure that the Village of Royal Palm Beach is a safe place for the people who live here, the people who do business here and the people who come to visit,” Naujoks said.
Council members were happy to see the reduction in crime and how PBSO deputies remain committed to keeping the village safe.
“I honestly and sincerely appreciate all that you and the other officers do,” Vice Mayor Sylvia Sharps said.
Turning to PBCFR, District Chief Amanda Vomero’s annual report detailed how the village had 5,092 calls for service — up 158 from the previous year — with an average response time of 6 minutes, 24 seconds — up about 7 seconds from the previous year. Despite having a slight increase in response times, Royal Palm Beach still has a lower response time than the agency’s target of 7 minutes, 30 seconds. The majority of calls were for medical situations, totaling 3,871.
PBCFR officials similarly send out randomized patient surveys. Of the 98 residents who responded, they gave a 98.7 percent overall satisfaction rate for the service fire-rescue workers provided.
PBCFR is continuing to introduce new programs to further optimize and improve its services. However, a state property tax amendment on the ballot in November is worrying leaders at the county agency. They face a potential loss of $184 million in property tax revenue, and the village may have $7.5 million less funding for fire-rescue service if the amendment were to be approved by voters. The reduction in tax revenue may cause PBCFR to cut some services.
Mayor Jeff Hmara said it was important that voters know about the consequences of the property tax reforms and thanked firefighters for their service to the community.
“[PBCFR is] always such an integral part of the village, and we greatly appreciate that,” Hmara said.
Vomero thanked the council for its time and said she is happy to continue to have a strong partnership with Royal Palm Beach.
“I really, truly do enjoy being a part of the village,” she said. “It has been three years since I’ve gotten the opportunity to serve the village, and I’ve enjoyed every bit of it.”
In other business, the council unanimously voted to permanently set its monthly regular council meeting in December to the first Thursday of the month. Councilwoman Selena Samios proposed the agenda item to reduce conflicts with holidays or other activities that occur during that time.
