Unwanted Palm Beach Island Visitors

There are few things more startling than a knock on your door or a ring of your doorbell when you are not expecting anyone to be disrupting your day. Everyone attempts to peek casually through a peephole, look at a camera, or out the curtains of their window to see who has come onto their property, hoping that it’s a friend or neighbor but utterly dismayed when it is someone soliciting on Palm Beach Island.

In the Town of Palm Beach, there are specific permits that must be obtained from Code Enforcement. These permits state that they must obtain a business permit from the Police Department. This past season, residents on Palm Beach Island saw an increase in solicitations within their neighborhoods around the Town. Several reports consisted of one man selling meats & seafood and another one selling cleaning supplies.

It is not common in the Town of Palm Beach to have such basic items being solicited without an ulterior motive. The reason the permits are required is to prevent burglaries from possibly happening. In the past, the door-to-door solicitors have used this as a way to case the house, looking for an appropriate entrance to come back and burglarize, or will use force to gain access right on the spot.

Religious organizations are categorized under federal law as a non-profit, they are usually exempt from Palm Beach Island Town permit requirements. That is the only exception. Even during the Town of Palm Beach Town Council elections there are no solicitations allowed, making it even more rare for these salespeople to knock on the homes of Town of Palm Beach residents.

The police department recommends that if you come in contact with a solicitor in your neighborhood, you ask to see their Town of Palm Beach door-to-door ID card for solicitation. If they are without one, they can be directed to the city clerk or police department to retrieve one. If you sense any danger, they recommend calling the Town of Palm Beach police department or 9-1-1.

It is important to keep the residents of the Town of Palm Beach safe and well protected. The town and police department team up often to safeguard citizens from unwanted and possibly dangerous visitors.

Next time you have an unwanted visitor on Palm Beach Island, ask for their solicitation permit to avoid any possible dangers or future disturbances. Together, the Town of Palm Beach can continue to keep everyone safe and secure.