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Jupiter police chief Michael Barbera to retire after nearly 30 years of work for the town
JUPITER — Police Chief Michael Barbera is retiring on Oct. 3 after serving 29 years with the town and hitting a mandatory retirement stipulation.
Barbera announced his retirement on Aug. 14. Jupiter will detail plans for its new police chief closer to the time of Barbera's retirement, according to a statement released by the town. The town's charter gives its town manager the authority to choose the police department's leader, as opposed to the Town Council.
'I am extremely grateful for all of the opportunities the Town of Jupiter has provided me and my family since I joined the Jupiter Police Department in 1996,' wrote Barbera in a prepared statement. 'It has been an honor to serve Jupiter's residents and represent one of the most prestigious law enforcement agencies in Florida.'
Barbera has been the town's police chief since October 2024, when he stepped into the role after serving as deputy chief for three years before that.
Why is it mandatory that Jupiter's police chief retires?
Barbera had to retire because he enrolled in the Florida Retirement System's Deferred Retirement Option Program — known as DROP — before he became chief, according to a town spokesperson.
The program requires participants to retire after a certain number of years pass from when they enroll. Barbera hit the threshold for retirement this year.
All town employees have the option to enter into the program, which has financial benefits for participants. Employees are eligible for it based on their years of service or age. In this case, Barbera was eligible based on his years of service.
Jupiter's police chief to retire after almost three decades of work in the field
Barbera started work at the Jupiter police department as a police officer in 1996. Before joining the police department, he served four years in the U.S. Marine Corps.
He spent three years as a major and was the operations support commander, where he led the criminal investigations and special operations divisions, before becoming deputy chief.
Barbera has been a patrol officer, a field training officer, an honor guard commander, supervisor of the K-9 unit and special response team and a district commander. He also has been a member of the department's hostage negotiation team.
He spent six years as a detective in the criminal investigations division and two years working with the street crimes unit. Barbera made the rank of sergeant in 2009. Six years later, he became a captain and then major in 2018.
Barbera graduated from the FBI's National Academy, the FBI's Florida Executive Development Seminar and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Leadership Academy.
He holds a bachelor's degree in public administration from Barry University and a master's degree in criminology from Florida State University. Barbera is the town's fourth police chief since 2005.
Frank Kitzerow, the town's former chief who stepped down in 2018 and is now its town manager, said Barbera 'has been a dynamic leader throughout his career.'
'He dedicated much of his life to serving our Town and has excelled in every step of his career,' wrote Kitzerow in a prepared statement.
Maya Washburn covers northern Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida-Network. Reach her at mwashburn@ Support local journalism: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Jupiter police chief to retire because of Florida DROP retirement plan
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