John Scarpa and Tim Moran, co-founders and leaders of the Palm Beach Police & Fire Foundation, were honored this week for 20 years of philanthropic dedication to the town’s two public safety departments and its first responders.
Scarpa and Moran are the recipients of the Palm Beach Civic Association’s 2025 William J. “Bill” Brooks Community Service Award.
More than 200 people attended the Civic Association’s Community Service Award Breakfast on Monday, February 10, at The Breakers.
Michele Kessler, vice chair of the Civic Association, said Scarpa and Moran “have had a tremendous impact on our community through their leadership … philanthropic spirit … love for the town … and respect for the emergency responders who put their lives on the line each day to protect all of us.”
Each year since 2011, the Civic Association has presented the Brooks Award to individuals or organizations that have significantly improved the quality of life in Palm Beach. It is named in honor of the late Palm Beach Town Council member and former general manager of WPTV Channel 5.
The police & fire foundation has given millions of dollars toward the purchase of equipment, the enhancement of benefits for police and firefighters, public education, and financial assistance for first responder families in distress, Kessler said.
“Since its founding in 2006, the non-profit foundation has remained steadfast in its mission to support the town’s first responders and the community at large, giving our residents the peace of mind that comes with knowing they live in a town where their homes and streets are safe,” she said.
Scarpa is chairman of the police & fire foundation, a member of the Civic Association’s Executive Committee and a Civic Association director since 2013. He accepted the Brooks Award on behalf of himself and Moran, the foundation’s vice chairman, who was unable to attend.
“Receiving this award is not just a recognition for our efforts, but a celebration of what we as a community have accomplished together,” Scarpa said. “Thank you for standing with us, believing in our mission, and continuing to support all those who protect and serve us every day.”
In an interview for this article, Moran said he is proud of how the community has united behind the foundation to make it so successful.
“We live in a special place, very small and unique, and the foundation is one of the things that makes it very unique,” Moran said. “It has been a great service to all the first responders and their families.”
Michael Pucillo, the Civic Association’s chairman and chief executive officer, said during an interview that the foundation has had a huge positive impact on the community.
“The vision of John Scarpa and Tim Moran in creating this organization is appropriately recognized as an action that brought great benefit to our community and is well deserving of the Bill Brooks Community Service Award,” Pucillo said. “We are thankful to John and Tim for their vision and commitment in making our town a safer and more secure community.”
Town Manager Kirk Blouin, who is a former Palm Beach police officer, police chief and public safety director, told the Civic Association that Scarpa and Moran are “remarkable leaders whose selfless dedication and actions have greatly improved the community.”
Blouin cited the foundation’s financial support for the town’s first responders and for the acquisition of equipment and technology that has helped to keep the community safer.
He said Scarpa and Moran have strengthened the town even further by “fostering a sense of community and family between the residents and members of the police and fire departments.”
An entrepreneur in the cable television and cellular communications industries, Scarpa was co-founder, president and chief operating officer of American Cellular Network Corp. He lives in Palm Beach and Avalon, N.J.
Moran was president and CEO of Apple Sports/Dorson Sports, which manufactured and distributed products under the Wilson and Rubbermaid brands. He and his wife Bridget Moran, who is a Town Council member, moved to Palm Beach with their daughters in 1998.
It started with a ‘dance’
During interviews, Scarpa and Moran both recalled how the foundation began with a dance – the Palm Beach Policeman’s Ball at Mar-a-Lago in 2006. The ball was a remarkable success, raising $400,000 and becoming an annual highlight of the Palm Beach season.
The proceeds of that first ball were controlled by the Fraternal Order of Police Association, of which Scarpa and Moran were members. Scarpa and Moran felt that they and other town residents should have a larger say in how the charitable funds were spent, so they founded what was then the Palm Beach Police Foundation.
The foundation’s original mission was to provide scholarships for the eligible children of Palm Beach police officers and civilian employees. Its next step was to provide personal financial assistance for the families of police officers during periods of hardship or crisis.
The foundation continued to expand its scope as other needs were identified, Scarpa said. In 2019, it embraced the Fire-Rescue Department and firefighter-paramedics and changed its name to the Palm Beach Police & Fire Foundation.
Community ties and education
Public education, intended to foster mutual understanding and appreciation between residents, police officers and firefighters, has been a priority for the foundation since its beginning, Moran said.
Soon after its founding, the foundation assumed control of Palm Beach Crime Watch, rebranding it as Safeguard Palm Beach and expanding its mission to include public safety education in addition to crime prevention.
Safeguard Palm Beach hosts public safety forums throughout town and an annual Public Safety Day when residents get an up-close look at the expertise and equipment of town police officers and firefighters.
The Palm Beach Police and Fire Citizen’s Academy and Teen Academy, which allows residents to train with police and ride in a police vehicle or police patrol boat, also fall under the foundation’s public education umbrella.
“We work with the officers and firefighters on community relations,” Scarpa said. “We spend a lot of time on that so officers and fire personnel have a better understanding of the community and the residents.”
Equipment and public safety
The foundation has made several major equipment purchases for the two public safety departments over the years. These have included two police patrol boats (the second boat was an upgrade that replaced the original), a high-tech training simulator for police officers called the Virtra-300, and an equipment vehicle and training tower for firefighter-paramedics.
The foundation is assisting with a Fire-Rescue Department program to eventually install up to 500 automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in residences and businesses throughout town. The foundation has spent $116,000 to buy 130 of the potentially life-saving devices. The Fire-Rescue Department provides training in their use.
Last year, the foundation committed up to $700,000 to finance an accelerated expansion of the townwide camera surveillance and license plate recognition program.
There are 100 surveillance camera sites with more than 300 views throughout Palm Beach, and the town is upgrading the system with higher-tech cameras while installing additional cameras in areas that didn’t previously have them, including the Lake Trail, police Captain Will Rothrock said.
“The camera system has been in operation for decades and proven effective in assisting with crime prevention and resolution,” Rothrock said.
Employee recruitment and retention
One of the foundation’s top priorities is to assist the town with the recruitment and retention of the best available personnel for both public safety departments, Scarpa said. To that end, the foundation funds retirement and life insurance benefits that are above and beyond those already provided by the town.
Since 2021, the foundation has invested nearly $1.7 million in individual retirement accounts for full-time employees of the Police and Fire-Rescue departments.
The Preston-Bernick Retirement Program is named for foundation board members John Preston and Howard Bernick (a Civic Association director since 2016), who were instrumental in its creation. The foundation is committed to contributing an amount equal to between 4 and 7 percent of the employees’ pay into their accounts each year.
The employees are not required to contribute anything into the retirement accounts and are fully vested after six years.
“Once we put the money into their account, it’s theirs,” Moran said. “If they stay with the town over 20 years, they have the ability to raise a few hundred thousand dollars.”
In 2024, the foundation began offering full-time employees of both public safety departments term life insurance policies with a $500,000 death benefit. The foundation pays 100 percent of the premiums, at a cost of $250,000 per year.
Scarpa said the recruitment and retention initiative “has been really successful.”
Palm Beach’s police and fire-rescue departments are second to none, Scarpa said.
“Both of those departments are as well trained as any department could possibly be, throughout the United States,” he said. “We can have a policeman at your door in about one minute, and Fire-Rescue in four minutes … we are proud of that. It takes a huge amount of time and dedication.”
The foundation is governed by a 16-member board of directors that includes an executive committee of five. Daily operations are conducted by a staff of four, headed by Rebecca Godwin, president and chief operating officer.
Scarpa and Moran both credited the foundation’s dedicated and generous directors, along with Godwin and its staff, for its success.
Moran said he and Scarpa have been fortunate to work with so many outstanding people who shared their vision.
“We’re two community-minded guys with a lot of respect for first responders,” Moran said. “We are blessed with great lives and wanted to do something special for the community. Our board members have been phenomenal, and the employees have been great as well.”
Mary Robosson, president and chief operating officer of the Civic Association, said Scarpa and Moran are a great example of how “leadership begins with our citizens.”
“Our hats are off to John Scarpa and Tim Moran for their leadership and compassionate actions in serving our great town and community,” she said.
Monday’s breakfast was sponsored by The Fanjul Family and Florida Crystals, which has underwritten the program each year since 2018. Florida Crystals was represented by Pepe Fanjul Jr., the company’s executive vice president and a Civic Association director since 2016.
To receive Palm Beach TV, Our Town News, The Civic and more in your inbox sign up HERE.
Our Town sponsored by:
