Palm Beach County commissioners on Thursday finalized four finalists to advance to interviews for the county attorney search and directed county staff to run criminal, financial and internet background checks on those four candidates and return results by Monday or Tuesday.

The board voted to move David Adi, Michael Jones, Michael Napoleone and K. Denise Hare forward to the interview round. The motion was made by Commissioner Bobby Powell and seconded by Commissioner Michael A. Flores; the motion carried with five votes in favor, one opposed and one commissioner absent. County staff said they will request the applicants’ consent to initiate state criminal checks and will attempt to obtain additional records from state and national databases as quickly as possible.

Commissioners said they were satisfied that all seven initial applicants were listed as in good standing with the bar, but multiple members pressed county staff to perform a deeper vetting on criminal history, civil litigation history (including whether an applicant or an applicant’s firm had sued the county), liens and bankruptcy filings, and internet/social-media searches prior to any hiring decision.

Commissioner Weiss said that mere bar membership does not provide a full picture of a candidate’s background and urged that the finalists be “vetted for being above reproach.” Commissioner Bobby Powell, who also noted his experience living with a member of the Florida Bar, said current active bar membership is “a high indication” the candidate has met professional standards but supported additional checking by county staff. Commissioner Maria Sachs said she would like to interview all seven candidates but acknowledged the board had selected four for the main interview schedule.

Deputy County Administrator Tracy Ellison and county staff told commissioners that state criminal background checks typically return in 24–48 hours on business days and that staff could attempt a national search through law-enforcement channels where permitted. Staff advised that applicant consent forms are required before checks can proceed and that the four selected applicants have been responsive to prior requests, so staff did not expect significant delays.

County Attorney staff also instructed personnel to perform broad internet searches and to return findings to the commission prior to the interview dates. Commissioners repeatedly emphasized they wanted both criminal and financial checks and asked for any potentially disqualifying information — including prior discipline, lawsuits involving the applicant, liens, garnishments or bankruptcies — to be reported back to the board.

The board directed that, if vetting reveals material concerns with a selected finalist prior to an offer, staff will notify the board and the county will proceed to the next available candidate per the board’s established selection process. Commissioner Sachs said she would take up interviews of additional applicants on her own initiative if she chose to do so, but county staff confirmed that only the four finalists chosen by the board will advance in the formal interview round that determines who moves to final selection.

The commissioners scheduled interviews for the selected finalists for the next public meeting cycle and asked staff to return background-check results by Monday or, if needed, by Tuesday morning. The vote to move the four candidates forward was recorded as made by Commissioner Bobby Powell with a second from Commissioner Flores.