Public employees driving marked government vehicles operate under workplace rules that reach well past what the First Amendment protects in private life. A Palm Beach County building inspector has now been fired after an internal investigation confirmed he made repeated Nazi salutes and antisemitic remarks to a Jewish driver, according to NBC. The encounter happened in Boca Raton.
The driver, who is Jewish and has stayed anonymous, said he was turning into a shopping plaza when he accidentally pulled in front of a county vehicle. He immediately lowered his window and apologized for the mistake. In a statement released through the law firm Lesser, Landy, Smith and Siegel, he said the exchange escalated into profanity, references to Hitler, and repeated Nazi-style gestures.
The watchdog group StopAntisemitism brought the incident to wider attention by posting a photograph that appeared to show a county worker making the salute. Founder Liora Rez said the group was appalled and called for the employee’s termination if the allegations held up. A county spokesperson confirmed the man in the photo worked for the Building Division.
The apology came before the salutes did, which is what makes this one land differently
The driver said the conduct was deeply personal, as his family lost relatives in the Holocaust. He described a lasting effect on his sense of safety and his family’s wellbeing. He also stressed that nobody should face antisemitic hatred from a person operating an official government vehicle.
County Administrator Joseph Abruzzo said there is no place for antisemitism, hatred, or discrimination in county government. The employee was placed on administrative leave while human resources investigated, and the county moved to separate from him once the review concluded. He was given until the end of business on Friday to appeal.
It’s important to note that this remains an administrative matter rather than a criminal one. There have been no reports of an arrest or charges, and no indication that the encounter turned physical. The driver has legal representation, though no lawsuit has been announced.
The county has not released the former employee’s name. Similar confrontations have drawn attention when captured on camera, including the North Carolina woman who said a stranger harassed her for 30 minutes in what viewers called a racist rant.
Jewish community leaders have praised the county’s handling of it. Michael Hoffman, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County, said the administrator and commissioners took the matter seriously and acted decisively. State Rep. Debra Tendrich, who is Jewish and represents part of the county, stressed that accountability is what makes a zero-tolerance stance meaningful.
Accusations of antisemitism have surfaced across very different contexts lately, including a Paramount executive who blamed merger opposition on antisemitic views. What separates this case is that the conduct came from someone on the clock in a county truck.
The firing sets a marker for how Palm Beach County intends to treat discriminatory conduct by staff, and whether the standard holds could depend on how it handles the next complaint that reaches human resources.
Published: Sep 8, 2026 02:30 pm