County Sheriff's Office Col. Tony Araujo is West Palm Beach's new police chief, Mayor Keith James announced at a news conference Monday.

West Palm Beach mayor recommends Tony Araujo as permanent police chief

After months of uncertainty and a promised nationwide search, sources confirm that Mayor Keith James has decided to remove the interim title and appoint Antonio "Tony" Araujo as the permanent police chief of West Palm Beach,

Mayor Keith James announced Monday that he's naming interim Police Chief Tony Araujo to take over the agency full-time.

At a West Palm Beach City Commission meeting, commissioners unanimously voted to approve Antonio "Tony Araujo, 65, as the West Palm Beach police chief. This comes after Mayor Keith James held a news conference on Monday morning at City Hall to announce leadership initiatives at the West Palm Beach Police Department.

He was supposed to be a temporary fix, but now the West Palm Beach Mayor says Interim Police Chief Tony Araujo will be getting the job permanently. Araujo was working as a colonel with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office in October when Mayor Keith James agreed with the agency to bring him on after the firing of former Chief Frank Adderley.

West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James will hold a news conference Monday to outline what he's calling "leadership initiatives" at the city police department.