Loxahatchee Groves council orders pause to attorney interviews, sends evidence to sheriff, and starts independent review

Mayor Anita Cain called an emergency Town Council meeting to address an anonymous letter and related communications that town officials said have targeted staff and committee members and raised concerns about possible identity theft and threats.

The council voted 5–0 to stop Town Attorney Glenn Torsivia from continuing one-on-one interviews with town employees about the anonymous letter, then voted 4–1 to turn evidence of possible criminal activity over to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) for investigation. Council members also approved moving forward with outside, one-on-one SWOT interviews of staff as the first step in strategic planning and voted to authorize the mayor to begin negotiations on the town manager’s contract.

Why this matters: Council members and residents said the anonymous communications have damaged morale and created safety concerns for at least one committee member who told the mayor they were resigning out of fear for their family. The council’s actions combine immediate protective steps (pausing interviews and referring potential criminal matters to law enforcement) with a longer-term, independent review to assess workplace issues.

At the meeting Mayor Anita Cain said she had received an unsigned, postmarked letter at her home on April 25 that made broad allegations about the town manager and urged recipients to participate in a potential lawsuit. Cain told the council she had contacted multiple agencies about anonymous complaints, and that she personally spoke with 12 of 21 employees to ask whether they knew anything about the letter; she said those employees denied sending it. Cain said the text message screenshot shown to supervisors appeared to originate from a phone tied to a former council member, and that the former council member denied sending it while in town for unrelated business. Cain asked the council to consider turning evidence over to law enforcement and to halt further internal interviews until council gave direction.

Town Attorney Glenn Torsivia described professional practice and town policy when questioned about investigating anonymous complaints. Torsivia said his review had included roughly four hours of interviews and that town policy and the town’s own procedures require investigation of complaints and confidentiality. “When an employer receives a complaint, particularly a government employer, the best practice is not to ignore the complaint simply because it’s anonymous,” Torsivia said during the meeting. He recommended an independent investigator but said he had begun preliminary interviews to assess the matter.

Public commenters were split. Several residents urged caution about acting on anonymous material and criticized the town attorney’s billing and approach; others urged swift law-enforcement involvement. Longtime resident Dave Browning said, “I support our town manager,” while commenter Todd McLennan urged the sheriff’s office to investigate and criticized legal spending. Joan Siciliano and others argued that if someone denies sending a message that appears to come from their device, that allegation meets the basic criteria for identity theft and should be investigated by PBSO.

Council actions and votes taken during the meeting (as recorded): the council passed a motion, 5–0, to stop Torsivia from continuing to question staff regarding the anonymous letter. Later the council approved a motion, 4–1, to turn evidence of alleged criminal activity to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office for investigation. The council also approved moving forward with outside consultant-led SWOT interviews of staff to support strategic planning (vote 5–0). Following a discussion about whether to refer material to the Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics (Gina Levesque, the commission’s representative, advised the council that the commission cannot investigate anonymous allegations unless a sworn complaint is filed), the council rescinded the ethics referral and instead agreed to consider referring process matters to the inspector general’s office (vote to rescind/redirect passed 4–1). Finally, the council voted 3–2 to authorize the mayor to begin negotiations on the town manager’s contract; council members emphasized that the motion was to begin negotiations only, not to approve or ratify a contract.

Council members and staff repeatedly emphasized the difference between discussion and formal action: the meeting produced multiple formal motions and votes as recorded above; it also generated directions for next steps (law-enforcement referral, a consultant-led staff interview process, and contract negotiations) and a plan to present consultant options at the next properly noticed meeting. Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics staff told the council they lack authority to open an investigation based solely on an anonymous submission and said a sworn complaint would be required; they offered guidance on complaint forms and referral options.

The mayor and multiple residents stressed the need to protect staff safety and preserve town operations while pursuing clarity. Mayor Cain said she had contacted PBSO and that staff had been advised to await law-enforcement guidance. The council scheduled no specific deadlines for the outside consultant selection beyond discussing candidates at the next regular meeting, and members said contract negotiations would return to a properly noticed meeting for any substantive approvals.

Ending: The council concluded the emergency session after the votes, directing staff to coordinate with PBSO, to present names of proposed independent consultants for the SWOT interviews at the next regular meeting, and to return any recommended contract terms for the town manager to a future noticed agenda for full council action.