Commission praises city clerk and city attorney; signals support for clerk pay review

The City of Fort Pierce Commission conducted its annual performance evaluations of two charter officers during the July 14 budget workshop and publicly praised both officials.

City clerk Commissioners praised City Clerk Linda Cox and her staff for continuity of operations, public-record management and meeting administration during a challenging period that included Cox’s service as acting city manager. Several commissioners said the clerk’s office has run “seamlessly” and noted the importance of timely agendas, public notices and recordkeeping. Several commissioners told Cox they want to raise her pay beyond the standard staff increases to better align the clerk’s salary with the city’s highest-paid department head. One commissioner proposed a target figure (mentioned in the discussion as $172,000) as a reference point for discussion; commissioners did not set a final amount.

Requests and direction on pay Commissioners requested a comparative analysis before any change: they asked staff to pull Florida League of Cities (FLC) salary data (or comparable city clerk compensation data) and return with a recommended approach and funding options. Commissioners emphasized that changes to a charter officer’s compensation should be justified and funded in the FY26 budget process and that any increase should reflect the clerk’s charter responsibilities and parity with other charter officers and department heads. The clerk noted she did not have FLC data on hand and that reporting structures and duties vary among city clerks statewide.

City attorney Commissioners also evaluated City Attorney Sarah Hedges. Several commissioners said Hedges inherited an office with staffing and management challenges and that she has rebuilt the team while demonstrating strong legal and managerial judgment. Commissioners praised her professionalism, responsiveness and counsel and said the city benefits from having an in-house legal team rather than relying primarily on outside counsel.

What the commission directed - Staff to assemble comparative compensation data (FLC or other benchmarks) for the city clerk position and return with funding proposals during budget deliberations. - No immediate compensation change enacted at the July 14 workshop; commissioners signaled interest in funding a raise during the FY26 budget process subject to the comparative data and budget tradeoffs.

Why this matters Clerks and attorneys serve as charter officers with statutory and charter-driven responsibilities; commissioners emphasized that the clerk’s role in records, meeting notice, and legal compliance is central to municipal governance and that compensation should reflect those duties.