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Residents and local leaders urge commissioners not to target HR director, cite discrimination concerns
Summary
Multiple residents and community leaders used public comment time at the Feb. 18 Polk County commission meeting to urge commissioners to stop scrutinizing the county irector of human resources, saying her work is documented and questioning whether the commission is violating the Polk County Charter and state law. Several speakers referenced past
Several residents, former county employees and community leaders addressed the Polk County Board of County Commissioners during the Feb. 18 public comment period to urge the board to stop what they described as targeted scrutiny of the county's human resources director and to raise concerns about potential discrimination.
Speakers named the HR director (referred to in remarks as Mrs. Buford Baker) and told the commission they had seen or participated in strategic plans and standard operating procedures in the HR division. Leroy Smith Sr., identified himself as a retired teacher and read a prepared statement noting the Florida State Conference of NAACP—ranches successfully sued Polk County in 1988 for racial discrimination; he said commissioners risk repeating that history and invoked Polk County Charter Section 3.4 on noninterference in personnel matters. "Mr. Braswell is about to take the county down that road again with his discriminatory actions against the only black director in the organization," Smith read.
Abdul Rahim Al Khatib asked whether the county charter prohibits commissioners from intervening in day-to-day operations and said he intended to request a meeting with the county attorney and county manager to discuss potential charges he described as "malfeasance." Janice Sewell, who said she formerly served as the county's organization and talent development manager, disputed statements that the HR division lacked a strategic plan and said HR has 22 employees and many awards. "I just wanted to clarify that there are some inconsistencies in that article and the statements that are coming out from the commissioner's office," Sewell said, and she said she had documentation of strategic plans and SOPs.
Cynthia Downing, who identified herself as the president of the Quad City NAACP, and other speakers echoed pleas for fairness and for the commission to refrain from personnel-level involvement that commenters said could invite legal exposure. Pastor Daryl Jones said a target on an individual invites a study "to support everything" and urged the board to be cautious.
A county official repeatedly instructed speakers to provide their name and address for the record; the public comment period included many additional, shorter remarks in support of the HR director and questions about the Sunshine Law and county practices.
No formal board action on personnel was taken during the meeting; the comments were presented during the public comment period, not during a personnel or executive session.
Less critical detail: speakers repeatedly said strategic plans and SOPs exist for HR and that reclassification work had been ongoing for months; one speaker who said she had been terminated from county employment described workplace hostility and alleged some disciplinary grounds had been proven false.
