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Riviera Beach council debates city manager’s use of severance agreements, motion to require notice dies
Summary
Councilmember Bruce Guyton pressed for transparency after staff distributed five separation agreements without prior council review; a motion to require the city manager to advise council on all severance agreements failed for lack of a second. Staff agreed to draft employment letters and a severance policy for directors.
Councilmember Bruce Guyton raised concerns on Aug. 6 about five separation agreements the city manager had signed without prior notice to the Riviera Beach City Council, saying the use of public funds and the lack of advance disclosure risked exposing the city.
Guyton said he learned of the packages by “happenstance” and that, with 30 years in government, he did not recall separations handled in that manner. He apologized for his behavior at an earlier meeting, but said his concern about process remained: “Anything that's dealing with public funds, sunshine. It need to be in the sunshine,” he said.
City Manager Jonathan Evans said such separations are typically negotiated for managerial‑rank positions and are handled on a case‑by‑case basis in consultation with human resources and outside labor counsel. Evans said separation agreements often include a general release and that, in many cases, employees are given time to consult counsel before signing.
City Attorney Don Wynn said the charter requires justifiable cause for certain director‑level terminations and explained that whether a signed waiver would bar later litigation depends on the facts; if a court later found the underlying termination lacked justifiable cause, a waiver could be voided.
Guyton moved that the city manager advise the council of severance agreements; after discussion he tried to broaden the motion to require council approval of all severances, but the motion ultimately died for lack of a second. Several council members asked staff to draft a uniform policy, including written offer or employment letters for department directors that would specify severance or separation terms up front.
Evans and HR staff supported creating standard offer letters or contract language to clarify entitlements for executive‑level positions and to protect both the city and employees. Evans said staff would research best practices and bring proposed policy and template employment letters back to the council for consideration.
What’s next: Council directed staff to research and return with recommended employment letters and a codified severance policy for executive staff. No retroactive action on the existing signed agreements was taken at the meeting.
