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Residents tell Palatka commission the manager review violated Sunshine Law; city attorney disputes blanket claim
Summary
Public commenters at the Palatka meeting alleged multiple violations of Florida's Sunshine Law during earlier actions surrounding the city manager, while the city attorney and commissioners said some actions were permitted under the city's grievance policy and public-records rules.
PALATKA, Fla. — Several residents told the City Commission on Nov. 24 that the process used to place and later reinstate the city manager violated Florida's Sunshine Law and related public-records requirements.
Mackenzie Frey told the commission she identified seven events she believes breached the Sunshine Law, including alleged polling of commissioners through HR, unilateral disciplinary steps and withholding investigative records. "It is my opinion that the unlawful action was not Miss Carty's. It was the process used to remove her, and that process violates the Sunshine Law at every single step of the timeline," Frey said.
In response, the city attorney (Fry) said an independent investigative report was prepared and presented to the commission and that the investigative report was made public under Florida Statutes §119 (public records), and noted that the city's grievance policy allows the mayor to place the city manager on administrative leave pending a meeting. "It was administrative leave — it wasn't a firing," the attorney said, and stressed that firing a city manager requires a majority commission vote under the city charter.
Other public commenters raised concerns about the investigator's role and whether staff were prompted to file complaints. Allegra Kitchens Black urged the commission to consider whether the process treated the current city manager differently from a prior male manager and encouraged commissioners to support Carty.
Commissioners acknowledged the public concerns and discussed the need to review procedures: they said the grievance policy needs work, identified a recent April 2025 change that allows mayoral administrative leave in policy language, and committed to revising processes and returning with clearer procedures.
No legal ruling was issued during the meeting; the commission discussed process improvements and documentation but did not overturn prior actions.
