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Commission votes to place censure of Commissioner Fesick on next agenda after staff complaints about social‑media posts
Summary
After a contentious debate about elected officials' use of social media and staff safety, the Pompano Beach commission voted to place a censure item for Commissioner Fesick on the next meeting agenda (to be held when she can participate). The debate also prompted a call for a citywide review of social‑media policies.
The Pompano Beach City Commission voted Sept. 23 to put a proposed censure of Commissioner Fesick on the next city‑commission agenda and to ensure Commissioner Fesick can participate in that discussion. Mayor Rex Hart moved the item after staff lawyers and several employees provided letters saying they felt targeted and threatened by public social‑media posts referencing city employees.
"We've got people who do their jobs, come to work every day thinking that... they feel frightened," Mayor Rex Hart said, urging an open discussion of whether the commission should formally censure a colleague for calling out city staff online. The motion passed on a roll call of 3–2 (yes: Commissioner Sigerson Eaton, Commissioner Smith, Mayor Hart; no: Commissioner Perkins, Vice Mayor Fournier).
Supporters said the measure is about staff safety and the limited remedies city employees have when an elected official publicly names them. "They feel threatened," Hart said of employees whose names have appeared in social posts. Several commissioners and speakers urged a process that includes the commissioner named in the complaint, and Hart amended his motion to schedule the item when Commissioner Fesick can attend or participate remotely.
Opponents framed the issue as a broader free‑speech and governance problem and asked for staff mediation before pursuing a censure. Commissioner Perkins said social media complaints often arise from mutual dysfunction: "I just think we need someone to sit down with the commissioner and have a really good discussion," Perkins said. Multiple commissioners also called for a review of the city's own social‑media practices and the role of staff in shaping public communications.
The commission also directed staff to return a broader roadmap for how the city uses social media and to consider measures to protect employees who say they were harmed by online posts. The next steps will be an agenda item that allows public comment and a formal hearing before any censure is adopted.
