Less than 3 days in, Manatee’s new commissioners seek to fire Administrator Cheri Coryea
Led by commissioners sworn-in less than three days earlier, the Board of County Commissioners voted 4-3 Thursday afternoon to notify County Administrator Cheri Coryea of their intention to fire her without cause.
New commissioners James Satcher, Kevin Van Ostenbridge, and George Kruse, as well as Vanessa Baugh voted in favor of the motion. Commissioners Reggie Bellamy, Misty Servia and Carol Whitmore cast dissenting votes.
The discussion came at the end of a special meeting called to discuss only one item on the agenda, an effort to direct the County Attorney’s Office to investigate local options under a potential federal lockdown because of COVID-19. At the end of the meeting, however, Van Ostenbridge brought up a proposal to terminate Coryea.
“I think we need a shift in culture within the county, and I went into the beginning of the campaign with an open mind on this matter, but as we got closer and closer, things happened. I saw the direction she was leading the county and the way she was steering the commission at times,” said Van Ostenbridge. “I disagree with it fundamentally, particularly with the Lena Road land deal.”
Coryea’s employment contract with the county requires that she be notified 15 days in advance of any decision to fire her. Van Ostenbridge said he moved to fire her “without cause,” so that she is still eligible for a severance payment.
As candidates Kruse, Satcher and Van Ostenbridge were vocal critics of the county’s agreement to purchase 161 acres of vacant land on Lena Road for $32.5 million, calling it a waste of taxpayer dollars. On Thursday, Van Ostenbridge said he felt Coryea’s handling of that land purchase was a “fireable offense.”
The suggestion set off a heated debate among board members, who launched harsh criticisms against the intention to fire Coryea.
Bellamy took a firm stance against the idea that any new commissioner could support firing Coryea after just three days in office.
“Don’t go in and say what the staff should or shouldn’t be doing. Build relationships,” Bellamy told Van Ostenbridge. “I can guarantee you, with the water hose you’re drinking from right now, you might say it’s bold, but I don’t think that I, as a county commissioner, or even you, can learn in 72 hours enough to draw conclusions that you’re going to fire anybody.”
Board members said they’ve heard rumors about how the new commissioners would support firing Coryea, who has served the county for more than 30 years. Servia called it a “reckless” decision.
“It almost seems like some of this is premeditated. Let’s get this all out there. If you want to go there, let’s go there. I looked you all in the face and said, ‘Do you all plan to fire the county administrator?’” Bellamy said, pointing out that he asked Kruse and Van Ostenbridge on the campaign trail about the rumors. “You all said, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’”
Other commissioners said they felt betrayed by the actions of the new commissioners. Whitmore fought back tears as the board discussed the issue for over an hour.
“Kevin, I supported you, 100 percent. You know that,” Whitmore said. “I’m ashamed that I did right now. I’m really upset with what you did. You’ve been in office 50 freakin’ hours. Come on now.”
“There are employees crying right now because of what you’ve just done, and maybe you don’t care,” Whitmore added.
“You cannot run a $1.5 billion operation on emotion and feelings,” Van Ostenbridge shot back.
Satcher, who voted in support of moving to terminate Coryea, said he was surprised that commissioners weren’t expecting the issue to come up, pointing to his public criticism of the Lena Road land buy.
“It’s possible for us to disagree without being devious or hateful or out to get someone,” Satcher said.
While Kruse voted in favor of moving forward with an attempt to fire Coryea, he said he hadn’t made up his mind yet.
“This isn’t premeditated or a done deal. I am going to do my due diligence and my homework when I make a decision,” said Kruse. “With Lena Road, while I disagree with it, that wouldn’t be my decision in and of itself. There’s bigger philosophical things, but I’m willing to speak with anybody at any time for the next 15 days.”
Coryea has a wide range of leadership experience within Manatee County government. She led the county’s Neighborhood Services Department for 10 years before she was appointed deputy county administrator in 2017. Following former County Administrator Ed Hunzeker’s retirement, the board chose Coryea to replace him in April 2019.
The board’s decision to move forward with firing Coryea is in stark contrast to her annual performance evaluation last week, which included comments from now-former commissioners Priscilla Whisenant Trace, Stephen Jonsson and Betsy Benac. At a Nov. 10 meeting, commissioners praised Coryea, describing her “superior” work ethic and her ability to “lead by example.”
Notably, Baugh chose not to share her review of Coryea’s performance in public. On Thursday, she voted in support of moving to fire Coryea and denounced her fellow commissioners for some of their accusations about how the vote was “orchestrated.”
“I think this board needs to wait the 15 days, have a discussion — amicably,” Baugh said. “We owe it to the citizens to do that.”
Shock waves rippled throughout the county, as other elected officials reacted to the Manatee County Commission’s actions. Listening from her office in downtown Bradenton, Clerk of the Court and Comptroller Angelina Colonneso drove to the meeting in time to comment on the decision.
“Take a step back. I don’t know what’s driving this. I’m just up here to say ‘Whoa!’ I stand by transparency,” Colonneso said, noting that there were no members of the public present during the meeting to weigh in on the idea.
Reached for comment Thursday afternoon, Bradenton Mayor Wayne Poston said the decision also caught him off-guard.
“I was shocked. I’ve always respected and liked Cheri Coryea. I was very much surprised. I’ve always worked well with Cheri,” he said.
Thursday’s vote directed the County Attorney’s Office to give Coryea 15 days’ notice of the board’s intention to enter into negotiations regarding her termination. Commissioners agreed to host a special meeting regarding Coryea’s employment on Jan. 6.
This story was originally published November 19, 2020 at 2:12 PM.
