ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — It was a packed town council meeting in Eatonville for what was supposed to be a vote on whether to fire several top leaders hired by embattled Mayor Anthony Grant.
But the controversial move didn’t go as planned.
Efforts were underway to fire five of the mayor’s senior appointees, including the finance director, clerk and chief administrative officer.
“I just think that we’re affecting people’s livelihood,” said Vice Mayor Angela Thomas.
Thomas said she wanted no part of the firings.
“We as a council should evaluate the person on their job performance and not our personal feelings,” said Thomas.
The council voted to table any personnel decisions.
Members would not comment on why the people in the positions were considered being let go.
Grant declined to be interviewed, but told Channel 9’s Mario Boone he’s preparing for when the firings come up for discussion in September.
“We don’t need to go back to where we were with no Cao and no one to run the town,” said Eatonville resident Frances Sealey.
The town council meets the first Tuesday in September.
Grant said any major shifts in personnel could disrupt sever development projects underway.