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Former Maitland vice mayor resigns from city council seat

MAITLAND, Fla. — Maitland's former vice mayor Phil Bonus resigned his seat on the City Council on Thursday, nearly two weeks after his name was found on a client list for a suspected Orange County brothel.

Bonus sent a letter to the city manager regarding his resignation. He was already stripped of his vice mayor title and had also verbally resigned from the Chamber of Commerce board.

City leaders wanted to remove Bonus from office, but legally all they could do was take away his title.

WFTV obtained a copy of Bonus' resignation letter that said: "I apologize to the public for my inappropriate conduct and regret the actions."

Bonus was pressured to step down once WFTV found out his name was on a suspected brothel's client list and that police said he almost hit two officers before his DUI arrest in Tampa was recorded on video.

He has also resigned as president-elect of the local chamber of commerce.

No one answered when WFTV went by Bonus' house Thursday to try to talk to him. But he left a sign on his door that said he has nothing else to say and asked for privacy.

The mayor said he's ready for the city to move on and get back to business.

"I'm glad he did it. I want to thank him," said Mayor Howard Schieferdecker.

The city attorney told WFTV it's now up to the Maitland City Council to appoint someone to fill the remainder of Bonus' term, which doesn't end until 2014.