Volusia's embattled county manager voted out of office

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — The Volusia County Council voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to relieve embattled county manager Jim Dinneen of his duties earlier than first planned.

The council voted 6-1 to end Dinneen's tenure -- with about $250,000 in severance pay per his contract -- as of the end of the day Friday.

Prior to the meeting, there was an outcry from the public for Dinneen to be removed. Sheriff Mike Chitwood, county council member Heath Post and representatives from several unions were among those who spoke in favor of Dinneen leaving his post.

"He has lost his legitimacy to lead. He has lost the trust and confidence of the community and the workforce, and as a result, this council is collateral damage," said Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood. "I am here today to implore you to accept the resignation of county manager effective immediately."

Post said that there was just cause to fire Dinneen to keep the county from paying him an extra $250,000.

"I think there is significant cause for insubordination, absolutely," she said. "There is significant cause for misconduct, nonfeasance (and) misfeasance."

County attorney Dan Eckert shot that down.

"I think the county would be unsuccessful in any litigation regarding that," he said. "That's the opinion I've given."

That left county officials with the option of simply accepting his resignation.

Under Dinneen's contract, a resignation without cause entitled him to a lump sum payment equal to 12 months of his base salary, which was about $250,000.

Although council members couldn't avoid the payout, they can avoid paying him for helping a new hire transition into the role by making his last day Friday.

A state law that was enacted in 2011 caps any compensation at 20 weeks. Dinneen's current contract was signed four days before that law went into effect.

Resident Jeff Brower was one of more than half a dozen people who spoke at Tuesday's meeting.

"We do not need to keep Jim Dinneen on for another six months and give him $250,000," he said. "You need to vote to fire Jim Dinneen. It needs to happen today and (you need) not wait for another two weeks."

Resident Linda Solts agreed.

"Terminate Mr. Dinneen immediately," she said. "There is plenty of cause. I can promise you voters are paying attention to your actions today."

Watch: Volusia County Manager doesn't answer Channel 9's questions about M.E.'s office

Dinneen did not arrive to the meeting until after the public comment portion.

Dinneen announced this month he would retire in January 2019 after the community pointed out staffing issues in the fire department and sheriff's offices. Then, the former county medical examiner wrote a letter about having no room to store bodies at the medical examiner's office.

Dinneen resigned three days after he refused to answer reporter Michael Springer's questions about why the medical examiner's office was woefully understaffed and had nowhere to store bodies.

It was the second time in five months that Dinneen walked away when Springer questioned him about staffing shortages at county agencies.

County chair Ed Kelley said Dinneen asked him last week about leaving sooner than the six months' notice his contract required.

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"He said, 'Rather than continue this, I have things that I want to do. Let's go ahead and put this to rest. I want to move on with my life,'" Kelley said.

There was also an online petition with almost 2,000 signatures in favor of letting him go.

George Recktenwald will now serve as interim county manager for the next 90 days, although Recktenwald asked not to be considered for the permanent job.

Cox Media Group