Bunnell, FL - Flagler County Commissioners vote to accept the resignation of County Administrator Craig Coffey following a slew of controversy.
During their meeting tonight (January 9th), members of the Board of County Commissioners heard feedback from the public and discussed the fate of Coffey, who has been in the spotlight recently, one such example being the handling of the Flagler County Sheriff's Office Operations Center.
The meeting began with an amendment to his employment agreement to which Coffey explained it would guarantee him full severance and liability coverage.
Not long after, the motion would be made to vote on Coffey's resignation and the floor would be open to public comment.
Residents came out, some in support for Coffey and others in opposition.
Jane, a 17-year resident of Flagler County, began their comment to the commission, saying "I gave up a lot of my personal life to run for office, not because I wanted to be a politician but because I wanted to be the one to make the motion to fire Craig Coffey."
She also commented saying that when Coffey was being hired, she was the first Flagler County resident to praise him, saying he was a family man and was perfect for the job. Now she says she'll be the first citizen to say "it's way beyond the time."
Jane finished off her time at the mic, calling for his resignation, stating "Make sure whatever you do you don't extend his time... so good riddance!"
One resident who came to speak in favor of Coffey was former Flagler County Commissioners George Hanns, who had served on the board for 24-years prior to his departure in 2016.
"He's done a good job," Hanns said. "I do not believe he will be unemployed (for long), he's very well respected..."
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly, who has long since been a critic of Coffey, also arrived at the meeting to offer his comments on Coffey and his resignation.
"It is now our responsibility to lead and find a solution," said Sheriff Staly. "It starts with tough decisions, it starts with your decision tonight. I believe Mr. Coffey has provided you a fair resolution, my employees and taxpayers deserve better and they deserve it now."
One concern some residents had was that the county should give Coffey a transition period instead of letting him resign immediately, in light of two other county staff members, Deputy County Administrator Sally Sherman and Human Resources Director Joe Mayer, who have submitted their resignations effective January 31st.
Following the closure of the public comment section, commissioners put Coffey's resolution to a vote, leading to a 3-2 agreement to accept Coffey's resignation.
Coffey's resignation is effective at the end of the business day on Friday, January 11th. On Monday (January 14th), commissioners agreed to meet to discuss an interim replacement, for which there are none picked yet.
