Fruitland Park Commissioners learned Thursday night that Police Chief Michael Fewless has been forced to at least temporarily step down because of an issue with the Florida Retirement System.
Fewless already has left the position he’s held since August 2015 and has been replaced on an interim basis by Capt. Erik Luce.
Fewless was forced to leave his post because he retired from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office while in the state retirement system and then took a job with another agency that pays into that same system without waiting a designated time between the positions. Fewless didn’t re-enter into the state retirement system when he came aboard with Fruitland Park, but apparently that doesn’t matter, City Attorney Anita Geraci-Carver said.
“It’s the fact that this city has an FRS system,” she said. “It is a violation of their rules.”
Geraci-Carver said Fewless entered the retirement system’s Deferred Retirement Option Program in 2011, and as such would have been required to wait six months to a year before enrolling in the system again with a different employer. But neither he nor the city thought there was a problem because he opted not to take part in the state retirement plan when he signed on with Fruitland Park.
Geraci-Carver said Fewless has been asked to “repay some funds that will have an effect on the city” because the state agency is treating it as though he never retired. City Manager Gary La Venia said Fewless plans to appeal the ruling and the city is working with him to attempt to get the matter resolved. They have hired an attorney who specializes in these kinds of cases and La Venia asked commissioners to consider authorizing him to spend more than $4,000 if necessary to help the city keep its highly-thought-of chief.
“We’re waiting for Chief Fewless to receive his appeal paperwork, but he is looking at a number of issues to see how this can be rectified,” Geraci-Carver said.
Commissioners also learned that in addition to the issue with Fewless, an audit conducted by the state retirement agency revealed that the city also has to pay into the system for six part-time employees. Treasurer Jeannine Racine said the city was required to pay “a minimal amount” to bring those part-time employees current and it’s already been handled.
Commissioner Rick Ranize, who will be replaced in November by Villager Patrick DeGrave, questioned how the issue with Fewless and the six part-time employees could have happened. And he shouted at La Venia that commissioners should have been aware of the issue with the part-time employees long before Thursday night’s meeting.
La Venia once again pointed out that the city wasn’t aware of the problem and quickly took care of it by paying a small amount into the retirement system to bring those employees current.
“I don’t care if it’s $10, how come it wasn’t brought to the commission’s attention?” Ranize screamed at La Venia. “You’re our city manager. You’re supposed to bring these to our attention.”
At the end of the meeting, Ranize brought the issue back up again and said he doesn’t appreciate being criticized because he asks questions of employees and department heads. His statements obviously were referring to a recent complaint filed against him by the city’s library director, Jo-Ann Glendinning, following a conversation he had with her about funding for furniture in the new library and several other issues. During the exchange, Glendinning said Ranize made several comments “which turned our talk uncomfortable.”
Ranize then cited several projects he’s been unhappy with during his four years on the commission and asked La Venia to resign.
After the two-hour meeting, La Venia said he had no comment on Ranize’s statements. He said he hopes the issues with Fewless can be worked out and the chief can be back on the job soon.
Mayor Chris Cheshire agreed.
“He’s a great chief and we want him here,” he said. “And he wants to be here in Fruitland Park.”
Fewless was selected as Fruitland Park Police chief in July 2015 after a four-month-long nationwide search. He replaced former chief Terry Isaacs, who resigned after an EEOC complaint that was later withdrawn.
Prior to joining the Fruitland Park Police Department, Fewless spent 30 years with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and twice headed the agency’s Internal Affairs division. He also served as a watch commander and director of the Sheriff’s Special Investigations Division. And he was the director of the Central Florida Intelligence Exchange, one of more than 70 Homeland Security “fusion centers” located throughout the United States that help coordinate intelligence between local and federal agencies to promote terrorism awareness.
