The former longtime community development director for the City of Fruitland Park has died.
Charles “Charlie” William Rector Jr. died March 28. The Leesburg native and longtime Fruitland Park resident was 66 and had been ill for quite some time.
Rector brought an extensive building background to the city, having taken over and managed his father’s construction company, Rector Construction, for many years. He spent more than three decades as a public servant in a variety of capacities, including eight years – from 2010 to 2018 – as the city’s top building official. He also served in other capacities for the city, including:
- Two terms as a Fruitland Park commissioner (1984-88);
- Four years on the Board of Trustees of the Municipal Firefighters Pension Trust Fund (1989-92);
- Six years on the Planning and Zoning Board (2006-12); and
- One year on the Citizens Advisory Task Force (2007).
But Rector’s long tenure with Fruitland Park didn’t come without controversy. He was relieved of his duties as the city’s community development director in January 2018 after being accused of giving false information to board members at a December 2017 meeting of the Planning and Zoning Board. He also was the subject of a 2015 Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation after being accused of spending city time converting a home owned by then-Mayor Christopher Bell into a bed-and-breakfast – a claim they both denied.
Rector, a 1972 graduate of Leesburg High School where he played football and participated in track and field, is survived by his three children, Travis, Clay and Leslie; his mother, Ann; his sister, Diane Beyer; and a niece and nephew. He also is survived by 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. A celebration of his life will be held Thursday, April 29 at 5 p.m. at Heritage Community Church, located at 509 W. Berckman St. in Fruitland Park.
