The dust has yet to settle on Monroe County鈥檚 tourist agency woes.
Months after the Florida Keys鈥� top tourism director was fired following several audits of the Tourist Development Council (TDC), the county now faces a whistleblower lawsuit by the agency's former marketing director.
Stacey Mitchell was placed on administrative leave with pay, then subsequently fired after serving as the TDC鈥檚 marketing director since 2017. A series of audits of the TDC revealed 鈥渞epeated noncompliance with the county鈥檚 purchasing policy,鈥� 鈥渁 significant lack of internal controls and management oversight鈥� and 鈥渟erious ethical concerns鈥� among leadership.
But the lawsuit filed last week states that those audits, and Mitchell鈥檚 subsequent firing, were part of a 鈥渃ampaign of retaliation鈥� after the TDC denied the county government about $150,000 in funding for a concert and drone show in 2023.
READ MORE: 鈥淢onroe County grapples with scathing audit of Keys Tourist Council鈥�
The chronicles a period of time when local officials were planning for the Florida Keys鈥� bicentennial celebration and were seeking funding for a drone light show and concert to be held at the Key West Amphitheater.
The complaint alleges that during an 鈥渋nformal meeting鈥� in May of 2022, Mitchell provided county spokesperson Kristen Livengood with the necessary information to complete the TDC application for funding. Despite this, county staff failed to meet the early June application deadline, according to the document.
Then, county commissioner Craig Cates pressed Mitchell to 鈥渇ind a way to support the event鈥� during a July budget meeting.
What allegedly followed was a 鈥渉astily organized second round of event funding鈥� that came together because of 鈥渂ackroom dealings, meetings, and other informal communications hidden from the public.鈥�
The advisory board that oversees Key West TDC funded events, the Key West District Advisory Committee (DAC), ultimately rejected the request because they鈥檇 been previously directed to shoot down high tourist season events. Then, the decision was appealed to the TDC board in October 2022 but the proposal was tabled indefinitely, according to the complaint.
The complaint then alleges that through more 鈥渂ackroom dealings,鈥� the $150,000 was pulled out of DAC resources through an internal budget transfer and into the county鈥檚 budget, which would be violating the county鈥檚 own guidelines.
When Mitchell attempted to discuss what happened with a 鈥渃hief executive officer鈥� and 鈥渙ther appropriate local officials鈥� to try and comply with the rules, the complaint alleged that the 鈥渃ampaign of retaliation鈥� came in the form of audits, her suspension and firing.
County Attorney Bob Shillinger told 港澳天下彩via email ment that the county is currently 鈥渞eviewing the complaint, noting its defects, and will be vigorously defending the suit in court.鈥�
