KEY WEST, Fla. — Vice Mayor Donie Lee’s separation resolution has brought Key West’s history with city managers into focus as commissioners — and Brian Barroso — consider whether the embattled city manager will leave 1300 White Street.
Commissioner Mark Rossi argued during Tuesday’s debate that the position has been a revolving door. The record since Julio Avael’s tenure is more complicated: Three former managers retired or took other jobs, two were removed by the commission, and Avael lost his title and duties months before a retirement he had already announced.
Lee’s resolution, approved 4-3 Tuesday, directs City Attorney Mayanne Downs to negotiate a possible “amicable separation agreement” with Barroso and report back Oct. 1. Mayor Sam Kaufman and commissioners Lee, Chris Massicotte and Monica Haskell supported the talks. Rossi and commissioners Lissette Carey and Aaron Castillo opposed them.
The vote did not fire Barroso, set a departure date or approve a payout. The resolution places no dollar limit on the terms Downs or the city manager may propose. It simply authorized negotiations in parallel with an independent investigation called for by the mayor.
Avael’s Retirement Came After an Early Removal
Avael had announced plans to retire in November 2007 after roughly a dozen years as city manager. But in April of that year, then-Mayor Morgan McPherson said he wanted to terminate Avael for cause following allegations that Avael had pressured Assistant City Manager John Jones to sign a certificate of occupancy without the required authority. Jones had been charged; a State Attorney’s Office spokesman said investigators had no evidence Avael had committed a crime.
The city proceeded with its search for a successor and hired Jim Scholl. McPherson stripped Avael of the city manager’s title, responsibilities and authority on June 6, 2007, after Scholl’s contract was signed. Reports at the time also described a dispute over $10,000 raises Avael had granted to three employees. Avael’s planned retirement does not, by itself, tell the full story of how his tenure ended.
McPherson had sought a for-cause termination that, according to reporting at the time, would have spared the city $71,423 in severance and $7,872 in health benefits. Those were potential costs cited during the dispute. A final agreement or payment record establishing what Avael actually received has not been verified.
Three Voluntary Departures, Two Commission Removals
Scholl retired in 2012, returned after the next manager’s departure and retired again in 2019. He later became a Monroe County commissioner. Greg Veliz left the city manager’s job in 2021 for the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority. Patti McLauchlin retired in 2023 after 47 years with the city.
The commission bought out Bob Vitas’ contract in 2014 after a dispute over an administrative appointment he made without its approval. Reporting at the time put the payment at more than $97,000, including sick and vacation leave.
The other formal removal was Al Childress. Commissioners voted 4-3 in June 2024 to fire him without cause as a result of him a) wanting to codify Randy Sterling, Sr.’s sweetheart personnel services contract with Community Services and b) wanting to have a public discussion about the Corradino Report.
His contract provided about $93,000 in severance; accrued vacation and other benefits brought the amount due above $100,000, according to Downs’ assessment at the meeting. Carey joined then-commissioners Clayton Lopez, Billy Wardlow and Jimmy Weekley in voting to remove him.
BACKGROUND
What Is the Corradino Report?
Well before federal agents and state prosecutors began issuing subpoenas and conducting interviews at Key West City Hall, an independent consultant’s report documented the structural failures that would later form the backbone of a widening public-corruption investigation.
Grand Jury Examined Childress’ Firing
A Monroe County grand jury later found that Childress’ removal had been orchestrated amid efforts to keep the Corradino findings silent. But the scheming didn’t work; it resulted in the indictment of former City Attorney Ronald Ramsingh, his brother, former Chief Building Official Rajindhar Ramsingh, and former Code Compliance Director James Young on felony charges arising from a broader investigation, including allegations involving withheld communications.
BACKGROUND
Commissioner Possibly Committed Perjury in FBI Interviews
Lissette Carey gave conflicting statements in two of three interviews conducted by the FBI and Monroe County State Attorney’s Office
The grand jury also examined Carey’s role. Its report said Ronald Ramsingh guided her on removing the consultant’s report from a commission agenda; Carey testified that she felt intimidated and coerced by him. The grand jury recommended that she resign but did not charge her with a crime. Her vote was one of the four that ended Childress’ employment.
She remains a roadblock on the dais today.
Downs is due to report to commissioners Oct. 1. Residents will then learn whether she has been acting in good faith and if Barroso is prepared to leave on mutually agreed terms — or his future at City Hall remains unsettled until the final seat on the dais is filled on Nov. 3.
