Key West Commission Considers Limited Privilege Waiver In Ramsingh Probe
State attorney request tied to document production in corruption investigation.
KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) — The Key West City Commission is considering a narrowly tailored waiver of attorney-client privilege at the request of the Monroe County State Attorney’s Office as part of its ongoing public corruption investigation that has ensnared former City Attorney Ronald Ramsingh and other former officials.
The State Attorney’s Office and the acting city attorney have been negotiating the scope of the waiver for months. Although the item was originally scheduled for the morning session of the commission’s April 1 meeting, prosecutors requested it be moved to the 5 p.m. session so representatives from the office could attend.
The resolution comes as City leaders have taken increasingly more heat from residents over what is seen as a lack of transparency not only in government dealings and alleged corruption, but City Hall’s response to the scathing grand jury report issued last year.
The proposed resolution, drafted by contract City Attorney Mayanne Downs, would allow outside attorneys Benedict Kuehne and Victoria Méndez to testify about specific communications with Ramsingh related to the city’s response to subpoenas issued in August and September 2024.
Prosecutors sought the waiver to facilitate testimony regarding how documents were identified, collected and produced in response to those subpoenas, which are tied to the broader investigation commonly referred to as the “Bubba Bozo” corruption case.
That probe has so far resulted in 27 felony indictments against Ramsingh, his brother and former Chief Building Official Raj Ramsingh, and former Code Enforcement Director Jim Young.
City officials emphasized that the waiver is strictly limited in scope and does not extend to broader legal advice or litigation strategy.
The measure states the city “recognizes that, in certain circumstances, it is in the best interests of the City to authorize a limited waiver of attorney-client privilege to allow for full and transparent testimony regarding discrete subject matters.”
Under the proposal, the waiver would apply only to communications between Kuehne and Méndez and Ramsingh concerning document production tied to the subpoenas. All other privileged communications — including legal advice, strategy and attorney work product — would remain protected.
The resolution further specifies that the waiver should not be interpreted as a broader subject-matter waiver and would apply solely to testimony and questioning related to the subpoena response.
If approved, the resolution would take effect immediately and authorize the city attorney to ensure the waiver is implemented within the narrow limits outlined.
The move comes as prosecutors continue to advance cases stemming from the sweeping investigation into alleged misconduct at City Hall, with multiple proceedings ongoing in Monroe County courts.
The meeting will be streamed live on the City’s website.