Lawyer releases sworn statement backing Mexico Beach mayor's lawsuit against City Council

MEXICO BEACH — Marie Mattox believes she has evidence to back the lawsuit that her client, Mayor Michele Miller, has filed against the City Council.

Mattox, a Tallahassee-based lawyer representing Miller in her ongoing lawsuit against Mexico Beach, released a press release on Monday that cites a sworn statement taken Sept. 18 from Michele Lucas, a former finance officer for the city.

According to the release, Lucas worked for Mexico Beach from about June until August, when her contract was terminated because she was unable to reach a salary agreement with the city. Her sworn statement was recorded by John Bailey, an investigator who works for Mattox.

In the statement, Lucas said she was not given access to enough information needed to properly do her job. She also alleges former interim City Administrator Michael Manning told her that Mayor Miller would only be given partial access to the city's financial records as well.

"I was told this job entailed pretty much the normal duties of a finance director, which meant I would approve checks, that I would be responsible for all of the taxes and all of the legal documents that had to be prepared," Lucas said in her statement. "I could do everything in '21 and '20, but beyond that, maybe '19 ... I could not view anything.

"I (also) had no access to any of the payroll documentation."

Miller, who was elected mayor earlier this year, filed a petition for a writ of mandamus and injunctive relief on Sept. 1 in circuit court. Mattox has said the goal of the lawsuit is to "compel compliance" with the Mexico Beach city charter. The charter says the mayor is the city's chief elected administrative and fiscal official.

Miller alleges that shortly after she was sworn in as mayor in April, she was denied access to the city's software to monitor its finances. This occurred after she also requested the city's current contracts, which she received.

She said both requests were made to help her gather information for the position, as well as to prepare for an annual city audit originally slated for May. Miller has said the audit was postponed shortly after her requests.

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Lucas, who has a bachelor's degree in business management with a minor in human resources and accounting, said in her statement that she believes Mexico Beach is not keeping an adequate record of the more than $100 million it has received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) since Hurricane Michael.

The Category 5 storm struck the Panhandle in October 2018, destroying the city. It continues to recover almost five years later.

"And they weren't returning FEMA funds," Lucas said in her statement. "If it was earmarked for a certain project and it didn't come in at that amount, then those funds should have either been sent back for approval or reallocation. And to my knowledge, it was never done. I know they never sent any back."

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Sworn statement released backing Mexico Beach Mayor's lawsuit