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Will DeBary Keep Its Mayor?

DeBary Mayor Clint Johnson/Photo: City of DeBary
DeBary Mayor Clint Johnson/Photo: City of DeBary

It has taken months to get here, but Wednesday night the city of DeBary will hold a public hearing to decide whether Mayor Clint Johnson will be removed from office. The city is expecting an overflowing crowd.

The city council will decide whether Johnson violated DeBary’s charter by ordering staff around in texts, tweets and emails. In one example, Johnson tweeted that a city employee should be fired. Johnson’s attorney claims the mayor was expressing an opinion, not giving orders.

On Wednesday night the city council will have to decide if those tweets and texts were charter violations, and if so, are they serious enough to oust the mayor. DeBary officials are expecting an overflowing crowd and will open up nearby Florence K. Little Hall. It will also conduct "security screening" for everyone attending the hearing. The News Journal reports that Johnson urged the public to disrupt the meeting.

This is just one chapter in the saga playing out in DeBary City Hall.

The city council has already voted to sue Johnson over unfilled public records requests. Documents Johnson insists that he has turned in.

And the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating whether the former city manager violated Sunshine Laws in emails about a controversial land deal.