Carolyn DiPaoloRiviera Beach City Manager Jonathan Evans comes under fire from Bruce Guyton but council doesn’t vote, delays two weeks.
Riviera Beach City Manager Jonathan Evans’ job is on the line after a two-hour City Council discussion Wednesday night on whether to fire him.
Council Member Bruce Guyton made a hard push, fended off by Council Chairperson Shirley Lanier, who urged the council to avoid the kind of hasty firing that could get the city sued.
When Council Members Fercella Davis Panier and Glen Spiritis agreed with Lanier, Guyton rescinded his motion.
Evans’ potential departure would come at a critical time, as he leads projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars and the FBI has announced its interest in city activities by dropping subpoenas on City Hall.
In November, the city launched a public-private project to remake its city hall and recreation complex, the largest redevelopment project in Riviera Beach’s history.
Last month, leaders broke ground on a $280 million water plant, part of a $400 million water system upgrade.
The city is being sued by a former council member over its decision to build a police station at the site of its aquatic center and it is preparing to select a developer for a massive waterfront project in the Marina Village.
This isn’t the first time Evans has faced a council vote for his job. He was hired as city manager in March 2017 and fired by a 3-2 vote the following September.
Evans sued, won a financial settlement and returned as city manager in May 2019, appointed by a newly elected City Council.
His contract ends on July 13 unless it is renewed.
On Wednesday, Guyton placed the contract on the council’s agenda, which put the item at the end of the meeting or around 9 pm. He was frustrated that an earlier request to include the item had been rejected without letting him know.
Lanier said she removed the agenda item because Vice Chair KaShamba Miller-Anderson would not be attending the meeting and such an important decision required the presence of all five members.
Word spreads
As the meeting wore on, Miller-Anderson learned of Guyton’s move and joined the meeting by phone but under council rules, could not vote.
She argued against Evans’ firing.
“The city of Riviera Beach has been a running joke for years,” she said. “The reputation has finally gotten to a point where people want to deal with us, and now we’re pulling this crap again?
“This is not right. It is not what is best for the city.”
Guyton listed his grievances with Evans, including employee morale and the cost burden of the water treatment system.
“I think it’s time to move in another direction,” Guyton said, “and I’m prepared to put a motion on the floor tonight to terminate Mr. Evans’ contract without cause.”
Evans declined to offer a point-by-point defense.
“I love my job. I love what I do. I love this community,” he told council members. “As long as the board would have me, I would love to serve in the capacity as administrator. But that’s a decision that you, and you alone, as the board, have to make.”
Lanier urges caution
Lanier, considered a supporter of Evans, asked the council to take more time before voting on what she called a “monumental decision.”
“If we want to move forward with terminating the city manager, then it should go on the next agenda,” she said. “It should be noticed, and whatever the board decides to do, that’s what they can do. But to do this at 10:30 at night, it not being advertised, it is not fair to the residents.”
And referring to the cost of a potential lawsuit that Evans could pursue if he is let go under questionable circumstances, she said, “We can’t spend any more money that we don’t have.”
She allowed a public comment period that illustrated harsh divisions within the community.
Former Council Member Julie Botel, who represented Singer Island, defended Evans.
“Many of us remember what this city was like before Jonathan Evans came and fixed it for us,” she said. “We were known as a city in turmoil. That wasn’t a slogan, it was a warning. It took years of steady leadership to fix that. This vote is not just about one person, it’s about whether the city chooses stability or risks slipping back into dysfunction.”
Riviera Beach property owner Fane Lozman told the council that Evans should be fired. “It’s not the council he reports to. He’s reporting to Botel. She made sure he kept his job,” he said.
The council discussion continued until around 10:45 pm, when Davis Panier said she was open to Lanier’s appeal to take more time and Spiritis agreed.
Seeing that he didn’t have the votes, Guyton rescinded his motion.
But it’s far from over. Lanier said the city manager’s contract would be on the April 1 council agenda.
Editor’s note: On March 26, Evans announced that the City Council meeting scheduled for April 1 was canceled in observance of Passover. The next meeting is scheduled for April 15. On April 15, the council adjourned without taking up the matter of Evans’ contract.
