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Unwanted Chiefs Test Departure Policy

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By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 20, 2007

TAMPA - Two weeks after the former head of a regulatory agency was given $25,000 in severance pay, Hillsborough County commissioners said they need a policy to deal with high-ranking employees who are fired or resign under duress.
Greg Cox resigned Sept. 5 from his $102,000 a year post as head of the Public Transportation Commission, which regulates taxicabs, ambulances and tow trucks.

His departure came amid allegations of financial mismanagement and complaints about his treatment of people who applied for permits.

Members of an oversight board composed of elected officials voted 6-1 to give him three months' salary. Three members of the board are county commissioners, and Ken Hagan cast the dissenting vote, saying Cox should be paid six months' salary.

On Wednesday, Commissioner Brian Blair, who also sits on the PTC board, said he wanted the county to look into creating a policy for similar situations.

'I want to be 100 percent convinced that what we're doing is in the best interest of taxpayers,' Blair said.
County Attorney Renee Lee said the county does not have a severance policy because it could be used by lower-ranking employees. She said Hillsborough typically has department heads who are fired or forced to resign sign a release barring the person from suing afterward.

She said it is a common practice in the private sector. 'It is a business decision,' Lee said.

Commissioner Kevin White, who chairs the PTC board and conducted his own investigation into Cox's conduct, questioned why the county had to pay anyone who could be fired for valid reasons.

'Why do we need to offer them anything?' he said. 'That's what we got a legal staff for. We'll go to court.'

Commission Chairman Jim Norman said he thought the county should cap any payouts. 'We're not going to be giving away golden parachutes like that,' he said.

Norman and others said the county's evaluation process is flawed and reviews do not always reflect the reality of an employee's performance. County officials said that process is improving.

In other action:

• Commissioners appointed two new members to the city-county planning commission: Lutz engineer Hung T. Mai and Valrico real estate broker Miller Q. Dowdy.

• Voted to bar Polk County company Cropland Services from bidding on Hillsborough County jobs for two years. A fire hydrant that the company said it recently had inspected malfunctioned outside a Northdale home that burned in August.

Reporter Anthony McCartney can be reached at (813) 259-7616 or amccartney@tampatrib.com.

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