Discrimination complaints cost city of Sarasota $220,000 in last 5 years
Last year, the city reached the largest settlement recorded in the last decade when it agreed to pay
In part because of these complaints,
In July, the city became embroiled in another federal discrimination complaint by
Since 2012, records show there have been a dozen discrimination claims filed by police officers and city employees against the city.
All of the claims were either settled or dismissed without litigation.
In
In addition to those claims, there have also been three employees who hired legal counsel and raised the possibility of a claim but did not file. One of those cases involved city spokeswoman
Thornburg, reached by phone, declined to comment.
Two of the cases settled in the last five years involve the city's former Auditor and Clerk
Another case involved a Hispanic utilities employee who said he was passed up for a promotion because his supervisor thought his accent would be a "barrier to become an effective manager."
Simmons, one of only two Black employees in the finance department at the time, alleges that she suffered discrimination because of her race and family responsibilities in being passed over for a promotion. She also said she suffered retaliation.
While Simmons didn't specify the nature of the retaliation, records show that
Simmons' case helped prompt a special meeting at
The push for transparency came after several commissioners complained that they did not learn of the discrimination allegations until they were either reported by the media or directly revealed by former staff members dissatisfied with the way administrators handled the claims.
Commissioner
Since the special meeting two weeks ago, the city has begun exploring additional options for employees to express concerns, as well as encourage and emphasize the importance of speaking up, said city spokesman
These include designing compliance training to reinforce the reporting of issues and a "see something, say something" campaign, as well as implementing mandatory manager compliance on certain civil rights protections and anti-retaliation, Bartolone said.
The city manager has also committed to informing commissioners during their individual meetings when employee complaints arise, he said.
Commissioner
Money for the city's insurance policies is budgeted annually from the general fund.
The insurance policy is in place to cover unanticipated large settlements or awards, so that taxpayers will not be adversely impacted.
The city's liability insurance premiums have increased slightly in the last five years, in part, because of these complaints, records show. In addition, the deductible was increased from
An uptick in city revenues and the number of its employees in the last five years have also led to the rise in insurance costs.
In
Vespia also filed a lawsuit against the city in 2019 under the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989. That lawsuit was settled and dismissed simultaneously in mediation.
Vespia could not be reached for comment.
In her complaint, Vespia said she underwent three internal affairs investigations, received three written warnings and had been written up for insubordination -- all since
After she filed the complaint, the police department undertook an internal affairs investigation, which involved three supervisors. All three were placed on paid administrative leave during the investigation.
While the agency did not sustain Vespia's allegations, the department did address violations uncovered during the investigation that involved supervisor Lt.
Records show DeVaney was the subject of another discrimination complaint two years prior.
In
In her complaint, she also said that Devaney discharged another female officer. The city settled at mediation for
Five years of records show that the city's auditor and clerk's office was the subject of two discrimination complaint settlements before an investigation later concluded that Nadalini, the former auditor and clerk, managed by fear and intimated and humiliated employees. The city settled both cases during mediation and paid a combined
In
Two months after Ramphal filed the complaint, Ramphal was placed on administrative leave after the annual city audit found more than
The errors were only on paper -- the
In late 2018, the city and former clerk employee
Andrews-Wright accused Nadalini of gender and disability discrimination. As part of the agreement, Andrews-Wright waived his right to sue the city and withdrew the EEOC complaint.
In his complaint, Andrews-Wright alleged Nadalini grew hostile toward him and began reassigning his work duties to a female employee.
Nadalini fired Andrews-Wright shortly after he sprained his back and required therapy several times a week, along with a modified office chair and desk. Andrews-Wright also claimed he notified several city commissioners about the issues, according to the complaint.
As a result of the complaints against Nadalini, the IT and public information office were taken from the control of the city auditor and clerk and placed under the management of the city manager. Since that time, no complaints have been filed in those departments, records show.
The city settled at mediation with a one-time payment of
In his complaint, Marin said he was denied a promotion to plant compliance manager and collections manager because his supervisor --
Marin requested a meeting with the human resources department to report the discrimination.
After Marin's immediate supervisor retired, Marin was asked to help with the job duties. The next day
Boyce said he was not selected because of his accent, according to the complaint.
Marin complained to the city's human resource director
"I never heard a response," Marin said.
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