LET’S DO WELL TOGETHER

Bishop and Robert Reinshuttle — had been overwhelmed with projects.

On Jan. 10, commissioners voted 6-1 to rescind the confirmation of Teitelbaum as deputy county administrator in the wake of an allegation of sexual harassment filed with the county’s human resources department against Teitelbaum in December.

Whitmore, all of whom are no longer on the board — had voted against an extension and asked that Hopes be put on paid leave to investigate charges against him made by Manatee County Clerk Angel Colonesso.

Colonesso said Hopes had mismanaged staff and abused his office.

Four of the commissioners disagreed. He was given a raise to $215,000 and his current contract runs through September.

After being hired in 2021, Hopes immediately began reorganizing the county’s government and in November announced that process had been completed with the hiring of Mitchell Teitelbaum to be his fourth and final deputy administrator. Before Hopes’ hiring, Manatee County utilized two deputy administrators.

Hopes said at the time that the county’s three deputy administrators — Courtney De Pol, Charles

Teitelbaum had previously informed the county he was not going to take the new position. Communication issues between the administrator and commissioners began to arise and a commissioners’ workshop had been scheduled to discuss Hopes’ goals and objectives, along with the direction of the county.

Washington also was present at the emergency meeting.

“I can’t say enough about how thankful I am for your confidence, not only in me, but as you can see, in those who stand with me,” Washington said, addressing commissioners. “We stand united, and moving forward, in ensuring that we carry out the priorities set by this board, we also want to state as as a team that we want to ensure that staff understand that we will always ensure that they have the tools and resources to be effective, and we look forward to the challenge.”

County Attorney William Clague said an official vote on Hopes’ separation agreement will take place at the Feb. 14 commission meeting. Staff Writer Ian Swaby contributed to this story.

Our network includes:

Lakewood Ranch Medical Center – Offering services ranging from cardiovascular care and orthopedics to women’s services/obstetrics and stroke.

• ER at Fruitville* – A full-service, freestanding emergency department with board-certified physicians who provide emergency care. Full-service laboratory, X-ray and CT are available onsite.

• Lakewood Ranch Medical Group – From primary care to specialty cardiac, OB/ GYN and general surgery, our affiliated physicians and allied health professionals deliver quality healthcare services to all age groups.