More Pinellas County elected officials resign in wake of controversial new Florida law
BELLEAIR BEACH, Fla. - Local elected officials continue to announce their resignations in the wake of a new law in Florida requiring those small-town officials to disclose in-depth financial information.
The new law, referred to as Form 6, requires the disclosure of items like net worth and the price of any assets owned over $1,000. It is causing a wave of resignations among elected local officials.
READ: 4 of 5 St. Pete Beach city council members announce resignation on heels of new Florida law
More than a dozen city commissioners have resigned in Pinellas and Pasco Counties.
Belleair Town Hall
At a St. Pete Beach city council meeting on Monday, four out of the five council members announced they will resign effective Dec. 30th, including the vice mayor.
FOX 13 spoke with Belleair Beach Mayor Dave Gattis, who lost four of his council members and has tried quickly filling the vacancies with other volunteers. He says the new law is an invasion of privacy and security for these small-town elected officials – who are not career politicians.
"Why did it suddenly have to become so invasive? We were already reporting our financial situation, but now they want it so granular that it almost looks like an attack on home rule and an attack on small municipalities," says Mayor Gattis. "If we [are] unable to fulfill our charter, what’s going to happen? Are they trying to force us to dissolve? I don’t get what Tallahassee’s end game is here."
City of Belleair Beach
The Florida governor signed this law back in May 2023, and it will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024. Local municipalities could see even more resignations before the end of the year.
"It’s just a complete invasion of privacy. For what we do in these small towns, we are volunteers; we’re not career politicians-- we’re just doing what we think is best for our town and our city, trying to serve," Belleair Mayor Mike Wilkinson tells FOX13. "We all have careers and families; it’s not a full-time position for any of us."
Resignations at city councils across Pinellas County
Municipalities are now having emergency meetings and asking for volunteers to fill the vacancies before the end of the year, with potential special elections next year in some places.
"We don’t get a dime for what we do here; we do this for the love of our community, and just by the rule itself, most people are in a situation where they now pay an accountant to fill out the form, so now you are paying to serve your community," Gattis says.
Gattis is gathering community support to bring a petition to Tallahassee early next year to try to ease up on the disclosures required.