St. Pete Beach city manager under investigation amid toxic work environment allegations
ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. - A St. Pete Beach city leader is still on the job, but his power is taking a hit on Tuesday.
St. Pete Beach city commissioners held another special meeting Tuesday, now that their city manager, Alex Rey, is under investigation.
Rey has been St. Pete Beach's city manager since 2019.
The drama all unfolded a week ago during his annual performance review held publicly at a regularly scheduled commission meeting.
That's when commissioners brought up recent city staff allegations of low morale and a toxic work environment caused by Rey.
Mayor Adrian Petrila also noted that the city had recently lost two procurement officers and an assistant city manager under Rey's watch, and that half a dozen employees were considering leaving.
St. Pete Beach city council during a meeting.
That Tuesday, commissioners decided to launch a formal investigation into the allegations against Rey.
Three days later, at a special meeting called Friday morning, Rey was then accused of interfering with the probe by talking about it with employees after the city attorney directed him not to.
The mayor began the meeting by making a "preliminary motion of removal" of Rey, saying he violated the instructions of the city attorney.
Rey said he was simply holding a regularly scheduled meeting where he urged his staff to cooperate with the investigation.
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"I did apologize to them for the fact that they're having to go through this," Rey said. "It's not easy to work while this is going on. It's uncomfortable and stressful. I then opened the floor and several employees made comments about how they felt."
Alex Rey at a St. Pete Beach city council meeting.
The city ended up letting Rey keep his job for now and voted to limit his power during the investigation. Originally, it said Rey could not hire or fire employees or make purchases for the city under $25,000 without approval first.
However, in Tuesday's meeting, city leaders decided the restrictions on small expenses could handcuff the way business moves in the city.
Instead, they voted that Rey will have to document every 'micro-purchase' under $25,000 in a report that will be overlooked at regular commission meetings.
St. Pete Beach city seal.
Meanwhile, Rey sent FOX 13 the following statement after Friday's meeting:
"As to the allegations, I just ask that you, the readers, reserve judgment until the investigation is concluded. My pulse of the organization is that most employees are happy to work here and that will eventually come up in the process."
At the meeting earlier this week, city leaders said Rey’s contract was set in place for about another 18 more months, but added that he is an "at-will" employee and that he has a 20-week payout on his contract.
Exterior of St. Pete Beach City Hall.
Attorneys are currently in the process of interviewing employees who filed complaints and will give an update on the investigation within the next 30 days.
City leaders say the investigation could cost about $20,000.