Sturges can't or won't provide name of expert he claimed could do CM candidate background checks

Two weeks ago Vice Mayor David Sturges said he had a qualified individual who could conduct background investigations on potential candidates for the vacant city manager position but following a public records request for the man's identity the city could not provide the information.

"There's one gentleman that will do both background checks, he's a local in the area, at Florida, he does background checks and information for city managers. With their help we don't have to spend $30,000 to $50,00 for a search firm," Sturges told City Commissioners at the March 21 meeting.

Later Sturges said "There is a man, I just don't have his name, he does very detailed background searches. It will cost less money than a search firm. And I'm going to reach out tomorrow (March 22) and find out the name so we can have a figure (of the cost to do background checks)."

A week later, the Fernandina Observer filed a public records request: "Please provide the name of the person and their contact information (phone, email, name of business, address) of the person Vice Mayor Sturges said could do background checks on the City Manager candidates at the last City Commission meeting."

The City answered four days later with: The City has no records to offer in response to Public Records Request 2023-456. PRR 2023-456 is hereby closed.

That response means one of two possibilities is true. First, that Sturges never followed up as promised and obtained the man's name and called him so Sturges doesn't have the information. Or, Sturges is refusing to provide the information to the city.

Such deceit is a road recently traveled by the vice mayor. At that same commission meeting, Sturges nominated two people to be advisors to the citizens committee that will review city manager applications and then make recommendations to the city commission. Sturges said one of the advisors, Richard Sala, had 40 years experience as city manager of the City of Ft. Lauderdale. Sala served just five years as city manager of the much smaller city of North Lauderdale.