- March 9, 2025
After a Flagler County Sheriff’s Office employee was demoted, she accused the administration of sex discrimination.
Debra Johnson, the agency’s former public information officer, requested to be reinstated to her previous position and salary — with back pay — in a Feb. 6 letter to Robert Course, director of human resources for the Sheriff’s Office.
Johnson was reassigned as the assistant public information officer and replaced by Lt. Robert Weber on Jan. 8, just hours after Sheriff Jim Manfre took office. Johnson complained that her new position requires her to do the same duties as she did previously, but with lower pay and sometimes under Weber’s name.
“The male employee is not qualified for the position,” Johnson wrote. “He has a law enforcement background, but he has no on-the-job training in public information duties, nor does he have a formal education in mass communications, public relations or any related field, as compared to my 12-and-a-half years in this position, my 22-plus years as a newspaper reporter, and my Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications-Journalism. The demotion and salary reduction was based on sex discrimination.”
Johnson said she continues to write agency press releases, but sends them to media outlets under Weber’s name. She also said that since Manfre took office, she has worked on-call and on a holiday without being compensated for additional hours.
Despite the complaint, Manfre stands behind his decision.
“I believe it is unfounded,” Manfre said. “My decision to bring in another uniformed PIO had nothing to do with her sex; it had to do with her performance.”
Manfre said that before he took office, he met with editors and reporters from local news outlets and asked about media relations between reporters and the Sheriff’s Office. He was told that information was slowly dispersed, and that Johnson was often difficult to reach, especially on evenings and weekends.
“I think (Johnson) has strength in her ability to write and communicate clearly and concisely,” Manfre said. “But what I saw as her faults were exactly the things that I heard from the media.”
Manfre said he also wanted to bring a uniformed deputy to the public information office because a law enforcement background brings a unique perspective to media relations. Part of Weber’s job is to train other deputies to speak with the media.
Manfre said that after this letter was sent in early February, he spoke with Johnson about her complaint. The matter was resolved before it became public, Manfre said, adding that he is happy with the performance of both Johnson and Weber in their respective positions.
The information about Johnson’s complaint was leaked, Manfre said, likening the incident to a similar one last week, in which it was made public that Cmdr. David O’Brien was told to decide between termination or retirement. Manfre said the termination was meant to be kept quiet, which is why he was given the option to retire.
O’Brien announced his retirement on Friday.
“Clearly, there are people inside the agency who are trying to stir up trouble,” Manfre said, adding that he is comfortable talking about these situations publically, but that the information wasn’t intended to be released.
Johnson closed her letter by highlighting the good working relationship she has with the Sheriff’s Office.
“The demotion and salary reduction have not been allowed to affect my job performance because I am a professional,” she wrote. “I am dedicated to the service of this agency and our community, but I also seek fair treatment and compensation.”
Johnson will remain in her position as assistant public information officer.
