The City Charter prohibits the mayor from interfering with staff. Norris says he has never yelled an employee.
As Palm Coast Mike Norris faces an investigation for allegedly seeking to fire Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston and Chief of Staff Jason DeLorenzo behind closed doors, with an attorney as witness, more reports have emerged that show staff members have felt Norris interfered with their jobs or demeaned them, in the few months since he was elected.
The reports were obtained by a public records request on March 17 from the Palm Coast Observer.
The reports could be considered violations of the "noninterference" clause of the City Charter, which allows the council to ask questions or seek information from staff, but not to interfere with the performance of staff.
Norris, via text message to the Observer on March 17, said, "I have never yelled at any employee. That's a bit over the top."
'FIX IT'
One incident involved Norris criticizing city staff's live stream of the Starlight Parade in December. In front of other employees, Norris told the cameraman, "It was garbage."
The report states: "After a pause, he said in an exaggerated tone, 'Garbage.'"
Later, as staff was meeting in regard to the parade, Norris was walking by and gestured to be allowed to enter the staff meeting.
"Upon entering, the Mayor, in a raised voice, demanded, 'Who is responsible for that live stream of the parade?'" the complaint states. When the mayor was told that the live stream was the work of the whole department, Norris then reportedly "started yelling: 'It sucked, it was trash, it looked like horse s---.'"
The room was "tense" after that exchange, and Norris continued, asking, "You're going to tell me that you think it looked good?"
He added: "I don't wanna hear excuses. Fix it!"
The reporting party stated that Norris then "laughed awkwardly, and left the room."
'NOT OUR FRIENDS'
On Feb. 12, according to a city employee report, Norris told staff members that a builder named Mr. Douglas had visited City Hall, and he wanted to know why.
"They are not our friends," Norris said of the developer, "and I don't want them back in City Hall."
Norris was reminded that "this is a public building open to the public."
Norris said via text to the Observer on March 17:
"I never said I didn’t want Douglas in the building because I know his business, but every day residents come in that building and should clearing sign in and annotated their destination. Neither his name nor destination was legible. For official security tracking, all visits should be logged."
'OLD EMPLOYEES'
Shortly after he was elected, in November 2024, Norris told the director of Human Resources reported that, considering health insurance and salaries are a large expense, "We need to start hiring younger employees. Old employees cost us a lot of money, and younger workers are in better shape and would cost the city less."
'TRASH'
Another complaint stated that Norris, while still a candidate, called an employee's toenail color "f------ trash," which may have been in reference to the city's blue trash cans, but which made the employee and several others who witnessed it uncomfortable. One employee called it a clear case of "harassment."
CHARTER LANGUAGE
The “noninterference” clause is found in Article IV of the City's Charter.
It states: “Except for the purpose of inquiry and information, the Council and its members, including committees thereof, are expressly prohibited from interfering with the performance of the duties of any City employee who is under the direct or indirect supervision of the City Manager or City Attorney. Such action shall be malfeasance within the meaning of Florida Statutes.”
The City Council, by a majority vote, hires or fires only two people: a city manager and city attorney. The council then sets policy and leaves the operations to the city manager’s discretion.
SUPPORT FOR NORRIS
Supporters of Norris have repeatedly praised Norris for taking matters into his own hands, disregarding the noninterference clause. For example,
Shane Lieb posted on March 12: “The city council is going to find out very quickly how out of touch most of them are with residents. Mayor Mike was elected to make big changes and listen to residents, something he is trying to find creative ways to do [...] Why does an unelected official have more power than the Mayor in this city? The city charter needs to be revised and fixed so they are held accountable to voters that pay their salary. Enough is enough”
Social media posts indicate that Norris supporters are planning to gather before the March 18 City Council meeting to show their solidarity with Norris, regardless of perceived charter violations.