Relying on the city’s public records attorney, Bradenton Beach Mayor Bill Shearon won’t release a U.S. Equal Employment Commission notice of discrimination against the city.
Former city clerk Gia Lancaster, 47, filed a complaint of discrimination, and notice of the charge was served on the city, according to Shearon.
An EEOC charge, which typically includes allegations of discriminatory events and notice to the employer, is the initial step in the federal agency’s handling of workplace complaints, according to the EEOC website.
Since the city’s Nov. 21 receipt of the one-page notice, the city has received no other documents or contact from the EEOC or Lancaster, according to city clerk Terri Sanclemente.
Shearon said he forwarded the notice to Bradenton attorney Mark Barnebey, the attorney advising the city on public records.
In a response to a Dec. 4 Islander public records request, Barnebey claimed the notice was, at the time, exempt from the disclosure requirements of the Florida Sunshine Law.
The first section exempts workplace discrimination complaints under investigation and the second pertains to public employee investigations.
The EEOC enforces federal laws against employers who illegally discriminate against employees or job applicants because of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.
After a charge is filed, the EEOC assigns an investigator to determine whether there is reasonable cause to believe discrimination occurred, according to the federal agency’s website.
The investigation can lead to voluntary mediation and settlement, or the filing of a lawsuit by either the agency or charging party.
Lancaster was fired by the city commission Oct. 23.
On Oct. 21, she was arrested for allegedly battering a Manatee County Sheriff Office’s deputy. However, Shearon said her arrest did not prompt the city commission.
A unanimous commission vote terminated her in accordance with 1.5 of the city’s employment handbook, which allows for dismissal of any employee deemed unsatisfactory during the first six months of employment.
She was discharged for not properly notifying the employer of an absence and misconduct connected with her work, according to a Nov. 6 notice from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
“No one knew she had been arrested until afterwards. So that had no bearing on her firing,” Shearon said.
Lancaster is attempting to get court permission to move to Titusville and, according to court records, her new mailing address is in Titusville.
Several calls to Lancaster were attempted by The Islander. Recorded messages indicate the phone was not accepting calls.
… and seeks modified court release order
Gia Lancaster, arrested for battery of a law enforcement officer in October, is asking the court to modify the terms of her supervised release.
She had been released following her initial court appearance on the condition she not leave Manatee, Sarasota or the contiguous counties.
Lancaster filed a certificate of address Nov. 7, indicating a mailing address in Titusville in Brevard County, north of Orlando.
Assistant Public Defender Maria Teresa Chuquizuta scheduled a Dec. 18 hearing for Lancaster’s motion, requesting court approval to report by phone “to allow her to relocate to Titusville.”
The motion also advises the court she’d lost her job and place of residence.
Terms of her release require Lancaster to report to a Manatee County release officer.
Also according to the court’s order, she is to perform random urinalysis at her expense and prohibited from taking illegal drugs and consuming alcohol.
Lancaster’s arrest stemmed from an Oct. 21 altercation with Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Frank Coleman at a Bradenton apartment where she reportedly rented space to the two witnesses.
One of Lancaster’s tenants told Coleman that Lancaster had been drinking all day, according to the MCSO report.
According to the deputy’s report, Lancaster was belligerent, yelling and screaming, and charged at the deputy, striking him in the chest.
Lancaster, who lost her job by unanimous city commission vote Oct. 23, wrote Nov. 7 to 12th Judicial Circuit Judge John F. Lakin, asking the court to approve her move to Titusville.
Both Lancaster’s public defender and April Heuss, the supervised release division chief assigned to Lancaster, refused to comment on the case.
Assistant State Attorney Keith Humphrey said it would be up to her supervised release officer to bring a violation of probation to the court’s attention.
He also said he expected a decision on whether his office will file on the battery charge by Dec. 8, after press time for The Islander.
On Dec. 5, a civil eviction was filed against Lancaster, seeking possession of her 26th Avenue West apartment.
Lancaster’s modification hearing in the criminal division is set for 10:45 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 18, before Lakin at the Manatee County Judicial Center, 1051 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.
