WHAT DO YOU THINK? Should City Manager Ty Ross resign in light of the incident in which he admitted to riding a bicycle after drinking and was given a ride home by FBPD?
The Fernandina Beach Police Department video of City Manager Ty Ross Bike Accident Redacted 12-06-23 is available at https://www.fbnewsleader.com/video/fernandina-beach-police-video-city-manager-ty-ross-bike-accident-redacted-12-06-23
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The residents of the city of Fernandina Beach asked the city commission for answers and action regarding the recent public disclosure of an incident in which City Manager Ty Ross had an interaction with the city’s police department involving drinking and cycling.
Ross, whose first day in his role was Oct. 16, was riding his bicycle on Atlantic Avenue Oct. 29 when he had an accident, and passersby called 911. Fernandina Beach Police Department (FBPD) answered the call. Although Ross later admitted he had been drinking, and that, “This probably would not have happened had I not had too many drinks downtown that afternoon,” the responding officer did not administer a sobriety test, but gave Ross a ride home.
At the Dec. 5 city commission meeting, several residents spoke to the city commission, questioning not only Ross’s judgment but the integrity of the FBPD. The speakers addressed the fact that Ross did not report the incident to anyone in city government until the incident became public and the media made open records requests to the FBPD.
“We all make mistakes. But, real leaders stand up and they own their mistakes, right away,” Fernandina Beach resident Richard Dean said. “They don’t try to sweep things under the rug. Nothing was shared with this city commission until a public (records) request was made and media inquiries.”
“Not only is this a small town where we still know each other, this incident was made so much worse by the tremendous amount of time between the incident involving the city’s number one employee and the department that reports to him,” Victoria Robas said. “This opens up the question, why did it take so long? All employees are indoctrinated by HR departments all over this country to immediately report an accident or an incident involving people and property. You can’t use the excuse that you weren’t on the job, because employees reflect the employer, especially if it involves the city and its employees. The city manager should have addressed this incident immediately with his bosses, you, the city commission, and gotten ahead of this rather than leaving the question in city residents mind of how well the city manager can lead city employees.”
City Commissioner Chip Ross said that, when he questioned Ty Ross as to why he didn’t report the accident, “He stated it occurred on his own time and didn’t seem important.” He quoted the city’s personnel handbook, “Employees, whether on or off duty, owe a duty to the city and its citizens to act in a way that will merit the continued trust and confidence of the public.”
In addition to concerns about Ty Ross’s failure to report the incident for a month, there were also questions about the FBPD’s response to the call.
“The city manager publicly stated that he was over drinking prior to the accident, yet the police chief said no public intoxication charges were made for lack of evidence. That statement’s downright incredulous,” Dean said. “The public has a right to know if the police chief or other supervisors instructed other officers or department officials to respond in any way to the accident to make sure this didn’t become public.”
“How can the city manager address situations with any city employee who might not get off as easy?” city resident Shelia Cocchi asked. “How does FBPD avoid challenges to DUI charges when the public could show inconsistent application of the law? If the city manager had been sitting next to a wrecked car, would the procedure have been the same? Why is the chief overseeing the body cam project when that is typically done by a lower-level employee?”
Adding further controversy to the situation, Ty Ross promoted FBPD Chief Jeff Tambasco to his current position shortly before the incident. Tambasco had been serving as interim chief since the retirement of the former chief earlier this year.
“It’s not lost on your constituents that the city manager promoted the current chief to his current position a couple of weeks before this accident, despite prior supervisors expressing concerns about the current chief’s suitability for a leadership position,” Dean pointed out.
“Once again, it looks to the public like a ‘good ole boy’ system, with issues running rampant,” Elizabeth Semerick said.
“If the city manager refuses to resign, I would hope that this body would see fit to terminate his employment immediately and call for a Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) independent investigation into the matter,” Cocchi said. “At the very least, I would ask that the city commission place both the city manager and police chief on administrative leave and request a full investigation from the FDLE.”
Dean also asked the commission to “call for an outside law enforcement organization to see how this case has all been handled by our police department.”
While Commissioner Darron Ayscue did not comment on the FBPD’s actions on the night of the incident, he did defend the department’s overall performance, and his faith that there is no coverup involved.
“I want to say to the public that I don’t believe this was in any way, shape or form attempted to be swept under the rug,” Ayscue said. “I don’t believe there was some conflict between the city manager or our police chief, at all. It was an officer that was on the scene and he used his discretion. There was in no way, shape or form some form of communication that I can see that would have been any kind of conflict. Our officers use their discretion all the time, and they do a wonderful job. That’s a testament to our police chief and our city manager. We are going to have an opportunity to review this some more and get through this. I don’t want to rush to judgment here.”
Ross addressed the comments made by residents, saying the time period was stressful, and he used unhealthy coping mechanisms.
“Life’s tough,” the city manager said. “I encountered stress I’ve never felt before in my life. I moved to a new state, took a new job, without my support system. I miss (his wife) and my family dearly. What I want to talk about is what’s happened over the past five weeks. I have sought professional help for myself. I learned, through talking to professionals, that I was using maladaptive coping strategies, social lubrications in settings where I was trying to make friends and be funny. I overdid it. I goofed.”
Ty Ross went on to say he thought he was being responsible by bicycling on the night of Oct. 29 instead of driving, and that he “never intended for this to come to your attention.”
He promised his dedication to the city.
“I want you to know, for the past five weeks, and forevermore, I have doubled down and rededicated myself to my mental health as well as my physical health,” Ty Ross said. “I think I’m doing better than I have ever done before. I want to continue doing that with (his wife’s) help and hopefully your support. I can promise you today, just to reiterate my public apology, and to say that I will never let you down again.”
While a redacted copy of the police report was released by FBPD, video footage from the body cam worn by the officer who responded at the scene was not released until Dec. 6. At the Dec. 5 city commission meeting, commissioners agreed to meet after the footage was released to discuss the matter. The News-Leader reached out to the five commissioners for comment after the video was released. Three commissioners responded.
“As a first responder, I have responded to literally thousands of calls for service with similar circumstances to those in the video,” Ayscue said. “What transpired on scene is not an uncommon outcome to an incident such as this. Mr. Ross has apologized for his behavior and is remorseful for his actions that has brought embarrassment to himself and the city of Fernandina Beach. However, nothing in his background has indicated that this incident is anything more than isolated. I continue to urge understanding and live by the words of Jesus Christ in John 8:7.” That verse says, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
“None of the city commissioners or the city attorney were made aware of this incident until a public record request was made on Nov. 28, almost a month after the incident for the police officers body camera video of the incident,” Commissioner Chip Ross said. “On that video, the city manager is asked by the police officer whether he lives in Fernandina. The city manager replies “unfortunately I live here. I’m the …”. The remainder of the reply was redacted. A special meeting has been requested by two city commissioners to discuss this matter. The city commission must now decide whether the city manager merits the continued trust and confidence of the city commission, the city staff and most importantly the public.”
“First off, I want to thank our city for being a community who helps each other,” Mayor Bean said. “The video tells the story of bystanders who saw a situation and wanted to help, followed by a very professional police officer. The actions of others in the video shows what all of us in Fernandina know, we live in a wonderful place. While the incident is certainly unfortunate, I’ve had many conversations with Mr. Ross. He is very apologetic about this incident and committed to still serving the people of Fernandina Beach. I look forward to continuing to work with him.”
The News-Leader reached out to Tambasco for comment on the incident and his department’s reaction. He said he could not respond, as any comments would have to go through City Attorney Tammi Bach’s office, and she could not meet with him before press deadline Thursday.
jroberts@fbnewsleader.com