Tampa Code Enforcement Director Fired: Attorney Calls State Memo a 'Hatchet Job'

Attorney's Defense of Keith O'Connor

• 👨‍⚖️ Keith O'Connor's attorney, Ralph Fernandez, claims the state attorney's memo regarding his client's firing is a 'hatchet job'.
• 💡 Fernandez argues the memo was written to provide the city with a justification to fire O'Connor, rather than a genuine legal finding.

Lottery Ticket Controversy

• 🎟️ The state attorney's office found it likely that O'Connor, then director of code enforcement, colluded with a lottery winner, Aubrey Pierce, to hide winnings from child support payments.
• 💰 Pierce, who owed $70,000 in child support, won a $20,000 scratch-off ticket and allegedly gave it to O'Connor to cash.
• ⚠️ While the conduct was deemed suggestive of theft, the state could not prove it beyond a reasonable doubt in court.

Attorney's Alternative Explanation

• 🤝 Fernandez asserts O'Connor's actions were unrelated to avoiding child support and that he wouldn't assist in such a scheme.
• 🎁 The attorney states Pierce gifted the ticket to O'Connor as a 'thank you', and O'Connor was free to do as he pleased with it afterward.
• 🛠️ Fernandez suggests O'Connor may have intended to use the money to buy equipment for Pierce's side business.

O'Connor's Dismissal and Background

• 📉 O'Connor was fired this week, with the mayor's office citing poor judgment as the reason for dismissal.
• 🔗 O'Connor, a former deputy chief at TPD, had a long-standing connection with Pierce, having helped him secure employment and land on his feet after arrests.
• 💔 O'Connor's dismissal marks the end of his three decades of service to the city of Tampa.