PORT ST. LUCIE, FL—Prompted by one woman’s string of last-minute absences at the St. Lucie County School Board, officials and community members alike are demanding first-term member Jennifer Richardson resign or be removed.
She refuses.
“In my 18 years of being in public service in St. Lucie County I’ve never seen any other government official have this type of behavior,” Troy Ingersoll, a board member and former Board Chair, told The Floridian. “It’s appalling.”
He stressed that whether it’s illnesses affecting her “up to 20% of the time” or whether it’s a series of deaths in her family, if Richardson is not “physically able” to make it to meetings she “should step down.”
Elected in 2020, Richardson, a former teacher’s assistant, has skipped four board meetings and three workshops—three of which occurred in the past two months. This caused her to miss critical votes on upcoming fiscal goals, the review of standardized test results, and the approval of a reading plan submission to the Department of Education, among other issues.
And more importantly, Ingersoll says, it paves the way for the Governor to act.
“There’s got to be some sort of mechanism where if this behavior continues, the Governor can remove her,” he said, slamming her “unbecoming absences” that “would not fly” at any other job.
In fact, there is: Florida has a 60-day rule allowing the Governor to suspend an elected official who has missed 60 consecutive, unexplained days of work.
At the time of publishing, Richardson has missed 75 days.
"Smear campaign to discredit my reputation"
With a yearly salary shy of $48,000, Richardson notified Board Chair Debbie Hawley between ten and 30 minutes before the meetings' start times, stating that she felt "under the weather" on both occasions. She also told The Floridian that calls for her resignation are the result of a "smear campaign" to "discredit my reputation and work ethic."
"To put things in perspective, I have missed seven meetings over almost four years as a board member. Each time, I gave the Board notice as soon as I was able to and additionally provided them with the reasonings behind them so that they were aware," Richardson said in a statement, though she never gave notice to the Superintendent, which members say is "informal protocol."
"My absences were the result of personal tragedy and sicknesses which befell myself and my family, all of which were out of my control," she continued. "I can only hope that those same concerned citizens as well as the rest of the community can understand and empathize."
Retiree and frequent school board attendee Lori Dening is one such concerned citizen, telling The Floridian that she feels that Richardson "has abandoned her position."
"She is getting a paycheck and full benefits and she’s not doing her job—she’s not voting and she’s not there in attendance," Dening said.
“If you miss three school board meetings in a row, you shouldn’t be a member”
Board Chair Hawley expressed her own concern over Richardson’s case—believing that there is nothing she nor the Board can do about the District 4 member because she “explained” her absences beforehand, claiming this exemplifies a greater issue within school boards in that there is “no accountability whatsoever.”
"It's a huge gap in the system, and it's created quite an uproar in our community because the voters are being unrepresented by someone they voted into office," Hawley said, claiming Richardson cannot be punished unless "she falls off the face of the earth for 60 consecutive days and nobody hears from her."
Education attorney Keith Altman, however, believes that Florida’s 60-day rule very much applies to Richardson.
“The whole point of being on a school board is to serve. To say that a school board member can just simply be on the board but never participate, just because they have excused absences, doesn’t make any sense,” Altman told The Floridian. “If you miss three meetings in a row, then you shouldn’t be a school board member, and it would seem that it’s now within the Governor’s purview that he could suspend her.”
Richardson is up for re-election on August 20th, facing down retired fire chief Nate Spera, who was endorsed by DeSantis earlier this week. Spera, a political newcomer, told The Floridian that he could do a "much better job" than Richardson, who he says has "abandoned the people of District 4."
The Governor's office did not respond to a request for comment.
Teacher's Assistant?
On top of the increasing appetite for her resignation, Richardson's former position as a teacher's aide for St. Lucie County Public Schools has also been called into question. According to her campaign website, she worked for the district in the late 90s, though county school records show no proof that she was ever employed there.
"Jennifer holds a bachelor's degree in organizational management from Indian River State College. Her professional experience includes working as a Teacher's Assistant in the St. Lucie County Public School System," states her campaign website.
When asked to explain, Richardson said she worked for a non-profit that helps children in need—not the county itself, despite what's posted on her website.
