Tamarac Commissioner Marlon Bolton was forced to resign his brand new position as a County Commission aide after officials determined State Law was violated, the Sun-Sentinel reports. In late January, REDBROWARD broke the news that Broward County Commissioner Hazelle Rogers was hiring Bolton, a longtime ally. Ten days later, Rogers hired Bolton as her Chief of Communications with an $80,000 salary.
On Thursday, the Sun-Sentinel reported Bolton resigned his position after County officials learned the position had not been advertised to the public.
“Florida law addressing ‘dual public employment,’ allows elected officials to have government jobs at the same time — but there are rules attached. The state law requires that an elected official has been subject to the same application and hiring process as other candidates, and that ‘the position was publicly advertised.’”
“County Attorney Andrew Meyers said, ‘Commissioner Rogers properly vetted this issue in advance, including directly with me. I advised that there is no legal prohibition on a municipal elected official being hired as a County employee. While that answer is accurate, it did not completely address the issue,’ he said. Inadvertently, ‘the process overlooked a requirement that the position be publicly posted before a hiring decision is made. Steps are being taken to promptly address the situation, and the position will be filled consistent with the required process.’”
