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After tremendous backlash from the community after learning that Mayor Rob Medina was not going to call for Councilman Filiberto’s resignation, he flipped this evening and publicly did so.
This comes after Councliman Kenny Johnson had already added the item to the agenda to do the same at this Thursday’s meeting. Filiberto was arrested for DUI, Felony Cocaine charges, amongst others.
In a Facebook post a few moments ago he said the following:
As Mayor of the City of Palm Bay, I want to share with the members of our community that I encourage Councilman Peter Filiberto to voluntarily resign.
Per Florida Statutes, City Council does not have authority to remove a fellow councilman. At our Regular Council Meeting this Thursday, Council will be discussing sending a letter to the Governor regarding suspension pursuant to Florida Statutes 112.51.
Today the State Attorney’s Office made a filing decision in this case. I want to commend our Palm Bay Police Department for their diligence and professionalism in addressing this matter.
As public officials serving our City, it is incumbent upon us to reflect on how our actions affect those we serve. This situation has cast a shadow over the good work that our City Council and leadership team are accomplishing. It has become a distraction as we conduct our City business. As a City, we are striving every day to serve our citizens in a transparent and accountable manner, and I feel strongly that resignation would be in the best interest of our community.
Please know that I have not come to this decision lightly, and my prayers continue to go out to Pete and his family. I truly hope that he will get the help that he needs to overcome his personal challenges.
Restoring and maintaining the public trust is critically important for our City. Part of restoring the public trust is doing the right thing. In this situation, I believe that voluntary resignation would be the right thing for Pete to do.
State Representative Randy Fine continues to remain silent on the issue and ignoring all references to it on his Facebook page.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
