I keep hearing that Mike Mortell got fired for “no good reason” over and over again. There were probably reasons but because Florida is an “at will” state its much easier that way.

First of all don’t shoot the messenger. Second honestly I don’t know the reasons but I’d love to hear.

I just want to explain what an “at will” state is.

At-will employment means an emplyer can fire an enployee at any time for any reason or no reason at all.

For Employers: You can let workers go without showing cause or giving prior warning. You can also change job terms like pay, hours, or benefits at any time.

Major Exceptions

At-will employment does not mean an employer has total freedom. Firing a worker is illegal if it involves: [1]

• Discrimination: Targeting someone based on race, sex, religion, age, national origin, or disability.
• Retaliation: Punishing a worker for reporting safety violations, illegal acts, or harassment (whistleblowing).
• Protected Leave: Firing someone for taking legally allowed time off, such as family leave or medical leave.
• Contracts: Written employment agreements or union rules that promise a set term of work or require “just cause” to terminate

Former Stuart, Florida City Manager Mike Mortell’s employment contract specified an annual salary of $265,000 and included a clause providing 20 weeks of severance pay ($102,200) if he was terminated without cause. So this was written into his contract.

His contract allowed for termination by the City Commission with or without cause.

I hope this clears things up. I’m not advocating either way. I am listening and would be happy to hear your opinions on here or even privately.

I think this would be a great opportunity for us to see some investigative reporting.

It’s not going to be easy going forward. I think its important for this to be out in the sunshine. As far as the two commissioners that plotted against Sean Reed need to be investigated post haste. Sean needs to be returned to his Mayoral seat as this was done with total vindictiveness.