🟠 Main Squeeze: The Fort Pierce City Commission voted 3 to 2 not to renew the city attorney's contract

I have been attending Fort Pierce City Commission meetings in person for the past couple of months and walking into Monday night's meeting I had a feeling it would be different. The room was packed. People were there with purpose and the energy was not the usual Monday night government meeting energy 🏛️.

City Attorney Sara Hedges' contract was on the agenda. The city only directly employs three people and she is one of them. What happened next played out in front of a full room.

How we got here 📋: We first covered this story in April when a wage garnishment involving the city's finance director triggered a public dispute between the city manager and city attorney that spilled onto the commission floor. A letter of intent to sue followed. The item got pulled from one agenda. Then Commissioner Dzadovsky discovered that Hedges' contract had a 90 day renewal provision that was about to expire silently and brought it forward. That is what landed on Monday night's agenda.

What happened on the dais 🎭: Commissioner Dzadovsky went first and gave a lengthy prepared statement focused entirely on governance structure, charter authority and operational boundaries. He was deliberate and careful, staying away from anything personal and framing the entire discussion around institutional clarity and the commission's responsibility to manage charter officer contracts through deliberate public action rather than passive automatic renewal.

Commissioner Broderick went next. He said directly that he does not agree with Dzadovsky's conclusions, that he believes there is a faction of the commission targeting Hedges because of what he called her aggressive legal perspective, and that the city needs someone tough in that seat. He called the situation something close to a witch trial. And then immediately after finishing his comments he put a motion on the floor to renew Hedges' contract for one year.

Mayor Hudson asked for a second. No one gave one.

She then handed the gavel to Commissioner Gaines, stepping into the role of Mayor Pro Tem so that she could step off the chair and give the second herself. The motion was now made and seconded before Commissioners Gaines or Johnson had been given the floor to speak on the item. Commissioner Johnson called a point of order to make sure every commissioner would have the opportunity to be heard before the vote proceeded.

What followed was an extended back and forth covering everything from the charter to what various people have been hearing inside city hall to whether this was ever really about governance at all. Commissioner Gaines said he had heard concerns from city employees since this story broke and had not yet had a chance to sit down with Hedges before the vote was forced. Commissioner Johnson said he felt short-circuited, that he had planned to have those one on one conversations before any vote was taken and that the motion being on the floor removed that option.

Worth noting: under Robert's Rules of Order, the maker of a motion can withdraw it at any time before a vote is called. That did not happen. The vote proceeded 👀.

The vote 📋:

• 🔴 Motion to renew Hedges' contract for one year: failed 3 to 2
• ✅ Commissioners Broderick and Mayor Hudson voted yes
• 🔴 Commissioners Dzadovsky, Gaines and Johnson voted no

What came after 🗣️: Hedges addressed the commission directly after the vote. She noted that her contract requires 90 days notice if she chooses to leave, meaning she will still be present for the June 8th performance review. She told commissioners she has a lot she would like to say but that attorney-client privilege and confidentiality obligations prevent her from saying it publicly without a waiver from the commission, which she advised against granting. She suggested the conversation be moved to the proper June 8th date.

Commissioner Broderick said he fully expects she will be looking for another position by morning. Commissioner Gaines said he had not been given the chance to have the conversation he needed to have with her before the vote was forced. Commissioner Johnson said the same and that the five commissioners now need to figure out together what comes next.

What's next: The matter returns to the June 8th agenda for the scheduled performance review. Hedges confirmed she will be there. Her contract expires September 10th if no further action is taken. Watch the full meeting here 📅.

💬 What do you think about how this played out? Tell us right here