The Fort Pierce City Commission is grappling with significant administrative hurdles and concerns over unchecked developer influence as it moves to restructure its depleted legal department. In a recent 3-2 vote, the commission appointed Deputy City Manager Camille Wallace as the interim city attorney. The decision, aimed at bridging the gap following the impending departure of current City Attorney Sara Hedges on September 11, has sparked intense debate within City Hall regarding potential conflicts of interest and the vulnerability of local zoning codes on the Treasure Coast.
Mayor Linda Hudson and Commissioner Curtis Johnson Jr. opposed the interim appointment. Mayor Hudson specifically highlighted the structural complexities of placing a deputy city manager in the city attorney role, a dynamic she referred to as a dual-office issue. Because both positions are charter roles that report directly to the City Commission, blurring the lines could compromise independent administrative oversight.
It is a difficult ask of anybody to serve two masters, even though she will be working exclusively for the commission, but always with an eye on returning to the City Manager’s Office.
The overarching challenge facing Fort Pierce officials is the rapid depletion of the city’s legal staff. Following a June 8 decision not to renew Hedges’ contract—a move reportedly stemming from unclear operational boundaries and possible conflicts with the City Manager’s Office—the legal department has also seen the departure of one staff attorney and one contracted attorney. Once Hedges officially exits in September, the department will be left with a single paralegal.
To manage the transition, Human Resources Manager Jared Sorensen indicated that the city will utilize outside attorneys for immediate legal needs. Additionally, Fort Pierce will invest approximately $31,000 in an outside recruiting firm to locate a permanent city attorney, targeting a November hiring date.
However, the temporary void in dedicated, in-house legal counsel has raised alarm among some commissioners regarding the future of major local real estate developments. Commissioner Michael Broderick voiced strong apprehensions, warning that the outside development community is eager to capitalize on the city’s lack of formal legal representation. Broderick cautioned about several potential consequences during this transition:
- The potential dismantling of the King’s Landing development deal by the City Commission without proper legal guidance.
- The possible removal of vital height restrictions within the South Beach overlay.
- A rush by outside developers to build towering, high-density projects on South Beach without standard municipal legal pushback.
Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky pushed back against Broderick’s warnings, specifically regarding the King’s Landing project. Dzadovsky argued that the project’s struggles were self-inflicted due to improper funding, labeling the development as ill-advised from the start. He also referenced the administrative approval recently granted to the massive Causeway Cove project by the city’s Planning Department as another complicating factor in the ongoing municipal development debate.
As Fort Pierce navigates this critical transition period, Treasure Coast residents and local stakeholders will be watching closely to see how the City Commission balances temporary legal staffing with the long-term protection of the area’s development standards.
