JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A dramatic shakeup of leadership staff at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is generating apprehension and criticism days before incoming Sheriff T.K. Waters takes office.
Waters delivered the mass demotions in person on Wednesday. They include some of the agency’s most senior and respected officers, including the director of the police academy and the agency’s first-ever Black female director.
The most dramatic demotion happened more than a week ago – on Election Day. Former Chief Andre Ayoub, who’s been with the agency 27 years and an appointed staff member for 10, received a double demotion, busted back to lieutenant, a relegation that comes with a roughly 40 percent pay cut.
Ayoub, an open ally of Waters’ opponent Lakesha Burton, was demoted as a result of his comments on the campaign trail, which interim Sheriff Pat Ivey deemed a conduct violation. He was demoted Election Day, before the polls closed.
Waters told First Coast News the Ayoub demotion had nothing to do with his larger reorganization.
“That that was not even in my purview. That was Sheriff Ivey's decision, and had to do with campaigning as an employee,” Waters said. “Andre is a friend, remains a friend. It's just a situation that happened between him and the sheriff.”
Some degree of reorganization follows the election of any new sheriff; they are free to shuffle or demote senior staff, who don’t have civil service protections and serve at the pleasure of the sheriff. But the flood of demotions announced this week generated concern that it amounted to political payback.
“Yesterday, I believe, was a setback,” Burton told First Coast News. “It’s really caused such a toxic environment, in the agency. And I speak for so many.” Burton said the targets are people who supported her either openly or tacitly by not supporting Water’s, the administration’s chosen candidate.
“Can we just be honest? It is political. It is.”
Waters says he announced nine demotions Wednesday, part of 31 overall staff changes. Coupled with Ivey’s demotion of Ayoub, it represents a dramatic restructuring of senior staff.
“I’ve never seen this in JSO history, and I’ve seen some stuff that’s kind of crazy,” says First Coast News Crime and Safety Analyst Kim Varner, a former JSO detective. “We’ve never had this may people demoted at once.”
Varner says because those demoted were “hardworking, admired” leaders, politics “is the only reason I can think of [for their demotion]. It’s very distressing to me.”
Waters insists the demotions are non-political and says he even promoted four people who either supported or are personally connected to Burton. He declined to provide their names but said he will release his full org chart “very soon.”
Waters will be sworn in as sheriff Sunday and most of the changes won’t be implemented until Monday. Two former senior staffers familiar with the innerworkings of JSO’s 3rd floor suite described the scene Wednesday as funeral, with most demoted officers unsure of their next assignments. “Not a very organized reorganization,” one commented.
In some cases it meant staff packed up belongings without any place to put them.
“They are devastated, both in their rank and in terms of the eventuality of their retirement pay cut,” said a former officer tracking the demotions. “I’ve been around for administrative changes, and I’ve never seen it this haphazard or this extent of ‘on the team’ and ‘off the team.’”
Waters doesn’t dispute that yesterday was difficult, but says it shouldn’t come as a surprise. “This is what happens whenever a new administration takes place in any election,” he said. “I had to deliver gut wrenching news yesterday. And it wasn't retribution. It was setting the place in a position where we can move forward, and I can fulfill my role, and do what I told the community I would do.”
Several in and outside JSO expressed particular surprise over Ayoub’s double demotion by Ivey, since he’s a prominent member of the sheriff’s office and the first Arab American ever to serve as chief. He’s also personally well-connected. (Florida Times-Union columnist, with whom First Coast News partnered for this story, notes Ayoub is a childhood friend of Jax Chamber President and mayoral candidate Daniel Davis.)
Ayoub’s discipline sprang from a segment on the public radio show First Coast Connect. Shortly before Election Day, Burton phoned the show and claimed that former candidate Ken Jefferson had offered his endorsement in exchange for being named her undersheriff. Jefferson himself called in minutes later and denied the story. When asked if anyone could substantiate her version, Burton noted Ayoub was present. He subsequently confirmed her version.
"For him to endorse [Burton], he wanted to be [her] SO 2 [undersheriff],” Ayoub told WJCT.
RELATED: Jacksonville Sheriff candidate Lakesha Burton claims Ken Jefferson offered his endorsement for a job
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office didn’t respond to a request for information about or comment on Ayoub’s discipline.
Ayoub declined an interview request.
Burton says Ayoub’s demotion is especially difficult to see. “Out of everybody he’s the one who’s hurt the most,” she said, noting his retirement income could be nearly halved. (Pensions are based on an employee’s last two years of salary.) “It really makes me emotional. These are good people, honest, they work hard.”
Each one-level demotion comes with a roughly 20 percent pay cut.
Below is a list of the recent demotions, including their initial and current rank:
Assistant Chief Debra Wesley/Lieutenant
Chief Scott Dingee/Assistant Chief
Chief Paul Restivo/Assistant Chief
Assistant Chief James Brennock/Lieutenant
Director Deloris Patterson O'Neal/Chief
Assistant Chief Lolita Smith/Lieutenant (Smith chose to retire rather than accept the demotion)
Assistant Chief Craig Waldrup/Lieutenant
Assistant Chief TJ Cox/Lieutenant
Chief Andre Ayoub/Lieutenant (demoted by Interim Sheriff Pat Ivey)