PALATKA, Fla. — Palatka City Manager Troy Bell stirred up controversy after removing the GPS tracker from his city-owned vehicle -- a decision he made without approval from city commissioners.
Mayor Robbi Correa and commissioners addressed the removal during Thursday's meeting.
Bell was hired in February 2024 and given a city-owned vehicle. According to his contract, he is allowed to use the car for both professional and personal use. His vehicle is one of 76 city vehicles with a GPS tracker. However, a few weeks ago, Bell said he made the decision to remove the tracker because he was worried about the number of public records requests that were made for his GPS locations.
"I was concerned about the safety and security of my family based on the fact that people were tracking where I was on my personal time," Bell explained.
City commissioners and the mayor were upset with the lack of discussion prior to the removal of the device. Bell had met with Correa and informed her that he planned to remove the device, but she said he should consult the full commission to determine the best course of action. Bell did not do that and removed the device.
Commissioner Rufus Borom believes commissioners needed to authorize the removal.
"So on his own, he decided to remove the device … that’s my issue," Borom said.
Community members at the meeting also expressed their frustrations with the manner in which the device was removed.
"This pattern of behavior and the GPS situation has demonstrated this pattern of behavior has not changed, and tonight city commission has even pointed that out," Palatka resident Gary Bliss explained.
After going back and forth, commissioners passed a motion to have the device reinstalled in Bell's car. They will also be looking into whether every vehicle in the city's fleet should have a tracker.