Fort Myers City Council rejects city manager’s police chief recommendation

By Lydia Nusbaum

Published Jun. 21, 2023, 3:46 p.m. ET | Updated Jun. 21, 2023

Virginia Beach Police Department Deputy Chief Reo Hatfield. (Photo/Virginia Beach)

FORT MYERS, Fla. (FLV) – The Fort Myers City Council voted 4-3 Tuesday to reject the city manager’s chief of police recommendation.

City Manager Marty Lawing recommended Virginia Beach Police Department Deputy Chief Reo Hatfield for the Fort Myers police chief position.

“I think we missed out on an excellent candidate who probably would have been a great leader for this agency,” Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson told Florida’s Voice following the meeting.

The city manager listed Hatfield’s qualifications Tuesday, which included a high-level military service, experience as a commanding officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve, as well as law enforcement experience in special operations and management.

“You don’t get to be a commanding officer unless you can bring the good out in people, so I feel like that’ll be an asset in bringing him in,” Lawing said Tuesday.

Lawing said Virginia Beach is a large department that is subjected to natural disasters. He said Virginia Beach was ranked the number one safest city in their population category.

“He’s worked in a culture of a department that knows how to keep the city safe,” Lawing said.

The other finalists included:

Jason Fields, Police Captain / Acting Major, Fort Myers Police Department
Gina V. Hawkins, Chief of Police, Fayetteville Police Department (Retired)
Victor J. Medico, Captain, Fort Myers Police Department

“My vote is going to be no, only because I don’t think you brought the best candidate forward. We had a person in there that had prior police chief experience,” Councilmember Terolyn Watson said.

The city manager said he did not make prior police chief experience a requirement after reviewing police chief ads across the country.

“I was surprised to be honest with you to find that none of the police chief ads I saw made it a requirement to have prior police chief experience,” Lawing said.

The mayor pushed back on the assertion that police chief experience is necessary.

“Not all experience is good,” the mayor said. “They could have been a horrible chief.”

The city received more than 170 applicants for the position. Eight members of the city’s management team helped screen and review the applicants. Public candidate forums were held June 1 to give the public the opportunity to meet the final four candidates.

The city manager said he would come back next month with another recommendation.