Letter: High Springs needs a new City Manager
Staff report
To the residents of High Springs:
High Springs residents should be up in arms!!! Your City’s finances are in peril, and here is why… In 2023, then-City Manager Stathatos tried to fire Finance Director Diane Wilson for incompetence and insubordination after finding assignments undone and disturbing serious fund miscalculations. Commissioner Weitz interfered with that decision, which was not only poor judgment, but also a violation of the City Charter. Wilson remained on the job. Manager Stathatos had carefully planned for new revenues through smart growth and grant funding. But behind that Manager’s back, Commissioner Weitz did everything she could to undo those accomplishments. As a result, Ms. Stathatos resigned.
Woefully inexperienced City Manager Jeremy Marshall, hired in April 2024, was informed of the Finance Director’s shortcomings that same month. He took no action to correct this problem. The High Springs FY 2023 financial audit, completed in June 2025, and the FY 2024 audit, completed in May 2026, confirmed Stathatos’ concerns. As a result of the retention of Wilson, your water bill, your sewer bill, your garbage bill, your fire assessment fee, and your property taxes all went up substantially, and all City reserve funds have been drained. And now you, the residents of High Springs, are footing the bills resulting from the actions of Wilson and Weitz and the inactions of Marshall, respectively.
Marshall fired Wilson in January of 2026, but only after the Commissioners received calls for Marshall to be terminated for a failure to act in the best interests of the taxpayers. Marshall’s own financial troubles were revealed in a background check, unfortunately done only after he was hired. That document revealed a December 2021 bankruptcy, two money judgments, and a criminal warrant for a worthless check charge. Just last week, it was discovered that a New York bankruptcy court has garnished his City Manager wages, now that the court has discovered where he is.
High Springs has pending lawsuits based upon other actions by Weitz and Marshall, which will drive up insurance costs; the money to defend and settle or pay judgments will be passed on to the taxpayers. Despite claiming “much improved transparency,” the latest, much overdue audit findings, which the City has yet to share with the taxpayers, contain the following warning:
2024-010 Deteriorating Financial Condition
Our assessment procedures disclosed that the City is in a state of deteriorating financial condition as defined by Rule 10.556(8), Rules of the Auditor General. …… Based on the Financial Condition Assessment, of the 24 applicable indicators evaluated, 14 (58%) were rated as unfavorable.
High Springs needs a new, professional, and experienced City Manager and a complete forensic audit – now.
Linda Rice Chapman
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The city’s financial problems began long before Ms. Weitz and Mr. Marshall. The previous commissioners and previous city manager took on alot of debt, made bad financial decisions and left the city in bad shape. If you are going to place blame, you should include alot more names.
Very true, Granny. Much damage done by the previous City Manager and others.
The people of High Springs deserve the type of government it has. Just like the rest of Alachua County, unless people get out to vote in responsible representatives, they / we will always be screwed.
12% turnout for the last election for a City Commissioner Seat! The canidate who won re-election refused to debate his opponent or defend his hideous performance in that seat. Instead, he had a pub crawl event to talk to his followers from bar to bar. Unfortunately, you’re right; we get what we’re willing to tolerate by not voting or holding elected officials accountable.
More concerning is what this suggests about the City’s approach to revenue generation. Rather than focusing solely on public safety, the City appears to rely on traffic enforcement in areas where speed limits change abruptly (school zones especially), creating the perception that citations are being used as a source of revenue. This perception has damaged public confidence and influenced consumer behavior.
My own family deliberately avoids driving through High Springs because of concerns about these enforcement practices. Instead, we choose to shop and conduct business along Newberry Road or Archer Road. While it is impossible to quantify the exact economic impact, it is reasonable to conclude that hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars that could have been spent supporting High Springs businesses have instead been spent elsewhere. If our family’s experience is shared by others, these enforcement practices may be undermining the very local economy the City should be working to support.
The speed limits are reasonable and well posted. It’s simply about driving safely, especially in school zones. If you or your family prefer the chaos of Archer Road or Newberry Road, along with the lost time and extra gas, that’s your decision. As a member of the community you’re criticizing, most residents I know want these speed limits enforced even more strictly. Our safety and our children are more important than your inability to manage your driving habits.
I would agree that past commissioners and management created an obscene amount of debt for the city of high springs. The only thing I’ve seen the present administration and commissioners do is to shift all the burden of debt on the backs of residents and at the same time providing no accountability or transparency. Our city is in real trouble because of past and present city leadership. I’m beginning to think that the only hope for any meaningful correction comes when the State steps in and forces real cuts to the out-of-control spending and critically inadequate leadership we continue to experience. Vote yes for raising Homestead Exemptions is a move towards correction.