MADEIRA BEACH, Fla — A special Madeira Beach City commission meeting led to a big change.
After over an hour of public comment and debate from the five commissioners over whether or not to continue with City Manager Robin Gomez at the helm, Gomez offered to step down.
Watch full report from Blake Phillips
"My suggestion would be if the commission would be amenable to a separation agreement and move forward based on some of what Mr. (Tom) Trask just stated but simply ending the agreement," Gomez said.
During the meeting, several community members spoke up both for and against Gomez. And while two commissioners spoke in support of him, three did not, including Mayor Anne Marie Brooks.
"I don't support just saying we should let him do better. I feel like he has had the opportunity to do better and he has chose not to," said Brooks.
Commissioner and Vice Mayor Ray Kerr stated he felt Gomez should have time to respond to all the comments made during the meeting on Thursday.
"Some of the things I've heard may have some truth to it, but they don't have the full picture," said Kerr, "I'm not ready to make a judgment on anything, and if forced to, I'm going to support the City Manager."
Recently, residents had spoken up about parking issues along Madeira Beach being a driving factor in business being down across the John's Pass area.
Mayor Brooks feels Gomez's decision was the right move.
"You want the community to get the best and I think what Robin Gomez did today was the right thing to do for the community," says Mayor Brooks.
Community members like Dylan Hubbard spoke up at the meeting, and Hubbard says he's hoping this is the first step in the right direction for the area.
"I think it was one of those things where you can see how the vote is going to come out, hopefully he can move on and the city can move on and we can forge a path forward," says Hubbard, who's the owner of Hubbard Marina.
The next city meeting is scheduled for Sept. 10.
“You know, it might just be time we take a look if HOAs are really even necessary.
Maybe we should just do away with homeowner associations as a whole.”
South Florida lawmaker Rep. Juan Carlos Porras (R-Miami) says it may be time to do away with homeowners associations altogether, as more Floridians speak out about rising fees, costly lawsuits, and even arrests tied to HOA disputes. He said this week that he is considering filing legislation in the next session that would abolish HOAs statewide.
