Florida mayor faces removal over public records fight

DEBARY, Fla. (AP) — A Florida mayor faces removal from office in an escalating public records dispute.

The Daytona Beach News-Journal (http://bit.ly/1TLgd7y) reports DeBary’s city council voted Wednesday to present evidence June 1 that Mayor Clint Johnson violated the city’s charter.

Johnson’s tenure has been marked by disputes over his personal and official activities, including payment for a bike he rode across the state and plans to float from Cuba to Florida alone on a handmade raft.

The council has sued Johnson over unmet requests under Florida’s broad public records law. Some requests pertain to Johnson’s social media posts.

Wednesday’s vote followed Johnson’s April 20 text asking the city manager to cancel “this ridiculous meeting” before the council decided to sue Johnson.

Johnson’s lawyer said the text only expressed displeasure over the meeting’s scheduling.