A Leesburg city commissioner who was cleared of an ethics violation will have her legal fees paid by the city.
Commissioner Allyson Berry had been accused by Dr. Erika Jasper of ethics violations as a result of two phone calls made to her on Sept. 26, 2023 while Jasper was seeking another term on the Carver Heights CRA. Jasper’s complaint was made to the Florida Commission on Ethics in Tallahassee on Oct. 3.
According to the Commission on Ethics Public Report and Order Dismissing Complaint, Jasper alleged that Berry called her to discuss official city business without giving notification or publishing the discussion. The complaint also alleged that during the conversations, Berry was verbally aggressive and threatened her, demanded that Jasper cease distributing home improvement applications to her constituents. Jasper also claimed that Berry had made changes to the  home improvement form in violation of the Florida Sunshine laws. Jasper wrote in her complaint that Berry accused her of distributing erroneous information to her constituents which could have interfered with Jasper’s continuation with the CRA.
The commission dismissed the complaint holding that the allegations failed to constitute a legally sufficient complaint.
Dr. Jasper on Monday night addressed the Leesburg commissioners regarding her complaint. Mayor Jimmy Burry read into the record the Commission On Ethics decision dismissing the complaint. All five commissioners then approved the resolution to reimburse Commissioner Berry for the $420 in legal expenses.
Mayor Burry also indicated that he would be opposed to paying a commissioner’s legal expenses if they were found to have violated the law.
