14th District State Attorney’s Office reportedly under investigation

By David Angier
Panama City News Herald
Published: September 10, 2008

PANAMA CITY, Fla. — A Tallahassee lawyer said Tuesday she is awaiting the completion of a state investigation of the 14th District State Attorney’s Office before filing a lawsuit.

“What I can tell you,” attorney Marie Mattox said, “is we’re in the middle of an ongoing investigation. We’re waiting for that to be completed, and at that point, we’ll be ready to go forward.”

Mattox said she represents Brenda Keyes, an employee at the State Attorney’s Office, who filed a complaint against Steve Meadows and the office.

Meadows responded to the allegations in a statement issued Tuesday.

“We have had, and will continue to provide, a professional, fair, and harassment-free work environment,” he said. “We will not be deterred from our mission, to protect this community, by those whose motives are political or unjust. We have nearly 130 employees in six counties who come to work every day, inspired to do their very best for the citizens of this circuit. You can continue to be proud of them, as I am, for the job they do for you.”

The complaint was forwarded to the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC, and the Florida Commission on Human Relations. The agencies have 180 days to complete their investigations. Mattox said that time period probably expired sometime last week, but she’s holding off taking further action because the state commission still is conducting interviews.

Mattox said she is meeting a commission investigator Wednesday to discuss the status of the investigation. Mattox said if the commission is months away from completing its work, she might consider filing her lawsuit anyway.

Mattox did not go into the details of Keyes’ allegations.

Spokeswomen with both agencies neither confirmed nor denied investigations of the State Attorney’s Office. However, The News Herald has learned the state commission is interviewing people, including former State Attorney’s Office employees, in the area.

Christine Nazer, with the EEOC, said the only time an investigation becomes public is when a lawsuit is filed. She said most EEOC investigations remain confidential because they are resolved without litigation.

Meadows, a Republican, is up for re-election in November against Democratic challenger Glenn Hess, a former circuit judge. The 14th Judicial Circuit includes Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson and Washington counties in the Florida Panhandle.