ORLANDO, Fla. – Just days after a mystery email to all employees of State Attorney Aramis Ayala’s office proclaimed “morale is at an all-time low,” a key manager on the fifth floor resigned Monday.
Ryan Williams, the director of strategic services, handed in his resignation with a job waiting for him at the 5th District office of State Attorney Brad King.
King has assumed the Markeith Loyd murder case as well as an additional 21 cases assigned to him by Gov. Rick Scott.
Sources in the office told News 6 Williams was ready to leave last Friday.
Former State Attorney Jeff Ashton told News 6 Monday night that Williams “was one of the people young lawyers always felt comfortable going to and more senior lawyers trusted to give them sound advice.”
Ashton said, “Williams is a man of great personal integrity.” Williams ran for the state attorney’s job in 2012 against Ashton and Lawson Lamar.
He was the youngest of three Democrats vying for the job.
In a news conference during his campaign run, the then 31-year-old Williams said the State Attorney’s Office needed to adopt a “modern, proactive approach to criminal justice.”
Sources said Williams was unhappy with the direction the office had taken under Ayala’s leadership.
When News 6 requested a copy of Williams' resignation letter, we were told the office was unaware of his intentions to leave.
The news broke just days after an email delivered from a gmail account sent “An analysis of Aramis Ayala” to all 150 employees of the state attorney’s office.
A request was made for a statement from Ayala’s office and by 5:05 p.m., there was no official response.
State Rep. Mike Miller told News 6 he was concerned by the talk of low morale.
“My position as a state legislator is she’s elected to uphold the current law. It concerns me … that people might be leaving," he said.