OVIEDO, Fla. – Oviedo Mayor Dominic Persampiere will not seek re-election in November.
Persampiere, who's been mayor since 2011, said he wants to spend more time with his family and place more focus on his business.
"I am not going away and Debbie, our girls and I will continue to make Oviedo our home," Persampiere said in a news release. "Please stay in touch. It’s been an honor of a lifetime to serve the citizens of this great city and thank you for allowing me to do so."
In the news release, Persampiere touted a list of accomplishments that he's helped oversee in his 20 years as a city leader, first as a council member and then as mayor.
The list includes: Oviedo on the Park, a low tax rate for the city, a tornado warning system, a new water plant, a designation as Best Place to Live and more.
Persampiere's decision comes two months after Persampiere was involved in a dispute in which he was accused of telling a neighbor: "You ever talk to my kid like that again, I'll get my gun and I'll come over there and I'll (expletive) kill you. Take my picture, here I am, record this. She lost her damn cat. Go ahead, put it on Facebook. You're both (expletive) (expletives)," according to a police report.
Persampiere explained to an officer that his daughter was using the flashlight on her phone while looking for her cat, and the neighbors thought she was taking pictures of their home to report a potential violation to the homeowners association.
The mayor's wife is president of the neighborhood homeowners association.
In June, a judge dismissed an injunction against the mayor.
"I'm very pleased at the outcome," Persampiere said. "I chose bad words, but now it's just time to move on."
Also in June, Persampiere's half-brother was arrested in Seminole County on allegations of providing housing and transportation to an underage teen girl in exchange for sexual favors.
Anthony Persampiere, 34, was arrested on a charge of sexual battery on a victim 16 or 17 years old.
"I am on vacation with my wife and haven’t heard the details of this yet, so I can’t comment on specifics," Dominic Persampiere said at the time. "Anthony is my half-brother, who lives in his own home. Charges like this should be taken very seriously because our community standards dictate such. I’m in touch with my family about this matter and won’t be making any further comment."
News 6 reached out to Persampiere for further comment Monday and received the following response:
"Seeing that your story went right to personal incidents in my life, rather then the great things we have done in Oviedo, I have no comment for WKMG now or in the future."