PALM BAY, Fla. – State Rep. Randy Fine of Palm Bay supported Peter Filiberto during his campaign for city council, but after police said officers found 10 grams of cocaine in the councilman’s socks, Fine is calling for Filiberto’s resignation like Palm Bay mayor Rob Medina is.
“I think it’s horrible,” Fine said. “The charges are pretty disturbing.”
Since Saturday night, when police said Filiberto was speeding and running stop signs while riding a motorcycle with a suspended license through a 55 and older community, Fine said he and the councilman spoke on the phone.
“My advice to him was that he should resign,” Fine said. “I would want to resign rather than be removed, so I think that would be the right thing to do.”
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Filiberto attended the last city council meeting on Feb. 2, but on Thursday night, the councilman was not present.
In his absence, the city council voted unanimously to send a letter to the governor that requests he suspend Filiberto. The council also called on Filiberto to resign from the position.
“I’m not going to sit up here and say I’m perfect, but one thing’s for sure: I haven’t been breaking the law while I’ve been an elected official,” Councilman Kenny Johnson said.
According to the city attorney, a council member who misses four consecutive meetings will vacate the seat of a council member, meaning Filiberto faces losing his position if he misses three more meetings in a row.
Palm Bay Mayor Rob Medina motioned for voluntary drug testing in the wake of Filiberto’s arrest, though council members weren’t on board, and the motion failed.
In Tallahassee, Fine said he hasn’t talked to the governor yet about Filiberto’s uncertain future.
“My guess is he and his family are making the decision about the right thing to do,” Fine said about Filiberto. “You can skip one meeting, but you can’t skip them forever.”
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