WGCU by Valerie Crodwer
April 10, 2020
Two former Panama City Beach municipal clerks are suing the town after officials allegedly punished and dismissed them for providing public records.
Mary Jan Bossert’s last act as city clerk was to call the roll for her own firing.
“The council humiliated me. They talked about me like I wasn’t even there,” Bossert said. “Then, to add insult to injury, I had to call the roll on my own termination.”
After all five Panama City Beach council members voted for her removal, Mayor Mike Thomas asked her to gather her things and exit the building.
Now, Bossert’s suing the city.
She’s the second former clerk to take the town to court in recent years. In early 2018, Diane Floyd, who served in the record-keeping role for almost two years, took legal action against the city.
Both women claim they were punished for responding appropriately to public records requests they’d received from Burnie Thompson, a local talk show host, whose criticisms at public meetings have often angered some council members, particularly the mayor.
