PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — Tensions between Palatka Mayor Terrill Hill and Putnam County Sheriff Homer “Gator” DeLoach continue to rise.
This comes after DeLoach demanded Hill’s resignation from office during Thursday night’s Palatka City Commission meeting.
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DeLoach claimed the mayor, who is also a lawyer, interfered with Palatka Police Department business in the past and has violated his oath.
“Mayor Hill told the newspaper he has never interfered with a traffic stop and supports the police working closely with the community they serve. That is a false narrative,” DeLoach said.
DeLoach said he has individual accounts from officers corroborating the claimed actions.
“For these reasons, I demand you tenure your resignation as mayor of Palatka immediately and irrevocably,” DeLoach said.
Action News Jax spoke with Mayor Hill on Friday.
“I welcome an ethics investigation on me,” Hill said. “Because I know what my character is and I know what I’ve done and I know what I haven’t done.”
Hill described DeLoach’s claims as “ridiculous.”
“I still sit in the seat,” Hill said. “I am the person for the job. This community has moved forward with me at the helm, and we’ll continue to move forward.”
Hill said he urges the community to keep praying and to continue to have hope. He described this all as a “witch hunt.”
“The truth is in the videos,” Hill said. “Pull the videos.”
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One by one, residents walked up to the podium during public comment Thursday night to share their interactions with law enforcement. Others said it’s time for a wake-up call on all sides to this conversation.
“This is nothing but a political ploy,” one community member said.
“I think we can all learn something from the conversation that just came,” another said. “We can all come together.”
Several residents expressed their desire for unity.
“If we’ll talk to each other — sit down and talk and have a conversation,” a resident said. “Not one heated person. No one is better than the other.”
Hill said that since 1999, he’s committed himself to helping community members fight racism, bigotry and promote unity. He said DeLoach has continually attempted to portray him in a negative light.
“Homer DeLoach has the audacity to come up and say that I’m unethical and unprofessional,” Hill said. “I’m a servant. I’ve been serving this community since the beginning of time, and I will continue to serve this community.”
DeLoach shared that he’ll be filing a complaint to the Florida Commission on Ethics regarding the mayor. He said if Hill still does not resign, he will contact the governor’s office to share his findings and petition for Hill’s removal from office.
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