FDLE investigates Lauderhill Commissioner Denise D. Grant
LAUDERHILL - City Commissioner Denise D. Grant is under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement regarding the code of ethics for public officials, according to Lauderhill City Attorney Angel Rosenberg.
The city attorney confirmed the investigation but did not provide further detail to commissioners during a public meeting called to discuss a separate investigation into allegations against Grant.
Two weeks ago, the city's independent labor attorney hired lawyer Ria Chattergoon to investigate a complaint against Grant regarding her behavior toward former commission aide Stephanie Crooks.
Chattergoon presented the findings of her report on Thursday. The investigator said she interviewed 16 city employees "some fearful of retaliation" were not named. Chattergoon did not discover evidence to support allegations of a hostile workplace. However, her report found a "level of unprofessionalism," behavior that "some would consider bullying," and instances of retaliation, Chattergoon told the commission.
The city currently has no code of ethics for public officials nor a policy to discipline unethical behavior.
Chattergoon's report recommended the city begin training all commissioners and also secure training for city employees on harassment and how to report it.
After hearing public comment, the commission agreed to pursue all of the reports recommendations and potentially censure Grant for the behavior outlined in the report.
Commissioner Grant has less than a week to submit a rebuttal. During the commission meeting, Grant's attorney, Kaysia Early, said the criminal investigation by FDLE only exists to prevent a potential conflict of interest with county investigators.
Early urged the public and commissioners not to rush to judgement and wait for FDLE to finish its investigation before taking any action regarding those allegations. It is not clear if Grant will rebut the report released Thursday.
