(TALLAHASSEE, Flor.) -- October 21 was Mayor John Dailey’s last meeting as Mayor of Tallahassee, and the meeting opened with him welcoming the new city manager.
October 21 was not only Karen Jumonville’s first meeting as city manager, but it was also her birthday.
After the heartwarming opening, the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council gave a speech. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which received the nod of presentation over Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The Speaker, Maria, also noted that the leading cause of death for pregnant women in America is homicide. If you or an employer would like to schedule a training or educational visit from the DVC, you can email DVCCTally@gmail.com. The site also has the contact information for several avenues of help for victims of abuse.
Afterwards, the commissioners welcomed Fire Chief Gene Sanders to explain the plan for the future of Tallahassee’s fire departments.
Photo Credit: YouTube / City of TLH
When giving his 5-Year-Strategic-Plan. Fire Captain Gene Sanders mentioned call volume increased 85% in 2025, leading to the employment of 26 new firefighters since June 2025. The new strategic plan calls for the expansion of several stations.
The five-year plan includes expanding Fire Station 17 and adding a new Fire Station 19 to the city. Another goal was to increase social media presence, as well as to integrate more technology when applicable, into rescues.
Sanders reiterated the hope for Tallahassee’s fire department to become more modern and innovative to better serve the community.
The future of the fire department is far from simple, however, as Leon County has a dispute with the City of Tallahassee. The county has a contract with the city fire department to cover 604 square miles of land outside of the Tallahassee city limits.
On October 20, the county commissioners hired Benesch, a local firm, to conduct an audit of the city, inquiring about billing and policy records.
Photo Credit: YouTube / Leon County
Benesch and the county claim there is a discrepancy of over $6 million dollars between billing and collections on behalf of the city, contributing to up to $21 million unaccounted for.
County Attorney Chasity H. O’Steen depicted several instances of ‘negative billing’, including hundreds of thousands, which the Benesch report claims is unaccounted for. While most of the unrecovered funds can be attributed to the school board, the report claims hundreds of thousands of dollars have been lost, with no reason as to why.
Tallahassee’s Resource Management Director Robert Wigen made a presentation on behalf of the city, adamantly refuting the Benesch report.
“They produced a report of this nature with all of this false information, misleading the public on how we had handled these issues as a city?” City Commissioner Curtis Richardson said, “I hope our local media will report what they have heard today and educate the public, because a lot of them have been misled by what was put out there before it was even confirmed.”
Several commissioners have expressed displeasure with the county, with serious accusations made without attempts at communication.
Leon County alleges the city of Tallahassee has mismanaged collections and failed to pay recovery fees. If 95% of major tax has not been collected, the city of Tallahassee is responsible for paying the remainder to ensure there is no deficit in the budget. The county believes the city of Tallahassee is below this threshold, and forced the county to raise fire fees.
Photo Credit: City of TLH Meetings
Wigen states Benesch miscalculated collections and believes the Benesch report is flawed due to several misunderstandings. He also noted Benesch has no CPA’s, or Certified Public Accountants, on their staff. The mayor later noted the fire commission has yearly audits from private firms.
Video Credit: YouTube / City of TLH Meetings
For his last meeting as Mayor of Tallahassee, Mayor John Dailey spent several minutes questioning the County Commissioners as well as the Benesch firm about their report. The mayor takes several minutes to get to his point, but if you care to get through it, Dailey claims the county is accusing the city of fraud and using an inappropriate process to do so.
If you have any questions or concerns, please comment and message me at jason.f@lead4earth.org.
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