HIGH SPRINGS – After months of mounting criticism over city finances, employee turnover and the handling of a high-profile police investigation, the High Springs City Commission voted July 23 to terminate City Manager Jeremy Marshall, placing him on immediate administrative leave while preparing formal proceedings to remove him for cause.
The commission directed City Attorney Kiersten Ballou to prepare a resolution for Marshall’s termination that will be considered at the commission’s next meeting. Marshall remains entitled to a hearing before commissioners before any final action is taken.
The city clerk’s official minutes had not been released as of press time. Alachua County Today has requested the official vote record, but based on the meeting video and testimony during the meeting, the action appeared to pass on a 3-2 vote. Commissioner Tristan Grunder made the motion, Commissioner Chad Howell seconded it with an affirmative vote from Mayor Andrew Miller, and Commissioners Wayne Bloodsworth Jr. and Katherine Weitz voted in opposition.
Commissioners appointed Building Official Alan Alligood as interim city manager. Jennifer Applebee served temporarily until Alligood returned from vacation.
Public frustration boils over
The vote capped one of the most contentious commission meetings in recent city history.
Residents, former elected officials and community leaders packed City Hall, criticizing Marshall’s leadership and questioning decisions made during his tenure, which began in April 2024.
Many speakers cited concerns that had accumulated over the past two years, including employee departures, financial management, lawsuits involving the city and Marshall’s handling of Police Chief Antoine Sheppard’s administrative leave earlier this summer.
Former Commissioner Scott Jamison, who also previously served as mayor, told commissioners the city had experienced significant turnover under Marshall’s leadership.
Jamison said four department heads and at least 15 additional employees had resigned or been terminated since Marshall took office. He also pointed to multiple lawsuits filed against the city, including litigation challenging actions taken by the city manager.
Jamison further reminded commissioners that Marshall acknowledged during his interview process that he had limited experience with public works before later dismissing the city’s public works director shortly after taking office.
Audit raises financial concerns
Commissioners also received the city’s fiscal year 2023-24 financial audit only hours before the July 23 meeting.
The audit, prepared by James Moore & Company, identified five material weaknesses, one finding of noncompliance and what auditors described as a deteriorating financial condition.
Under Florida law, that designation requires notification to state officials and can lead to additional oversight if deficiencies are not corrected.
Among the findings, auditors reported that the city’s public safety expenditures exceeded the final approved budget by approximately $479,000.
Former Commissioner Sue Weller noted that eight of the 10 findings identified during the previous audit remained unresolved.
Finance Director Leslie Lemieux, who recently joined the city, acknowledged she has already implemented structural changes to the city’s budgeting process but said those improvements cannot alter financial records that have already been completed.
The audit findings became a focal point of the commissioners’ discussion.
Grunder said he had previously asked Marshall directly about oversight of city finances and had been told: there is none.
“That is unacceptable,” Grunder said. “As a city manager, that is his job.”
Sheppard investigation dominated discussion
Although Marshall’s employment was the subject before commissioners, much of the public discussion centered on his handling of Police Chief Antoine Sheppard.
Marshall placed Sheppard on paid administrative leave June 23 while allegations involving payroll discrepancies were investigated.
Sheppard later publicly stated he had not been informed of the allegations against him when he was placed on leave. His comments generated widespread public support and prompted large crowds to attend subsequent commission meetings.
The investigation ultimately resulted in six of the original 11 allegations being dismissed following a predetermination hearing.
Marshall reinstated Sheppard on July 7 with a final written warning.
During the July 23 meeting, numerous residents questioned both the decision to place Sheppard on leave and the process used during the investigation.
Citizen journalist Fintan Vargas, known online as Rights Crispy, told commissioners he had spent years documenting police misconduct but had found Sheppard to be different.
Vargas praised Sheppard’s emphasis on constitutional policing and urged commissioners to correct what he viewed as mistakes made during the investigation.
Longtime community volunteer Lanier Smith criticized Marshall directly over the handling of Sheppard’s leave.
“He’s one of us,” Smith said. “You’re not.”
Tanya Weaver told commissioners that placing an employee on administrative leave typically involves escorting that individual from city property and argued the same personnel practices that had been applied to Sheppard should now be applied to Marshall.
Commissioner Weitz urged residents not to blame Marshall for initiating the allegations against Sheppard.
“He did not bring these accusations to anybody,” Weitz said. “They were brought to him.”
Records reveal complaint timeline
During the meeting, Ballou publicly outlined how the allegations against Sheppard reached the city.
Ballou said attorney Bobi Frank contacted the city’s outside counsel on June 8 seeking a meeting to present documents she believed demonstrated wrongdoing by the police chief.
Ballou and attorney Danielle Adams met with Frank on June 16 to review records that Ballou said focused primarily on payroll discrepancies.
According to Ballou, city officials determined that some of the issues presented had already been identified internally and required no additional action. The remaining allegations proceeded through the city’s disciplinary process.
Alachua County Today’s review of public records found Frank’s office had begun requesting Sheppard’s payroll records months earlier, beginning in February 2026.
Those records and the broader timeline surrounding the complaint are the subject of a continuing investigation by Alachua County Today.
Next steps
Commissioners are expected to formally consider Marshall’s termination for cause during their next meeting after Ballou prepares the required resolution.
Marshall retains the right to respond before commissioners take final action.
Alligood is expected to continue serving as interim city manager while the commission determines its next steps.
Sheppard remains chief of the High Springs Police Department following his reinstatement earlier this month after 25 years with the department.
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