High Springs Finance Director Levels Charges

HIGH SPRINGS ‒ City of High Springs Finance Director Diane Wilson, in a Dec. 5, 2024, memo to the High Springs Mayor and City Commission, lodged complaints about events that allegedly took place during the 2023 Fiscal Year. Wilson has been on administrative suspension from the City of High Springs for the past three months, and the matter has not been publicly discussed by the City Commission.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, sources say that Wilson’s suspension was lifted this past week and that her suspension may have been due in part to factors related to the budget process, alleged mistakes in vendor payments and tardiness in submitting requests for reimbursement to governmental agencies.

In Wilson’s December memo, she claimed that High Springs Fire Chief Bruce Gillingham worked for another employer while being paid to work for the City, misused his City vehicle to travel back and forth to Ocala to work at his second job, used City property and staff for a private fundraiser, and asked to use the City’s Tax Exemption Certificate and City credit card for personal use.

Additionally, Wilson charged that Chief Gillingham and Deputy Chief Andy Burkhalter did not properly mark their company vehicles as required by tax code, and because of that, their W-2s will need to be adjusted to show their personal vehicle allowances as additional taxable personal income.

Wilson also claimed the Florida Building Code was violated when the City Hall elevator was used nine different times during a period when it had not passed inspection.

In her memo, Wilson said she was addressing “concerns about potential ethics, city policy and state law violations.” She said all of the issues were reported to former City Manager Ashley Stathatos “over the past 18 months, with several being discussed on multiple occasions.” Wilson noted that it is her fiduciary responsibility to report these concerns along with applicable documentation and that any additional actions will be at the City Commission’s discretion.

In her previous employment with the City of Gainesville, Wilson’s job was eliminated in a city staff reorganization effort led by interim City Manager Cynthia Curry. Curry took over as interim city manager following former City Manager Lee Feldman’s resignation. Upon her termination, Wilson filed a lawsuit against the City of Gainesville claiming gender discrimination by Feldman when he promoted a male employee into a position she believed she should have had.

#     #     #

Email cwalker@

alachuatoday.com