Palm Coast Council Prepares Letter Asking DeSantis to Remove Norris

The Palm Coast City Council has signed off on a previously-approved letter requesting that Gov. Ron DeSantis remove Mayor Mike Norris from office. The letter was completed on Friday, addressed to DeSantis and signed by Council members Ty Miller, Theresa Carli Pontieri, David Sullivan, and Charles Gambaro. Those four Council members approved a motion to send the letter to Tallahassee, with only Norris himself voting against the idea. Background The letter has previously been approved in concept, but not formally commissioned by the Council. They’ve censured Norris twice; once for alleged harassment of employees and breach of legal authority, and again for reportedly suing the city despite legal advice that he had no standing, incurring legal costs out of taxpayer funds. He was also accused of doxxing Councilman Gambaro by sharing his personal cell phone number on Facebook. Norris was elected by the residents of Palm Coast in November, defeating Cornelia Downing Manfre in a runoff. In August those two advanced out of a five-way primary, defeating incumbent David Alfin plus fellow challengers Peter Johnson and Alan Lowe. Many of Norris’ voters still support him, and view the critiques of him by his colleagues, city staff members, and other residents as unsubstantiated or even malicious. Two sitting Council members were appointed by their colleagues – Gambaro in 2024 by a wholly different Council save for Pontieri, and Sullivan this year. Both filled in after elected members resigned. Norris’ seat would not be appointed with a successor in the event Gov. DeSantis did remove him – it would go to a special election to fill out the remainder of the term until 2028. It appears possible Norris himself could run in such an election and, in theory, regain his seat. The Full Letter Below is the letter as finalized and signed by members of the Palm Coast City Council. It is final minus one typo in the last paragraph (erroneously stating Norris was elected in 2026) that is to be corrected by the city before sending. Enclosed with the letter will be six documents: an independent investigation into Norris from May, a judge’s ruling against Norris in his lawsuit against the city in July, legal advice given to Norris about said lawsuit from July, a complaint to the Florida Commission of Ethics from May, the minutes of the City Council workshop meeting on April 22nd, and the pending-approval minutes from the City Council business meeting on July 15th. Those two meetings were where Norris was censured for the first and second times. Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston was CC’d in the letter. The Honorable Ron DeSantis Governor of FloridaThe Capital400 S. Monroe St. Tallahassee, FL 32399-001 via Certified Mail Dear Governor DeSantis, The City Council of the City of Palm Coast is writing to formally request that you use the power invested in your office under Section 112.51, Florida Statutes, “Municipal Officers; suspension; removal from office,” to suspend Mayor Michael Norris from office. As elected representatives and custodians of taxpayer dollars, we are alarmed and concerned by several actions of Mayor Norris. In recent months, his conduct has risen to the level of malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty, and incompetence—all at the cost of taxpayer dollars. This conduct has forced the Council to take the unprecedented steps of requesting you to suspend him from office for a term you find appropriate under the circumstances. Some examples of the outrageous conduct that has led to our City Council taking this extraordinary action are the following: Unsafe Behavior and Harassment. An independent investigation by outside counsel found that Mayor Norris violated the City Charter by unilaterally demanding the resignation of two senior staff members. Additionally, this investigation exposed a hostile work environment created by Mayor Norris through his harassment of employees and his use of threatening intimidation tactics so that they would resign. These actions took place after repeated warnings from the City Attorney that his actions were in violation of the City Charter. (See attached Exhibit A). Dereliction of Duties and Responsibilities of the Office of Mayor. Mayor Norris stated from the Dais during a public meeting that he would no longer be attending meetings for his committee assignments, and he has repeatedly failed to attend ceremonial occasions as required by the City Charter. Additionally, he refuses to meet with staff to discuss important City business, as well as economic development investors to discuss economic opportunities for the City and County. Finally, he has failed to follow legal advice from the City Attorney on numerous occasions. Frivolous Lawsuit Against the City. Recently, the Mayor filed a lawsuit, by and through the legal counsel of Anthony Sabitini, against the City over the prior appointment of a council member. A circuit court judge dismissed the lawsuit due to being without merit and due to the Mayor’s lack of legal standing to bring the lawsuit. What made this situation even more egregious was that the Mayor was repeatedly advised by the City Legal Department that he had neither standing to bring such a lawsuit nor merit in his position, yet when asked if he was previously advised of such during a public meeting, and lied to both the City Council and to the public, stating that he was never advised. (See attached Exhibits B & C). Florida Commission on Ethics Complaint. Prior to taking this very serious step in writing this Letter, the Council previously referred the Mayor to the Florida Commission on Ethics for a number of ethical concerns. No response has been received from the Commission. (See attached Exhibit D). Censured By City Council. On two separate occasions the Council has “censured” the Mayor for his personal and professional misconduct, including violating the City Charter, neglecting his duties, creating a hostile work environment, and failing to be transparent with the public—all at the expense of our taxpayers. (See attached Exhibits E & F) All of these examples demonstrate a pattern of malfeasance, misfeasance, dereliction of duty, and incompetence that has irreparably harmed—and continues to harm—the City of Palm Coast and Flagler County. We do not take lightly the sanctity of elections, and we hold dear the right of our citizens to elect their representatives. However, Mayor Norris has shown a complete disregard for our City Charter, the importance of governing as one part of a five-member elected body, and the duty to protect and safeguard taxpayer dollars. As conservative representatives who have voluntarily taken part in the State’s DOGE efforts, we hold with the utmost importance the best use and protection of taxpayer dollars. The Mayor’s actions have cost our residents’ tens of thousands of dollars since being elected in November of 2026, and despite our voiced concern for this waste of tax dollars, Mayor Norris recently stated during a public meeting that he didn’t care if his actions cost the City a million dollars—he would continue onward. For these reasons, we urge you to take action to immediately suspend Mr. Norris from office and to appoint a temporary replacement to fulfill the duties of Mayor. Sincerely, Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.   Council Member District #1: Ty Miller Council Member District #2: Vice Mayor Theresa Pontieri Council Member District #3: David Sullivan Council Member District #4: Charles A. Gambaro Jr. Mike Norris Responds Mike Norris initially declined to comment on the letter. He later posted the following message to his public Facebook page: “A letter, reportedly from the city council, is being circulated to Governor DeSantis in a desperate, last-ditch attempt to remove a duly elected mayor. Let’s be clear: over 60% of voters in Palm Coast chose me to fix this city, and I will not be intimidated or distracted by political games. “Two unelected council members with the help of two other council members have worked tirelessly to overturn the will of the people. First through a baseless ethics complaint, and now with this letter filled with misinformation and false claims. “But here’s the truth: as of this week, the Florida Commission on Ethics has officially dismissed the complaint filed by the Vice Mayor (who is up for reelection this cycle) due to insufficient legal standing. Another failed attempt to silence the voice of the voters. “This phony complaint, this misleading letter to the Governor, and the non-stop attacks from a biased media will not deter me. I remain committed to standing up for the people of Palm Coast and I will continue fighting every day to bring integrity, transparency, and real leadership to our city. “Thank you for your continued support and attention to this matter.”