Fort Meade Recall Opens Second Round as Missing Minutes Surface, Lawsuit Advances, and Commissioners Visit a data Center

Fort Meade saw movement on multiple fronts this week. The recall committee opened its second round of signature collection on Monday, a legal challenge to the Taylor recall is moving toward an expedited hearing, a backlog of long-missing meeting minutes covering the Stonebridge data center vote and the mayor’s absence from all four budget workshops has been approved and entered into the public record, and multiple city commission members traveled to northern Virginia for a data center site visit.

Second Round of Signatures Now Open

The Fort Meade recall committee announced Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, that it has opened the second round of signature collection for the recall of both Commissioner Matthew Taylor and Mayor Jaret Williams.

The primary signature location is 313 S. Orange Ave., Fort Meade, open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Residents who cannot make it to that location are asked to contact the committee to schedule an alternate time. The announcement stated the contact for accommodations outside normal hours is Raul Alfonso and that a message may be left at (863) 825-6428. .

The committee noted that it is seeking more signatures than were gathered in the first round.

Taylor’s Legal Challenge Re: the Recall

Commissioner Taylor’s recall effort has an additional layer: a legal challenge filed in Polk County Circuit Court on Sept. 8, 2026. Taylor is represented by Richard A. Harrison of Richard A. Harrison, P.A., a Tampa-based attorney board-certified by the Florida Bar in City, County and Local Government Law. The case is sdesMatthew B. Taylor vs. Michael Bennett et al.

Harrison told The Citrus Tea News the petition alleges three grounds — malfeasance, misfeasance, and neglect of duty — which he described as mutually exclusive legal standards. The complaint asks the court to evaluate only whether those grounds are legally sufficient, not whether the underlying facts are true. Under Florida law, Harrison explained, the standard is all-or-nothing: if any one of the three grounds is found legally insufficient, the entire petition fails, and the recall committee would have to start over. Harrison told The Citrus Tea News he is very confident the court will rule in Commissioner Taylor’s favor.

He also noted this type of challenge is not without precedent. Court records confirm that in Thompson v. Napotnik, No. 5D05-434, decided Feb. 10, 2006, Florida’s Fifth District Court of Appeal established that elected officials have the right to challenge the legal sufficiency of a recall petition, and that courts may review whether proceedings comply with Florida Statute Section 100.361 — the same statute at issue here. The Citrus Tea News independently sourced this case from public court records.

Harrison explained that Michael Bennett, as designated chair of the recall committee, is named as the respondent authorized to act on the committee’s behalf. City clerk staff and the Polk County Supervisor of Elections are also named because any court injunction must bind all parties with ministerial duties under the statute.

Harrison said the legal team is seeking an expedited hearing schedule and confirmed that signature collection may continue unless a court orders otherwise. The recall involving Commissioner Taylor is legally independent from the recall of Mayor Williams. Commissioner Taylor has not made statements to the media while the case is pending.

Mayor Williams and the Budget

Separately, The Citrus Tea News has been following the city’s FY 2027 budget process, during which Mayor Williams was among the most vocal critics of both the city manager, Troy Bell, and the budget numbers he reviewed in subsequent budget packets.

At the Sept. 25 final TRIM hearing, Williams also presented a slideshow to the full commission critiquing the budget numbers. He told the commission that projected revenue figures were unrealistic, saying the budget contained numbers that “even on our best day possible will never be achievable.” He pressed City Manager Troy Bell on whether the city could confirm it had enough golf carts or rental units to meet the revenue targets built into the budget. Bell acknowledged those figures could not be confirmed. Williams also pointed to Bell’s decision not to hire a financial officer, stating that “one man cannot do this job alone” and that Bell was “wearing 34 hats.” He added that the budget “requires a 40 hour week and it is just impossible to be able to devote full attention to a budget and wear all of the other hats.”

Mayor Williams also pressed the city attorney on the record about a missed deadline to raise fire and stormwater assessments. The city attorney confirmed no required notice had been provided. Bell accepted full accountability for the $113,000 revenue shortfall that resulted. Williams told the commission the amount should not be minimized: “It is a lot of money. And I don’t want us to play that down to the public.”

The record shows that Williams did not attend any of the four FY 2027 budget workshops held Aug. 6, 7, 10 and 11, 2026.

At the Sept. 17, 2026 TRIM hearing, Williams himself stated on the record: “Although I was not present, that you were presented a set of numbers during your budget workshop.”

The Citrus Tea News sent Mayor Williams a written question on Sept. 23, 2026 asking him to confirm his attendance at the workshops. As of publication, he has not responded.

Months of Missing Minutes Approved

The Fort Meade City Commission approved a backlog of meeting minutes at its Sept. 17, 2026 TRIM hearing, including several month’s worth of delinquint minutes that had been previously missing from the public record. Among those approved were rewritten minutes covering sessions in which the commission voted on the Stonebridge data center development agreement — documents The Citrus Tea News first reported were part of more than a year’s worth of minutes absent from the public record earlier this year.

Also approved were the minutes from all four FY 2027 budget workshops held Aug. 6, 7, 10 and 11, 2026. Those minutes confirm that Mayor Jaret Williams was absent from all four sessions. The record contains no notation of excused absences or reasons given for his absences.

Their approval brings them into the official public record. The Citrus Tea News will report further findings in a follow-up story.

The Budget Vote

The Fort Meade City Commission held its continued final TRIM hearing on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, the rescheduled date after a newspaper publication issue required the Sept. 17 proceedings to be recessed.

The commission voted 4-1 to adopt Resolution 2026-54, setting the final operating millage rate at 8.4403 mills for fiscal year 2026-27.

The commission then voted 3-2 to adopt Ordinance 2026-10, approving the FY 2027 budget.

Commission Members Travel to Virginia

Also on Monday, Sept. 28, 2026 — the same day the recall committee opened its second round of signatures — a public notice published in Polk County on Sept. 24 disclosed that multiple members of the Fort Meade City Commission may be in attendance at a meeting in Dulles, Virginia. The notice listed the location as the Ashburn Room at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Dulles North, 44610 Waxpool Road, Dulles, VA 20147, beginning at 8:30 a.m., with a bus tour to follow.

The notice stated that “no official city business would be conducted and no action would be taken by the city commission.”

The Citrus Tea News reached out to Commissioner Candice Lott for comment and to confirm which commission members or city officials attended. Two attempts were made to call Fort Meade City Hall directly, both went to voicemail. As of publication, no response had been received.

The Citrus Tea News will continue to cover the recall proceedings and the data center discussion as they develop.

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Sources: Fort Meade Recall Committee public announcement, Sept. 28, 2026; Richard A. Harrison, P.A., email correspondence with The Citrus Tea News, Sept. 17-18, 2026; The Citrus Tea News interview with Richard A. Harrison, Sept. 18, 2026; Thompson v. Napotnik, No. 5D05-434, District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fifth District, decided Feb. 10, 2006; Florida Statute Section 100.361; Fort Meade City Commission TRIM Hearing Transcript, Sept. 17, 2026; Fort Meade City Commission Final TRIM Hearing Transcript, Sept. 25, 2026; The Citrus Tea News email to Mayor Jaret Williams, Sept. 23, 2026; Public Notice, City of Fort Meade, published Polk County Sept. 24, 2026; The Citrus Tea News email to Commissioner Candice Lott, Sept. 28, 2026; The Citrus Tea News call to Fort Meade City Hall, Sept. 28, 2026; Fort Meade City Commission Meeting Minutes, June 9, 2026; Resolution R2026-30, City of Fort Meade, June 9, 2026; Staff Report, Agenda Item H-4, June 9, 2026, prepared by Jennifer Noe, Finance Department.