📋 City clerk resigns after months of scrutiny
📸 Photography ordinance withdrawn after public pushback
🏛️ Council appoints deputy clerk to interim role
CRESTVIEW — The Crestview City Council meeting on Nov. 10 began by pulling a controversial photography ordinance and was immediately followed by the resignation of the city clerk, Maryanne Girard.
Here is what you need to know.
Crestview City Clerk Maryanne Girard resigned, effective immediately, during a City Council meeting on Monday night, bringing an end to months of scrutiny over communication issues, public records management, and her ongoing performance improvement plan.
Girard, who had served as clerk for four years, read a prepared statement expressing “mixed emotions” as she stepped down. She said she had “taken great pride” in ensuring transparency, maintaining public records and promoting public engagement during her tenure. But she also told council members that recent conditions had become untenable.
Girard said she had experienced “a troubling erosion of trust and respect” and noted that only two council members had met with her to provide feedback for her annual evaluation.
“The lack of communication has made it increasingly difficult to carry out my responsibilities effectively,” she said, adding that emails went unread and that unwillingness by some council members to engage “undermines the collaborative spirit essential to good governance.”
Her resignation came just weeks after the council voted to extend her performance improvement plan rather than terminate her.
At the earlier meeting, Councilman Doug Capps expressed a lack of confidence in Girard’s leadership, citing “deflection versus ownership” and referencing an incident in which her deputy was unable to access key email accounts while Girard was traveling. Councilman Ryan Bullard argued the city needed “executive-level results from an executive-level employee” and moved unsuccessfully to terminate her contract.
Despite those criticisms, Girard received praise on Monday. Councilman Shannon Hayes, the lone vote against accepting her resignation, stated that he had “no negative comments” about her performance and believed she had met the standards outlined in her job description.
“All I have is high respect and high regard for our city clerk,” Hayes said.
Capps thanked Girard for her work modernizing the city’s public-records system, noting she “got us a system that works for the most part.”
Following a brief discussion, the council voted 4–1 to accept Girard’s resignation. Capps moved to authorize City Attorney Jonathan Holloway to negotiate a separation agreement, suggesting the city offer Girard eight weeks of severance instead of the four weeks outlined in her contract. Holloway told the council it had broad authority to negotiate terms.
After the vote, Bullard moved to appoint Deputy City Clerk Natasha Peacock, a ten-year city employee, as interim clerk. City Manager Jessica Leavins explained that city policy allows out-of-class pay after a waiting period, but recommended waiving the delay because the vacancy was not expected to be short-term.
The council unanimously approved the appointment and immediate pay adjustment.
Crestview officials have withdrawn a proposed photography ordinance for major revisions after a packed room of photographers and residents warned it was overly broad, potentially unconstitutional, and harmful to small local businesses.
The City Council on Monday voted 5–0 to pull Ordinance 2013 from its scheduled second reading, following a recommendation from Leavins, who informed the council that the city had re-evaluated the proposal after receiving public feedback and meeting with the Destin-Fort Walton Beach film commissioner.
Leavins told the council that the ordinance “may have been overly broad” and risked unintended consequences for small businesses. Staff intends to return in December with a “substantially different” version, focusing specifically on youth sports photography —the issue that initially prompted the review.
The original ordinance, modeled after rules in other jurisdictions, outlined a 90-day permit window, mandatory background checks for photographers working with children, specific reporting requirements about equipment and locations, and advance notice of up to 14 days before any session.
The city said it was responding to concerns about ensuring safety and consistency in youth sports photography. But photographers and residents quickly argued the plan cast too wide a net.
Bullard, who previously voted against the ordinance’s first reading, reiterated concerns about overregulation, saying he doesn’t want residents casually taking pictures in parks to be questioned about permits.
After the agenda was amended, Whitten allowed speakers who came prepared to comment on the ordinance to address the council during the public comment period.
Ashley Goldman, owner of a local photography business, said more than 200 photographers operate in Crestview and would be affected by the ordinance as written. She noted that many already pay city business taxes, county beach photography permits, and facility rental fees, making an additional city permit—especially one requiring 90-day forecasting—financially and logistically unrealistic. She said families often book photo sessions with just a day or two of notice, making the ordinance incompatible with everyday photography workflows.
Resident Tanya DeMara, drawing on six years of involvement with city sports, said the city once had affordable, accessible options for candid and posed photography. A shift toward a single contracted sports photographer eliminated candid photos and raised prices, she said. DeMara argued that Ordinance 2013 appeared designed for commercial film operations, not small local photographers who serve families, and warned that families would ultimately face higher costs and fewer choices.
Sarah Searfoss, an artist and museum professional, warned that the ordinance, as written, risked constitutional violations due to vague language. She cited concerns about creatives, content creators, and photojournalists being unintentionally restricted or marginalized.
Searfoss asked why Crestview’s proposed fees exceeded those in neighboring Okaloosa and Walton counties and questioned whether city staff had consulted knowledgeable photography or film professionals when drafting the ordinance. She urged officials to avoid pushing “creatives away from Crestview to other areas that are more friendly.”
Resident Gia DeMara stated that the ordinance prohibiting commercial activity on city property, referenced by city staff, only applies to parks and recreational facilities, not downtown or other city-owned areas.
She supported background checks for youth sports photographers but argued that requiring a 14-day advance permit would prevent photographers from accepting clients on the same day or the next day.
“Photography in Crestview had not been an issue before the sports photography contract,” she said.
Whitten said the revised proposal will be returned at the first December meeting for a new first reading and may be divided into two separate ordinances.
Pro Communi Bono
St. Francis De Sales, Ora Pro Nobis!
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