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👊 Physical Altercation Alleged – Former Councilman Travis Smith says Charter Chair Mike Minich pushed him after a meeting.
⚖️ Due Process Required – The city will hold a public hearing Aug. 12, with a possible special meeting July 8.
🗣️ Public Comment Restored – Officials pledged to include public input on future Charter Review agendas after a Sunshine Law violation.
FORT WALTON BEACH — The Fort Walton Beach City Council voted on June 24 to schedule a public hearing to determine whether to remove Charter Review Committee Chairman Mike Minich after former Councilman Travis Smith alleged that Minich physically pushed him following a recent meeting.
Smith, who served on the council for four years, addressed the council during its regular session, describing an altercation that he says occurred after a Charter Review Committee meeting on Friday, June 21.
“One of the ugly things I saw while I was up here… was ex-council members coming in here and creating issues and not being part of the solution,” Smith said. “I saw [Minich] come after Larry Patrick… I saw him come after Mr. Walker… Now he’s laid his hands on me.”
Smith said he had emailed council members earlier that evening with details of the incident, hoping they would do their “due diligence” and verify the account before the meeting.
“I’m not in here to argue or criticize. I’m here to give context,” Smith said. “I’m requesting the removal of Mr. Mike Minich from that board… To have someone that does not have the ability to control their emotions… is not a good example for this city.”
Mayor Nic Allegretto confirmed that he had spoken with Minich earlier in the day and that Minnich did not deny pushing Smith in the chest.
“I know that he would not deny that if you were in this room,” Allegretto said.
Councilman Payne Walker immediately moved to remove Minich from the committee, saying he would not support any representative of the city who “lays hands on a citizen.”
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“I don’t care what the law says. I want the person removed,” Walker said.
City Attorney Jeff Burns cautioned the council against taking immediate action, warning that it would violate the due process provisions of the city code and potentially expose the city to litigation.
“Under Section 2.05 [sic] of the city code, the council must provide notice and hold a hearing before removing a board member for misconduct,” Burns said. “Failing to do so would be a clear due process violation.”
Walker’s motion did not receive a second and was therefore unsuccessful.
Councilman David Schmidt then introduced a substitute motion to schedule a formal hearing by the city attorney’s recommendation and to explore a resolution ahead of time.
“I want to follow your legal advice,” Schmidt said. “But I think there can be an exit ramp… that gets us to where it may need to go before the hearing.”
Walker seconded the new motion, and the council voted 4–3 in favor of scheduling a hearing for August 12 — the date of the next regularly scheduled council meeting. Allegretto cast the tiebreaking vote.
Councilmen Bryce Jeter and Ben Merrell expressed concern that the council might become bogged down in personal disputes.
“I’ve sat up here and seen these two specific individuals call each other names across this board,” Jeter said, referring to Smith and Minich. “I just don’t want to get into a Judge Judy scenario.”
Merrell added, “It doesn’t give anybody the right to lay hands on anyone… but I’m not going to play judge and jury without knowing all the details.”
Still, Schmidt emphasized that even if both men behaved poorly, a line was crossed.
“When a man has admitted to not being able to control his temper and striking a citizen… it makes me sick,” Schmidt said. “If I did that, I would hope no one here would support keeping me on.”
The council also discussed the possibility of holding a special meeting before August 12 to address the matter more swiftly. Walker proposed calling a special meeting on or before July 8, in conjunction with an already scheduled workshop on council priorities.
Burns confirmed that only three council members were required to call such a meeting formally.
Mayor Allegretto and council members Walker and Schmidt all agreed to support the July 8 special meeting, which the council scheduled for 3 p.m.
Mid Bay News reached out to Minich via phone but declined to comment on the matter.
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