Mayor Jane Castor is responding to an investigation into a top city staffer

TAMPA, Fla. - Tampa Mayor Jane Castor is responding to an investigation into a top city staffer.  The head of city code enforcement is facing an FDLE investigation for messaging with an employee about improperly collecting lotto winnings.  

Keith O'Connor, the husband of former TPD Chief Mary O'Connor, has been suspended with pay until the investigation is complete.

The backstory:

On Wednesday, the mayor weighed in. Castor has already seen her police chief appointee and longtime friend Mary O'Connor resign because of a golf cart traffic stop.  

"I'm hoping you'll just let us go tonight," O'Connor was heard saying on an officer's body camera.

Dig deeper:

Now O'Connor's husband Keith, the head of code enforcement and a former TPD deputy chief, is under an FDLE investigation for coordinating cashing in this man's winning lotto ticket, because Aubrey Pierce had hoped to hide the winnings from child support payments.

"We dealt with the issue of Chief O’Connor, and we'll deal with whatever comes from this next investigation," said Castor.

FOX 13 has reported that Pierce is a felon with multiple convictions, including grand theft, for which he received a multiple-year sentence. 

A 2014 jailhouse letter handwritten by Pierce shows that then-Deputy Chief O'Connor had a city job lined up for him, while an email from O'Connor to a judge shows he had urged Pierce to apply to a city division that allows felons to be hired. 

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Two years after he was hired with the blessings of O'Connor and Chief of Staff John Bennett, Pierce is accused of accepting bribes to allow illegal dumping on city property. 

What they're saying:

"The O'Connor's served our community with distinction and with honor for many years," said Castor, "So I wouldn't judge an individual on a mistake that they may have made."

The mayor defended the process that got Pierce hired, saying that despite his problematic tenure, the city's "Ban the Box" program is critical in giving people second chances.

"You can't get a job without experience, and you can get experience without a job," said Castor.

The mayor's office says if a criminal background check does show activity, hiring managers will look at how long ago the issues occurred, what the applicant has done to address their own behavior, and could then, as in the case of Pierce, refer it to upper managers for recommendations.

"(We) would be better served to focus on all those individuals that have successfully come through this program and either advanced through the city or gotten jobs with private industry because of the experience that they've received," said Castor.

What's next:

The mayor reiterates that anyone who is under investigation should be presumed innocent unless the results of the investigation show otherwise. 

She will base whatever decision she makes on what FDLE finds. 

Castor's office says any hiring is a "calculated risk," and that "not every situation will work out perfectly, but when we give second chances, we give people the opportunity to contribute, provide for their families, and strengthen our community."