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Treasure Island Vice Mayor faces resignation calls after anonymous Facebook posts

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Published  June 17, 2025 11:34pm EDT
Pinellas County
FOX 13 News
Calls for Treasure Island Vice Mayor to resign

Calls for Treasure Island Vice Mayor to resign

FOX 13's Evyn Moon shares the turmoil in Treasure Island as residents are calling for their Vice Mayor to step down after bashing her constituents.

The Brief

    • Treasure Island’s vice mayor admitted to writing anonymous Facebook comments criticizing residents.
    • The city is facing turmoil after 38 staff resignations and the firing of the city manager.
    • Tammy Vasquez says she will not step down, despite pressure from residents.

What we know:

TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. - Vice Mayor Tammy Vasquez of Treasure Island is under fire for anonymously posting Facebook comments aimed at residents—comments she now admits to writing. The controversy came to a head at a heated city meeting Monday night, with multiple residents demanding her resignation.

Vasquez says she’s been the target of public harassment since Hurricane Helene struck the city nine months ago.

She claims the anonymous posts were in response to a wave of personal and professional attacks.

Treasure Island has faced a leadership crisis in the wake of Hurricane Helene. The mayor resigned just one month after the storm.

Last month, commissioners fired the city manager over his handling of the storm’s aftermath. Since then, Vasquez says 38 city employees have quit because of public scrutiny.

"If we have another decent-size exodus, we will no longer be able to function as a government," she said during the meeting. "And that can’t happen. I love my city."

What they're saying:

Rick Matthews, one of the residents who confronted Vasquez, called her behavior on Facebook "cowardly," adding, "She needs to step down immediately. It’s not indicative of a city commissioner."

READ: Florida lawmakers pass $115.1B budget, end session

Another resident, Robert Bozzo, added: "We just disagree. That’s not bullying, and it’s not attacking."

Vasquez maintains that the city staff have been unfairly targeted and that her comments were meant to defend them.

What's next:

As of Monday night, Vasquez says she does not plan to resign.

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The Source: Information in this article comes from a public city commission meeting, as well as interviews with city officials and residents.

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