RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — Riviera Beach has been without a permanent city manager since Jonathan Evans was fired in September 2017. The firing, which caused outcry in the community, has pushed the city into turmoil. Voters ousted every council member who voted to fire Evans and many demanded to bring him back.
Now that the council has agreed to a contract for Evans, and he has accepted it, two former council members who voted to fire Evans have filed a lawsuit, demanding that he not be hired.
Lynne Hubbard and Terence Davis say in their lawsuit that they fear retaliation by Evans if he becomes city manager again.
The lawsuit also claims the contract for Evans is breaking a previous agreement in which Evans agreed to never accept employment with the city again.
Council had voted to change that part of the agreement, but Hubbard and Davis argue in their lawsuit that the council doesn’t have the authority to change it and that Evans can only come back if Hubbard and Davis agree to it.
Evans, who is currently the city manager in Madeira Beach, is expected to start his position in Riviera Beach in July.
Read the lawsuit below.
