FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A day after Fort Pierce City Manager Nick Mimms was arrested on charges of bid rigging and official misconduct, WPTV is working to learn more about the two-year investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).
"I'm not surprised," said Rick Reed, a Fort Pierce restaurant owner who said he was questioned by the FDLE in the case.
Reed publishes a newsletter that is critical of City Hall.
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WPTV investigative reporter Dave Bohman asked Reed why he feels a lack of leadership in Fort Pierce is partly to blame for the apparent scandal.
"They were either intimately involved in this process, or they were remiss in following through as our elected leaders," Reed said.
Fort Pierce city commissioners Thursday placed Mimms on administrative leave with full pay and benefits, asking the public not to rush to judgment.
In the last 24 hours, Bohman and WPTV reporter Ethan Stein went to Mimms' home to get his side of the story. However, no one answered the door.
According to the FDLE's news release, Mimms rigged the bids for two vacant lots so that a local nonprofit run by two former city workers would have an advantage.
The FDLE says one of those nonprofit founders was Mimms' niece.
Investigators also said there could be more arrests in the case.
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"It's just unacceptable behavior, especially from our appointed and elected leaders," Reed said.
Bohman went to visit Mimms’ lawyer to get his side of the story, but his secretary said he was busy, and we never received a comment.
WPTV's investigative team continues to press for information on the arrest of the city manager and will also let you know if others are charged in this case.
