Medstar Mess: More calls for County Manager's resignation

By Liza Fernandez

CREATED Oct. 9, 2012 - UPDATED: Oct. 9, 2012

  • Print

  • More fallout from the Medstar mess. Another Lee County commissioner now calling for the resignation of the county's top administrator. It became apparent from the beginning, miscommunication and mismanagement were behind the grounding of the county Video by fox4now.com

    video

LEE COUNTY, Fla. - More fallout from the Medstar mess.

Another Lee County commissioner now calling for the resignation of the county's top administrator.

It became apparent from the beginning, miscommunication and mismanagement were behind the
grounding of the county's emergency air transport service. 

And now Commissioner Frank Mann  -- using the commission meeting as his platform -- is going as far as to call it all a cover up while calling for the resignation of county manager Karen Hawes.

"One week from today, I'm going to introduce a motion that would terminate Ms. Hawes' contract," says Frank Mann.

He's clearly had enough of the medstar mess.

"It was particularly hard to understand the reason that was given for the shut down," he adds.

Back in late August, then EMS director John Wilson announced the program would be suspended while staff worked to get a national certification.

"Turns out, within 24 hours later, we found out that was not the whole truth, and there were great problems that were not discussed and frankly should have been dealt with months earlier," says Mann.

Turns out the program was never certified by the FAA, and essentially flying over Lee County skies and billing patients millions illegally. 

Now Medstar is grounded and the county on the hook for $3 million in unbillable services.

All problems Mann says county manager Karen Hawes should have known about and fixed sooner.

"I have used the term cover up. What I have seen occur here is that the answers to questions that you and other media folks have posed are not forthcoming," adds Mann.

Hawes not forthcoming with our repeated requests for comment today.

And the human resources department not forthcoming with our request for a copy of her employment contract either, but the commissioner believes Hawes gets a pay-out whether she's
resigns or is fired for cause.

"So we're talking about 100 maybe $200,000 to get us out of this mess and get us in a new direction. That's not very much to ask," says Mann.

Commissioner Mann says he's had three converation with Hawes about her resignation, and she's hasn't willingly resigned.

Next Tuesday he'll introduce a motion to terminate her.