CLEWISTON, Fla — The Clewiston Community Development Department was raided on a search warrant Wednesday, and the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office says it's connected to their raid of City Hall seven weeks ago.
Watch Community Correspondent Austin Schargorodski's report with new information and neighbors thoughts on the raid:
Four to five deputy vehicles were outside the building, including crime scene investigators, on Wednesday. The sheriff's office says deputies took a substantial amount of information from the building.
On Thursday, the front desk of the department told FOX 4 they have no comment and that it's business as usual.
Every city contact FOX 4 reached out to either gave no comment or no response. But another city official, who asked not to be named, said the building department handles planning and zoning, code enforcement, and permits.
That official said many staff members across multiple departments are worried about their jobs, but no one can get any information because the investigation is sealed.
Neighbors said they're wondering what comes next for the city government. “If they're doing something against the law they need to be prosecuted like anyone else that would do something against the law,” said Gary Sapp.
This follows the raid at City Hall seven weeks ago to investigate “concerning business practices.” That investigation led to a heated commission meeting where the mayor tried to limit the city manager's hiring and firing powers, but it was shut down. And then, at a second meeting, the commission voted to bring in an outside review of city operations.
On Thursday, the sheriff's office sent a statement saying “we are still working with the State Attorney's Office regarding the investigation.”
They said detectives are working to close the case in the next few weeks.
