Bean, Lee, and Barnes keep jobs -- for now

TAMPA - Pat Bean, Renee Lee and Jim Barnes survive another day.

The Hillsborough County Commission decided not to fire the three employees. They did hire an outside attorney to help them with this situation.

Rich McCrea, from Greenberg Traurig is an employment and labor attorney. He will get the contracts of the three employees and find out how much money the county, and taxpayers, will have to pay if Bean, Lee and Barnes are fired.

He is charging the county $310 an hour.

After the meeting, Renee Lee said this has been a difficult time.

"I think anytime you experience a situation like this, it's very difficult. But I think the board reached the right decision today, and I think they'll get the information they need. I'm very pleased they will allow the process to take its course," Lee said.

Commissioner Mark Sharpe is disappointed the board did not agree with him and terminate them.

But he said he is glad they now have counsel to assist them.

"There's a lot of questions, and then I guess the question will be for the full board, does it rise to a level where the county administrator and county attorney should be fired," Sharpe said.

The Commission will meet again next Tuesday after the land use meeting. They hope McCrea will have enough time to go over the contracts and answer any questions they have.