Leadership Rift Deepens in Treasure Island

TREASURE ISLAND — Even before city commissioners deadlocked on her proposal to place City Manager Charlie Van Zant on paid leave, Vice Mayor Tammy Vasquez made clear she wasn't giving up.

"If I don't have the votes, that's fine," she said. "I will do this at every meeting until it is resolved."

The 2-2 vote Aug. 4 blocked Vasquez's motion to place Van Zant on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of outside investigations.

Commissioner Chris Clark was absent, leaving the four commissioners in attendance evenly split.

It was the latest twist in a period of upheaval for the storm-damaged beach community, which has cycled through multiple city managers while also grappling with commissioner controversies, recall efforts and other political turmoil.

"I cannot believe that we're doing this again. Absolutely cannot believe this," one resident, Rick Matthew, said during the public comment portion of the discussion.

Vasquez's motion called for naming an acting city manager, preserving city records, allowing an outside investigation to continue independently and scheduling a future vote on Van Zant's removal for cause.

Commissioner Arthur Czyszczon seconded Vasquez's motion. Both said they no longer have confidence in Van Zant's leadership.

Van Zant was hired in July 2025, after the commission dismissed City Manager Chuck Anderson less than a year into his tenure, citing his handling of the city's ongoing recovery from the 2024 hurricanes.

The Pinellas Current, which first reported the Aug. 4 vote, contacted Van Zant for comment while updating this story but did not hear back.

Vasquez said she filed a formal grievance against Van Zant after a confrontation with him following a recent city planning and zoning board meeting.

In at-times emotional remarks, Vasquez alleged that Van Zant confronted her after that meeting, raised his voice and tried to persuade her not to place an item on a commission agenda. She said a city attorney overheard part of the exchange, and a citizen came into the atrium after hearing the raised voices.

Vasquez called the confrontation "the icing on the cake" after months of growing disagreements.

She did not detail some of her other concerns, citing the ongoing investigations. Commissioners did not publicly describe those investigations.

"I absolutely did not want to do this. I absolutely fought with myself. But some things . . . have come up and been discovered in the last five days," she said without elaborating.

Czyszczon said Van Zant has failed to respond to many of his emails, is not involved enough in the community and has been difficult to work with.

Commissioner Arden Dickey strongly defended Van Zant, saying he meets with the city manager regularly and has not seen the problems described by Vasquez.

"I have said before, and I will say again, that Mr. Van Zant has my full support," Dickey said. "I have found him incredibly helpful and easy to work with. I can't cite a single incident where he failed to follow through. So I would like to dismiss this discussion completely."

Dickey said that his weekly meetings with Van Zant have left him with no concerns about the city's management, financial or otherwise. He suggested some of the concerns stem from a lack of regular communication, saying commissioners who don't meet with the city manager consistently may have information "fall through the cracks."

Vasquez responded by saying she had met with Van Zant weekly until about seven weeks earlier. She said she stopped after what she described as increasingly uncomfortable interactions that culminated in the planning and zoning board confrontation.

Mayor John Doctor sided with Dickey, saying he had never had a problem working with Van Zant and did not share the concerns raised by Vasquez.

During public comment, several residents voiced frustration over both the commission's handling of the issue and the ongoing infighting.

Matthew argued the commission was abandoning due process by considering the motion and questioned why the vote was being taken with one commissioner absent.

"This is garbage. And you know it's garbage," he said.

Sarah Pennington said too many decisions look to be driven by personal disagreements instead of what's best for the barrier island community of 6,584.

"It's really not what we deserve as citizens," she said. "I really am hoping to experience more professionalism."

We keep an eye on local government so you don't have to. Follow The Pinellas Current on Facebook and Nextdoor.