Tampa Bay Water fires general manager - Tampa Bay Times

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The board over Tampa Bay’s main drinking water supplier voted Monday to fire the organization’s general manager, largely citing communication and leadership issues.

Matthew Jordan, who has led Tampa Bay Water since 2013, will receive 16 weeks of pay and benefits as severance. He had been on administrative leave since October while a law firm investigated two anonymous complaints about his management style.

“I believe there’s a lack of confidence in Mr. Jordan moving us into the future,” said Vice Chairman Ron Oakley, a Pasco County commissioner.

Matthew Jordan is the general manager of Tampa Bay Water. [ Photo by Tampa Bay Water ]

The board, made up of elected officials like Oakley, voted 7-2 to fire Jordan without cause.

In a statement released Monday through his lawyer, Jordan said: “It has been my privilege to lead Tampa Bay Water for the past seven and a half years. I greatly appreciate and am grateful for all of the valuable assistance and support I have enjoyed during my tenure. I am confident in the continued success of Tampa Bay Water.”

The complaints came from a letter in August and email in October. Purportedly from “proud supporters” of the organization and a “concerned Tampa Bay Water employee,” they described Jordan as a distant manager who did not provide the utility with a clear direction. Tampa Bay Water supplies drinking water for about 2.5 million people across Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties as well as the cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg and New Port Richey. Representatives of each area serve on the board.

Related: Tampa Bay Water board places leader on administrative leave

The first letter, which sparked an investigation by Tampa Bay Water chairman and Pinellas County Commissioner Dave Eggers, described low morale among employees, some of whom retired early; sexism against women; and Jordan not visiting employees across offices.

Eggers said he spoke with staffers who backed the letter, then asked Jordan to resign. Jordan did not agree. The chairman recommended the rest of the board fire Jordan, but other members requested an outside law firm investigate the letter first.

Related: Board chair recommends firing Tampa Bay Water leader

The law firm’s report was not immediately available Monday. Tampa Bay Water board attorney Barrie Buenaventura said it was exempt from release until the organization sent a letter to Jordan about his firing. The report is 50 pages and includes conclusions from 18 interviews, according to Eggers.

Because he was not cut loose for any specific wrongdoing, Jordan is entitled to a severance payment stipulated in his contract. His annual salary, according to a Tampa Bay Water spokeswoman, was $240,448.

Related: Tampa Bay Water hires outside firm to investigate complaints against leader

Tampa City Council member Charlie Miranda and New Port Richey Mayor Rob Marlowe voted against firing Jordan.

Hillsborough Commissioner Mariella Smith said the report, along with her own conversations with people within the organization, swayed her vote against the manager.

Hillsborough Commissioner Mariella Smith.

“Water supply issues in south Hillsborough County are headed for trouble, and I do not feel that this has been adequately addressed by the general manager,” she said.

Marlowe said the report was not too alarming.

“Mr. Jordan is not perfect,” he said. “But I just don’t see where any of this rises to the level for him to lose his job over it.”

Miranda, from Tampa, took issue with what he said were criticisms of Jordan’s leadership style and a claim that the manager did not visit the utility’s various offices often enough.

Tampa City Council member Charlie Miranda. [ Times (2020) ]

“All of us have a different style in life, thank God. If not, everybody would have the same hairdo, it’d be boring,” Miranda said. “If we’re going to look at style and the appearance of a general manager at different locations, ... I don’t visit different locations of the city on a regular basis. I don’t know who does.”

Jordan had previously received mostly favorable reviews from the board. Eggers, St. Petersburg City Council Member Darden Rice and former Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman were three members who questioned his performance in the last couple of years.

Charles Carden, Tampa Bay Water’s Chief Operating Officer, has been leading the organization on an interim basis since the board placed Jordan on administrative leave. He will continue into next year as the water supplier launches an executive search.

Tampa Bay Water acting general manager Charles Carden speaks at a meeting Monday Dec. 14, 2020. [ Tampa Bay Water via livestream ]

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