Local Government
Records Show Mayor’s Office Copied Commissioner’s Aide on Library Board Removal
A November 2025 email obtained by Inweekly reveals that Mayor D.C. Reeves’s office notified Melanie Luna—aide to Commissioner Ashlee Hofberger—when he removed Lori NeSmith from the West Florida Public Library Board of Governance. The mayor says he isn’t sure why.
Inweekly has obtained the letter Mayor D.C. Reeves sent removing Lori NeSmith from the West Florida Public Library Board of Governance. The email, dated Nov. 13, 2025, was copied to Melanie Luna, aide to County Commissioner Ashlee Hofberger. Read NeSmith Removal.
When asked Friday afternoon why Luna was included, Reeves responded by text: “This would definitely be from staff on my behalf. Can see if they requested it or something?”
I replied that the inclusion was unusual, and I simply wanted to know why. Reeves texted back: “I’ll check on it—not sure off hand, maybe they requested? Let me check.”
- The exchange suggests Reeves did not personally direct Luna’s inclusion on the removal notice and was unaware of the reason his staff had copied her.
Background: Reeves removed NeSmith—vice president and CFO of Oren’s International—in the middle of the board’s search for its next library services director. The ouster followed two heated meetings between the board and County Administrator Wes Moreno and his staff over the hiring process and job qualifications.
- Why this matters: NeSmith would have interviewed the finalists and voted on the board’s recommendation for the next director. Reeves had reappointed her to the board on December 8, 2023, with her term set to run through Feb. 28, 2026. Read LN BOG Re-appointment 12-8-2023.
During the Board of County Commissioners meeting on May 7, Moreno described his meetings with the WFPL Board when he stated he had several reasons for selecting Christal Bell-Rivera to be the new library services director: “One started with the Board of Governors meeting where myself and staff were treated very rudely, very hatefully, I almost would say. And that’s putting it lightly.”
The unanswered question: Why did the mayor’s office copy a county commissioner’s aide—rather than the city council—on a mayoral board removal? The involvement of Hofberger’s office raises questions about whether the removal was coordinated with the county.
Review Library Board Minutes:
October-27-regular-meeting-2025-minutes
Nov-10-2025-special-meeting-minutes-and-hr-job-description-for-library-website_final
November Presser
At a press conference on Nov. 18, 2025—five days after NeSmith was removed, I asked the mayor about NeSmith’s removal. He first made it clear that the appointment was his decision alone.
- “I know that we are running into specific issues of things happening on the board, and I haven’t been involved in that, but I do have a say—it’s a mayoral appointment (as to) who’s on that board,” the mayor said, “And this is someone that has been on since well before me. And so, I just felt that it was the right time for us to make a decision on who would go on.”
I asked, “What are the issues that are concerning you?”
- “Well, what is getting back to me is that there’s, and this isn’t on any one person, that there’s significant communication issues,” Reeves said.
I said, “I know they’re trying to decide who the next director is going to be—”
- The mayor interrupted me, “And whose authority is it to decide who. And I think there’s some confusion around that. And so again, a lot of that, obviously that’s kind of run through the county. We’re a supporting role in how all of that operates.”
Reeves added, “And I felt like, given some of those circumstances, is probably time for us to take a fresh look at who would be in that position.”
If you like our reporting, consider buying us a cup of coffee – here. The county is charging for our public record requests. Your donation will help broaden our reporting. Thank you.