GROVELAND, Fla. – The question of whether newly elected Groveland Mayor George Rosario will remain in office has not been answered yet.
Groveland councilman Mike Radzik confirmed to News 6 that a lawsuit regarding the mayor was filed and received Wednesday.
Rosario's opponents called for him to be removed from office because of two felony convictions from Pennsylvania in 1987. He was convicted of selling more than an ounce of cocaine to undercover officers, according to arrest records.
Voters were not aware of Rosario's criminal record prior to his election. In Florida, convicted felons are barred from holding elected positions.
Rosario argues that Pennsylvania is one of 13 states that restores a convicted felon's right to vote after he or she serves a sentence. Groveland city attorney Anita Geraci-Carver said Rosario would need to apply for clemency to have the rest of his rights, including his right to hold office, restored.
“Upon being convicted for a crime punishable by more than one year, a person loses eligibility to serve on a jury, and upon conviction of a felony loses eligibility to hold public office,” Geraci-Carver told News 6. “It requires a pardon, which must be applied for and granted."
An email exchange from Dec. 23 shows that Rosario never replied when Geraci-Carver asked for documentation proving that his rights had been fully restored.
The injunction, filed by attorney Derek Schroth, says that Rosario should have resigned or the Groveland City Council should have voted to remove him from office, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
The Groveland City Council voted Tuesday night to further investigate what effect Rosario's felony convictions have on his ability to hold office, according to the newspaper.
The Groveland City charter doesn't have a policy about convicted felons running for an elected position.
A group called Concerned Citizens of Groveland held a news conference Tuesday at Rosario's home, claiming that Rosario's opponent is conducting a "witch hunt." Read more about that here.
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