LYNN HAVEN, Fla. — The mayor and city attorney of a Florida Panhandle city are the latest to be charged in the theft of $5 million in Hurricane Michael debris removal funds.
Federal prosecutors say Lynn Haven Mayor Margo Anderson and City Attorney Adam Albritton were arrested Wednesday, a day after a grand jury in Panama City handed down a 64-count indictment.
After Hurricane Michael hit the Florida Panhandle in October 2018, the indictment says Albritton drafted and Anderson indefinitely extended a debris removal contract with a private company for the city. Then, investigators say they both had work done by the company at their homes.
Anderson faces charges of conspiring to defraud, several counts of wire fraud and embezzlement of federal funds. The Panama City News Herald reported Anderson has proclaimed her innocence in the case.
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed an executive order suspending Anderson as mayor of Lynn Haven, barring her from any public duties or pay.
Five other people have previously pleaded guilty in the case. The FBI investigation was first made public in April 2019. Other city officials who face charges in the investigation include former City Manager Michael White and former Community Services Director David Horton.
Horton pleaded guilty in July 2020 and admitted to signing and certifying fraudulent timesheets that claimed workers had performed hurricane cleanup work for the city. His sentencing is set for Sept. 29.
In October 2018, Hurricane Michael, later deemed a Category 5 storm at landfall, devastated coastal communities along the Florida Panhandle. At least 45 people were killed and thousands lost their homes.
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