CLEARWATER, Fla. — Clearwater Marine Aquarium on Monday announced an independent investigation had concluded one of its security cameras had accidentally recorded a group of female workers as they changed clothes in 2020.
The women, all adults, had been in a room not typically used for changing when the room's camera was "inadvertently left on," CMA Board Chairman Paul Auslander said.
“The room is not normally open to the public nor used for such purposes,” Auslander explained in a statement. “At no time was the privacy of other guests or employees ever violated.”
According to Auslander, the marine rehabilitation facility's board first learned of the incident in late June 2021 when a former employee raised the topic upon leaving the organization.
The board then hired a law firm, which interviewed CMA employees, and the former worker, over the course of more than a month. CMA says a forensic analysis was done of computers, cell phones and the security camera server.
"The investigation confirmed that the security video was overwritten in the normal course of recording and does not exist," the aquarium wrote in a news release. "The investigation also confirmed that there was no evidence that any captured video was downloaded or otherwise left the Clearwater Marine Aquarium security system."
The lawyers determined there was no intentional inappropriate conduct by any employees, Auslander said.
“Unfortunately, there were missteps by CMA staff which led to the delay in bringing the issue to light," Auslander wrote. "It is unacceptable that it took many months for this to come to the Board’s attention and for the facts to be properly investigated. We are addressing these missteps and continue to implement solutions.”
Auslander added he personally briefed the involved staff members on the findings of the investigation and that CMA removed the camera before any events began this summer.
