Lissette Carey recall, Key West, Florida (2025)
| Lissette Carey recall |
|---|
 |
| Officeholders |
| Recall status |
| Signature requirement |
| See also |
| Recall overview Political recall efforts, 2025 Recalls in Florida Florida recall laws City council recalls Recall reports |
An effort to recall City Commissioner Lissette Carey did not go to a vote in Key West, Florida, after sufficient signatures were not collected and submitted within the 30-day time period to do so.[1]
Recall supporters
The petition for Carey's recall read:[1]
| “ |
Lissette Carey should be recalled from the office of District IV City Commissioner for committing misfeasance, malfeasance, incompetence and neglect of duty as a commissioner. Lissette Carey’s persistent failures in judgment and responsibility, documented by the final report of the Monroe County Grand Jury, are clear grounds for recall. Jurors reviewed evidence from the State Attorney’s Office and the FBI and heard firsthand witness testimony. We agree with the jurors that Carey’s actions and inactions evidence incompetence and neglect of her duties, poor decision-making, and inability to serve as Commissioner. We also agree Carey lacks the convictions needed to fulfill her official duties. The Grand Jury recommended Carey resign in the interest of the integrity and betterment of the City. Carey has not challenged the Grand Jury’s findings, but has refused to resign. In her official capacity as Commissioner Carey has distorted facts, misinformed the public, and insulted key community partners, damaging the City’s ability to serve its citizens. The public trust is further damaged with each day Carey remains in office. We, Carey’s constituents in District IV, find she wrongfully exercises the power of her office. These transgressions establish grounds for Carey to be RECALLED from office.[2] |
” |
Recall opponents
Carey filed a legal complaint alleging that the recall petition was legally invalid. She has said, "I know my heart and my record and I’ve fought for the city of Key West every step of the way."[3]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Laws governing recall in Florida
Florida allows the following grounds for recall: malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty, drunkenness, incompetence, permanent inability to perform official duties, and conviction of a felony involving moral turpitude.[4]
From the time that the recall petition is approved for circulation, signatures must be collected within 30 days. The number of signatures required depends on the number of registered voters in the jurisdiction. A minimum of 50 signatures are required in jurisdictions with fewer than 500 registered voters. In jurisdictions with 500 to 24,999 registered voters, a minimum of 100 to 1,000 signatures are required, or 10% of registered voters, whichever is higher. In jurisdictions with 25,000 or more registered voters, the number of signatures required is 1,000 or 5% of registered voters, whichever is higher.[5] The officeholder then has a chance to file a defensive statement. In the second round of signature collection, organizers have 60 days to collect signatures equal to 15% of registered voters from the officeholder's district.[5]
Recall context
- See also: Ballotpedia's Recall Report
Ballotpedia covers recall efforts across the country for all state and local elected offices. A recall effort is considered official if the petitioning party has filed an official form, such as a notice of intent to recall, with the relevant election agency.
The chart below shows how many officials were included in recall efforts from 2012 to 2024 as well as how many of them defeated recall elections to stay in office and how many were removed from office in recall elections.
See also
- Ballotpedia's Recall Report
- Key West, Florida
- Recall campaigns in Florida
- Political recall efforts, 2025
- City council recalls
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Keys Weekly, "LAW REQUIRES ELECTIONS OFFICE TO REJECT SIGNED RECALL PETITIONS," August 7, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ keysnews.com, "Key West City Commissioner files injunction to stop recall effort," August 2, 2025
- ↑ The 2023 Florida Statutes, "100.361 Municipal recall." accessed October 16, 2023
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The 2020 Florida Statutes, "Fla. Stat. Ann §100.361," accessed August 24, 2021
