Fort White – Monday Night at the Town Council: Town Attorney Quits; Mayor Walks Out
December 17, 2025 11:10 pm |
8 min read
AI Summary
FORT WHITE, FL – Town Attorney Rhett Bullard quit at just about the halfway point of Monday’s Fort White Town Council meeting, telling the Council, “I’m done, and I tell you what you can do. Come January, I won’t be here. This is my last meeting.” He stayed until the meeting’s conclusion.
Monday’s Town Council meeting began with the ministerial task of approving the agenda and going over additions and deletions. With no formal policy for adding items to the agenda and confusion about the difference between agenda preparation and assembly, things can get edgy in Fort White. On Monday evening, the additions and deletions section went relatively smoothly. However, both Vice Mayor Terry and Councilman Harrell complained that they couldn’t get their additions added to the regular agenda before the meeting agenda was published.
Presiding Officer of Town Council
This action is taken as a matter of internal governance and procedure and is intended to support the effective conduct of public business.
Councilman Harrell
After the evening’s presentations, Councilman Harell’s first addition was announced by Mayor Thomas. “Decorum, Presiding Officer at Town Council meeting, Councilman Harrell.”
Councilman Harrell wasted no time: “I move that the Town Council elect Presiding Officer and chairperson of the Town Council pursuant to the Town Charter.”
Councilman Harrell elaborated, saying that the Town Charter “does not establish a fixed term for that position… the Council retains discretion to elect a new presiding officer when it determines such action is necessary to promote orderly, fair, and effective and efficient conduct of meetings… This action is taken as a matter of internal governance and procedure and is intended to support the effective conduct of public business.”
Mayor Thomas asked who Mr. Harrell was nominating.
Charter Confusion
Attorney Bullard uses his phone instead of a laptop and was immediately on it.
Mayor Thomas recognized Mr. Bullard to speak.
Mr. Bullard apparently found a version of the Town Charter (the wrong one, quoted from it, saying, “This is the charter that's on the website. So, your charter on your website is not up to date.”
There was confusion.
Fort White Mayor George Thomas
(Columbia County Observer photo)
Your reporter whispered that the most current Town Charter was on the website.
Mayor Thomas said, “Let me double-check.”
The most recent version of the Town Charter has been posted on the Town website for over a year. Nobody knew that.
Attorney Bullard said, “I’ve gone to a different source now.
Mayor Thomas said, “I think that’s the one. What – is it scratched out?”
Attorney Bullard answered, “Yes, that's the one that was in the Florida House of Representatives, House Bill 1655.” Attorney Bullard located the correct version.
Mayor Thomas said he didn’t know if he and the attorney were looking at the same charter.
Throwing things on the agenda at the very last minute…sets up a situations like making me look like I don’t know what’s going on.
Attorney Bullard said that the problem with “throwing things on the agenda at the very last minute…sets up a situations like making me look like I don’t know what’s going on.” “It just got added like an hour ago. It wasn’t in the agenda.”
Councilman Harrell said he submitted it last “Monday.” The clerk didn’t accept it. “I did attempt to put it on the agenda, and I think that this is a Council matter, and it's our duty to address this because of recent events that have demonstrated the need for us to elect a new chairperson of Council.”
With nobody being recognized to speak, or speaking from a chair in the audience, a common occurrence at Columbia County governmental meetings, it can be difficult to follow along.
The Town has adopted Robert’s Rules, the worldwide standard. The biggest offender of those rules in Fort White is its attorney, Rhett Bullard, who often appears to be confused about whether he is the Town Attorney, a Town Councilman, or a judge.
Finally, after ten minutes of debate between Councilman Harrell, Mayor Thomas, and Attorney Bullard, Councilman Harrell said, “I move that we elect a new presiding officer, and I nominate Catherine Terry.”
Councilwoman Terry said, “Second.”
What we have is not working… It's embarrassing.
Ms. Terry added, “What we have is not working… It's embarrassing.”
Attorney Bullard chimed in again. Nobody asked him for his opinion or legal analysis. He spoke about pots and kettles; things left off the agenda; pre-agenda meetings; then reiterated that the item had just been added to the agenda, concluding with, “That seems to me…”
Councilwoman Terry cut him off, “He (Councilman Harrell) just said he had submitted it earlier.”
We have a motion. We have a second. All in favor of Councilwoman Terry being the new Presiding Officer.
There was more unrecognized talk. Then, the Mayor stepped in, “Here's a wrap. The attorney said it could be potential conflict over our Town Charter, to give them time to look into it; the motion proceeded anyway. We have to. We have a motion. We have a second. All in favor of Councilwoman Terry being the new presiding officer. Say aye, opposed. Say nay. Comes to me, nay.”
Councilwoman Terry and Councilman Harrell voted, "aye". Councilwoman Merricks was against. The Town’s meeting rules were enacted on August 25, 2025. Those rules established that the Mayor voted only in the event of a tie. Mayor Thomas was at the meeting where the rules were approved.
Rhett Bullard: He wouldn’t give it up – then, “I’m done”
Once again, Mr. Bullard jumped in, offering more unsolicited remarks about the charter and the enacted meeting rules.
Councilman Harrell objected, calling Attorney Bullard “out of order.”
Mayor Thomas said Councilman Harrell was out of order.
The Mayor smashed down the gavel.
Councilwoman Terry said, “I'm gonna point out that's a perfect example [of disorder].”
Did the Council instruct you to get an Attorney General Opinion on that?
After some more back and forth, Councilman Harrell asked, “Did the Council instruct you to get an Attorney General Opinion on that?”
The Town Council did direct Mr. Bullard to get an Attorney General Opinion (Florida).
Mr. Bullard responded (as spoken):
Y'all have look? Y'all call me on Sundays. Y'all call me on Saturday. You text me because you email me and I don't call you back, and you have an emergency legal opinion you need on something for on Saturday. So, if I haven't gotten to reach out to the Attorney General's Office about that, it hasn't happened yet, but there's, I talked to you for an hour and a half about one of the other agenda items. I am always trying to, you know, here's the deal, and I'm trying to keep your legal cost down. And it seems to be a determination to raise the cost of all of this so, because every single thing we touch turns into hundreds, if not 1000s, of dollars more in expenses.
Councilman Harrell asked, “Is this your legal advice… Are you billing us for this?”
Mr. Bullard replied, “This is simply what’s happening.”
Councilman Harrell tried to speak. The Mayor said, “Come on, let him finish.”
I'm done, and I tell you what you can do.
Mr. Bullard: “I'm done, and I tell you what you can do. Come January, I won't be here. This is my last meeting. You find your new lawyer that you can do and act and carry on however you want to, and that's fine, except because it's no, it's no, I've come here. I've tried to help. I've done everything I know to do. I'm not going to stand up here or sit here and be treated any kind of way.”
Councilman Harrell makes a point. (Columbia County
Observer photo)
There was more back and forth between Councilman Harrell and Attorney Bullard.
Mr. Bullard said, “I’m not going to keep doing this. “
Mayor Thomas explained the vote (for Presiding Officer) was a tie. The Council rules don’t allow him to vote. The vote was 2 in favor of changing the presiding officer, 1 against, without the Mayor.
There was more talk. And more talk. It was like a family argument around the Thanksgiving table.
Attorney Bullard wouldn’t give it up. Mayor Thomas wouldn’t give it up. No one offered a solution.
Councilman Harrell asked Mr. Bullard, “Is it within your rights as the Town Attorney to prevent this?” [e.g., the passing of the gavel]
Mr. Bullard said someone “could file an ethics complaint.”
Go ahead, Presiding Officer.
Councilwoman Kathryn Terry becomes the Presiding
Officer. (Columbia County Observer photo)
Mayor Thomas ended the controversy, “I personally see great value for the sake of, hopefully maybe limiting what these town councils have become known for, (then addressing Councilwoman Terry) go ahead, Presiding Officer.”
Mayor Thomas put on his coat and walked out of the meeting. Councilwoman Terry took over the meeting. She said, “This whole thing is a mess.
Attorney Bullard remained through the rest of the meeting. After the meeting, he asked council members if they would like him to reconsider his resignation.
Your reporter did not hear anyone say he should.