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City Manager Confirms Major Loss of Revenue, Resignation of Chief of Police

PORT RICHEY, FL – Last month R News reported the sudden resignation of Port Richey Police Chief Cyrus Robinson after the city discovered what was alleged to be nearly a half-million dollars in lost revenue. R News had an opportunity to speak with City Manager Matthew Coppler, who confirmed the resignation and the loss of approximately $300,000 in Red Light Camera Citations.

City Manager Matthew Coppler

Coppler tells R News, "He [Robinson] did resign, and tomorrow [Tuesday, December 3, 2024] will be his two weeks. I think we both understood that we needed to get another leader into the position. In the end, the final rationale for his actions was to clear the way to get new leadership."

Regarding the lost revenue, Coppler says the department lost red light camera revenue to the tune of approximately $300,000 between January and May of this year. "One of the reasons on the accounting side is that the information coming in was clear as 'mud,' and we were going through a transition for a new finance director." Regarding the Police Department's responsibility, Coppler says, "They were going through a transition within the police department on the responsibility of who was actually reviewing it [Red Light Camera Violations], Managing it, and ushering it along."

According to Coppler, when a violation is captured by a red light camera, it is sent to an offsite location in Arizona to determine the type of violation. The violation is then sent back to the department where someone has to review it within a timeframe. If the review is not done within 30 days, it is deemed void.

Coppler says approximately 1800 violations were lost between January and April 2024 but that there could have been some issues as far back as December 2023.

The issue was resolved in May after it seemed to "fix itself," said Coppler, "...and that's not a good thing when it fixes itself."

Red light camera revenue in Port Richey, Florida is used as a source of income for the city's general fund and is the second-largest source of revenue for the general fund.

Coppler says the search continues for a permanent Port Richey Chief of Police.

 

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