{"id":72486,"date":"2025-12-05T13:59:41","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T13:59:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/72486\/"},"modified":"2025-12-05T13:59:41","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T13:59:41","slug":"head-of-tampas-code-enforcement-fired-over-cashing-employees-20k-lottery-ticket","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/72486\/","title":{"rendered":"Head of Tampa\u2019s code enforcement fired over cashing employee\u2019s $20K lottery ticket"},"content":{"rendered":"

Video: Previous coverage of the FDLE\u2019s investigation into the allegations against Keith O\u2019Connor. <\/p>\n

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) \u2014 Tampa\u2019s code enforcement director has been dismissed from his position over the cashing of a winning lottery ticket purchased by one of his employees.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the city confirmed on Tuesday that Keith O\u2019Connor, who also happens to be the husband of Tampa\u2019s former top cop, had been fired.<\/p>\n

Ybor crash suspect tests positive for alcohol, marijuana at time of crash; now facing 36 charges <\/a><\/p>\n

The decision comes after an investigation<\/a> by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). Officials said they have reason to believe O\u2019Connor cashed a $20,000 lottery ticket that was purchased by his employee, Aubrey Pierce.<\/p>\n

Pierce had outstanding child support payments he owed, and had he cashed the ticket himself, the winnings would have all been seized, according to authorities.<\/p>\n

Officials said the matter came to light in August after they learned Pierce had been accepting bribes in exchange for allowing illegal dumping on city property. Investigators said they went through phone records and found text messages between Pierce and O\u2019Connor regarding the lottery ticket.<\/p>\n

Pierce was arrested on several charges, including bribery of a public servant, unlawful disposal of hazardous waste, and grand theft. As of Tuesday, Pierce, who was hired by the city in February 2023, remained under suspension pending the outcome of a disciplinary hearing.<\/p>\n

The FDLE\u2019s investigative findings regarding the lottery ticket were handed over to the State Attorney\u2019s Office, and while prosecutors declined to file charges, O\u2019Connor\u2019s supervisors determined that his actions were cause for his dismissal, the city said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur organization is built on professionalism, accountability, and integrity,\u201d said Mayor Jane Castor. \u201cThe community we serve expects and deserves the highest standards from all City employees, especially those in leadership positions.\u201d<\/p>\n

The State Attorney\u2019s Office cited insufficient evidence for a successful prosecution as its reasoning for not pursuing criminal charges.<\/p>\n

The investigation comes three years after O\u2019Connor and his wife, former Tampa Police Chief Mary O\u2019Connor, were caught driving on a public road in an unregistered golf cart. The former police chief flashed her badge to get out of a ticket, which ultimately led to an internal investigation and her resignation.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA. <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Video: Previous coverage of the FDLE\u2019s investigation into the allegations against Keith O\u2019Connor. TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) \u2014 Tampa\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":72487,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[39486,5700,4860,39484,7065,135,137,136,41593],"class_list":["post-72486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-aubrey-pierce","tag-fdle","tag-florida-department-of-law-enforcement","tag-keith-oconnor","tag-lottery-ticket","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news","tag-the-lottery-ticket"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72486"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72486\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/72487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}