A Hernando County commissioner arrested on prostitution charges last week, was voted out of his position as the body's vice-chair during their meeting Tuesday.
- Nick Nicholson currently out on bail
- Nicholson faces several prostitution charges
- Commission members hope Nicholson resigns
Commissioner Nick Nicholson was arrested on several prostitution charges last Thursday for allegedly paying for sex and allowing prostitution to occur in his home. Nicholson is currently out on bail.
"It's a distraction for us, and it's an embarrassment for the county," Commission Chairman Steve Champion said.
The remaining commissioners voted to remove Nicholson as vice chair, choosing John Allocco as the new vice-chair and appointing Wayne Dukes as second vice-chair. They also unanimously agreed to send a letter to Gov. Rick Scott asking him to suspend Nicholson if he does not resign or retire voluntarily.
Nicholson did not attend Tuesday's meeting.
"We're all about what's best for Hernando County and what's best for Hernando County now is the time to remove this obstacle," Champion said.
A handful of people spoke at the commissioners meeting supporting the action that they took. They all would like to see Nicholson resign.
"I don't feel sorry for him at all," said Donna Morin. "He brought this all onto himself and he threw it into the city and the county's face."
"I feel that he doesn't deserve a retirement after what he has done," she added.
"He just needs to step aside. I pray to God that he gets some help," Jimmy Lodato said.
Lodato ran against Nicholson for his commission seat back in 2016. He said Nicholson was being investigated for a similar incident during that time, which many citizens knew about.
While he said Nicholson did run a clean campaign, he hopes voters will be more cautious in the future.
"I hope everybody learns a lesson from this I hope everything changes, if it does I thank God. If it doesn't, God help us," Lodato said.
The commissioners stress they cannot remove a fellow commissioner -- only Gov. Scott can do that.