PORT RICHEY, Fla. — The union representing members of the Port Richey Police Department said members recently approved a vote of no confidence in Chief Cyrus Robinson and Capt. Michael Koch. 

What You Need To Know

  • The West Central Florida PBA said its members at the Port Richey Police Department voted 11-7 to approve a vote of no confidence in Chief Cyrus Robinson and Capt. Michael Koch

  •  PBA President Nick Marolda said members are frustrated regarding day-to-day operations

  •  Marolda said the delay in the approval of a mutual aid agreement with the Pasco County Sheriff's Office was also a factor

  • It will be up to City Manager Matthew Coppler to decide what, if any, action is taken going forward

“There’s been a lot of frustration by the members, the police officers at the Port Richey Police Department, regarding the leadership, to include Capt. Koch and the chief, regarding day-to-day operations and just whether or not they feel that their voices are being heard,” said West Central Florida Police Benevolent Association President Nick Marolda.

Marolda said the vote took place on Feb. 29 and March 1 and included the 18 officers, sergeants, and dispatchers who are PBA members. The result was 11-7 in favor is issuing the vote of no confidence.

“When you do a no-confidence vote and you say, ‘We have no confidence in the chief,’ I think that speaks volumes,” Marolda said.

According to Marolda, the delay in Port Richey and Pasco County finalizing a mutual aid agreement was a main factor leading up to the vote. The issue was also discussed at the Feb. 13 City Council meeting. Officials said council members approved the mutual aid agreement in October, but Sheriff Chris Nocco refused to sign it if Robinson’s name was included.

“Let me make this perfectly clear: I support the police chief 100%," Port Richey Mayor John Eric Hoover said. "I have made that known to the city manager, but unfortunately, there has been a relationship broken between the police chief and Sheriff Nocco.” 

When asked why the sheriff wouldn’t agree to the agreement if the chief’s name was on it, the sheriff’s office said via email: “Due to the complicated history between the Pasco Sheriff’s Office and city of Port Richey, which includes criminal allegations against multiple former elected officials in the city, the sheriff’s office thought it most appropriate that a higher level of review be the signatory of this agreement.”

The email also noted the chief will still be in charge of making operational decisions on behalf of the city. The agreement was rewritten to list the city manager as commander of the department — the only non-law enforcement member on that list, which also includes the sheriff and chiefs of the Dade City, New Port Richey, and Zephyrhills police departments. It was approved by the council last month.

Robinson declined to comment for this story but spoke briefly at the council meeting.

“I’m going to leave my personal opinions out of this, because I do have some,” Robinson said. “My professional opinion — the MAA is first and foremost an officer and a citizen safety document. It’s not just for the officers here in the city of Port Richey, but it’s also for New Port Richey. It’s also for Pasco deputies, and their safety is my priority.”

The PBA vote is non-binding, but the results were passed on to City Manager Matthew Coppler, and it will be up to him to decide what, if any, action comes next. Coppler said he’s still considering what that could be.

When asked about the chief’s future with the department, he said PRPD has already been through a lot of change in recent years.

“I spoke to one officer the other day, been here, you know, more than 10 years, and this is his fifth police chief," Coppler said. "You know, that is no way to run a police operation. I mean, you need continuity, you need good leadership."

Coppler said there’s no timeline for when he might make a decision.