ORANGE PARK – The Town Council learned Tuesday night that town attorney Sam Garrison will resign on Oct. 1. Members all had encouraging words for Garrison, who also serves Clay County as the District 11 in the Florida House of Representatives.

“We’re sad to announce that Sam will be leaving us,” said Mayor Randy Anderson.

“Sam, I thank you for your service, and I’m not sure we’ll find someone that advocates as hard for our town as you did,” said Councilman Doug Benefield.

“I express the same sentiment. Thank you, Sam, for what you have done and what you (will) keep doing (until your time is complete),” said Councilman Daniel Cobreiro.

“Thank you so much for your service (over) all of these years, and we are all going to miss you. You’ve done a lot of work for us, and I really appreciate it very much,” said Vice Mayor Susana Thompson.

“I want to echo what everyone else is saying. You will definitely be missed, and we thank you for all of your services, all of these years,” added Councilwoman Winette Sandlin.

Garrison helped lead the council through several items, including a proposed Employee Paycheck Withdrawal and Repayment Program. Officials held a productive conversation about the program, which sought to incentivize employees to move within town limits by assisting with housing payments such as an initial rental deposit.  After a long debate, the multi-faceted item was tabled for discussion for a later meeting to gather more information and consider suggested amendments.

Garrison also works with the Bradley, Garrison and Komando firm. He demonstrated his expertise when the council discussed whether background checks were needed for residents to serve on council, boards or committees.

“I would move with caution because that’s going to limit the number of people that can serve, and you need to be very clear about what would disqualify someone from service. For just not passing a background check, I can tell you, from a legal perspective, that it’s very grey all the time. My recommendation is to be very specific when making this decision,” he said.

The explanation was another example of the deep context and background knowledge Garrison has provided to the town.

Anderson said he believed that creating a background check for residents to serve would be an overreach and that Orange Park already has processes implemented if somebody needs to be removed from a board or committee. Sandlin agreed, saying it was just another obstacle for residents wanting to serve the community.

Garrison also pointed out that requirements already exist for all residents to register to vote. All council members worked to create the best solution to benefit residents but also properly vet the process. The motion was tabled for a later meeting, with direction given to consider updating town council, board, and committee applications to seek more information about candidates.