A circuit judge in Lake County has restored Judith Fike to the Groveland City Council.
The council voted last week to suspend Fike over racist social media posts attributed to her, though Fike contends some had been altered.
On Wednesday morning, at the end of a 20-minute hearing, Judge Dan Mosley granted a preliminary injunction reinstating her.
Outside the courthouse in Tavares, Fike said she was "absolutely thrilled" with the judge's decision.
"I will go back to the city and retrieve my phone and computer," she said, "catch up on what I've missed the past week and hit the ground running."
Her lawyer -- Lake County Commissioner Anthony Sabatini -- argued there was no legal basis for the suspension. The mayor had cited Groveland's ethics policy, but Sabatini said it never mentions removal from office as punishment for a council member violating its rules.
Sabatini said the city acted "recklessly, lawlessly and just hyper-politically."
The court "did the right thing" by reinstating Fike, Sabatini said. "But more importantly, we're happy and optimistic going forward to win on the rest of our claims. We have several other claims. They violated open meetings law, they violated other parts of their charter, and it's just wrong what they did."
Ian Depagnier with Roper & Roper of Apopka argued for the city. He cited part of the ethics policy saying council members can be stripped of "privileges afforded by the council." Fike was appointed by the council in December to replace a council member who left, so Depagnier argued she was granted the "privilege" of serving.
The legal case is ongoing and, despite the preliminary injunction, is not officially resolved. The City Council still has plans for a special meeting about Fike, though it hasn't been scheduled yet.
"We will continue to protect the integrity and values of our community," Groveland Mayor Keith Keogh said in a prepared statement. "We have faith in the process and will let it work itself to a definitive conclusion."
Fike is in the middle of an election for the District 4 seat, with a primary on Aug. 19 and a runoff, if needed, in November. She is running against two men, Michael Jaycox and Jim O'Neil.
SUBHEAD: Controversial posts
The social media posts -- which are said to go back as far as 2015 -- came to light following a news article in the Clermont Sun. The newspaper also published an apology by Fike, who said she has grown and is campaigning on "inclusiveness, fairness and standing up for Groveland."
Packets containing several racist and violent posts attributed to her were sent through FedEx, with a return address for “Keep Groveland Honest,” to the mayor and vice mayor. Those posts are generally political, attacking Democratic leaders.
One, from October 2022, employs a white racist caricature from back in the days of Jim Crow. It reposts an image of a young Ronald Reagan bottle-feeding a chimp, who is identified by the original poster as the future President Obama.
Another, from September 2020, calls for violence against Black Lives Matter protesters. The part of that post attributed to Fike says "a few well placed bullets" would stop the situation.
After the hearing, Fike was asked about the racial nature of some of her posts.
“I don't think this is the forum to address any of that," she said. She also said those posts had been "doctored."
