Speculation is growing over whether Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno will be removed from office.
NBC2 confirmed exclusively Thursday that Supervisor of Elections Tommy Doyle is working to avoid a special election to replace Marceno if he is removed from office by the governor, who has reportedly started informally vetting people for the position.
“I am working behind the scenes to avoid a special election,” Doyle announced.
If Marceno is removed from office for federal charges stemming from an FBI investigation, a special election could cost taxpayers over $5 million.
The scenario is a mounting concern for Doyle, who confirmed he has already reached out to the state about the potential matter.
“I talked to the state about if there is any possibility that Sheriff Carmine would be removed or suspended from office because of what the grand jury might come out with,” Doyle said.
The concern is the price tag a special election could bring.
“I said if there is any risk of that, I asked them, 'Please, we don't want a special election. This would be a hardship on our county,'” Doyle explained.
He said he does not have an extra $5 million in his budget to cover the cost of an election, which would force him to go to the county to request the money.
Commissioner Brian Hamman told NBC2 that any such money would have to come from the county’s reserve fund.
NBC2 confirmed earlier this month that the county's building and permitting office was subpoenaed to turn over documents focusing on construction work at the sheriff's office and his home. We're told the investigation is continuing.
There has been speculation on when the grand jury could render a decision on the matter but it’s anyone's guess on when that will be announced.
On a sad note, NBC2 confirmed Thursday that Sheriff Marceno’s father, Carmine “Butch” Marceno, passed away. No cause of death was given.