HILLSBOROUGH, CO., Fla. -- Tonight, Hillsborough taxpayers find they will pay former county administrator Pat Bean more than $500,000. Judge James Barton ruled that Bean did nothing illegal when she gave herself a one percent raise without telling commissioners and now they have to pay up.
The breakdown of the money goes like this:
- $316,465 in severance pay
- $51,332 in attorney's fees
- $191,000 in unused sick and vacation time she has already received
Bean was fired in 2010 because of the salary increase 10 News uncovered. She argued in court in December that there was nothing illegal about the raise because county attorney Renee Lee, who was forced to resign, approved it.
However, attorneys for the county maintained Bean violated a clause in her contract that stated she could be dismissed for cause without any severance if she committed an illegal act for personal gain.
Bean's attorney was able to convince Judge Barton she didn't do anything illegal, because both the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Hillsborough State Attorney's Office investigated the case and neither chose to file criminal charges.
However, the county maintains that something can be illegal and not criminal, such as a traffic violation. The county has the option to file an appeal.