St. Johns County Director of Economic Development Melissa Glasgow is no longer employed by the county, but the circumstances of her departure are in question.
A handwritten note on Glasgow’s resignation form says she “accepted her resignation over the phone” May 13.
In a May 20 letter to County Administrator Hunter Conrad, Glasgow wrote said she was “very surprised” to hear of her “abrupt termination” May 13.
According to the resignation form, Glasgow was approved for administrative leave through June 3.
Glasgow, 53, wrote that Interim Personnel Director Sarah Taylor informed her of her termination, saying Conrad made the decision because “the County was going in a different direction.” There was no reason listed for her resignation on the resignation form.
In the letter, Glasgow requested to appeal her termination.
St. Johns County Communications Manager Michael Ryan said Glasgow resigned.
“There is currently not a search underway as the County is taking this opportunity to evaluate the department’s accomplishments, responsibilities, and functions,” he said in an email June 8.
Ryan said St. Johns County Administration is assuming all economic development.
“It puzzles me to think that St. Johns County would want to do that during a time that city and county governments all over the country are implementing COVID-19 Economic Recovery programs to support critically impacted local businesses,” Glasgow wrote, adding that on April 1, Conrad asked her and Director of Tourism and Cultural Development Tera Meeks to lead the county’s economic recovery efforts.
“It was my hope to have stayed on to see through a number of projects that I have worked on so diligently, such as the PGA Tour Global Home opening next year, ongoing Northrop Grumman projects, among others, and finish my career with St. Johns County,” she wrote. “It is very disappointing to me that I no longer have that opportunity.”
Glasgow’s LinkedIn page says she ended her nearly nine years with the county in May 2020. She became director of economic development in 2011. She is now self-employed, according to her profile.