Municipal officials in Lakeland are deliberating the future of Stacy Campbell-Domineck on the Lakeland Housing Authority board after state agencies leveled allegations concerning her administrative conduct in her primary leadership role. For the time being, Campbell-Domineck will retain her appointed position on the housing board as city leaders examine the formal legal procedures required to alter her status.
The governance debate emerged following disciplinary measures taken against Campbell-Domineck in her capacity as the executive director of CareerSource Polk. City commissioners must now determine whether her continued involvement with the municipal housing authority risks public trust or whether official action should wait until ongoing investigations conclude.
The controversy began when Florida Commerce and CareerSource Florida issued severe findings on August 25, 2026, regarding Campbell-Domineck's financial and executive management of the regional workforce organization. State regulators raised critical concerns about questionable fiscal oversight, potential unauthorized spending of taxpayer resources, and instances of deliberate deception.
Following the release of those state findings, the Polk County Commission took decisive administrative action on September 1, 2026. Because the county commission maintains ultimate oversight of the workforce development entity, commissioners voted to temporarily relieve Campbell-Domineck of her executive director duties without compensation while the matter is reviewed.
Alongside her role at CareerSource Polk, Campbell-Domineck has served as a member of the Lakeland Housing Authority board of directors since December 2024. Board members are traditionally appointed by Lakeland’s mayor to fulfill standard four-year terms overseeing public housing policy and agency administration.
During a city commission session on September 8, Commissioner Guy LaLonde pushed for Campbell-Domineck's suspension or removal, emphasizing the severity of the state's assertions. LaLonde argued that permitting her to retain a leadership role during an open investigation diminishes public confidence in the housing authority and reflects unfavorably on municipal governance.
However, the proposal to take swift action against Campbell-Domineck was met with resistance from other members of the commission. Commissioner Ashley Troutman urged his colleagues to exercise restraint, cautioning that local leaders should avoid hasty decisions before investigators can assemble a complete factual record.
To support his stance, Troutman referenced his previous experience serving on the Polk State College Board of Trustees during a high-profile inquiry into former college president Angela Garcia Falconetti. That past investigation centered on the use of scholarship resources for student fees, and Falconetti was ultimately cleared of any legal violations or policy infractions after a formal review.
Addressing the legal mechanics of the situation, City Attorney Palmer Davis informed the commission that removing an appointed board member requires a structured process under Florida statutes. Davis clarified that local authorities cannot simply dismiss an appointee without formal charges citing specific statutory grounds, such as official misconduct, neglect of duties, or administrative ineffectiveness.
Under state guidelines, any targeted board member must be formally presented with the specific allegations and afforded a mandatory 10-day window to respond. Davis emphasized to commissioners that establishing due process is a mandatory legal standard before any punitive removal action can take effect.
Mayor Sara Roberts McCarley noted that she could not recall any instance of an appointed board member being forcibly removed during her tenure as a city commissioner or as mayor. She instructed the city attorney's office to clarify the proper legal framework moving forward, while indicating she planned to speak directly with Campbell-Domineck regarding the matter.
Despite the legal complexities, Mayor Roberts McCarley expressed personal reservations about the situation, stating that an official undergoing dual administrative reviews by county and state authorities should consider stepping aside voluntarily. Her perspective that Campbell-Domineck should recuse herself to preserve agency integrity received explicit backing from Commissioners LaLonde and Mike Musick.
The controversy over Campbell-Domineck’s appointment arrives during a period of sustained public scrutiny directed at the Lakeland Housing Authority. For more than a year, local residents and agency staff members have voiced serious grievances regarding administrative governance, improper record-keeping, and suspected favoritism in tenant placement decisions.
Community advocates, including Michael Joseph and Harlem Turner, have repeatedly petitioned the Lakeland City Commission to intervene and investigate the internal practices of the housing authority. Residents have raised consistent alarms about sudden terminations of housing assistance and an overall absence of executive accountability within the department.
In August 2025, Commissioner LaLonde formally called for an independent third-party audit and complete disclosure of the housing agency’s internal records. In response, Lakeland Housing Authority Executive Director Ben Stevenson maintained that he never formally received that specific request, though he asserted he had no reservations about submitting the agency to an impartial and fair review.
Stevenson has consistently denied the allegations of operational misconduct, though he has acknowledged that several housing authority employees are related to him. He defended those employment arrangements by stating that those family members do not report directly to him and that administrative separation is maintained within the organization's chain of command.
To manage the ongoing community unrest and address governance questions, Mayor Roberts McCarley previously arranged for individual commissioners to conduct private, one-on-one meetings with members of the housing authority board of directors as the city continues evaluating its options.
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