PHCSA Votes to Remove East Lake Library Director

Article updated at 12:10 p.m. June 19 with response from East Lake Library Director Patricia Perez.

Palm Harbor Community Services Agency (PHCSA) has voted to remove Patricia Perez from her position as East Lake Library Director. The decision came during a special PHCSA meeting June 4, 2013, according to PHCSA chairman Rex Haslam. PHCSA is the agency that oversees the Palm Harbor and East Lake libraries and Palm Harbor Parks and Recreation.

Palm Harbor Library director Gene Coppola will serve as interim director until a new director is hired.

East Lake Community Library's Advisory Board had recommended to PHCSA that Perez be removed from her position. The advisory board expressed multiple concerns about her performance.

"According to Patricia Perez's last performance review, there were ongoing issues that needed to be improved upon. Patricia asked for and was granted the opportunity to do just that. Unfortunately, at the time of this year's review, those issues remain uncorrected. Two areas of great concern were failure to conduct background checks for employees having access to children, and allowing employees to receive paid lunch breaks," according to minutes from an East Lake Library Advisory Board meeting held in April.

Perez has been on family medical leave since mid-April. In her absence, Coppola has been filling in and is also working on the East Lake Library's budget.

Coppola had worked with Perez and said she was a true library advocate.

"The one thing about Patricia was she always had the library's best interest at heart," he said.  

Perez responded to Patch's email request for a comment early Wednesday afternoon. 

"I thoroughly enjoyed the patrons, especially the children, the staff, the volunteers and mostly the Friends of the East Lake Community Library.

Regarding the governance of the East Lake Library, all I can say is that 'No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.' Matthew 6:24," Perez wrote.

Haslam says attorneys are working out the details regarding Perez's departure.

• Subscribe to the East Lake Patch newsletter to have local news delivered to your email each day. Sign up here.