Interim HART CEO Accused Of Bullying Employees

TAMPA, FL — Five months after being appointed interim CEO of Hillsborough County's transit authority, Carolyn House Stewart has been accused of bullying by a HART employee.

The anonymous complaint against Stewart came through the Hillsborough Area Transit Authority's ethics hotline.

During its virtual meeting Monday, the HART board voted unanimously to hire an outside labor and unemployment attorney to investigate the accusation.

“The allegations are that there’s been abusive, hostile, humiliating, bullying and related behaviors evidenced by the interim CEO,” HART attorney David Smith told the board.

He noted that the complaint is a violation of HART's board policy, not a criminal complaint or a state whistleblower complaint.

"Remember, these are just anonymous allegations at this point, but we have to take it seriously because it does allege a violation of HART policy," said Smith.

HART chairwoman Mariella Smith noted that the "complaint is anonymous, vague and is quite unsubstantiated."

David Smith added that he's spoken with Stewart, and she has agreed not to be involved in the investigation or have any contact with the investigator.

With that mind, the board agreed to keep Stewart on the job during the investigation.

Before she was named interim CEO to fill the slot vacated by Ben Limmer, Stewart served as the in-house attorney for HART.

Limmer was forced to resign in March after an investigation found he violated contract and spending rules. Limmer was accused of spending thousands of dollars of public funds on personal meals and other items in November. HART also began an investigation into the accusations against Limmer after a whistleblower filed a complaint.

Limmer was terminated in February and Stewart was asked to stay on as interim CEO until the board could conduct a nationwide search for Limmer's replacement.

Stewart began working at HART in September 2015 as a temporary litigation counsel and was promoted to director of risk and legal services in 2019.

At a HART meeting June 1, board member Les Miller recommended the board sign a two-year contract naming Stewart the permanent CEO of HART.

The majority of the board overruled Miller, opting to begin a nationwide search for a new CEO.