A Letter To The Beach Community

Thank you for the opportunity to serve Fort Myers Beach over the past five years. It was an honor to work alongside dedicated colleagues and residents, especially through five storms, including the devastation of Hurricane Ian.

My purpose was always to serve this community—to help our Town recover, rebuild, and restore the beauty that makes Fort Myers Beach such a special place. That work meant so much to me, and it always will.

To the best of my knowledge and what I believe was the direction from Town Leadership, I acted in the Town’s best interests. I did sign the voluntary resignation agreement, this document states; Neither this Agreement, nor anything contained herein, is to be construed as an admission by the TOWN or HAUGE of any liability, wrongdoing or unlawful conduct whatsoever.

To everyone who has stood by me and my family throughout my five years with the Town and since my administrative leave was announced, thank you. We’re grateful to everyone who has reached out and to those who continue to check in. It’s hard to put into words how much your kindness and encouragement have meant to all of us.

My heart is truly with the Town of Fort Myers Beach. I will always be grateful for the opportunity to have served this community and to have been part of its recovery.

Town Manager Will McKannay put Hauge and now former former Community Development Director Frankie Kropacek on paid administrative leave back in August and then fired them in October.

Although McKannay has never publicly stated the exact reason or reasons the two men wire fired, the speculation is their involvement in the old town property parking lot and the bungled Bay Oaks grant. The proposed town property parking lot has becmone an embarrassment for the town over how it was pushed through the process without the proper permits. Details about the $1 million Bay Oaks grant should be released when the bigger investigation into grants is made public, however, the Mayor said on Sunday that the money is gone.

Even through they were fired, Hauge and Kropacek were offered severance deals if they would sign what the town called “voluntary resignation” letters and agree not to sue the town. Hauge was offfered $10,000 and Kropacek was offered $11,000. They both signed the paperwork and took the money.