Shawn Ramsey

Introduction

Shawn Ramsey is the former police chief of Groveland, a city in Lake County, Florida, who led the police department for 10 years before being dismissed in August 2026. His departure did not stem from criminal charges — none were ever filed — but from a contested employment decision centered on how he disciplined a sergeant who repeatedly drove more than 100 mph on his way to work. In its termination notice, the city asserted that Ramsey’s discipline was too lenient and that he mischaracterized the case to city officials. Ramsey, through his attorney Anthony Sabatini, rejects that account and contends the firing was retaliation connected to a whistleblower lawsuit he filed against the city earlier in the month.

Background Information

Ramsey spent a decade leading the Groveland Police Department, a tenure his attorney describes as 10 years as chief. The events that ended it began with an internal investigation earlier in 2026, which found that Sgt. Alexander Jarrell had driven more than 100 mph on three separate occasions with his emergency lights activated. The investigation found Jarrell was not responding to an emergency — he was on his way to work. Ramsey’s discipline was a three-day suspension, the loss of his take-home vehicle for 30 days, and placement on work probation for six months. On July 21, 2026, Ramsey met by video conference with Human Resources Director De Persaud, Interim City Attorney Richard Geller, and Acting City Manager Tim Maslow to discuss the level of discipline he had issued, including whether it matched punishments given to two other officers previously disciplined for speeding in city-issued vehicles.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

The termination notice, which was signed by both Ramsey and Maslow and was obtained by WKMG/News 6 through Ramsey’s attorney, lays out the city’s position. It states the city decided to fire Ramsey on August 12, while he was on vacation; he did not receive the letter until he returned on August 25. According to the notice, city officials determined his punishment of Jarrell was too lenient, and it also asserts that Ramsey misled the city attorney and city manager during the July 21 meeting by stating Jarrell had been speeding only once. Maslow wrote in the notice that Ramsey told him Jarrell committed “a single violation of department policy,” while the city says it later found Jarrell violated three department policies and implicated Florida’s Super Speeder Law on at least three occasions. Maslow also said he reviewed Jarrell’s administrative records after the meeting and found at least seven instances of tardiness and other departmental violations. Writing that “it is evident that the level of discipline you issued to Sergeant Jerrell was too lenient, and as a result, put the City and the public at risk,” Maslow added that Ramsey “intentionally misinformed” him on matters he was entitled to inquire into as city manager. Those characterizations are the city’s own assertions in its notice, not court findings. Sabatini disputed the city’s reasoning: “I think the evidence in the case will clearly show that never in his 10 years as the chief has the counsel or even the manager ever second-guessed or questioned his discipline of his own officers and his department.” In his view, the discipline review was pretextual: “They did so in this case simply to just try to find some reason to punish him.” Sabatini is also representing Ramsey in a lawsuit filed August 14 that accuses Mayor Keith Keogh and city officials of retaliating against Ramsey for filing whistleblower complaints; the suit seeks reinstatement, back pay, damages and attorney fees.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The city confirmed on August 25 that Ramsey was no longer employed as police chief but provided no explanation, saying in a release that “The city does not otherwise comment on the specifics or personnel matters.” In the interim, Fire Chief Kevin Carroll took over as public safety director and Deputy Chief Armando Loney became acting police chief. News 6’s initial report noted it was not known whether the departure was connected to Ramsey’s retaliation lawsuit. The disclosure of the termination notice two days later gave the dispute a public airing, framing it as the city’s judgment on a disciplinary call versus a chief’s claim of retaliation. The fallout extended beyond Ramsey: on August 28, Sgt. Alexander Jarrell resigned from the department effective immediately. Local outlets, including WKMG and the Clermont Sun, covered the firing and the notice’s stated grounds, while Sabatini had not responded to the Clermont Sun’s requests for comment at press time.

Current Status

As of late August 2026, Ramsey is out as Groveland police chief, and his whistleblower and retaliation lawsuit against the city remains pending. Through that suit he is seeking reinstatement to his job, back pay, damages and attorney fees. The city has declined to elaborate beyond its standing statement that it does not otherwise comment on the specifics or personnel matters, leaving the termination notice and the lawsuit as the competing public records of why he lost his job. No criminal charges were ever filed against Ramsey; the dispute is disciplinary and employment-related, and its resolution rests with the litigation rather than any court finding of misconduct.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The firing ended Ramsey’s 10-year run leading the Groveland Police Department, and the manner of it — a decision made while he was on vacation, communicated in a letter handed to him on his return — has become part of the story his attorney is fighting. His professional reputation now sits between two versions of events: the city’s written position that his discipline endangered the public and that he was less than forthcoming with city officials, and his own position that the discipline review was a pretext to punish a whistleblower. Practically, the lawsuit’s demands for reinstatement and back pay underline what is at stake: his job, his income and his future in the department he led for a decade. Unless the litigation restores him, his tenure as chief is over, with an acting chief already in place and the sergeant at the center of the case having resigned weeks after the dismissal.