Marco Island Police Union Votes “No Confidence” in Police Chief

Marco Island’s police union expressed a vote of no confidence in Chief Tracy Frazzano during a meeting held on September 28. And Frazzano intends to address and correct their concerns, she said.

“Events which led to these concerns include, but are not limited to, Chief Frazzano entering active crime scenes in workout attire, making poor operational decisions resulting in unnecessary risk to the wellbeing of our members and the community, and taking disproportionate disciplinary actions against our members,” wrote Marco Island Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 95 President Jonathon Gray in a letter to City Manager Michael McNees dated October 7.

“This vote is a serious reflection of the sentiments among our uniformed members, and I want to assure you that I do not take it lightly,” said Frazzano in a prepared statement received Friday.

“I recognize that I am not perfect and do have weaknesses. I am committed to being a continual learner and will take this opportunity to work diligently with my team to create a better internal culture for the Marco Island Police Department,” Frazzano said.

As the city prepared for the earliest and worst possible outcomes from Hurricane Milton, McNees said that responding to the concerns brought forth in the letter was to be handled immediately after the storm cleared.

The storm downgraded to a category 3 when it hit Wednesday and Thursday. City officials worked to respond to requests for information about the police department on Friday, scheduling appointments for additional meetings, McNees said.

“I was a little surprised, but I was aware there were issues with the union,” McNees said. 

Prior to making detailed public comments about the contents of the letter and challenges between the chief and the union, McNees said he would meet with each side separately.

He plans to meet with Frazzano on Monday and is scheduling a meeting with the police union, as well, McNees said. 

Members of the union, including Gray, were also delaying public comment, recuperating from the long hours of the storm preparation and recovery, Gray said. 

“At this time, I don’t want to make a statement,” said Gray when reached by phone on Friday. “The city hasn’t had time to respond, and they just dealt with this hurricane,” he said, adding that he, too, only had a few hours sleep. 

The union voted on September 28 with 23 votes of no confidence, one vote of confidence, and three abstentions of the chief’s leadership, said Gray. 

The FOP, as a fraternity or brotherhood, advocates for police officers' rights, benefits, and working conditions, as well as seeks to improve community relations and promote public safety as part of its mission.

“In the big picture, I kind of sort these things out by the ones that seem a little superficial to the ones that really are critical that we address,” said McNees.

One issue of the three noted in particular by the city manager from that letter, because it has come up previously from police officers, is that Frazzano is “taking disproportionate disciplinary actions against [our] members” during her five years as chief.

“I’ll certainly address this,” said McNees. 

“We went through an internal review a year ago or year and a half ago about what appeared to be unequal discipline,” he said.

An internal review in fall of 2023 indicated there was no actual bias in disciplinary actions or promotions. 

But the allegations of unfairness have arisen again.

"So that one clearly stands out as something we really have to get to the bottom of,” said McNees.

“There is not a whole lot more I can say until I hear back,” said McNees. 

City Council members did not immediately respond to requests for comment, except Councilman Rich Blonna.

“City Council is responsible for policy issues. We do not supervise staff,” Blonna said in an email to the reporter on Friday. “I have no comments about Chief Frazzano at this time,” he added.