So can we chalk this one up as an instance where the "higher ups" are the ones who got fired? So many times, we hear that the worker bees are the ones taking the brunt. Not the case here.

This is an explosion of self-righteous prudery over things that can be seen on "South Park" every night. It's also a coverup for failure at the top, in that the county's monitoring software doesn't work, and obviously wasn't tested, and none of that was checked on by the bosses much higher than the two grunt supervisors who are being canned after many years of loyal service. None of these emails went to anyone who was offended, no real harm was done, it was all one small step above jokes at the watercooler, but the issue got leaked to the press so the big bosses break out the guillotine for the two biggest scapegoats. End result: The bosses gloat in press releases and county government is a little safer from naughty thoughts, but a little less competent because they just fired two experienced supervisors for no good reason. What a travesty.

Thats good. Let the people that have coasted so many years get a real job.

Hey Dio, you have the stones to blame this on county software??? Get a life, these guys were J/O in front of their computer instead of monitoring the water quality. You must be a city or county employee to since you think this is OK.

This will save money. Do not replace these people until a year from now.

No one will notice.

The article says the fired supervisors will still get their pension?!!!!

WHY???????

Why should taxpayers have to pay them a penion when they violated County rules/policy and were doing something illegal at their workplaces, w/our County computers?

ALSO . . . if this many employees in that department had so much "free" time on their hands that they could be doing this maybe the County Manager needs to look at cutting some positions from that department.

Save the taxpayers some money!

Agree! that is so typical of at least half dozen county departments I hear. They don't have enough work to keep them busy so they get themselves into trouble. A relative tells me that the same goes on in the CC Information Technolgy department. They send offensive or inappropriate material to each other. They are not supposed to do this....the fox gaurding the hen house.

Some of you need to stop hinding behind computers. Bigkonder get real. You have never looked at email at work? The water quality? Two guys in office are in charge of water quality. I think there's a little more to it. Swampparadise your worried about paying two pension. What about the school system. Why are we paying three idiots more money then any other in county in the state.

How many of you supporters of the 28 people would trust these workers with your wallets? It is a form of thievery to steel time from your employer. All 28 of these people read and signed the same papers as did the balance of the Collier County workers advising them that a zero tolerance policy was in affect for the infractions that these people violated and that violating the policies would be cause for repromand or termination. With that said, why should the residents/tax payers of Collier County trust these people to now follow the rules that each one of them decided to previously break. there is no training for personalities, dedication or honesty. My other question to the supporters is, can you prove that these people did not violate other policies that they did not get caught violating? Wouldn't you think that an employee either possesses the quality of dedication to their employer or they have a lackadaisical attitude towards their employer? For those of you that have stated that you as well have sent inappropriate emails or violated work policies at your work place, why don't you provide your names and empoyer names to the public. Ignorance is bliss.

Next, there should be an investigation into the collier schools e-mail system. I don't know how teachers get away with blogging on school time? That's another way Thompson can do away with tenure teachers?

Hey Swampscum, do your home work before making a fool out of yourself. The water dept. and wastewater dept. generates their own income per gallons of water that is delivered to the customers. Their depts. income and budget revolves around sells. Not a penny of the pension money has come from the tax payers. Just thought you needed to be better informed before you continue to spew off.

Upnorth,
Why do you have to attack the teachers? The real
problem with our schools is the school board for hiring Thompson and allowing him to bring in all of his friends from Rockford. Teachers are not the problem and should not get fired for blogging. They get a lunch break and should be able to do whatever they want on it as long as it isn't inappropriate. Go back up north!

I have sent them. I do work for Collier county. Its stupid people got let go for this. CI your just mad because you probably got let go. Just from what I've heard you sound like an idiot. Ty is on call every second of everyday. So if he is sitting home on his county computer sending emails is that work time or family time? If he works 80 hours in 1 week without overtime so you have water does he gave to put off family time to do something he isn't getting more money for? Yeah he does. Everytime there is a main break he is stuck on his phone or with us working at the site. Yeah I would trust the people I work with to hold my wallet. The zero tolerance rule states if you do anything other then county stuff your gone. If your gonna fire 2 people for that you better fire the whole county for buying stuff online or looking at stuff when you bored. Don't pick and choose who gets what.

This is in responce to uawed4it. Sounds like you are one of the people that is being repromand or fired. What does from what funds these people are being paid have to do with them breaking the Collier County's written policies? If you are not one of the 28 people that was investigated, why don't you provide your name and your employeers name so your views can be discussed in your work place. Ignorance is in fact bliss. Keep up he good work uaxed4it. Signed "swampscum"

Inresponce to SpeakingMyMind, So you are another Collier County employee. That figures. While most of the Collier County employees are in fact good employees with good work ethics, I can guess that you are not one of them. The simple fundamental fact that you can't recognize what it takes to be a good respectful employee speaks for your lack of understanding and dedication to Collier County. Why don't you provde Collier County your name and discuss with them your views on what it takes to be a good employee and tell Collier County which in your opinion which policies you don't feel that you need to follow. I bet you are one of the peole being investigated.

Suspensions start Monday and I'll be @ work so no i'm not one of the 28. Why don't you provide your name and employer? If the media didn't get hold of this nobody would of been let go. So people sent joke emails either on or off county time. BIG DEAL! You people are ridiculous. About work ethics I do what needs to be done at work. Obviously you didn't because you don't work for us antmore

Anymore* using my cell so hard 2 fix mistakes

In responce to SpeakingMyMind, I'm not and have never been an employee of Collier County. I can see by your responces and lack of understanding of work ethics that you will in fact one day be investigated. Keep up the godd work. By the way, I have regular meetings at my work place to control misuse of work time by my employees.

So name and employer? How do you personally know Ty and Jesse and consider them bad employees as stated in a past article?

All in good time. Isn't this fun. Well it might not be so much fun for the 28 people that have been repromanded. But I am having fun. Yes I do know Ty and Jessie. I am very familiar with there less than respectfull work ethics. I can assure you that more of their work ethics will be challanged in the future. I look forward to it. I doubt that you are important enough to be included in the future investigation. So again keep up the good work. keep screwing up.

Ok and again how do you know Ty and Jesse and what they do at work? That doesn't seem to hard of a question?

Hey CI, glad you learned how to spell repromanded this time. I was not commenting on any of your remarks. I was responding to the posting by "swampparasite" (swampparadise). Anyway,
"argue with an idot and he will bring you down to his level every time."

Hey concernedparent, teachers are on lunch period all day long? Other than Thompsons salary, what is he doing wrong. Getting rid of deadbeats? Teachers in collier are among the highest paid in the state. Why are collier test scores so low? Thompson and the boards fault right, or do the kids in this county have dumb parents. Maybe you should move upnorth and get your kids a real education!

Well not much I can do with my spelling when i'm on my phone. But i'm an idiot because I think terminating 2 employees over joke cartoons is stupid? This county is full of idiots.

One more thing. I know some of this hatred for CC employees is comming from a select few of county workers themselves. I personaly know a few who would give up their grandmothers if they thought it would score them extra points. They are very well known through out the work place. One persons misfortune is their gain. So, there are a few CC individuals who are thriving on this ; blown out of proportion, incident. What abouyt it Speakingmymind ?

I ment to say, what about it speakingmymind, I think CI is one of those disgruntled employees, don"t you?

He is definitely a disgruntled something. I believe there is more to the story then he is sharing. But disgruntled YES!

CI might stand for county informant.

You dummies, you do things on county owned devices that you can get jammed up on. I have no sympathy for them. You want to have fun? Do it on you own computer that has nothing to do with the county. Just give them a reason to fire or suspend your dumb bottom. I used to work for a company that gave me internet access. You think I went to questionable websites or got questionable email? Hell no. Am I stupid? AHHHHH No!!

To All:

I am a Collier County employee, and want you all to know how the punishments were dished out, and then I would like to know if you think that it is still fair.

10 Days suspension (deserved) - Employees that received and distributed/downloaded inappropriate emails

5 Days suspension (not-deserved) - Employees that only received inappropriate email, meaning that it was just found in their email archives, with no proof that the employee actually interacted with the email. Meaning that an employee may have deleted it without opening it but were still considered "guilty".

How do you suspend someone for receiving an email? I know that I delete emails that are not obviously related to work, so if one of those that I deleted were pornographic in nature I am guilty even though I never opened it to find out that it was pornographic?

I have heard that the interviews that those being investigated are going through are more like criminal interrogations than a simple question & answer session. Employees are being subjected to intense badgering under certain circumstances.

Now all of those that simply received are being lumped in with the perverts that were exchanging, and downloading sexually explicit pictures/videos on the job. Is that right to those employees and their families?

One more question......who is going to investigate the investigators? If the county is investigating Public Utilities (non-taxpayer dollars) then all other divisions (tax-payer dollars) should be investigated.

Oh and one more thing....the County PIO was wrong, the mobile computers and laptops used were not purchased with Taxpayer dollars, they were purchased with Public Utilities customers dollars. Some say that this does not matter, but would you really care if this was FP&L or Comcast?? The water and sewer departments are a utility just like them, except they have to have their budget approved by the Board of Commissioners.

I am a retired Fortune 500 manager. My nephew and his family came by the house yesterday, and he looked sad. I asked my nephew what troubled him, he went on to explain. He works for the Water Dept, one of the innocent--Thank Goodness. I can not believe how this was handled from a Business Stand Point, totally un proffesional. Collier County is known for superior customer service, and has done a great job up to this point--He stated there are 60 employees, 30 vehicles being deployed by 2 remaining managers on a daily basis. The employess are givin no direction at all. So the guilty and innocent are made to suffer--The lack of leadership/direction is going to effect this utility for YEARS. Yes you can say they will re hire , from a business sense that always does not work, and could take years to develop.
He also stated that the remaining Managers/Utility Techs (what he is) received 10 day, 5 day, 3 day suspensions, with 2 years probation--that was a decision totally based on EMOTION, not business savy. These ladies and gentlman are NOT felons--I feel that was not well thought out---WHO MADE THAT DECISION? The remaining employess are the future of this Utility. Giving employees 2 years probation is unheard of in the corporate world. The next two years, do not expect much from these men and woman; they are going to be careful about decisions made-- will basically be in fear of losing there jobs. This probation period must be reduced, and you must start to rebuild FROM WITHIN.....From my understanding the Investigation continues with WasteWater, Billing, Cust. Service. if the outcome is anything like the Water Dept---This Utility will come to a screeching halt. I know Jim and Paul well enough to approach, and plan on doing so in the near future. I would like to know who spear headed this DISASTER. And who doled out the felon like punishments? And why the BCC seeking re election have not stepped in, to stop the insanity. Employees must be accountable for there actions---I AGREE--move swiftly, get back to the business, re think / re trust the future; with employess; who made it through---and forge ahead!

Ah, yes, if only Collier County was run like a Fortune 500 corporation... dream on.

I happened to be related to Ty Stuller and assure he is neither a slacker nor a sexual deviate. I have been on several vacations with my brother and have been interuppted repeatedly by phone calls from employees who do not know how to do their job. Not once did he refuse to help them complete the job. Correct me if I am wrong but isn't that considered free labor? I think it is very easy to sit on your high horse and judge somebody that you know nothing about and would like to suggest that you all take a very good look in the mirror and ask yourselves how you would feel if these things were being said about yourself or a member of your family that again people knew nothing about. I am very proud of my brother and all of the hard work he did for the county which is being totally forgotten. I am not saying that what happened is acceptable however lets consider firing all the women who work for the county and shop and make vacation plans from work, you know who you are maybe you better start worrying.