Port Authority investigates deputy chief’s complaints

The chief of the Port Authority in Lee County is on paid administrative leave for investigative purposes, but it’s unclear why.

A letter from the Lee County Port Authority seemed more like an official notice to Port Authority Chief Shawn Chamberlain that he is on paid administrative leave effective Feb. 23 for investigative purposes.

“I would assume that that would have to be something severe,” former Deputy Chief of Police Brian Lytle said.

Lytle worked for Chamberlain until July 2021, saying Chamberlain was his third and best boss. Lytle is unsure what Chamberlain could have done to get taken off the job.

“It’s hard to believe,” Lytle said.

When WINK News talked with Chamberlain on Tuesday, he said he couldn’t talk but would eventually like to. And details become increasingly challenging to discover since the Port Authority won’t talk. Instead, the county gave WINK News many documents containing some of Chamberlain’s job performance evaluations.

In those documents, you can see a shift in the Port Authority’s attitude toward the chief of police.

One of the documents filed in 2017 talks about Chamberlain’s strong start saying he “dealt with significant staff challenges in the most professional and honorable manner and remains steadfast in his determination to restore the morale of the department.”

Then there’s another document from the 2021 to 2022 fiscal year that states, “Chamberlain’s tone and commentary suggest he isn’t interested in being managed.” Then it says, “I believe the chief is hungry and smart, but not very humble, which is a toxic combination for a leader.”

“They are the type of people that if you go against what they say, they are going to get rid of you,” Lytle said.

The administrative leave notice refers to complaints Chamberlain filed in January and February 2023. And that the Port Authority had declined to hire an outside, neutral investigator.

But when WINK News asked to see those complaints, Port Authority declined because they’re part of an ongoing investigation.

When WINK News asked the Port Authority why the board put the chief on administrative leave, a spokesperson said it would not discuss personnel matters.