• A former Fort Meade human resources director is suing the city, claiming she was fired in retaliation for investigating a sexual harassment claim.
• The lawsuit alleges the former interim city manager pressured her to alter witness statements and then created a hostile work environment.
• This is at least the third lawsuit filed against the city by a former employee in the past two years.

For at least the third time in two years, Fort Meade is facing a lawsuit from a former employee.

Veronica Hairston, who was fired in June from her role as human resources director and chief operating officer, has sued the city, claiming a violation of Florida's Whistleblower Act.

Hairston alleged that she endured harassment and her eventual firing in retaliation for her role in investigating an allegation of sexual harassment made against Fort Meade’s interim city manager at the time, Alis Drumgo.

Florida’s whistleblower law protects employees from retaliation for reporting potential violations of law.

Former City Manager Edward Dean hired Hairston in July 2024. In the complaint, Hairston’s lawyer, Benjamin Yormak of Bonita Springs, writes that she was rated effective to highly effective in performance reviews until she “observed wrongdoing and engaged in statutorily protected activity.”

Around May 9, Hairston received a formal complaint of sexual harassment by Drumgo from a female employee, the lawsuit states. Hairston investigated the complaint, following established protocols and...

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