After more than a decade with the Duval County Tax Collector's office, Brenda Chapman was immediately dismissed from her position without pay from her position Thursday.
An internal investigation found she misrepresented her familial relationship with a woman who died earlier that month.
"I've been in this building 14 years. Everyone knows I'm not married," Chapman told the board.
On April 20, Chapman said she asked her supervisor if the death of the mother of a man she once lived with qualified for bereavement leave.
"I didn't ask for bereavement for my mother-in-law. I asked for bereavement for my daughter's grandmother. The lady was the same to me as a mother-in-law."
Chapman said her supervisor approved her paid time off.
"She told me not to say anything," Chapman said of her supervisor.
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Later, after the leave time had been taken, a city Human Resources representative asked Chapman to confirm the relationship in writing.
"I didn't want to get her [supervisor] in trouble. She put mother-in-law, and I did put mother-in-law in the email, and it's just as simple as that."
City attorneys argued that was Chapman's chance to admit she wasn't married.
"From the tax collector's point of view," said Craig Feiser, "that is essentially theft of leave time from the city."
The board unanimously agreed. Even though Chapman was never paid for that time off, she is now out of the job for falsifying records and disgraceful conduct.
Michael Corrigan told Action News that any decision to terminate an employee is difficult, but said he moved forward on the case to protect the integrity and honesty of his office.
"We have an enormous responsibility to this community to collect taxes and account for every dollar, every penny that we collect, and we take that responsibility very seriously."
Some board members encouraged Corrigan to investigate a possible conspiracy against Chapman, but Corrigan would not comment on an specifics of the case because Chapman still has time to appeal.
Chapman declined to comment on her plans moving forward.
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