QUINCY, Fla. (WTXL) — A breach of privacy at Quincy’s utilities office has sparked community outrage and prompted city officials to investigate how sensitive customer data may have been mishandled.
- The Quincy City Commission voted to launch a formal investigation after images of utility checks appeared online.
- Residents expressed frustration at City Hall, demanding transparency and accountability.
- Watch the video below to hear the customer service supervisor’s explanation of the incident.
Quincy residents demand accountability over utility data breach
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Tensions ran high inside Quincy City Hall as residents demanded answers about the alleged breach of customer information at the city’s utilities department.
“Someone needs to be held accountable,” neighbor Tracey Stallworth said.
I'm neighborhood reporter Lentheus Chaney in Quincy, where commissioners met to review the findings from police and discuss what comes next for city staff and customers.
The Quincy City Commission discussed a full agenda Tuesday, including the hiring of a new interim city clerk, updates from the Boys & Girls Club, and budget adjustments for the new fiscal year.
But the biggest concern came from neighbors.
They approached the dais asking how personal information from the utility office could have been accessed and shared online.
“Excuse my analogy, but if I took a picture of any of your guys using the restroom and posted it online, I’d be in jail,” Stallworth said.
In response, Police Chief Carlos Hill read the results of his department’s investigation.
He confirmed there was no criminal wrongdoing connected to the photographs posted online of uncashed utility checks.
Hill told commissioners that while the incident raised privacy concerns, the documents were city property and, therefore, no laws were broken under Florida statutes.
The customer service supervisor, Anessa Canidate, was asked to step forward and explain what happened.
“The checks was cashed, there’s no where to store the checks,” Canidate said.
She told commissioners the checks shown in the photos had already been scanned and remotely deposited, and that they were kept in her office only because there was no secure place to store them.
Commissioners then voted unanimously to open a 215 investigation into the matter.
“A 215 is a city ordinance that allows the city to do a formal investigation,” Mayor Beverly Nash said.
Commissioners later voted against a proposal to build a new Boys & Girls Club on Graves Street.
The commission also voted 3-1, with one member absent, to end its search for city manager and offer the position to Roger Milton.
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