Riviera Beach Finance Director Randy Sherman has filed suit against the majority-Black city, alleging that he has been falsely accused of sexism and racism and punished because he is white.
The suit, filed Aug. 31 in U.S. District Court, is the latest in a long line of legal and political disputes that mark Riviera Beach's government as one of endless turnover, antipathy and rancor unmatched by other municipalities in the county. It comes as Sherman, who has worked for the city for 14 years, lies at the heart of hundreds of millions in financial transactions undertaken as part of a broad effort to remake the city. And the suit comes as a shadowy FBI investigation hovers over the city's government like a specter, fueling speculation about precisely
what and who is at its center.
Sherman's suit portrays city government as a cauldron of unethical and illegal behavior, a place where those employed by the city try to hire their friends and loved ones and where former city manager Jonathan Evans — whose remarkable tenure saw him hired, fired, re-hired, suspended and ultimately fired again — failed to protect Sherman from the flexes and power plays of City Council Chairman Bruce Guyton.
Evans sued the city and reached a settlement before being rehired. Former City Councilman Tradrick McCoy, who once got into a physical altercation with then-councilman and now-mayor Douglas Lawson after a meeting, sued the city at least a half dozen times. Lawson was arrested for simple battery in a domestic dispute in 2021 and was later "unarrested" on the order of then-Police Chief Nathan Osgood. The chief would eventually resign in the wake of the incident and file suit against the city.
Any number of current or former employers have filed suit against the city, which is being managed by an interim city manager in the wake of Evans' departure. That interim city manager, Bill Wilkins, is in his third stint on the job, having previously resigned and returned only to later get fired in the 1980s.
Origins of Riviera Beach lawsuit
Sherman's suit touches on much of that rocky history.
"Unfortunately, the city has been mired in corruption and controversy for decades and also has a history of engaging in discriminatory practices against its Caucasian/white employees," the suit states. "During plaintiff’s tenure of employment with the city, plaintiff has witnessed city officials abuse the public’s trust and use city funds for improper purposes on many occasions, with the most recent being outlined below."
City Attorney Dawn Wynn said the city does not comment on pending litigation.
The suit alleges that Sherman angered former human resources director Tennille DeCoste by objecting to her decision to hire a friend from her former place of employment, the city of Boynton Beach. Sherman's suit says he objected because the position DeCoste sought to fill was supposed to be approved and adverstised by the city. DeCoste hired the friend as an "independent contractor" in a bid to get around those requirements, Sherman's suit states.
The suit alleges that when Sherman objected, DeCoste — who had been fired from her position in Boynton Beach for misusing city funds — "became angry and combative with him and not only began to personally harass and discriminate against plaintiff, but also began a campaign of harassment and discrimination against plaintiff by encouraging and inducing others to do so as well."
In an emailed statement to The Palm Beach Post, DeCoste said "she did not circumvent the recruitment process to hire a friend. The candidate in question applied for a city position and proceeded through the recruitment and interview process. A three-person interview panel participated in the hiring process, and I was not a member of that panel. The city’s recruitment process involved recruiters screening applicants, interview panels evaluating candidates, and multiple levels of approval before a personnel action became final."
DeCoste, who is Black, also disputed the suit's allegation that she accused Sherman of racism and sexism.
"I never reported or characterized Mr. Sherman as racist or sexist," her statement read. "My complaints regarding Mr. Sherman concerned workplace and employment matters, including employee wages and compensation, as well as compliance with union contractual and legal obligations. Any statement suggesting that I accused Mr. Sherman of being racist or sexist is inaccurate."
The suit alleges that, "when it came to hiring unqualified individuals and/or individuals for unapproved and/or unadvertised employment positions, DeCoste did not similarly extend herself for white applicants/job seekers."
DeCoste, the suit states, gave a Black man she supervises access to the city's online approval process so he could approve the hiring of DeCoste's husband.
"A few days later," the suit alleges, the Black man "was promoted to senior manager of human resources and given an 18% raise."
"That promotion also did not follow the city’s hiring or promotion process or policies," the suit states. "Again, the city’s white employees did not receive similar advancement, treatment or wage increases."
DeCoste disputed the allegations about the hiring of her husband.
"The allegation that I circumvented city policy to hire my husband is not accurate," she said. "Mr. Sherman reported concerns regarding my husband’s hiring to the Palm Beach County Office of Inspector General. That matter was subsequently closed. The city’s records reflect that I did not possess unilateral authority to hire employees, nor was I involved in his hiring. Personnel actions required multiple levels of review and approval, including Finance, Randy Sherman, and city administration."
DeCoste's husband was hired by the city, but she said it was not at her behest.
"I was not the decision-maker responsible for hiring my husband," she said. "His hiring was reviewed and approved through the city’s established process, based on his experience and interview. The city manager approved and signed the hiring documentation, and the prior OIG matter concerning his hiring was closed."
DeCoste questioned why the hiring of her husband met with Sherman's disapproval when the spouses and relatives of other employees got jobs with the city.
"There are other city of Riviera Beach employees who are related to or married to one another, yet, to my knowledge, Randy did not report those relationships," she said. "Are those relationships in question as well?"
Sherman's suit says that after DeCoste hired another friend from her Boynton Beach days and maneuvered to get her a higher salary than the position called for her to make, he reported DeCoste to Evans. DeCoste characterized Sherman's actions as mistreatment of Black women, according to the suit.
"DeCoste has bombarded plaintiff, or caused others to bombard plaintiff, with hostile emails and memoranda," the suit states.
DeCoste said Sherman's allegations about circumventing the hiring process to help a friend are false, and she said she did not accuse him of being sexist or racist.
DeCoste is also suing Riviera Beach
The city fired DeCoste in March, and, in July, she filed suit against the city, alleging that she was "unlawfully terminated" in retaliation for disclosing what the suit describes as Sherman's "unlawful actions," which included mishandling the classification and pay of employees.
DeCoste is seeking damages in excess of $75,000 and attorneys fees.
Sherman said he drew Guyton's ire because he did not authorize "pre-payment/pre-reimbursement" for travel expenses. The city's rules for reimbursement require that expenses be filed in a timely manner and limits reimbursement for travel a short distance from the city.
Evans, the suit states, had instructed Sherman "to accommodate Councilman Guyton 'within the policy.' "
Sherman's suit alleges that, when he told Guyton's assistant that the reimbursement request could not be met in keeping with city policy, the councilman called him and Sherman explained the city's rules.
"Guyton replied that he did not have to follow city policy and hung up on plaintiff," the suit states.
Guyton then arranged a meeting with Sherman and Evans, the suit alleges. During that meeting, which was held on June 11, 2025, "Guyton stated that when he gives a directive, his staff should carry out the directive because 'he is the boss' regardless of whether his conduct violates a city policy," according to the suit.
Guyton, who is Black, accused Sherman of being a racist and sexist who mistreated Black women employed by the city, Sherman's suit alleges.
Council members in Riviera Beach do not have the authority to hire and fire city employees. That authority rests with the city manager, who answers to the city council. The suit alleges that Guyton told Evans that, if he failed to "'deal' with (Sherman), that Guyton would 'deal' with Evans."
When Evans did not move against Sherman, Guyton wrote him a notice of reprimand, the suit states.
"This interoffice memorandum serves as a written reprimand for your failure to appropriately address the disrespectful and unprofessional conduct of Finance Director Randy Sherman," the suit quotes from Guyton's notice. "That is unacceptable. I do not tolerate disrespect."
Sherman's suit alleges that Guyton "continued his harassment of plaintiff, both directly and through his effortsto force the city manager (then, Evans) to further 'discipline' plaintiff."
Guyton castigated Sherman at public meetings, the suit states, and told Evans he had two options: Put Guyton's letter of reprimand in his personnel file or discipline Sherman.
Guyton did not return a telephone call to his office seeking comment about Sherman's allegations.
Suit alleges white employees treated differently
Evans eventually buckled under that pressure, according to the suit, which alleges that Evans accused Sherman of changing the numbers in a presentation given during a closed meeting to discuss the police union's contract.
"This was a clear pretext for disciplining plaintiff as plaintiff promptly replied that the presentation had not been changed and was, in fact, the same numbers/data plaintiff had presented earlier, to staff," the suit states. "Two days later, based on his own discriminatory animus and also adopting the discriminatory pressures of Councilperson Guyton and HR Director DeCoste, Mayor Douglas Lawson sent plaintiff a 'Notice of Suspension.' "
Sherman's suit said "the suspension was carried out in a manner that was intended to be as humiliatingand embarrassing as possible. Manager Evans prepared a memorandum to finance staff and sent it via emailinstructing that plaintiff was to be locked out of any city related operations, all payments and approvals that would require plaintiff’s signature were to be halted, and plaintiff was to be locked out of his emails."
Finance Department employees were ordered to keep Sherman's suspension "confidential," despite Florida's expansive Sunshine Laws, the suit alleges.
Sherman's suit said the suspension was another example of how the city treated white employees differently than it treated Black employees.
"African American employees who act in a manner which is unprofessional or lacking in decorum consistently receive more favorable disciplinary outcomes — often receiving no discipline at all," the suit states. "Moreover, on top of the suspension, the city also gave plaintiff a written reprimand. Again, by doing so the city treated the plaintiff less favorably than other, similarly situated, African American employees."
Sherman appears to have taken particular offense by the fact that the suspension was handed down by Lawson.
"The suspension by Mayor Lawson on the purported basis of lack of professionalism, respect, decorum, and leadership was and is especially poignant given Mayor Lawson’s controversial background," Sherman's suit states.
Sherman's finance department staff members defended him during a public meeting, despite a warning from Evans not to, according to the suit, which noted that one of the staff members received a written reprimand.
Guyton continued to disparage Sherman at public meetings, the suit alleges, and continued to lean on Evans, whom he said had not acted against Sherman as Guyton had ordered.
Eventually, Guyton would be the driving force behind the early termination of Evans' contract, bringing his on-and-off tenure to an end.
Evans did not respond to a call to his office in Lauderdale Lakes, where he is now city manager.
Sherman's suit said the finance director has suffered lost wages, humiliation, embarrassment, emotional harm and damage to his professional reputation. He is seeking back pay, lost wages, compensatory damages and attorneys fees.
Wayne Washington is a journalist covering education and Riviera Beach development for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at wwashington@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: White finance director sues Riviera Beach, alleging racism | Exclusive
