A longtime employee of the Broward Clerk of Courts Office claims she was fired because she's planning to run for office against her boss, which she says is a misuse of power.
Annette Daniels insists she was fired from her job because she wants to be the clerk and replace her boss, Brenda Forman.
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Daniels has spent nearly 20 years working for the Clerk of Courts and said she'd planned on resigning her position, which is required by state law in order to run for elected office.
Before that happened, she said she was terminated by Forman, now her political opponent.
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"It bothers her because I’m running, flat out, it bothers her because I’m running. I started at this courthouse in 2005," Daniels said.
Daniels boasts of working some 19 years at the clerk's office, earning promotions, filling various positions at different courthouses.
She said she received a rude awakening last month when she was told to go to human relations.
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Daniels’ termination letter reads how her candidacy "…is in direct conflict with the terms of your signed commission and oath deputizing you…" and notes that "It is imperative that we uphold the principles outlined in the Ethics HR Policy 49. Integrity, trust, and loyalty that are essential to the functioning of our organization."
Forman, who has held the position since January 2017, didn't return NBC6's requests for an interview.
David Comras, Daniels' lawyer, indicated the firing was improper.
"Because what it says is 'look, I am on top and if any of you guys try to challenge me in any form for this position, not only are you going to lose your job, you are going to lose your health insurance, you're going to have issues with your pension, you are going to lose your vacation time,'" Comras said.
Both Daniels and Forman have filed preliminary paperwork to run for the clerk's position.
"I’m still running. It doesn’t matter. I’m running and I’m gonna win," Daniels said.
But it becomes official only when a candidate fills out qualifying documents and pays the fee to be on the ballot, about $12,000.
