To whom it may concern,
I am writing to you because it has come to my attention that Mr. Kenneth Michael Prendergast has been selected as a finalist to serve as President of your institution, North Florida College.
Let me be clear, Mr. Prendergast is an exceedingly poor choice and would prove to be a detriment to North Florida College. My husband, Deputy Andy Lahera, worked under Mr. Prendergast during his tenure as sheriff. On May 23, 2023, while directing traffic at a graduation, he was struck by a car who did not see him in the road, where he has been left with a severe traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury.
I don’t blame Mr. Prendergast for the accident, but he shoulders the entire burden of everything he personally put my husband, my sons, and me through in the aftermath. His decisions and actions after the accident represent a disgusting lack of moral character, a gross negligence as a leader, and a terrifying lack of integrity. Blunty, he is untrustworthy and lacks any shred of human decency.
I have provided several articles that tell our entire story, so I don’t want to rehash all the details here. What I can say is that, on many occasions, of which I have proof for, Mr. Prendergast took to the media to slander and libel our family. The moment the fanfare died down, he attempted to "separate" from—or as you or I would refer to it, terminate—my husband leaving him helpless without proper medical benefits. And, what pains me the most, and breaks my heart to this day, he has washed Andy from his memory and refused to even ask about his recovery.
The last time Mr. Prendergast asked about Andy was six months post-accident. More than two years from the accident, Andy is still on a long journey of recovery, and while he struggles to do the actions we take for granted, I am proud of the progress he has made and the miracles God has given us, but Mr. Prendergast wouldn’t know that because he left one of his men behind.
I am asking that you hear our story and head our warning. I don’t want to see Mr. Prendergast’s self-interest cause irreparable damage to the reputation of your institution as he has already done to our community. I can’t standby and watch him treat the employees of your school in the same fashion he has treated my husband. Finally, until I take my last breath, I will not allow him to forget the hell he put my family through when we were the victims of this tragedy.
For more context, please read the articles below:
• I wrote this letter with a full account of our treatment by Mr. Prendergast to our local newspaper,
Citrus County Chronicle: 'My husband Andy Lahera,' It's been one year since the accident that changed our lives forever
Florida Politics: Deputy’s wife skewers Citrus Sheriff Mike Prendergast over treatment of injured husband
Bay News 9: Family of injured Citrus County deputy worries about future, rift with sheriff
ABC Action News: Injured deputy's family asks Citrus County Sheriff's Office for more compassion
• After the one year anniversary of the accident, the Citrus County Commission awarded my husband with a proclamation. Mr. Prendergast was in attendance, not to comfort me or my son or even to support us, but to scowl at us from the back of the chamber.
ABC Action News: Injured deputy honored by Citrus County leaders as sheriff attempts damage control
Fox 13 News: Critically injured Citrus County deputy honored for service amid family's health care concerns
Tampa 10: The battle for health insurance coverage for a deputy injured on the job
• Mr. Prendergast informed us that the audio from that night was not available because, per Citrus County Sheriff’s Office policy, it had been deleted after one year. However, Chad Mills from ABC Action News was able to recover it. Listening to it is not for the faint of heart; I have never listened to it, but my son told me that it is quite disturbing, and makes you wonder why we never heard about the result of any internal investigation.
ABC Action News: Audio shows Citrus County deputy was critically injured after safety concerns were raised
• As you also may know from Mr. Prendergast’s resume, he served as Chief of Staff to Governor Rick Scott. After he informed us that the current Florida statute wouldn’t allow him to provide medical benefits—a blatant lie, as the statute did not preclude a sheriff from providing benefits beyond that statute—we asked him to help us contact the people in Tallahassee to change the law. Unfortunately, Mr. Prendergast refused to help us and other law enforcement families in our state. We took matters into our own hands and were able to pass the Deputy Andy Lahera Act without any help from Mr. Prendergast.
Florida Politics: Gov. DeSantis signs law named for injured Citrus County deputy
We also have a Facebook page for my husband where people can follow his recovery journey. It is called AndysJourney. Please take a moment to look at it so you can see for yourself what a true miracle Andy is to us.
Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have at (352) 476-2705.
Thank you for your time. And if you pray, please pray for my husband, Andy.
Respectfully,
Michelle Lahera