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City Sports and Entertainment chief on leave for ‘alleged misconduct’

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The head of Jacksonville’s Sports and Entertainment division is off the job due to alleged misconduct, city officials confirmed to News4Jax on Thursday.

Ryan Ali, who held that position in special events for more than a year, was placed on paid administrative leave Wednesday while the Office of Inspector General investigates the allegation.

News4Jax has been requesting information as to why Ali is being investigated and has asked for copies of all complaints filed against him.

News4Jax obtained 10 resignation letters from employees working in the special events department. All resigned since Ali took his position. Some employees didn’t give a reason for why they left, others said they were seeking new job opportunities, were moving on or had coronavirus concerns.

The majority of resignation letters from the former employees said they were grateful for their jobs.

His departure leaves questions about the planning of upcoming events such as the Florida-Georgia football game and the Veterans Day parade.

Ali was instrumental in the planning surrounding those events. The mayor’s office said Thursday those events will take place as planned and it has no concerns.

Right now the mayor’s office is not commenting further and there is no word on a replacement.

City records show Ali’s annual salary is $115,000.

We reached out to Ali for a comment but haven’t heard back.

This is the second time a key city official has been put on paid administrative leave.

Joe Peppers, the former head of Jacksonville’s Kids Hope Alliance, was placed on leave in August of 2019.

He had been critical of the mayor’s staff and said he was pressured to award grant money to certain groups.

The city cited various problems with Peppers. He resigned last May.


About the Authors
Corley Peel headshot

Corley Peel is a Texas native and Texas Tech graduate who covered big stories in Joplin, Missouri, Tulsa, Oklahoma and Jacksonville, Florida before returning to the Lone Star State. When not reporting, Corley enjoys hot yoga, Tech Football, and finding the best tacos in town.

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