Palm Bay council member Randy Foster hospitalized amid search for Filiberto's replacement
Palm Bay City Council Member Randy Foster remains hospitalized in intensive care after he was transported by medical helicopter to Holmes Regional Medical Center following a Thursday medical episode, said his sister, Vickey Foster.
Foster, 59, is an Air Force veteran who was elected to Seat 3 in November 2020. A former police officer in Fayetteville, North Carolina, he retired from the U.S. Marshals Service after working as a supervisory deputy.
Vickey Foster flew to town this weekend from Brooklyn, New York, to see her ailing brother. She said he had been in a coma — but on Monday afternoon, he showed signs of improvement while he was on a ventilator.
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“He was talking to us with his eyes. He squeezed my mother’s hand, and he squeezed my hand," Vickey Foster said.
“I said, ‘I know you’re a fighter. You did 29 years in the service.’ And I said, ‘I’m praying for you. And I know you’re not going to give up, because in this family you don't give up. You fight,’ " she said.
"And he squeezed my hand, and he shook his head a little bit," she said.
Vickey Foster said doctors told her family that Randy should be taken off the ventilator today because his medical condition is improving, and her relatives are optimistic about his future.
City Manager Suzanne Sherman released a statement on Foster's hospitalization.
"On behalf of the Mayor and Council and our entire employee team, we ask our Palm Bay community to join us in praying for Councilman Foster’s health and recovery," Sherman said.
"We also send out our thoughts and prayers to his family during this difficult time," she said.
Foster's hospitalization is occurring while the five-member City Council is down to four. Peter Filiberto resigned Feb. 17, effective immediately, in the wake of his DUI and felony cocaine possession arrest during a Palm Bay traffic stop.
Now, City Hall officials are accepting applications through 5 p.m. March 29 from people interested in replacing Filiberto's Seat 5 vacancy. Information is available on the city website.
The City Council will rank applicants on April 6. The top five candidates will be considered during an April 13 special meeting, where council members will appoint Filiberto's replacement.
During Thursday's City Council meeting, Council Member Kenny Johnson said, "we only have one chance to get it right with the appointment.”
“The amount of people that I’m seeing interested in this seat surpasses any board that we've ever had. So with that being said, we’re possibly looking at anywhere from 15 to over 20 applicants," Johnson said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, five candidates — Alfy Agarie, Jimmy Backus, Alan Miles, Terry Muller and Randall Olszewski — had applied at City Hall.
Agarie and Backus finished in third and fourth place, respectively, in Palm Bay’s March 2022 four-candidate special election to replace Jeff Bailey, who resigned his City Council seat to take an out-of-state job.
Filiberto won that special election by claiming 51.2% of the vote (6,408 votes). Phil Moore took 37.1% (4,646 votes), while Agarie took 7.4% (923 votes) and Backus took 4.4% (548 votes).
Leading off Thursday's City Council meeting, Mayor Rob Medina asked that the invocation be dedicated to Foster.
"One of our very own, Councilman Foster, is experiencing some medical challenges. So please, keep him in your thoughts and prayers," Medina told the audience.
Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or [email protected]. Twitter: @RickNeale1
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Palm Bay City Council's Randy Foster hospitalized in intensive care
