The City Clerk’s Office, responsible for Orlando’s official records, is under fire as internal documents and former employee accounts expose a culture of favoritism propping up Senior Assistant City Clerk Casey Billings. Sources called it a “personality hire” and stated that Billings sparked yet another scandal in Buddy Dyer’s City Hall.
Earning an alleged $80,000 a year based on internal documents for his position and conversations with individuals in City Hall, Billings – described as a “personality hire” with ties to City Clerk Stephanie Herdocia – ascended to a key role despite lacking qualifications, relying on aides to cover his errors while undermining the office’s mission, according to sources. They describe Billings as a “golden boy” and say Clerk Herdocia has protected and shielded her pick for Senior Assistant City Clerk, costing taxpayers.
These failures threaten community projects and public trust in City Hall’s transparency. Here are a few of the reports West Orlando News received about Casey Billings:
A Meteoric Rise Fueled by Favoritism
Casey Billings began in the Meetings & Events division, where internal records reveal blunders like scheduling conflicts and vendor mishaps, quietly swept under the rug by superiors, including Herdocia.
Appointed by Mayor Buddy Dyer, Herdocia fasttracked Billings to Senior Assistant City Clerk in 2023 after a “sham hiring process” involving just one external interview, ignoring his lack of records management expertise, according to city sources. Former aide Cheryl Anderson, who left in 2025, called it a “who you know” promotion, emblematic of City Hall’s cronyism.
Blatant Negligence Uncovered
Emails from April 18, 2025 show Billings floundering with basic tasks, like attaching documents, and sources said he “brazenly copying aides’ templates word for word, slapping his name on them.” A March 2025 Notice of Investigation flagged his failure to verify a records request, stalling a community grant for weeks. In February 2025, he dismissed a reported workplace threat, tried to discipline the whistleblower, and later twisted his story to align with management, dodging accountability.
A Shielded “Golden Boy”
Billings enjoys Herdocia’s protection, with aides scapegoated for his mistakes. In the grant fiasco, an aide was disciplined despite Billings’ direct role. Anderson described aides burning out to fix his work, only to face blame when errors surfaced. Herdocia’s interference, like redirecting a 2025 audit away from Billings, cements a “management pyramid” where loyalty trumps competence, driving three aides to quit in 2024 and 2025.
According to sources, Billings is routinely deployed to issue disciplinary notices, often unfounded and later refuted by recipients through evidence of procedural violations, serving as the City Clerk’s enforcer in a pattern of retaliation. Labor Relations consistently backs these actions, enabling the abuse of power despite clear breaches of city policies like Harassment Policy 808.22 and SEIU bargaining agreements.
In an official complaint sent to Labor Relations and Human Resources back in June, Anderson described “a sustained pattern of retaliatory behavior, targeted harassment, and workplace hostility—clear violations of the City of Orlando’s Policy 808.26: Harassment-Free Workplace” and named Casey Billings directly along with City Clerk Stephanie Herdocia. She called the work environment “increasingly toxic and unsustainable” and stated that the Assistant City Clerk and City Clerk Herdocia altered an official city document, raising serious questions regarding integrity and ethical conduct of both individuals.
“More troubling is that Casey appears to have knowingly misrepresented the facts, attributing the edits to himself while falsely implying that the errors originated with me,” the complaint stated. “These unauthorized changes fundamentally altered the content of motions I had accurately recorded, thereby misrepresenting my original submission of minutes and undermining the reliability of my work product. After confronting Casey with the discrepancies, I am left with the inescapable conclusion that my work is being deliberately targeted. Over time, I have been subjected to repeated Notices of Investigation and performance-related accusations that contradict the diligence and accuracy I bring to my role. It is difficult to believe Casey would have disclosed any of this had I not confronted him first with proof.”
The formal complaint involving Billings and Herdocia that was sent to Labor Relations and HR also stated: “This is not an isolated incident. It is the latest in a disturbing pattern of selective enforcement, retaliatory management decisions, and efforts to discredit my performance and professionalism. I have previously raised these concerns through internal discussions aimed at resolution. However, this event marks a clear escalation and demands immediate action.”
Taxpayers Pay the Price
City Clerk Stephanie Herdocia makes at least $136,739.20 of base pay on an annualized basis and she is a member of Mayor Buddy Dyer’s executive staff.
Billings’ alleged $80,000 salary burdens taxpayers, sources stated, yet “his sloppy records disrupt access to critical documents for zoning and ethics oversight, risking Florida records law violations.” Coupled with Herdocia’s reported “minimal effort” in document handling (see below), these issues fuel distrust in Orlando’s governance.
Demand for Accountability
According to WON sources, Billings’ unearned rise and shielded failures expose a toxic favoritism at City Hall. They say an independent audit, transparent hiring, and strict performance standards are urgently needed.
Orlando deserves a Clerk’s office driven by merit, not cronyism. Orlando residents deserve better than the drama, allegations and scandal coming from Buddy Dyer’s City Clerk’s office.
Casey Billings, Stephanie Herdocia, and city officials were contacted multiple times for comment on all reports received by West Orlando News mentioned in this article; no one responded before publication.
Here is the job description and pay scale for the Senior Assistant City Clerk position from the City of Orlando:
SrAssistantCityClerk_jobdescription1RELATED: Leaked Email: Orlando City Clerk Provided ‘Minimal Effort,’ Efficiency Questioned
ALSO: Orlando City Clerk Spends Thousands of Tax Dollars on Vegas Trip
