Investigation of FWS Regional Director

We investigated allegations that a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) regional director and FWS’ Florida State supervisor for ecological services improperly reorganized three FWS field offices so that the offices would fall under the State supervisor’s direction. The complainant also alleged that the regional director and the State supervisor engaged in several unfair and illegal personnel actions involving employees in the field offices. 
 

We found that the regional director knew about the reorganization but was not directly involved in it. In addition, while the State supervisor helped to plan the reorganization, another FWS official made the final decision to implement it. 
 

We also found that the regional director was not aware of the personnel actions referenced in the complaint. We examined 11 lateral reassignments and transfers that had occurred in the field offices over several years and found that all were conducted in accordance with Federal regulations and U.S. Department of the Interior policy.