Governor considers suspending Haynie.

As pressure mounts for Boca Raton’s mayor to resign, Gov. Rick Scott is mulling whether to suspend Susan Haynie from her post as she battles corruption charges.

The two Republicans know each other, appearing together at events over the years.

Haynie most recently greeted Scott at a bill-signing ceremony last month in Boca Raton. Scott also attempted to hold a fundraiser in 2014 at the home of the real estate mogul at the heart of the scandal.

Haynie has dropped her bid for county commission, but she hasn’t resigned as mayor. Her second term ends in 2020. Two of her colleagues on the five-member city council are calling on her to resign.

While Haynie has not answered questions from reporters, her attorney, Leonard Feuer, said the mayor is innocent and will be “fully vindicated.” If convicted on all charges, Haynie would face more than 20 years in prison.

Scott is awaiting more information from law enforcement and will review the matter, according to a statement issued by his office. Typically, the governor suspends elected officials facing criminal charges.

“The governor expects all elected officials to serve Floridians in an ethical manner,” said Ashley Cook, a Scott spokeswoman.

Scott is seeking to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in the fall.

The Boca Raton City Council does not have the authority to remove Haynie from office, but she is facing pressure to resign from council members Scott Singer and Andrea O’Rourke.

“This situation casts a shadow, and our city needs to move forward with the pressing issues that can’t wait,” said Scott, who was one of four interested in filling Haynie’s seat when she was expected to resign to run for the county commission. “I believe it would be in the city’s best interests for the mayor to step down.”

O’Rourke said Haynie should “resign as soon as possible.”

Haynie lied about money she took from developers and hid more than $335,000 in income, prosecutors say.

Haynie also is accused of voting favorably on issues that would benefit real estate investor James Batmasian while not disclosing she did business with him through Community Reliance, a property management company she founded with her husband.

Haynie was listed as a managing member of the company’s LLC from 2007-2015, but only her husband was listed in 2016 and 2017, according to state records.

She told an investigator that she had not received any income at all from Community Reliance between 2012 and 2016. But bank records showed that Haynie wrote two checks to herself from that company’s bank account, one for $1,500 on March 14, 2016, and one for $3,800 on May 26, 2016.

In 2014, Scott tried to hold a $10,000-a-plate fundraiser at Batmasian’s home to benefit his campaign for governor. Scott abruptly canceled the event when it was revealed Batmasian was a felon who had done time for federal income tax evasion.

Batmasian pleaded guilty in 2008 to a felony charge of failing to pay the government $253,513 in federal taxes for employees at his company, Investments Limited. He was sentenced to eight months in prison followed by two years of supervised release, which is similar to probation.

The mayor turned herself in Tuesday night at the Palm Beach County Jail, where she was booked and released on $12,000 bail. Haynie, who wore sweats and a Tommy Bahama “Relax” sweatshirt, didn’t answer questions from reporters as she left the jail with her lawyer.

In a letter to the elections office, Haynie did not say why she was withdrawing her candidacy for county commission, but sources told the South Florida Sun Sentinel she wants to focus on clearing her name.

If Haynie resigns, the city charter provides for Singer, the deputy mayor, to assume the role of mayor until a special election can be held.

Because that will create a vacancy on the council, the council, by majority vote, can appoint a qualified person to temporarily fill such a vacancy until the office of mayor is filled by election, according to the city charter.

Former Boca Raton Councilman Bob Weinroth, a Democrat, has announced he will run for the commission seat, along with Billy Vale, a Republican.

Others can still enter the election until June 22. Republican County Commissioner Steven Abrams, who is term-limited, is leaving the office in November.

Haynie has been a player in Boca Raton’s political scene for about two decades. She served on various city boards and neighborhood association boards before being elected to the city council in 2000.

She was elected mayor in 2014 and then won another three-year term in 2017. Haynie, who is termlimited, announced her candidacy for county commissioner in October.

During her political career, Haynie has earned numerous accolades and served as president of the Florida League of Cities in 2016.

Abrams said the mayor left a positive stamp on the city in many ways, but he thinks it will be difficult for her to continue serving.

“She needs to devote all her energies to the efforts of defending her name,” he said.