Today, Police Chief Bill Lee announced his resignation. And today, Sanford city commissioners voted to reject his letter of resignation by a margin of 3-2. Mayor Jeff Triplett and commissioners Patty Mahany and Randy Jones refused to allow City Manager Norton Bonapart to throw Lee under the bus.

Resignation, said Mahany, “is not right. Just on a human level … It’s solely political … The city manager felt he had no choice.” Jones said that Lee should be reinstated immediately. “For some,” said Jones, “there is complete disdain of the police department, even if Jesse Jackson was the police chief.”

Trayvon Martin’s family attorney said that Lee’s resignation should have been accepted.

The city said that it would continue to use Capt. Darren Scott, the interim police chief, in his current role, until a solution was found.