Fernandina Beach High principal resigns over missing funds

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. – More than a month after $1,300 was found missing from ticket sales to a Fernandina Beach High School basketball game, Principal Spencer Lodree has resigned, according to the Nassau County school superintendent.

Superintendent Kathy Burns said two school employees discovered the money missing when reconciling the tickets sold and money received after a Jan. 29 game. School resource officers were notified and they let the superintendent know. The Fernandina Beach Police Department also began an investigation.

Burns said that during an interview on Feb 5, Lodree admitted to taking the money and resigned.

"Prior to that time, the superintendent and administrators of the Nassau County School District had no reason to suspect that Dr. Lodree would take money from the school," Burns said in a statement. "The school district recovered the money through a deduction from Dr. Lodree’s final paycheck and the School District has reported Dr. Lodree’s actions to the Florida Department of Education’s Office of Professional Practices.”

There was no word whether Lodree would face criminal charges.