ALACHUA COUNTY, FL – Alachua County spokesman Mark Sexton was at the center of attention at Alachua County Commission meeting over an accident in which he was driving a county car while on vacation and hit a man crossing a Miami Beach street on a Christmas night in 2006, according to www.gainesville.com.

Some commissioners criticized both Sexton and his supervisor, County Manager Randall Reid, over Sexton’s use of a county car.

Sexton is one of 47 county employees who has a take-home car. Sexton said he considered the car — a Toyota Prius — to be his personal car.

“I am aware that one of the ways employment compensation is determined is a package of salary, benefits, and the perks that come with the job,” Sexton said as quoted by www.gatorsports.com. “At any moment I can be called to come back in, so I took it at face value that one of the perks of this job is that I did not have to have a personal vehicle, that I had a county vehicle assigned to me with unlimited personal use.”

County officials said that 47 employees in departments under the County Commission have take-home cars. Most are fire rescue personnel and code enforcement officers. The 47 represent about 16 percent of the 293 cars in the fleet.

The Sheriff’s Office has about 300 take-home vehicles for employees who live in the county. Policies allow deputies and other “critical position staff” to use the vehicles off-duty in the county.