Temple Terrace mayor Mel Jurado was asked to resign at an October City Council meeting after questions were raised regarding two college degrees. A Tampa Bay Times investigation report published that month said that the mayor received her doctorate from unaccredited La Salle University in Mandeville, La., a diploma mill that was shut down by the FBI. The newspaper also could not find a record of her claims for receiving a master’s degree in sports medicine from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Nicole M. Ford, a University of Tampa political science professor and member of the citizens group Re-Imagine Temple Terrace that is requesting the resignation, said, as an elected official, Jurado is obligated to follow the law.
