PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Port Richey’s City Council meeting ended just minutes after it began Tuesday. 

City Manager Vince Lupo told a packed council chambers that Councilman Richard Bloom called him less than 20 minutes before the meeting was scheduled to begin to tell him he had food poisoning and wasn’t able to leave his house. That meant there was no quorum and the meeting couldn’t move forward.

“I’m dumbfounded. I really don’t have a reaction. I’m at a loss for words,” said attendee Janet Eckermann.

The council was expected to discuss what, if any, action to take following last week’s suspension of Acting Mayor Terrence Rowe by the governor and to appoint an interim member to fill Rowe’s council seat. Eckermann was one of the people who planned to step forward for consideration.

“The citizens are ready to move on and do better. Can’t do that unless there’s support,” she said.

“Tonight was pretty much just a set-up,” said resident Kenneth Burke. “7:11 and he finds out he’s too late? Oh, come on.”

“We are absolutely embarrassed,” Lupo said of the events of the past nearly five weeks, “but we know that there’s a bright light for this city, and it’ll be here shortly.”

Rowe’s name has been removed from a list of city officials posted in front of city hall. Lupo said he’s still a council person and hasn’t resigned, but has taken no action within the city since his suspension.

“He is, therefore, in a state of limbo at this stage,” Lupo said. But the city manager insisted Port Richey itself is not.

Still, former vice mayor Bill Colombo, who twice stepped into the acting mayor role, said he’d hoped to see the city begin to move forward at the meeting.

“City council members can call city meetings. If it were me up on council, I’d be calling a meeting every two days. We need to get this done,” Colombo said.

While Lupo said the city was looking into what its options are for calling a special meeting, there was no word on a possible date Tuesday night. The next regular meeting is scheduled for April 9.

Councilman Bloom did not respond to a request for comment.