Ethics complaints filed against Sewall's Point officials following clerk's firing

Yahoo

15 hours ago

SEWALL'S POINT — Two public officials here have been slapped with ethics complaints in the wake of the town clerk's dismissal.
Former Town Clerk April Stoncius filed the complaints against Finance and Human Resource Director Maria Pierce and Town Manager Bob Daniels June 28 and July 11, respectively. Copies of the complaints were obtained by TCPalm.
Daniels fired Stoncius for insubordination, Stoncius said. Her last day as town clerk was April 28.
"The documents speak for themselves and reflect a clear breach of ethics and integrity, as well as a violation of public trust," Stoncius said by email.
The Florida Commission on Ethics doesn't confirm nor deny whether complaints have been filed, commission spokesperson Lynn Blais said.
Both Daniels and Pierce declined Aug. 19 to comment for this story. But Town Attorney Glen Torcivia, who teaches ethics courses to such groups as the Treasure Coast Regional League of Cities, said he sees no merit to either complaint.
The complaint against Pierce
Pierce allegedly violated the town's public records request policy, the complaint shows, by responding to a request from the media without notifying the town clerk.
Pierce also allegedly changed the format of a commission meeting agenda without consulting with the town clerk, "resulting in the first unapproved agenda in the town's history," Stoncius wrote in the complaint. Because the agenda went unapproved, none of the business at the meeting was binding, Stoncius said in the complaint.
Additionally, someone altered commission meeting minutes, which Stoncius was told to send to Pierce before sending them to town commissioners.
"Any altering of what occurred at a public meeting for one's own benefit is unethical at best," Stoncius wrote in the complaint.
What was altered was a comment Pierce made to the commission, the complaint says.
The complaint against Daniels
Daniels refused to release a report on septic-to-sewer conversions in response to a public records request Oct. 24, 2022, Stoncius' complaint says. As of July 11, the report had yet to be released, according to the complaint.
Torcivia, however, said the report was simply mentioned in a separate report by Town Engineer Joe Capra of Captec Engineering.
The requested report also never was prepared for the town, Torcivia said.
Daniels also allegedly interfered with and failed to provide an answer to the town clerk regarding a public records request filed October 2024 by Frank Tidikis, so the clerk could process it according to state law. A month later Tidikis was elected to the Town Commission.
Stoncius — following no response from Daniels or the town engineer — took it upon herself to fulfill the request, the complaint says.
"After fulfilling now-Commissioner Tidikis' public records request, I experienced 'heat' from Mr. Daniels for providing the correct information," Stoncius wrote in the complaint.
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Lastly, Stoncius alleges, Daniels never responded to a Jan. 23, public records request regarding maps of the town's stormwater drainage system.
In that case, the requestor should have come forward and complained, Torcivia said.
"I don't think that claim has any merit at all," he said.
"I have been harassed and treated unfairly for providing the truth in the process ofperforming my sworn position," Stoncius says in the complaint, "in an effort to provide transparency to the public. There is a lack of ethics and integrity under Mr. Daniels' management."
Keith Burbank is TCPalm's watchdog reporter covering Martin County. He can be reached at [e-mail] and at 720-288-6882.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Ethics complaints lodged against two Sewall's Point officials
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