Latest news with #Tallahassee-based
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
New study finds this company most accurate for hurricane predictions. Is it right?
As the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season approaches, it is vitally important for Floridians who are potentially in the line of fire to have the most accurate, up-to-date weather information available. A new study by London-based marketing and analytics firm Kantar suggests that it might come from AccuWeather. Based on forecasts during the 2024 Atlantic season, Kantar determined that "AccuWeather's forecasts are, on average, the most accurate, the best communicated, and overall the most useful for people to make the best decisions to protect life and property." However, other meteorologists pointed out problems with Kantar's report. "The AccuWeather 'study' makes claims about their forecast skill that cannot be falsified, and thus are not scientific," said Dr. Ryan Truchelut, co-founder, president, and chief meteorologist of Tallahassee-based weather forecasting company WeatherTiger. "Without offering a study methodology to scrutinize, there is no way to evaluate the so-called findings in the slide deck, other than to say the document overall reads like something put together by consultants with no background in meteorology, working backwards from a conclusion," Truchelut said in an email. "As Accuweather does not issue detailed track and intensity forecasts to the public each 6 hours as the NHC does, there is no independent means of verifying their forecasts, as the NHC rigorously does after each season." Other critics pointed out that the report seemingly does not include false positives where AccuWeather forecasted system developments that never happened, the study looked at only one year, and it may not have compared apples to apples in the data. "The report is an exercise in marketing and self-aggrandizement, and nothing else," Truchelut said. "Furthermore, it is also in extraordinarily ill taste to attack the NHC now, with NOAA and the NWS suffering continued cuts." The report comes as the Trump administration has made drastic cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which oversees the National Weather Service and the National Hurricane Service, among other agencies. More than 550 of the 4,800 weather service employees have been dismissed, retired or accepted incentive offers to step down, leaving many of the forecast offices shorthanded with staff reductions from 20-40% and scrambling to cover staffing and maintain the usual quality and number of measurements. Several offices were forced to end weather balloon launches, which can reduce the agency's ability to predict weather, and CNN reported on May 2 that 30 NWS offices no longer had a lead meteorologist. 'This has never happened before. We've always been an agency that has provided 24/7 service to the American public,' Tom Fahy, legislative director for the National Weather Service Employees Organization, told ABC News. 'The risk is extremely high — if cuts like this continue to the National Weather Service, people will die.' Weather forecasts: Trump cuts leave National Weather Service scrambling to cover vital shifts Project 2025, the conservative roadmap and wishlist from right-wing think tank The Heritage Foundation, calls for NOAA to be broken up due to its position in the "climate change alarm industry" and says the government should charge for National Weather Service data that is currently free. Trump disavowed Project 2025 during his campaign, but many of his initiatives mirror or surpass the project's goals and he has placed some of its writers into administrative positions including key author Russell Vought, now the Trump administration's budget office director. The study concluded, after analyzing coverage of all storms during the 2024 season, that AccuWeather was, on average: 6.2% more accurate than the NHC and other sources for track forecasts 8.9% more accurate for storms that made landfall 8.6% more accurate for landfall location prediction 37.8% more accurate for landfall intensity forecasts 4% more accurate for maximum wind intensity forecasts Kantar said AccuWeather's storm track and intensity forecasts extended 25 hours further into the future than the NHC and all other sources for all 2024 storms, and 31 hours further into the future for those that made U.S. landfall. It also praised AccuWeather's proprietary RealImpact Scale for communicating the potential dangers of hurricanes as compared to the standard Saffir-Simpson Scale, which only measures windspeed. "We are very gratified by these results, which further support our mission of saving lives and protecting property," said AccuWeather Founder and Executive Chairman Dr. Joel N. Myers in a release. "This historic report marks the first time a third-party has verified that another source has been more accurate and more effective in predicting hurricanes and their impacts than NOAA's National Hurricane Center." Not everyone took the report at face value. "With professional respect to my colleagues at AccuWeather, this is a study *paid for* by AccuWeather that uses highly questionable methods and makes a number of false claims," Matthew Cappucci, a meteorologist for the Washington Post, in a series of posts on X. "AccuWeather claims to win 'all landfalling storms,' presumably with a U.S. bias... ...which allows them to completely throw out their absolutely erroneous forecast of a high-end Category 2 slamming into Florida. (It died over the Yucatan as a T.S.)," he said, referring to Tropical Storm Sara, a November 2024 storm that made landfall in Central America. "Case in point," Cappucci said. "AccuWeather wants to make a case that they were right from the beginning with regard to Francine, but then sweep many other forecasts, like that of Sara, under the rug." Dr. Levi Cowan, FSU meteorology grad and owner of forecast site pointed out that the report analyzed forecasts at 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 84 and 108 hours from the issued time. "But @NHC_Atlantic issues forecasts at lead times of 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 96, and 120 hours, making it unclear exactly how this analysis was done," he said in an X post. "Was interpolation of some data to a different set of lead times performed? Was mean absolute error or some other metric used? We don't know, because the report is opaque." In a release, AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said that the important foundational work of the National Hurricane Center should in no way be disregarded. But AccuWeather, unlike most other weather services, uses its own data as well as data from the NHC. "The agency provides a vital life-saving service," he said. "Our work complements this effort and state and local agencies and companies that need the most accurate forecast of hurricane tracks and impacts ranging from storm surge to rain flooding to tornadoes to wind and water damage, we are not discouraging the use of the National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service forecasts, but if you want the best and access to expert consulting meteorologists that you can speak to at any time 24/7, AccuWeather is the answer." AccuWeather is predicting the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season could bring: Named storms: 13 to 18 Hurricanes: 7-10 Major hurricanes: 3-5 Direct U.S. impacts: 3-6 NOAA is predicting a 60% chance of an above-normal season, a 30% chance of a near-normal season and a 10% chance for a below-normal season. Forecasters predict: Named storms: 13-19 Hurricanes: 6-10 Major hurricanes: 3-5 Colorado State University meteorologists predict: 17 named storms 9 hurricanes 4 major hurricanes Dr. Ryan Truchelut of WeatherTiger hedged his bets and predicted that the 2025 season has a 50-50 chance of landing in the ranges of: 16-21 tropical storms 7-9 hurricanes 3-4 major hurricanes Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, and Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida contributed to this story. This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Is AccuWeather more accurate than NHC? Critics call study unscientific
USA Today
13-05-2025
- USA Today
2014 FSU shooting victim angry over latest gun violence: 'We only have one life'
2014 FSU shooting victim angry over latest gun violence: 'We only have one life' Ronny Ahmed was one of three people injured in the last FSU shooting at Strozier Library. Show Caption Hide Caption Florida State University vigil for shooting victims draws thousands Thousands of people gathered on the Florida State University campus during a vigil for the shooting victims in Tallahassee, Florida. As 2014 FSU shooting victim Ronny Ahmed tells it, "There's no putting Pandora back in the box." Days after a gunman killed two and injured six on Florida State University's Tallahassee campus, Ahmed said he is skeptical there will be any cure to America's gun violence epidemic. Ahmed, then a 21-year-old biomedical engineering student, was one of three people injured in the last FSU shooting at Strozier Library. He was shot in the spine, resulting in paralysis from the waist down and limited use of his right arm, but eventually returned to FSU to complete his degree. Still, he said, "if my own family had a hard time caring and understanding what I was going through, what hope or chance does the average American have to truly be able to help these kids?" Now he's just angry. "I don't really know what else to feel," he said. 'I just need to play dead': FSU shooting victim recounts horrific ordeal as campus mourns Policymakers have had a decade to reverse the tide of gun violence, yet shootings keep happening, he said. While FSU might not be liable in this latest shooting, somebody is, he said. Ahmed sued FSU over his injuries, which ended in a $1 million settlement. Regarding the most recent victims, Ahmed said he "would just listen to them, more than anything, because no one listened to me when I was in that situation." Shooting suspect: New records show suspected FSU shooter had troubling fascination with hate groups Navigating life in a wheelchair, Ahmed keeps pushing to live a full life. The now 32-year-old is vice president of Life Worth Leading, a Tallahassee-based nonprofit organization that works to improve the lives of veterans, people with disabilities and underserved populations with scuba diving, cycling and therapy animals. Ahmed is working to get enrolled into flight school to get a pilot's license and has dreams of one day attending graduate school. "One of the things I heard so much in that hospital, afterward in the wheelchair, (or) stuck in bed, 'I don't know what to do, I don't know what to say, I don't know how to help you,' " Ahmed said. But he sees this as merely an excuse. "I have, essentially, a third of a working body," he said, and "I still do everything I can to help the people around me, to check on my friends, to ask and care about the people around me." Ahmed said the way these tragedies end is through education and talking with one another. "But ... we don't talk to our kids. We put them in front of iPads and expect them to raise themselves." Now is not the time for "doom scrolling" and "yelling at random strangers online about their political opinions," he added. "We only have one life here, and for some people, it's very short." Local government watchdog reporter Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@ Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa.
Politico
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Politico
The fall of the Floridians
Good morning and happy Friday. President DONALD TRUMP seems to have a Florida-sized personnel issue. This week, former Fox News contributor JANETTE NESHEIWAT became the latest Trump appointee to have her nomination pulled. She had been poised to appear before a Senate committee Thursday to answer questions about her qualifications to be the next surgeon general, but scrutiny surfaced about her medical education. Nesheiwat joins a growing list of Floridians who've gotten tripped up in their Trump administration journey: Former Reps. MATT GAETZ, MIKE WALTZ (who has found himself prepping for a new role) and DAVE WELDON, as well as Hillsborough County Sheriff CHAD CHRONISTER. Part of it is a game of odds. So many of Trump's picks have been from Florida, thus naturally the chance that a few Floridians might hit a snag is high. Top Floridians including chief of staff SUSIE WILES, deputy chief of staff JASON BLAIR and Attorney General PAM BONDI are all safely ensconced in the Trump administration. And Secretary of State MARCO RUBIO has done so well that he has taken on numerous other roles. But there is still somewhat of a Sunshine State pattern. Gaetz was the first to go after he couldn't get enough support in the Senate to become attorney general, in part because of investigations into sexual misconduct (which he denied). Trump said he pulled Chronister's nomination to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration because of restrictions on churches that had once been in place in the Tampa area during Covid. Weldon's anti-vaccine comments were too much for many senators in his push to head up the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Waltz is still in the mix, having gotten bumped from his job as national security adviser — but now he has to go through a bruising confirmation process to become the next US ambassador to the United Nations. (Note: His wife, JULIA NESHEIWAT, is Janette Nesheiwat's sister.) Asked about the trend, Miami filmmaker BILLY CORBEN called Floridians 'consummate hustlers' and likened the administration to 'The Apprentice,' adding, 'Florida men and Florida women are going to get hired and fired on a whim.' 'When you roll around in the swamp, you get mud on you,' he quipped. 'This seems to be a case of the best of the worst or even the worst around here. And when in doubt: Just give Marco Rubio another job.' Florida GOP operative JAMIE MILLER says today's partisan environment and narrow Senate majority makes it difficult for nominees to skate by without significant criticism in general. 'It's a rough gauntlet to navigate,' he said. Some of it may also be a culture clash. Miller said Floridians tend to be more 'laissez-faire' and 'brutally honest' — that 'what you see is what you get.' BRETT DOSTER, a Tallahassee-based GOP consultant who worked on former Gov. JEB BUSH's gubernatorial run and as senior adviser in Florida to MITT ROMNEY's 2012 presidential campaign, said he thinks Florida's political style is just too much for many in Washington to handle. 'The Florida freedom fighters brand scares the DC establishment to death,' he said. 'Too conservative and too dismissive of the status quo. Just can't get along with the K Street cocktail circuit.' WHERE'S RON? Gov. DeSantis is doing a roundtable in Jacksonville at 10 a.m. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at: kleonard@ ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... EXECUTION METHODS RECONFIGURED — 'Serial killer Glen Rogers, set to die next week, is claiming that Florida can't execute him using the state's default method, lethal injection, because his rare blood disorder would cause 'needless pain and suffering,'' reports Liv Caputo of The Floridian. But his upcoming execution could be complicated by the passage of a bill 'allowing death row inmates to be executed by firing squad, hanging, or any new method lawmakers can think of — as long as it's not unconstitutional.' SETTLEMENT REACHED — 'Nearly two years after Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell, state officials have agreed to pay $40,000 to settle a civil rights lawsuit filed by one of Worrell's former employees, records obtained by News 6 show,' reports Mike DeForest. — 'Florida GOP divide on taxes, budget could make for long, hot summer at Capitol,' by John Kennedy of USA Today Network — Florida. PENINSULA AND BEYOND FIU PRESIDENT FINALIST — 'Florida International University named former Lt. Gov. and current interim leader Jeanette Nuñez the sole finalist to serve as the school's president Thursday after a weekslong search in which other candidates never were publicly revealed,' reports POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury. 'Nuñez has been leading the Miami school — her alma mater — since February and now will stay on as president for the long haul, as was widely expected when she left the DeSantis administration. FIU's search committee claimed to have produced two finalists alongside Nuñez, both of whom were said to be high-ranking university officials elsewhere who opted to withdraw before becoming public.' SANTA IS COMING TO TOWN — 'Santa Ono sees the potential to make University of Florida the nation's very best public university,' Samuel Dodge reports for MLive. 'Ono announced his intention on May 4 to step down as University of Michigan president to take the same job in Florida. He published a letter Thursday in Inside Higher Education explaining his choice.' 'The May 8 letter 'Why I Chose University of Florida' details Ono's vision to focus his next presidency on instilling an emphasis on merit, ensuring peaceful protest and shifting how to promote diversity.' HOW BUDGETS AND PROPERTY TAXES INTERTWINE — 'Central Florida county budgets have ballooned since 2020, fueled partly by rising property tax collections that have pumped billions more dollars into municipal accounts,' reports Ryan Gillespie of the Orlando Sentinel. 'In Orange County, the annual spending plan grew by $1.7 billion in the last five years, with property tax collections up by about 40 percent, according to an Orlando Sentinel analysis. The four other largest local budgets in Central Florida swelled by at least $100 million in that time period.' NEW MAGISTRATE — 'When South Florida lawyer Detra Shaw-Wilder was nominated last year as a federal judge, her career appeared to be reaching new heights. But her nomination by a Democratic president withered away as Florida's two Republican senators blocked it amid a divisive presidential election campaign,' reports Jay Weaver of the Miami Herald. 'Shaw-Wilder, however, survived the setback and will soon be joining the federal bench as a magistrate judge in the Southern District of Florida.' — 'Daring rescue or political fiction? Caracas mocks U.S. narrative about embassy operation,' reports Antonio Maria Delgado of the Miami Herald. — 'How can a product be imported tariff-free to Miami without entering the U.S.? Welcome to the FTZ,' by WLRN's Tom Hudson. — 'FAMU alumni, community express anger, flex muscle in ongoing presidential search,' by Tarah Jean of the Tallahassee Democrat. — 'Florida political leaders praise selection of first American Pope, Leo XIV,' by Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics. FLORIDA CONNECTION — 'Pope Leo XIV, now the Holy Father of 1.4 billion Roman Catholics, has close ties to Southwest Florida. … His brother, Louis Prevost, lives in Port Charlotte,' reports the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. CAMPAIGN MODE LEADERSHIP BLUE DEETS — The Florida Leadership Blue Gala is set for Saturday, June 21, and its featured speakers include Sen. CORY BOOKER (D-N.J.) — who got plaudits from fellow Democrats for his record-breaking filibuster in April — and Kentucky Gov. ANDY BESHEAR, someone who can speak to winning red states as a Democrat and is exploring a run for president in 2028. The event is taking place at the Seminole Hardrock in Hollywood. (More details.) TOMORROW — Sen. CHRIS MURPHY (D-Conn.) and Rep. MAXWELL FROST (D-Fla.) will host a town-hall meeting in Sarasota — in a district represented by Rep. GREG STEUBE (R-Fla.) — 'as part of a campaign of Democrats holding events in Republican-held congressional districts,' reports Mitch Perry of the Florida Phoenix. 'The Sarasota Democratic Party notes in a statement that Steube voted for a budget resolution earlier this year that could potentially make deep cuts to Medicaid' and said 'If Steube won't meet with his constituents to explain his vote, Murphy and Frost will.'' GOV RACE — 'Among potential GOP candidates for Florida governor in 2026, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds leads First Lady Casey DeSantis by 19 percentage points, 44 percent–25 percent, according to a new statewide poll of registered voters by a conservative Tallahassee-based think tank,' reports Jim Rosica of USA Today Network — Florida. 'CRONY CAPITALISM' — 'Trump is promising that his economic agenda will empower American consumers and unlock growth. One of the GOP's biggest voices is warning that it's an insider's game,' reports POLITICO's Sam Sutton. ''Tariffs open the doors to crony capitalism. The government starts to pick winners and losers,' Citadel founder Ken Griffin told POLITICO at the Beverly Hilton during the Milken Institute's Global Conference. 'I thought that would play out over the course of years. It's terrifying to watch this play out over the course of weeks.'' HEATING UP — 'Orange County Commissioner Mayra Uribe announced her campaign for Orange County Mayor on Thursday,' reports McKenna Schueler of Orlando Weekly. 'Uribe, representing a sprawling district covering neighborhoods south of downtown and in the Curry Ford District, is the third candidate so far to publicly toss her hat into the ring. Her announcement comes after those of Tiffany Moore-Russell, who currently serves as Orange County Clerk, and local tech entrepreneur Christopher Messina, who unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2022.' DATELINE D.C. RIGHT BEFORE HURRICANE SEASON — 'The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency was fired Thursday morning, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation,' reports E&E News by POLITICO's Thomas Frank. 'Cameron Hamilton, FEMA's acting administrator, has told people that he was terminated, leaving the nation's disaster agency without a top official three weeks before the start of the Atlantic hurricane season and as Congress scrutinizes FEMA's proposed budget for fiscal 2026.' A WHOLE NEW GULF — After the House passed a resolution that would rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, Rep. JIMMY PATRONIS invited Trump to his district to do a ribbon-cutting ceremony that would be part of a 'BIG celebration' for the occasion. — 'Florida lawmakers push bipartisan bill to keep Venezuelan immigrants from being deported,' reports Sergio R. Bustos of WLRN. — 'Trump ramps up plans for 2026 World Cup amid friction with neighbors: 'Tensions are a good thing,'' by POLITICO's Sophia Cai, Myah Ward and Tim Röhn. — 'DeSantis wants state control of Everglades restoration. Elon Musk could help him get it,' by NOTUS' Claire Heddles. — 'Gun violence prevention group in Miami loses its federal funding,' by Raisa Habersham of the Miami Herald. TRANSITION TIME — JACKIE LLANOS of the Florida Phoenix will be joining NOTUS as a fellow covering Congress. — Trump nominated JOHN 'JACK' HEEKIN, Sen. RICK SCOTT's deputy chief of staff and general counsel, to be the next U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Florida, reports Jeff Burlew of the Tallahassee Democrat. ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN GRAND OPENING — Biometric ID company and financial network World launched its first East Coast location in Florida on Thursday. The hub is in the growing Wynwood neighborhood of Miami and lets visitors check out technology that verifies people's 'humanness.' The company is best-known for its Orb devices, which scan people's eyeballs to verify them as human and not a bot. Tools for Humanity Chief Product Officer TIAGO SADA called the Miami location an 'obvious choice' because the 'city has a unique international and cultural footprint' and 'Miami's tech community thriving.' The group provided polling showing that most Floridians want better online verification tools, are concerned about AI-generated misinformation online and want more biometric tools that also protect privacy. BIRTHDAYS: Bill Herrle, NFIB's executive director in Florida … journalist Renzo Downey. … (Saturday) Stephen M. Ross, principal owner of the Miami Dolphins … E.W. Scripps Company reporter Forrest Saunders … USA Today's Zac Anderson … (Sunday) state Rep. John Paul Temple.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Poll: Trump's endorsement boosts Byron Donalds over Casey DeSantis for Florida governor
Among potential GOP candidates for Florida governor in 2026, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds leads First Lady Casey DeSantis by 19 percentage points, 44%–25%, according to a new statewide poll of registered voters by a conservative Tallahassee-based think tank. But that support came after the James Madison Institute's sample of 516 registered Republican voters, out of 1,200 registered voters altogether, were told President Donald Trump had endorsed Donalds – the only officially-declared leading Republican in the race. Before being told of the Trump endorsement, Mrs. DeSantis was statistically tied with Donalds, of Naples, at 29% and 28% respectively. The margin of error of the survey, which was conducted May 5 to 7, is 2.77%. "Trump's endorsement carries huge weight among Republican voters, but half (didn't) know it happened" till they were told, the institute's press release said. (The poll results were released to reporters the evening of May 8 but embargoed till May 9.) Casey DeSantis and Gov. Ron DeSantis have been buffeted for weeks by news reports related to her signature Hope Florida initiative, billed as a conservative alternative to traditional welfare programs. That controversy wasn't brought up to poll respondents, according to the released poll questions. A panel of the GOP-led Florida House and news outlets have been digging into a $10 million donation directed to the program's fundraising arm, and whether that money then was improperly diverted – amounting to a sort of campaign-finance money laundering. The DeSantises have strenuously denied any wrongdoing. Moreover, the closest Mrs. DeSantis has come to confirming her much speculated-about candidacy was saying, 'We'll see,' when asked at a conservative summit in Maryland in March. Before that, her husband threw cold water on the idea of a bid, telling Fox News' Laura Ingraham in February that it's 'not something that she's seeking out ... but it's flattering.' From February: Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis most favored among potential GOP candidates, poll shows The institute actually commissioned two public opinion polls, one in April and the latest in early May. But the April poll didn't make clear to respondents that Trump gave the thumbs up to Donalds. The earlier poll also was conducted before South Florida state Sen. Jason Pizzo left the Democratic Party. Pizzo's announcement that he was stepping down as Senate Democratic leader and becoming a 'no party affiliated' lawmaker came on the floor of the Senate on April 24, two days after that poll closed. In April, he polled at a whopping 42% 'among Democrats or those leaning Democratic.' Still undeclared, he's teased his own run for months. Now he can't run in Florida's closed primary system. Asking again in May, the JMI poll found Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava jumped to 32% among the poll's 396 registered Democrats from 15% the month before. And former Tallahassee congresswoman Gwen Graham, most recently an education official in the Biden administration, went up to 13% support from 5%. Another former Florida congressman, Republican-turned-Democrat David Jolly of Pinellas County, went from 9% support in April to 10% in May. Of all those polled in May, a combined 85% said they "always" or "nearly always" vote in elections. Also, 43% identified as Republican, 33% as Democratic and 23% as "independent." But 34% overall identified as "moderate." In one hypothetical general election matchup, Donalds overtook Levine Cava 38%–34%, with Pizzo garnering 5% as an independent candidate and 23% saying they were undecided. In another, Casey DeSantis beats Levine Cava 39%–35%, with Pizzo at 8% and undecideds at 18%. "DeSantis and Donalds are polling close to 40%, roughly the share of registered Republicans in Florida," the press release said. "That suggests early general election support is tracking closely with partisan ID, with a large share of voters currently undecided or soft in their preferences." Both the April and May polls were conducted by Targoz Market Research of Nashville, Tennessee. Read more at This story contains previously published material. Jim Rosica is a member of the USA TODAY Network – Florida Capital Bureau. Reach him at jrosica@ and follow him on Twitter/X: @JimRosicaFL. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Poll: Byron Donalds surges past Casey DeSantis with Trump backing
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Palm Coast mayor gets no confidence vote after investigation shows charter violations
With a vacant seat front and center on the dais, the Palm Coast City Council unanimously approved a vote of no confidence in Mayor Mike Norris and agreed to censure him. The decision stems from a 57-page report released April 21 regarding allegations that Norris violated the city charter, interfered with city employees and behaved unprofessionally. Norris, who was sworn into office in November 2024, was notably absent from both business workshops April 22. He did not return a phone call or text from The News-Journal. Adam Brandon of Lawson Huck Gonzalez, PLLC – a Tallahassee-based law firm – conducted the investigation and his summary of the accusations includes reviewed materials and statements from several current and former city officials, which point to Norris' alleged offenses. Most notably, Brandon's report focuses on Norris' 'unilateral attempt to obtain the resignations of the acting city manager (Lauren Johnston) and chief of staff (Jason DeLorenzo),' which Brandon argued 'crossed the line into interference with operational and personnel decisions that Mayor Norris is not entitled to make in a council-manager form of government.' Johnston told the investigator that Norris 'suggested as early as December 2024 that Jason DeLorenzo, Patrick Buckley, and others in the building department should be fired,' according to the report. 'However, Mayor Norris backed off once Ms. Johnston advised him that Mr. DeLorenzo was essential to the city's operations.' Johnston also told Brandon that 'during a meeting on March 10, 2025, the mayor explicitly stated he had lost confidence and requested immediate resignations from her and Jason DeLorenzo,' which she described as a 'one-way conversation.' The report also includes City Attorney Marcus Duffy's recollection of 'a conversation in which Mayor Norris told him, 'You've got to help me convince Lauren to fire Jason. He's at the top of the spiderweb of corruption.'' The "spiderweb of corruption" or just the "spiderweb," is a term used multiple times throughout the report in quotes from Norris or people quoting him. However there are no specifics or evidence of any such corruption in the report. Duffy 'advised the mayor that he did not have the authority' to fire Johnston or DeLorenzo. According to the report, the city attorney also 'told Mayor Norris on three occasions that he could not interfere with city employees who are not charter officers, including the chief of staff.' According to Brandon, Norris' alleged conduct 'likely meets the definition of inference under the charter.' The Palm Coast city charter does not specify what could happen in case of interference by a City Council member 'in the operational and personnel decisions reserved to the city manager.' Although it doesn't define the term 'interference,' the charter stipulates that such interference 'could constitute malfeasance,' which 'can generally lead to penalties such as removal from office, suspension, public censure, salary forfeiture, civil fines and restitution,' according to the report. 'While some of these penalties require a political process (e.g., a censure resolution adopted by a majority vote of the City Council), the Florida Commission on Ethics can also impose certain penalties,' Brandon's report added. In his own statement to Brandon, included in the report, Norris claimed that there has been 'a lot of confusion' regarding his conversations with Johnston and DeLorenzo. 'I want to be clear: I did not demand their resignations,' Norris' statement reads, according to the report. 'City Attorney Marcus Duffy was on the phone during the conversation and may have assumed I was demanding they resign. That was not my intent. I never instructed Lauren to fire Jason, and I did not tell Marcus Duffy that he needed to resign either, though it's possible he interpreted my remarks that way.' Norris acknowledged that he 'requested their resignations, but I did not demand them.' 'As the Mayor, I believe I have the right to request a resignation when I lose confidence in a staff member,' Norris continued. 'I recognize I do not have the authority to terminate employees, and I have never claimed otherwise.' Brandon argued that Norris 'did not simply express a personal view or provide evidence of corruption by a city employee. Rather, Mayor Norris explicitly sought to pressure the acting city manager and chief of staff to submit their resignations.' Brandon's report also includes accounts from 'numerous city employees, a former member of the City Council, and other citizens' who have reported what the investigator described as 'ethics violations, the creation of a hostile work environment for city employees, and other alleged unprofessional behavior' from the mayor. Some of these accusations include: 'Inappropriate and profane comments directed at female staff. Demeaning comments directed toward the communications and marketing department. Alleged age discrimination. Use of profanity and verbal intimidation.' Accounts from city employees in the report refer to comments Norris allegedly made about a female city employee's toenail polish and another's professional attire. Brittany Kershaw, the city's director of communications and marketing, accused Norris of 'berating the department's work on the Starlight Parade livestream, using profanity, calling the work 'garbage' and 'horse (expletive).' According to the report, Norris apologized to the communications team and said he was 'kidding.' 'In the grand scheme of things, I don't really care about a video of a parade,' Norris wrote. 'I'm not trying to degrade your service. It's just a crappy video.' Renina Fuller, the city's human resources director, reported a meeting where Norris 'explicitly advocated for hiring younger employees due to older employees being costly in health care benefits,' according to the report. 'The mayor's guidance, if followed, could have exposed the city to age-discrimination claims,' Brandon argued. 'However, I found no evidence of actual age discrimination by the city.' In his defense, Norris claimed that he made a 'factual observation' that 'older employees cost more in benefits.' 'I never instructed the HR department to hire or fire anyone,' Norris wrote. 'I was simply pointing out that a younger workforce tends to cost less.' Council members were disappointed with the results of the investigation, but not surprised. More importantly, they were ready to stop wasting time on issues with Norris and start working for the residents of Palm Coast. "I don't want to be working on this," Councilman Ty Miller said three hours into the second meeting. "I want to be working on the city and getting the city better every day. Instead we're dealing with a constant distraction, trying to build trust while another person is trying to tear that apart." Miller said Norris' absence, of which he didn't notify any city staff or fellow members, shows he's not willing to do the work and not willing "to confront things he may not like. "If it's in a back room where he can intimidate someone and tell them what to do – certainly (he's) willing to do it. But not in public. We can't talk about it there." Vice Mayor Theresa Carli Pontieri said she reached out to the mayor earlier in the morning to make sure he was OK, but he never responded. She said Norris' actions have already taken a toll on the city, which is evident in candidates dropping out of the city manager search "and it's probably affecting people moving and investing in our community. These are not things that an investor wants to see – they want to see 'stability' and 'predictability.'" She called Norris a "coward" for refusing to bring issues to the board for public discussion and instead calling "secret meetings." "I don't think this is what the voters of Palm Coast genuinely voted for," Pontieri said. "The voters of Palm Coast did not vote for a dictator. The voters of Palm Coast did not vote for a mayor to come in and disregard the rules and the procedures set out in the city charter and not want to work with the board as a governing body, because that's what we are. We are a governing body and a republic. We are not part of a dictatorship." Council members also brought up their disappointment with the state of the city address and Norris' inability to show leadership and collaborate with others. Councilman Charles Gambaro, who made the motion for the censure and no-confidence vote, said he was especially concerned in the malfeasance finding and was disappointed in the mayor's behavior, as well as "the wild accusations against this council, members of our city staff which has been clearly documented and members of our community without any facts supporting his claims." One example he gave included his interview on a local website in which he gave council members the middle finger. Councilman David Sullivan, who was only recently appointed to the board, called Norris a "coarse bully." "I look at it as the difference between the mayor and us is he has that title – mayor – he's supposed to be kind of the front person for the city," Sullivan said. "He gets one vote like all of us, but the little difference is he he gets elected citywide for the job. But he's not doing that job. He's actually having a negative impact on Palm Coast right now, not a positive impact and he doesn't seem to understand what his proper role should be. I think what we have here is a coarse bully. He's acting as a bully and usually that's the sign of somebody who has an inferiority complex." The council discussed sending a formal letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis asking him to remove Norris from his post, but in the end, Gambaro made a motion to file a formal complaint to the Ethics Commission against Norris for malfeasance. In the meantime, Brandon will give a presentation of his findings and council members will decide whether or not to finalize the letter to the governor. At the conclusion of his report, Brandon made several recommendations to the City Council's course of action, including referring the matter for further review by the Florida Commission on Ethics and moving to censure Norris. He also encouraged the city to 'strengthen the charter's enforcement mechanisms,' clarifying what punishment could result 'when elected officials engage in malfeasance or attempt to make operational and personnel decisions reserved to the city manager.' He also recommended the City Council hire a permanent city manager 'who has been approved by a vote of the full City Council;' implement mandatory training on the city charter, Sunshine Law, ethics rules for public officers and more; support staff and whistleblower protections; and monitor 'concerns about the relationship between the City Council and city employees, including regular updates to the Council from the City Manager and Human Resources.' This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Palm Coast mayor gets unanimous no confidence vote
