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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
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ron DeSantis carries on Florida feud with Congressman Randy Fine, calling him a 'squish'
The coronation of Randy Fine as a newly elected Florida congressman Wednesday didn't come without critical words from a fellow Republican and ally-turned-foe. Gov. Ron DeSantis, in a news conference in Ocala Wednesday, ripped Fine's "underperformance" in Tuesday's special election, blaming Fine's personality, which "repels people." Though Fine defeated Democrat Josh Weil by 14 percentage points, Florida's 6th District – which includes Daytona Beach, DeLand, Ormond Beach and Palm Coast – was won in November by Mike Waltz by 33 points. Fine returned fire late Wednesday night, texting The News-Journal a series of "factual corrections" and posting on X this response to DeSantis, a lame-duck governor isolated from Trump's circle of trust because of his 2024 presidential challenge. "A dying star burns brightest before it fades into oblivion," Fine wrote. "I'm focused on working with @realDonaldTrump to stop Democrats from taking this country backwards, not working with them." DeSantis and Fine have feuded since October 2023, when Fine – then a member of the Florida House –pulled back his endorsement of the governor, and instead became the first of some 100 Florida lawmakers to instead throw support to Trump. The two – both of whom have Harvard degrees – had previously been allies. DeSantis, who had predicted Fine would not win as much support as Waltz or Trump had in November, responded to a question about the election in the 6th, which includes part of Marion County. "What happened with Randy Fine is exactly what I said. He would win but underperform, and that's what happened," DeSantis said. "President won that by 30 points in '24. I won it by 35-plus points (running as governor) in 2022. Fine is out there saying he won it by the same margin I did. That is a total, total lie. I won by more than twice he did there in '22." Fine said he had based his comparison on DeSantis' first run for Congress in 2012, when the governor was an unknown former Navy JAG officer. DeSantis defeated Democrat Heather Beaven by a 57-43 margin, a nearly identical score as Fine's defeat of Josh Weil this week. And Fine added: "(DeSantis) did not face $14 million in opposition." It's not entirely clear how much Democratic cash – or Republican money, for that matter – went into the Fine-Weil race. Federal election reports show Weil had raised $9.5 million and Fine nearly $1 million by March 12, but clearly there was more raised in the final weeks. DeSantis said Republicans tossed $4 million or $5 million into the race in the final weeks, but Fine said "there is no evidence" of that. Whatever Republicans spent, DeSantis said: "The fact that money had to be spent, that's not a good thing. This should have been won going away." DeSantis attempted to counter one narrative that Weil's performance, cutting the November margin by more than half, was an "anti-MAGA backlash," by blaming Fine and using a term dating back to the Reagan era that's been described in a right-leaning National Center for Public Policy Research blog as "someone who could not be counted on to back a conservative initiative." "He's a squish, OK. He supported restrictions on Second Amendment rights back in 2018," DeSantis said. In the weeks following the mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, where 17 students and staff were slain by a 19-year-old former student, Fine joined a number of Republicans in supporting a wide-ranging bill that restricted rifle and long gun sales to people under age 21. DeSantis, who offered an immigration proposal at a special session that went nowhere, also complained that Fine's opposition meant he "tried to make Florida a de facto sanctuary state," which he argued turned off Republican voters. In response, Fine said: "Ronald signed the immigration bill I sponsored earlier this year in the Senate." Fine also responded to DeSantis' comments on the 2018 gun restriction for minors, which the House recently voted to repeal, but has not yet been voted upon in the Senate. "Ronald has had six years to fix what it is he claims he does not like about the Parkland bill and has made no effort to do so," Fine said. DeSantis said of Fine's personality: "He repels people. ... They wanted to get him out of the Legislature so they asked me to put him up for Florida Atlantic president, and I did, and the whole board would have rather resigned than make him president, and so now he's going to be in Congress. I mean, it is what it is." DeSantis did, indeed, float Fine's name in 2023 to become president of Florida Atlantic University. Fine challenged reporters to ask his former House colleagues and several FAU board members to confirm the governor's claims. DeSantis said the Fine-Weil race had looked a lot closer a couple of weeks prior to Election Day. And for a few days during early voting, Democrats had turned out more of their own voters than Republicans. But Republicans – with a decided registration advantage in a district that included not just northern Volusia and all of Flagler counties, but rural swaths of St. Johns, Putnam, Marion and Lake counties, as well – rallied on Election Day and boosted turnout to about 35%. "Then the president did a couple of tele-town halls where he said, 'Listen, for my agenda, we need you to go out and vote,' and so I think the Election Day turnout was really good for a special election for Republicans in the district," DeSantis said. "The president really had to bail (Fine) out in the end, because this race would have been much closer had the president sat on the sidelines," DeSantis said. Fine – whose case to voters was essentially, "The president endorsed me, I'll fight for him" – credited Trump right after God in his victory speech. But in his late-night text to The News-Journal, he referenced the parallel 1st Congressional District race in the panhandle, won by a similar margin by Jimmy Patronis. "President Trump did for me what he did for Jimmy Patronis, nothing more or less," Fine said. "Patronis also won by 14 in a district 10 points redder than this one ... and he faced half the money I did." This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Congressman Randy Fine fires back at Ron DeSantis' election critique
USA Today
27-03-2025
- USA Today
Florida kangaroo owner fined after marsupial went missing for 3 weeks
Florida kangaroo owner fined after marsupial went missing for 3 weeks Show Caption Hide Caption Video shows wallaby roaming around Kentucky neighborhood Security cameras captured a wallaby, which is a small kangaroo, hopping around Chavies, Kentucky. The owner of the kangaroo spotted last year hopping around Pierson, Florida, a city located in the northeastern part of the state, received almost $1,000 in fines and costs during a hearing Wednesday afternoon. Scott Mitchell pleaded no contest to one count of possession of captive wildlife for commercial or sanctuary purposes without a permit. Mitchell's attorney, Carlos Vidal-Collazo, said he reached an agreement with the State Attorney's Office to issue his client a $400 fine, as well as have him donate $250 to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWC) Wildlife Alert, and pay approximately $320 for investigation costs. As part of the deal, prosecutors dropped two other counts Mitchell was facing related to 'violation of Florida administrative codes pertaining to wildlife as personal pets,' according to court documents. Previous coverage: Escaped kangaroo captured after 3-week search in Volusia County; owner faces citations Mitchell has 90 days to pay his fines and present proof of the donation. Volusia County Judge Joseph LeDonne accepted the agreement. Did they find the kangaroo in Florida? In October 2024, pictures of a loose kangaroo hopping around in Pierson started making the rounds on social media. Even Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood chimed in, saying the animal had 'escaped due to a bear entering its enclosure." About three weeks later, FWC officials confirmed the kangaroo had been located and returned to his owner. FWC spokesperson Kristen Turner wrote in an email to The News-Journal that Mitchell was cited for having an expired "Class III license" for the animal. According to court documents, his license expired July 30, 2023, and Mitchell had not renewed it as of Oct. 22, 2024. According to Turner, who believed the kangaroo's name was Roo, Mitchell failed "to notify FWC/report the escape within 12 hours" of the animal going missing and was cited for 'improper caging.' According to court documents, Mitchell said he called the main captive wildlife office on the day of the incident, Oct. 17, 'but it was after business hours and no one answered.' Reached by The News-Journal on Oct. 23 last year, a few days after the incident, Mitchell declined to comment on the matter and told the reporter not to call back. Are kangaroos legal in Florida? Yes. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, a kangaroo could be classified as a Class III wildlife species, which would require the owner to apply for a permit to keep the animal. A permit, if granted, lasts two years and there is no required fee, according to the FWC website.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
'Slingshots' banned from Main Street during Bike Week in Daytona Beach
Slingshot drivers got an unpleasant surprise on the opening day of Bike Week in Daytona Beach on Friday when they tried to cruise down Main Street like they have done at past rallies. But this year, it was a no go: Slingshots, which are a three-wheel cross between a car and a motorcycle, aren't allowed on Main Street while the thoroughfare is closed to regular traffic during Bike Week. Cars and trucks are not allowed on the road while Bike Week is in session. The event continues through March 9 That was a shock to members of Coast to Coast Slingshots, said the group's president Beth Davis. 'Everybody is extremely disappointed and a lot of us didn't find out until we made the trip down there,' Davis said. 'I don't know what we are going to do in the future.' She added that group members may not return to Bike Week or Biketoberfest. 'I honestly think after this year there is not really any reason to go to Daytona Bike Week if we are not going to be allowed to be part of it,' Davis said. She said Slingshot owners have been coming to Bike Week and Biketoberfest from near and wide for past events. 'We had no issues, no problems. We enjoyed it. We walk Main Street, we visit the venues, we go to the vendors, we spend a lot of money,' Davis said. Slingshots is marking its 10th anniversary this year. The vehicles can cost from $24,999 to $38,999, according to the Slingshot's website. The website states that a regular driver's license is all you need in most states to operate the machine. In contrast, Florida also requires a motorcycle endorsement on a driver's license to ride a motorcycle. The Daytona Beach Police Department had not responded to an email from The News-Journal as of Sunday morning asking why Slingshots were no longer allowed on Main Street. But a News-Journal reporter asked some officers working Bike Week on Saturday why the Slingshots were prohibited on Main Street. Their answers varied. Some officers said that the Slingshots are wider than three-wheeled motorcycles, also called 'trikes.' That extra width means that the Slingshots might hit one of the hundreds of motorcycles parked on either side of Main Street during Bike Week, according to police. Besides the initial accident, the crash could lead to a domino-like tumbling of parked motorcycles. Others said Slingshots are classified as 'autocycles,' not motorcycles. Slingshots are neither cars or motorcycles, but have elements of each, although they're tagged like a motorcycle. Police also said the ban was implemented following the terrorists attack in New Orleans on New Year's Day. Security measures at this year's Bike Week have been increased following that attack, including meridian barriers designed to stop vehicles. The barriers are on loan from the Volusia Sheriff's Office. Whatever the reason, Slingshots have their purist biker detractors, such as Kenneth Rollag. Rollag started a petition last year to ban Slingshots from Main Street during Bike Week, just like cars and trucks are banned. Rollag wrote that he is a motorcycle enthusiast and claimed that Slingshots and similar machines were 'disrupting' the atmosphere of Bike Week, which is supposed to celebrate motorcycle culture. He wrote Slingshots have features like side-by-side seating and a steering wheel like a car. 'Let us uphold what makes our beloved Bike Week special by ensuring it remains an event for true motorcycle enthusiasts,' the petition states. The petition gathered 31 signatures. However, Davis acknowledged that bikers have complained about Slingshots. 'I know there's been a lot of complaints: the motorcyclists don't like the Slingshots,' she said. She said there was an incident at last year's Bike Week when a Slingshot hit a motorcycle parked on Main Street. Davis said the motorcycle was not parked properly. 'We did see one of the Slingshots, because they are a little bit larger, hit one of the motorcycles,' Davis said. 'It really wasn't the Slingshot's fault. It was the motorcycle that was too far in the road,' Davis said The News-Journal talked to a handful of bikers along Main Street on Saturday and none of them said they had an issue with Slingshots. Sam Acquaro, of Port Orange, was sitting on his motorcycle watching the rumbling parade of chrome pass by. He said he had no problem with Slingshots, comparing the machines to three-wheelers, including Can-Ams. 'All it is, is just a longer version of a Can-Am," Acquaro said. He added that if they ban Slingshots they should ban all three-wheelers. Alberto Lamberty of Ocala said as bikers grow old they sometimes need some additional wheels. He said he was 75, had had open-heart surgery and could no longer ride a two-wheel motorcycle. In order to ride safely, he had two additional wheels added to the back of his Honda Goldwing. He had a problem with the Slingshot ban. 'That's not fair,' he said. Davis of Coast to Coast said the group usually has 60 Slingshots that make the trip from Jacksonville to Daytona Beach for Bike Week, while another 60 or 70 roll in from Orlando and beyond. She said Slingshot owners are older and mature. She said she is relieved that a gathering of Slingshot owners in Daytona Beach on Saturday, March 8, was not planned on Main Street but rather at Triton Powersports on Ballough Road. Davis said that if the Main Street ban stays in place, her group may not return to Bike Week and Biketoberfest. 'If this is going to continue to be the plan we are probably not going to do it,' she said. 'They are losing a lot of revenue.' This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Slingshots banned from Main Street for Daytona Bike Week
