City of St. Augustine, Florida's Illegal Dumping Coverup continues: Day 375

City of St. Augustine, Florida’s Illegal Dumping Coverup continues: Day 375
30,000,000 pounds of contaminants were dumped from the old city dump into the Old City Reservoir -- enough to fill in six Olympic size swimming pools to a depth of six feet or to cover a football field to a depth of 11.2 feet.
For 375 days, since February 27, 2006, there has been a full-on coverup -- public questions are not being answered, the State’s Attorney is not prosecuting, the City Attorney and Public Works Director mysteriously resigned, and the City is in the process of being fined (proposed fine $47,248). FDEP did not propose the $47,248 fine until AFTER the November 2006 elections, helping re-elect incumbents GEORGE GARDNER and JOSEPH LEROY BOLES, JR.
Our questions have never been answered by City Commissioners, who would rather talk about anything but the massive pollution scandal.
The range of questions that our City government will not answer is not mind-boggling.
Consider these excerpts from the March 11, 2006 City Commission minutes of the City of St. Augustine::.
Ed Slavin, P. O. Box 3084, stated that he had been waiting for answers, and he proceeded with statements about the City along with questions as follows: The City was withholding documents he had requested The City should post the entire agenda on their website What was happening with the archeological site next to the high school When would the Commissioners vote for a living wage What about a moratorium on junkets and development When would the Commissioners address the numerous technical problems that occurred during Commission meetings St. Augustine was being ruined by developers Which Commissioners visited the old city reservoir, when, with whom and what were they told Why was dumping occurring in the old city reservoir after the St. Johns Water Management District ordered the City to stop dumping by certified letter on January 10 th Why did the City dump approximately 20,000 cubic yards of plastic, metal and other refuse and unclean fill in the reservoir after being ordered not to do so Did the City consider the laws merely suggestions Was it the first time the City had dumped in the reservoir or on other property without proper permits What year did the City start dumping in the reservoir What and how much had been dumped since the City started dumping at each place that they dumped on How many fish were in the reservoir before the latest dumping Were there any fish alive in there now and how many How many fish were killed by the dumping Had the City checked on the fish and if not, why not What had the City learned from the dumping Was a chief environmental office required to protect the environment from further destruction What baseline data existed about aquatic life and water purity in the reservoir What analytical chemistry tests had the City performed in the reservoir since February 27 th and what were the results Who knew the City was dumping at the reservoir
Had a professional engineer, the City Attorney, Mr. Pence (City environmental Attorney), the City auditor or the City Commission approved the dumping How come the City had not dumped in a proper landfill with permits Who inspected the material prior to dumping What was the City Manager’s motivation for dumping in the reservoir and was his motivation learned from his predecessor Mr. Pomar Who was paying for the City environmental attorney, what was his hourly rate, how much had he billed to date, and he said he would like a copy Was the developer of the San Sebastian Inland Harbor project paying any of the cost to remediate the dumping and if not why not Was Mr. Pence representing individual City managers and the City at the same time and was that a conflict of interest Why was the City dumping on City property for a private developer and who had approved it What public purpose was served by dumping in the reservoir The River Management District denied a discount permit unless there was a public purpose He was waiting to hear the public purpose for dumping in the reservoir

12.B/ GENERAL PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS AND COMMENTS (15 minutes per presentations) (None Scheduled) Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:03 p.m.

Tree-cutting mania, public speaker censorship in St. Augustine, Florida

Tree-cutting mania, public speaker censorship in St. Augustine
This week FOLIO WEEKLY rightly reported the illegal tree-cutting by the Elks Club, reported by my friend and mentor, Ms. Robin Nadeau (with whom we recently celebrated her 81st birthday). FOLIO also reported the shocking behavior of St. Augustine Mayor JOSEPH LEROY BOLES, JR., giving him a "brickbat." I was late and did not observe BOLES’ behavior, but here is how FOLIO WEEKLY reported it:
"Brickbats to St. Augustine Mayor Joe Boles for insulting a resident at a public meeting, then cutting him off when their exchange prevented the speaker from completing his comments. Boles interrupted resident Les Garcia’s comments to ask if he were "under the influence," a comment other commissioners found inappropriate. Garcia tried to resume his presentation, but Boles cut him off, saying his time had elapsed. When Garcia refused to stop speaking, Boles had police remove him from the meeting."
Observations:
1. The same Commissioners who refuse to answer questions about illegal dumping often bait citizens, stealing their time with non sequiturs and telling them their time has elapsed.
2. Some Commissioners have appeared to be intoxicated at meetings, with City Manager WILLIAM B. HARRISS sometimes driving one of them home.
3. Some Commissioners leave meetings early, with no explanation why they’re departing. One Commissioner misses most meetings.
4. These Commissioners are getting very testy, because St. Augustine citizen-activists, like good diplomats, will not take no for an answer. Sunshine violations, waste, fraud, abuse and illegal dumping demand answers.
5. If Commissioners "can’t stand the heat, they should get out of the kitchen," as Harry S Truman put it best.

Are environmental devastators hiding behind supposed Internet anonymity?

1. In 2003, 157 of 159 applications for rezoning were approved by the then-St. Johns County, Florida Commission. Locals called them a corrupt rubber-stamp for powerful economic interests who are ruining this beautify county with shoddy "developments" without adequate infrastructure, destroying our wildlife, wetlands and way of life.
2. In 2004, Ben Rich was elected to County Commission. Thank God.A retired federal law enforcement official, he walked the county, heard our concerns and is against corruption and favoritism.
3. In 2006, two other populist skeptics were elected.
4. In 2007, did landraping, clearcutting overdevelopers" use a putative "blog" to attack St. Johns County, Florida Commission Chairman Ben Rich, retaliating for his courageous stands against destruction of our natural beauty and pleasures, our land, air, water?
5. Did those who want to destroy the reasons people love to visit and live here with tacky clear-cutting and metastasized "development" trash Ben Rich?
6. Thanks to the St. Augustine Record, we may know the answer.
7. I appreciate Mr. Rogers Cadenhead's concern about personal privacy. http://www.cadenhead.org/workbench/
8. Ironically, the local government and business carping harpies (I call them the "anonymice") who frequent the St. Augustine Record "Talk of the Town" website have hid behind anonymity for years, making ad hominem attacks on all persons who criticize government officials (including archaeology issues, St. Augustine's illegal dumping of the contents of the old city dump into the Old City Reservoir, race discrimination and refusal to fly the Gay Rainbow flags on our Bridge of Lions (leading to a federal court order that the flags fly June 7-13, 2005). See, e.g., www.cleanupcityofstaugustine.blogspot.com
9. ToTTers' antics are a reflection of a control group that is losing its grip on St. Johns County. Last year, I was kicked off ToTT for supposedly "outing" ToTTers who already identified themselves.
10. Some "anonymice" ToTTers attacking my right to engage in First Amendment protected activity were local government officials, businesspeople and their spouses and entourages.
11. These "anonymice" have chilled free speech here for years on ToTT.
12. Likewise, the "anonymice" behind the www.localsafety.org have a (barely) hidden agenda.
13. The public has a right to know.
14. As Justice Louis Brandeis said, "sunlight is the best disinfectant."
15. While the right to anonymous posting on the Internet is protected by the First Amendment against government interference.
16. No "state action" is involved in the St. Augustine Record's effort to learn the true identity of the "anonymice" behind the www.localsafety.org website.
17. The identity of the "anonymice" behind www.localsafety.org is news. 18. Kudos to Morris Communications and the St. Augustine Record for exercising their God-given First Amendment right to identify those who contributed to www.localsafety.org.
19. Will the malefactors of great wealth who seek to skewer Ben Rich be hoist on their own petard?
20. Will landraping, clearcutting, uglifying foreign investment interests that seek to destroy our county (and turn it into South Florida) kindly identify themselves?
21. Why must they hide behind "private corporations?"
22. Are they ashamed of what they have done to the wetlands, wildlife, land and people of St. Johns County?
23. Do they reckon themselves above the public's right to know?
24. They have the "right to remain silent," but we wish they wouldn't.
25. By County Commission Chairman Ben Rich announcing his 2008 candidacy earlier this week, the www.localsafety.org crew knew that they would have to disclose their identity as a Political Action Committee (PAC).
26. That's why www.localsafety.org pulled the plug on their "blog" -- they can't stand scrutiny and have contempt for our democracy. As St. Augustine Record Editor Pete Ellis reportedly wrote another blogger, "There's a difference between a blogger and a political action committee." www.writingcompany.blogs.com As Pete Ellis wrote above, "Many of you are confusing a blogger with a political action committee. "Lee Padgett is a fictitious person; he does not exist. The web site under his name was set up by a political action committee. The goal is to find out what that political action committee is." I agree. Taking out a newspaper ad under a false name may also be a breach of contract, depending upon how the Record's ad rate card and contracts are written.
27. So, to solve the kerfuffle, will the www.localsafety.org funders kindly call the St. Augustine Record (or me) and identify yourselves?
28. Confession is good for the soul -- just as investigative reporting is good for the soul of a democracy.
29. Thank you, Pete Ellis and St. Augustine Record for working to disclose the identity of the "frontman" for developers, in order to expose who funded www.localsafety.org, which may involve possible state and federal crimes, including RICO and Hobbs Act. The wrecking crew of uglifying discredited overdevelopers, manipulators and controllers -- they can run, but they can't hide. See, e.g., www.cleanupcityofstaugustine.blogspot.com
30. Cheers!With kindest regards,Sincerely yours,
Ed Slavin
www.cleanupcityofstaugustine.blogspot.comBox 3084St. Augustine, Florida 32085904-471-7023904-471-9918 (fax)