County Commissioners Have the Right to Remain Silent, But We Wish They Wouldn't -- Not A Peep on the Michelle O'Connel Case and Sheriff DAVID B. SHOAR's Refusal to Recuse Himself

It has been 58 days since the New York Times article, "Two Shots on A Summer Eveing" appeared -- 14,000 words showing misfeasance, malfeasance and nonfeasance by Sheriff DAVID B. SHOAR in connection with the flummery, dupery and nincompoopery of a non-investigation of the shooting death of a deputy's girlfriend with the officail SJCSO service revolver.
Today's County Commission meeting was no exception.
There was extensive discussion about zoning and planning matters, including whether Dunkin" Donuts may use pink and orange signage at a proposed franchise location in Ponte Vedra (after more than an hour, the answer was "yes").
It seems that the Architectural Revew Committee of the Ponte Vedra Oerlay District did not like Dunkin' Donuts' corporate logo, a registered trademark that is a major part of the firm's branding, preferring a plain white sign.
Five St. Johns County Commissioners rightly and unanimously agreed with the Dunkin Donuts franchisee and its counsel, Rogers Towers attorney Ellen Avery-Smith.
By vote of 5-0, Commissioners overturned the snooty Architectural Review Committee of Ponte Vedra Beach.
So thorough was the appellate process that Commissioners actually let members of the Architectural Revew COmmittee testify, which is highy unusual in Florida and St. Johns Conty administrative law, where "de novo" review of the record is the required pocess.
I'm glad the Commissioners showed fairness and upheld the constitutional rights of Dunkin' Donuts and its franchisee, upholding the right of everyone to be free from arbitrary and capricious decisions in violation of the Fourteenh Amendment.
That's what we should expect -- instead of political corruption. Jimmy Breslin wrote in "How the GOod Guys Finally Won" about how the planning and zoning process is often "bring extra money" (e.g., for lawyers and bribes).
Too often, it seems, Florida planning and zoning decisions are made in expectations of campagin contributions. See the former USDOJ Law Enforcement Assistance Administration's publication, "Corruption in Planning and Zoning."
The County Commissioners, County Administator and County Attorney are paid a combined total of one million dollars annually. They ask good questons. They work hard.
They need to start questioning Sheriff DAVID B. SHOAR about his budget, practices and procedures. But nothing is on the St. Johns County Commission's agenda about asking Sheriff DAVD SHOAR about his procedures, practices and spending, including spending tens of thusands of dollars trashing FLDE's investigation and hiring putative "experts" (including legal prostitute JON KANEY) to assist in SHOAR's meretricious trashing of FDLE's report and investigators.
Why?
Evidently St. Johns County Commissioners would rather prattle on about signs in a Ponte Vedra shopping center (not even fisible from the road) than ask Sheriff DAVD. B. SHOAR why he did not recuse himself from the Micheelle O'Connell death investigation.
Why?
Because Sheriff DAVID B. SHOAR is still obviously the political boss of St. Johns County, like Sheriff LAWRENCE O. DAVIS before him.
If a Commissioner gets stopped by a deputy, SHOAR can let him go and there would never be a record.
JFK wrote a Pulitzer Prize winning book called "Profiles in Courage" about United States Senators who showed political courage. Would any of our County Commissioners would make the cut?
I think not.