The "IRON FIST" AND "THE IRON HEEL" OF ST. AUGUSTINE BEACH

UPDATE: Mayor George denies making the "iron fist" remark.  See e-mail (below).

Is the City of St. Augustine Beach being run by an "IRON HEEL" of a somnambulistic longtime City "Manager" who stayed too long, like The Man Who Came to Dinner?"

Controversial City of St. Augustine Beach City "Manager" MAX ROYLE refuses to apologize for anything, most recently his Code Enforcement persecution of Commissioner Maggie Kostka.

But in a surprise move, St. Augustine Beach Mayor Undine Pawlowski George ACTUALLY APOLOGIZED at Commission's February 12, 2018 (Lincoln's birthday) meeting to fellow Commissioner Maggie Kostka.  Mayor George graciously publicly and correctly apologized  for City Manager's frivolous code enforcement complaints against Commissioner Kostka, (Coneheads Ice Cream Store Flutter Flags Kerfuffle).   It was the right thing to do, and surprised everyone.

Watch meeting video here.

Flutter signs -- a June 7, 2017 City Commission workshop resolved would be legal. Due to staff incompetence, City Commission never got a draft ordinance back from its City Manager and City Attorney in July and August.

With his Coneheads Ice Cream Store Flutter Flags Kerfuffle,Royle created a hostile working environment for Commissioner Maggie Kostka in retaliation for her criticizing ROYLE, violating the First Amendment and Commissioner Kostka's civil rights. In response to rogue ROYLE's complaints, Commissioner Maggie Kostka was subjected to a retaliatory Code Enforcement hearing in January 2018.

At the City of St. Augustine Beach's February 12, 2018 meeting, Mayor Pawlowski George apologized to Commissioner MAX ROYlE's unconstitutional, retaliatory Coneheads Ice Cream Store Flutter Flags Kerfuffle Code Enforcement scheme.  Watch tape at 3:01.

BUT St. Augustine Beach City Manager BRUCE MAX ROYLE has refused to apologize for his latest retaliation for First Amendment protected activity in asking questions about violations of sexual harassment laws and calling for a national search for a new City Manager.

At the February 12, 2018 City Commission meeting, refusing to look me in the eye, City Manager ignored citizen requests to apologize for the Coneheads Ice Cream Store Flutter Flags Kerfuffle and resign as a result of his incompetence, e.g, barmy bureaucrat BRUCE MAX ROYLE's flutter flag flummery.

Why this matters: ROYLE never apologizes for anything. He literally puts his head down and won't look you in the eye when you ask questions, and he never takes responsibility for his many management failures. It's time for him to go.


Speaking of apologies, St. Augustine Beach Mayor Undine Pawlowski George and her fellow Commissioners owe an apology to everyone for their violation of First Amendment rights in 2018.  She's feeling her oats, like the Mayor of the other itty bitty city, Mayor Nancy Shaver of the City of St. Augustine Beach.

Both need to lighten up.

St. Augustine Beach Mayor George told me February 13th that she would rule with an "iron fist." That sounds too much like Dick Cheney to me.  SAB citizens deserve a Mayor, not a martinet.
Mayor George denies making the remark: read her e-mail.

On February 12, 2018 Mayor George ordered dissenters Thomas F. Reynolds, Jr. and Merrill Paul Roland ejected for wasting time at the podium, a form of protest likely protected by the First Amendment and civil rights laws. Mr. Roland stated at the podium that he could "whistle Dixie" if he wanted to do so in his two minutes.

Both Messrs. Roland and Reynolds were ejected for being annoying, apparently.

Case law establishes the right of free speech, including the right to protest at meetings.

Both were peacefully escorted from the meeting.

At the end of the meting during Commissioners'  comment time,  SAB Commissioners considered and adopt at least four (4) measures without allowing public comment:

• A letter endorsing a St. Johns County Request for Proposals (RFP) to find a new vendor for the St. Augustine Beach Farmer's Market on county property.  Earlier in the meeting, County Commission Chairman I. Henry Dean, an SAB resident, spoke in favor of the RPP to keep a St. Augustine Beach Farmer's Market.  The Wednesday Farmer's Market was long (mis)managed by the oxymoronic St. Augustine Beach Civic (sic) Association, Inc., a de facto political action committee whose President is WILLIAM JONES, disgraced, disciplined, demoted St. Johns County Sheriff's Office civilian employee. No public comment was allowed.  Unconstiutional.  
• Updating the strategic plan. Commissioners rightly rejected the notion of hiring UCF's overrated, overpaid Marilyn Crotty as facilitator at a meeting this year.  Too soon, too much money ($1800 for a day).  I agree with their decision. But I was not allowed to speak.  Unconstitutional. 
• Allowing SAMORA and ROYLE to work on a renewed effort for the City to communicate with the County about its desire take over the Pier Park, with a "vision."  Not on agenda.  No public comment allowed.  Unconstitutional. (But they logically and legally set a workshop for March 6 at 6 PM, or after the conclusion of any continuation meeting from the March 5 meeting, which would include Commissioner Maggie Kostka's suggestion of considering federal and state options on the Pier Park. 
• Directing the City Attorney directing him to write a policy for him to investigate harassment complaints involving the City Manager or Police Chief, instead of outside counsel or arbitrator.   That's a conflict of interest. Bad policy. Not on agenda.  No public comment allowed.  Unconstitutional.

We have a First Amendment right to speak and also rights under Florida law.

Developer-driven SAB City "Manager" BRUCE MAX ROYLE and two successive Mayors met with County Administrator MICHAEL DAVID WANCHICK to discuss with the EMBASSY SUITES HOTEL owner the future of our County Pier Park -- no press, no lawyers, no e-mails no correspondence,, no disclosures by disgraced ex-Mayors "ANGRY ANDREA SAMUELS a/k/a "CUPCAKE" and RICHARD BURTT O'BRIEN.

Building Director Brian Law predicted at the February 12 meeting that the EMBASSY SUITES HOTEL, too big and with too little parking, would soon "monopolize" the Pier Park parking lot. Shameful of former Commissioners and Mr. Law's boss and his predecessor to allow this to happen.

What happened?

St. Augustine Beach's City "Manager" MAX ROYLE allowed AKERMAN SENTERFITT client KEY INTERNATIONAL, owned by the ARDIDS in Miami, to defy height limit and build a massive hotel without sufficient parking.  The contempt for the environment shown by the City of St. Augustine Beach is both totalitarian and total.

Violating state  law, SAB Commissioners made at least four (4) decisions without allowing ANY public comment. They denied this right during Commissioner comments when these decisions were made.

Ambitious St. Augustine Beach Mayor Undine George is a licensed attorney? Does she think before she acts? If she can be provoked by annoying protests, how many reversible errors will she commit in quasi-judical hearings? Does this reflect on her ability to be a judge if nominated or elected? (Rhetorical questions).

Does Mayor Undine George now owe an apology for repeatedly violating the First, Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments and Florida's open meetings laws? After the meeting, I reminded Mayor George and Vice Mayor England of our civil and constitutional and legal rights (with the former by phone the next morning and the latter after the meeting, in person).

To St. Augustine Beach City Commission: As I once told Commissioner Tom Manuel after his 2008 arrest for bribery, "DON'T DO IT AGAIN."

It appears Mayor George, married to former St. Augustine Beach Mayor Edward George, needs to calm down. She's acting like ANGRY ANDREA SAMUELS on caffeine.

The City of St. Augustine Beach is getting ZERO legal advice on First Amendment issues in its meetings, and at times it appears that City of St. Augustine Beach City Attorney James Patrick Wilson might as well have a bumper sicker over his nameplate -- "I'D RATHER BE SAILING."

ROYLE and WILSON were behind the actions of three Commissioners who outvoted Mayor George by a 3-2 vote to limit agenda item public comment to only two minutes (Commissioners Undine George and Maggie Kostka were outvoted by disgraced ex-Mayor RiCHARD BURTT O'BRIEN, VICE MAYOR MARGARET ENGLAND, and the new Commissioner, DONALD SAMORA.

SAMORA promised he could attend SAB Commission meetings when he was chosen by Commissioners last year. Yet he demanded the scheduled February 5, 2018 meeting be reschuled to February 12, 2018, a direct conflict with the simultaneous meeting of the City Commission of the other itty bitty City, St. Augustine. City Manager ROYLE has previously used this tactic, smirking "You're the only one who complained" to me when I pointed out the (intentional) schedule conflict, with also inconveniences St. Augustine Record reporter Sheldon Gardner, who covers both cities. This move smug sneaky scheduling move effectively guaranteed that Austin-edited Record will not cover this meeting for days. Nice move, sweethearts!

SAMORA doesn't do his homework, fixes a malocchio on critics, and is a strident opponent of public comment rights.

SAMORA was chosen by Commissioners to replace resigned former Commissioner Sherman Gary Snodgrass.

At the meeting that chose SAMORA, there was public support from the slithering Certified Public Accountant for Flagler Hospital, Flagler College, Republican candidates and developers -- His Dishonor, da Vice Mayor of that other itty bitty City, the City of St. Augustine, COMMISSIONER TODD DAVID NEVILLE a/k/a "ODD TODD."

Also supporting SAMORA  was ODD TODD's father TIMOTHY, "THE ODDFATHER," a  genial man who retired to St. Augustine Beach resident with his lovely wife.

The ODDFATHER is a retired anti-union consultant and plant manager from Tennessee who often played tennis with the late former White Houae Chief of Staff and Senate Republican Majority Leader HOWARD HENRY BAKER, JR. in Scott County, Tennessee.

DONALD SAMORA's GODFATHER, St. Augustine City Vice Mayor ODD TODD NEVILLE, is an enemy of the First Amendment.

ODD TODD NEVILE abused City resources to investigate the possibility of a libel lawsuit against an online publication for expressing an opinion about conflict of interest involving NEVILLE and THE COLLECTOR HOTEL owner DAVID BARTON CORNEAL.

ODD TODD NEVILLE' never reimbursed the City of St. Augustine for miusing its lawyers time, or for reading in such a paranoid manner to criticism by Historic City News and Michael Gold.

In listening to ODD TODD and the ODD FATHER, SAB Commissioners chose SAMORA, who has proven to be yet another local enemy of the First Amendment, it would appear.

In Commissioner comments, sibilant SAMORA congratulated Mayor George for running the meeting with an iron fist.

Watch the meeting tape here.   You tell me.  Do citizens have a right to be angry and protest when their rights to three minute public comments are abridged to two minutes?  Does Mayor George have a right to interrupt citizens?  Did she lose her cool?  Does she need to apologize?  Does anyone else?   What do you reckon?

It appears that Mayor George is unduly influenced by three of her colleagues, who are hostile to the First Amendment, and in this one instance even egged on by SAMORA (and presumably at their country club or at home with their cocktails, ODD TODD and the ODDFATHER.    

So with SAMORA the swing vote, it seems that Commission will be run like a crime scene, with MAX ROYLE still calling the shots and avoiding and evading accountability.

It's not unlike watching an old tomcat bat around young mice.   While ROYLE is about as sharp as a mashed potato sandwich with the crust cut off, he gets away with it.  Again and again and again.

Former Mayor Gary Snodgrass made ROYLE answer citizen questions. That must be the rule. No more evading answers. No more disrespect to citizens.

Will the itty bitty ity government of the City of St. Augustine Beach will remain a dysfunctional mafia family, "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight," now influenced by the Manchurian candidate vetted, endorsed and supported by ODD TODD and the ODDFATHER, with SAMORA now arrogantly pushing to exercise a Philistine's veto on free speech rights?

I reckon that SAB will sadly continue down the road to perdition, to First Amendment Hell and to further violations.

That is, unless and until Vice Mayor Margaret England comes to her senses and reads the law to her colleagues.

As RFK once wrote to Senator James O/ Eastland in book dedication, "Repent now, there's still time"

What do you reckon?

To be continued.....

DONALD SAMORA

ODD TODD NEVILLE

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UPDATE

Mayor Undine George denies making the "iron fist remark":

-----Original Message-----
From: undine george 
To: easlavin ; Comm George 
Sent: Thu, Feb 15, 2018 2:58 pm
Subject: "Iron Fist"????

Ed I am extremely disheartened at your accusation that I ever said I intend to rule with an "iron fist". If you heard those two words come out of my mouth, which are not at all something I would say, then I must have either been talking about the Netflix tv series OR was saying that I do not want to have to rule with an iron fist. I don't recall such a statement nor do I quite frankly believe I said the term to you. Had I actually said it, I am quite sure that you would have called me out on it at the time, during our conversation, which you did not.

What I do recall saying to you is that I expressed my disappointment that I have to enforce the two minute rule, which I opposed and voted against, and that it is horrible irony that Mr. Reynolds and Mr. Roland put me in a situation of having to eject them for their disruptive behavior which was designed with the intent of getting themselves removed from the meeting. They were even overheard from the audience making their plan. I have historically been the most vocal member of the commission fighting for their and everyone else's right to free speech. 

Sincerely,

Undine

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Undine Celeste George, Esq.

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