ORAL purported "permission" for St. Johns County to work under Port District USACE permit? Are you kidding me?

You had to get a written hall pass to go the bathroom in school.  

But if you're St. Johns County Public Works Director Neil Shinkre, you can ask St. Augustine Port Waterway and Beach District for permission to do $500,000 in work under your Summer Haven River permit with the Army Corps of Engineers and get "permission,: with no written request, and get it orally.

The lackadaisical Board Vice Chair, THOMAS J. RIVERS, born in 1942, is guilty of mocking constitutional rights on Constitution Day (September 17), denying public comment and ignoring other Commissioners' requests to allow it, broke the law, 

As a result, the "permission" is illegitimate. 

Illegitimi non carborundum.

I am advising the Inspector General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the St. Johns County Clerk of Court and Comptroller and his Inspector General, and FDEP Inspector General that the purported "permission" of SAPWB to St. Johns County to work under its permit is:

A. ORAL.

B. Not in writing.

C. Procured without any written presentation.

D. Procured illegally in violation of our Florida Sunshine Law, F.S. 286.0114(2).

USACE OIG must investigate possible flouting of its permit rules.

How can one government agency give another government agency permission to work under its U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit, orally, with nothing presented in writing, and no written document authorizing working under its permit? I have referred this slapdash, sleazy arrangement to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Inspector General, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Inspector General, and the hired-hand, non-independent "Inspector General" of St. Johns County Clerk of Courts and Comptroller Hunter S. Conrad.

St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners and St. Augustine Port and Waterway District Commission both need real lawyers.

Not mere cat's paws.

Enough flummery, dupery and nincompoopery in St. Johns County. It's our money.

Here's my e-mail sent to St. Augustine Port, Waterway and Beach District this afternoon:

-----Original Message-----
From: Ed Slavin
To: mattybrown ; chris ; Barry.Benjamin ; tomj ; sandy ; v
Cc: ceig ; candie.fuller ; fwa ; coc ; hconrad ; bcc1jjohns ; bcc2jsmith ; bcc3pwaldron ; bcc4jblocker ; bcc5 ; pmccormack ; mwanchick ; nshinkre ; tupchurch ; lfreeman ; nsikeskline ; rhorvath ; jvaldes ; jregan ; jpiggott ; ilopez ; jcary ; kjakab ; tomcushman ; megan.wall ; jack ; pat.gleason ; sunshine ; news ; jclark ; aschindler ; wecoker ; cyndi.stevenson ; paul.renner ; hutson.travis.web ; molabarrieta ; michael.shirley ; little ; mills ; angelo ; ankersen ; hamann ; sfansbacher ; flournoy ; ilopez ; jcary ; comugeorge ; commengland ; commkostka ; comdsamora ; comdrumrell ; jpwilson ; sheldon.gardner ; georgio ; sam ; sheltonhull ; waltbog
Sent: Thu, Sep 19, 2019 12:20 pm
Subject: Re: Request No. 2019-397: ORAL purported "permission" for St. Johns County to work under Port District USACE permit?

Dear St. Augustine Port, Waterway and Beach District Chairman Benjmamin, Vice Chairman Rivers, Commissioners Way, Brown and Flowers, Mr. Bedsole and Ms. Kemper:

1. So, based on Ms. Kemper's response to Request No.  2019-397 (below), there is nothing in writing giving "permission" to work under the District's permit. Mr. Neil Shinkre,  St. Johns County Public Works Director, asked 9/17 for our St. Augustine Port, Waterway and Beach District's "permission" to do some $500,000 in breach repair work under the Port District's U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) permit for Summer Haven River, and no one from St. Johns County ever bothered to ask the District for a signed written resolution, or written evidence of "permission" to show to USACE.  

2. And our St. Augustine Port District did not adopt a signed resolution.

3. That is mismanagement and maladministration on the part of both the Country and the District.

4. This is unacceptable.

5. We can do better, we must do better and we will do better.

6. By copy of this e-mail, I am advising the Inspector General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the St. Johns County Clerk of Court and Comptroller and his Inspector General, and FDEP Inspector General that the purported "permission" of SAPWB to St. Johns County to work under its permit is:

A. ORAL.

B. Not in writing.

C. Procured without any written presentation.

D. Procured illegally in violation of our Florida Sunshine Law, F.S. 286.0114(2).

7. USACE OIG must investigate possible flouting of its permit rules.

8. The Clerk of Court and Comptroller has discretion to refuse to sign checks for illegal work.

9. St. Johns County Commission hotly debated and narrowly approved (3-2) this controversial $500,000 project repairing a breach from the Atlantic Ocean where three (3) other breaches have occurred.

10. Please invite Guana-Tolomato-Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve Director Dr. Michael Shirley, Ph.D. and University of Florida Engineering Professor Dr. Maitane Lizaso Olabarrietta, Ph.D. to present scientific evidence at a joint meeting of the Port District and County Commission in October. 

Thank you.

With kindest regards, I am,

Sincerely yours,

Ed Slavin

904-377-4998

www.cleanupcityofstaugustine.blogspot.com

www.edslavin.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Elyse Kemper
To: elyse ; jim ; pmccormack ; mwanchick ; nshinkre ; Ed Slavin
Cc: bcc1jjohns ; bcc2jsmith ; bcc3pwaldron ; bcc4jblocker ; bcc5 ; sandy ; mattybrown ; chris ; Barry.Benjamin ; tomj ; kjakab
Sent: Thu, Sep 19, 2019 10:02 am
Subject: Re: Request No. 2019-397: Purported authorization of St. Johns County to work under Port District USACE permit

RE:  Request 2019-397

The District has no documents responsive to your request.

Elyse L Kemper

Secretary/Treasurer

St. Augustine Port Waterway & Beach District

(904) 797-6660

elyse@bellsouth.net

Under Florida law, email addresses are public records. If you do not want your email address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.

On Wednesday, September 18, 2019, 02:22:49 PM EDT, Ed Slavin wrote:

Good afternoon:
1. Please send me any document(s) from the St. Augustine Port, Waterway and Beach District or USACE or otherwise purporting to authorize St. Johns County to work under its USACE permit.

2. If none exists, please so state today,

Thank you.

With kindest regards, I am,

Sincerely yours,

Ed Slavin

904-377-4998

www.cleanupcityofstaugustine.blogspot.com

www.edslavin.com