His apparatchik's faux news website, "Historic City News," reports that Sheriff Shoar turns 52 today. Happy birthday.
We appreciate our Sheriff's standing up for employee GLBT rights and his endorsing the St. Augustine Naional Historical Park and National Seashore, which he told me is a no-brainer for St. Johns Cuonty. www.staugustgreen.com As to GLBT rights, Sheriff Shoar told me two years ago that he had wanted to adopt a sexual orientation nondiscrimination policy as SAPD Chief, but that the City's outside employment lawyer advised him against it. He did it as Sheriff, without fanfare. Apparently no one asked him to adopt a non-discrimination policy at SJCSO: he did it because it was "the right thing to do." Kudos.
We don't appreciate: (a) the Sheriff's serial violation of our FLorida Open Records laws and his waste of public funds, (b) his hostility to scrutiny, refusing to answer St. Augustine Record Editor Peter Ellis' questions about his rash actions in prematurely revealing the FBI's arrest of County Commission Chair Thomas Manuel (c) his failed attempt to work with Mayor Gary Snodgrass and Commissioner Andrea Samuels to take over the St. Augustine Beach Police Deparment (in retaliation for ten officers' First Amendment protected activity), and (d) his cozy ways with large corporations, e.g., with tree-killing, wetland-destrying "developers," a coziness revealed on the FBI surveillance tape of him speaking with developer moutpiece GEORGE McCLURE.
Former County Commission Chairman Ben Rich said years ago that these foreign-funded "developers" are "worse than any carpetbagger." Their "crimes against nature" continue. Enough. We need law enforcement officials who will enforce the law without fear or favor of large corporations.
We hope that Sheriff Shoar matures and grows to respect Constitutional rights.
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