In secret, behind locked gates, our Nation's Oldest City dumped a landfill in a lake (Old City Reservoir), while emitting sewage in our rivers and salt marsh. Organized citizens exposed and defeated pollution, racism and cronyism. We elected a new Mayor. We're transforming our City -- advanced citizenship. Ask questions. Make disclosures. Demand answers. Be involved. Expect democracy. Report and expose corruption. Smile! Help enact a St. Augustine National Park and Seashore. We shall overcome!
Wednesday, October 07, 2015
FULL DISCLOSURE REQUIRED. NOW.
I have asked all five City of St. Augustine City Commissioners to disclose all of their clients -- every single one of them -- including the beneficial owners of those clients that are Limited Liability Companies (LLCs), often foreigner-owned, as documented by The New York Times' year-long investigation of dodgy foreigners' purchase of U.S. real estate.
At least three (3) of our five (5) City Commissioners' client lists are pertinent to detecting and deterring potential conflicts of interests in planning and zoning -- a land planner, accountant and architect.
The need for client data is probably somewhat less urgent for two others -- an international marketing data consultant and a domestic relations lawyer. Their clients are less likely to be demanding special favors like spot zoning.
But to be on the safe side, I've asked all five Commissioners for their client lists, including a list of the beneficial owners of every single Limited Liability Company (LLC).
Looking forward to their responses.
The trigger for my request was the article in today's record about yet another "development" being approved by St. Johns County Commission. The "land planner" for the LAKEWOOD POINTE LLC project is none other than KAREN TAYLOR (former County Commissioner), for whom Commissioner NANCY SIKES-KLINE works.
It was Commissioner SIKES-KLINE who admittedly procured a witless, unscholarly, unfootnoted, "Opinion Paper" from the University of Florida, whose biased authors talked only to SIKES-KLINE, City Manager JOHN PATRICK REGAN, P.E., DOW PUD developer DAVID BARTON CORNEAL and project manager MICHAEL CONROY -- never talking to our City Planning and Zoning Director, State Historic Preservation Office, HP-1 neighbors or other experts on the former Dow Museum of Historic Homes and historic preservation in the City of St. Augustine.
It's time for St. Augustine, St. Augustine Beach and St. Johns County to have an Ethics Commission, second to none, and command disclosures not required by current weak Florida ethics laws. What do you reckon?
Should Odd Todd include all the Clients he lost in the last month ?
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