Violating the Sunshine law and a 41 year old legal precedent, St. Augustine City Manager BRUCE MAX ROYLE is planning a series of five (5) meetings, two hours in length, with each St. Augustine Beach City Commissioner. These meetings are illegal polling and violate the Sunshine law. I have written ROYLE and asked him to cease and desist.
Thomas Jefferson said that "I have sworn upon the Altar of Almighty God eternal vigilance against every form of tyranny over the mind" of humankind. ROYLE's secrecy stinks. As Daniel Patrick Moynihan said, "Secrecy is for losers."
Here is my August 20, 2020 e-mail to ROYLE:
-----Original Message-----
From: Ed Slavin <easlavin@aol.com>
Sent: Thu, Aug 20, 2020 9:51 am
Subject: Request No. 2020-221: Budget meetings with five individual St. Augustine Beach City Commissioners
From: Ed Slavin <easlavin@aol.com>
Sent: Thu, Aug 20, 2020 9:51 am
Subject: Request No. 2020-221: Budget meetings with five individual St. Augustine Beach City Commissioners
Dear Ms. Raddatz and Mr. Royle:
1. Would you please be so kind as to send me today all of the backup materials, alternative budget proposals and agenda(s) for your five (5) individual meetings with Mayor England, Vice Mayor Kostka and City Commissioners George, Samora and Rumrell, which are being set for August 31, 2020 to September 2, 2020?
1. Would you please be so kind as to send me today all of the backup materials, alternative budget proposals and agenda(s) for your five (5) individual meetings with Mayor England, Vice Mayor Kostka and City Commissioners George, Samora and Rumrell, which are being set for August 31, 2020 to September 2, 2020?
2. I plan to attend one or more of these meetings to ask questions, demand answers and expect democracy.
3. Under ADA/504/508, please broadcast each of these meetings on live streaming video and make arrangements to take telephone calls.
4. Mr. Royle: as St. Augustine Beach City Manager for 31 years, you well know that "polling," including rapid-fire successive meetings with individual board members, constitutes a serious violation of the Sunshine law, adopted by 83% of Florida voters in 1992 (3.8 million votes). See Florida Sunshine ManualSee at 9, stating, :"administrative officers or staff who serve public boards should not poll board members on issues which will foreseeably come before the board although an administrative officer is not precluded from contacting individual board members for their views on a matter when the officer, and not the board, has been vested with the authority to take action," citing Blackford v. Orange County School Board, 375 So. 2d 578 (Fla. 5th DCA 1979); July 2, 1997 AG informal opinion, at http://www.myfloridalegal.com/ago.nsf/Opinions/B470F8A8084A96EE852564D700610A04
5. Please cease and desist from all further Sunshine violations.
Thank you.
With kindest regards, I am,
Sincerely yours,
Ed Slavin
904-377-4998
www.cleanupcityofstaugustine.blogspot.com
www.edslavin.com
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