Thanks to Commissioner Martha Gleason of the Anastasia Mosquito Control District of St. Johns County. The Mosquito Control District's deeply insensitive mediocre longtime mismanagers broke the law -- Florida law, chapter 388, provides a pay cap of $4800/year for our elected part-time Commissioners. Remember the Greediest! From WJXT/Graham Media Group::
St. Johns County commissioner of Anastasia Mosquito Control District questions bonus legality
ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – The attorney for the Anastasia Mosquito Control District (AMCD) sent an email to board members, letting them know the recent bonus they approved for themselves is not allowed.
Amy E. Myers, the AMCD’s Attorney, said in one email “There is no provision in 388 or your charter that authorizes this additional compensation for Commissioners.”
That response came after a meeting in November where commissioners on the Control District voted and passed a motion, or so they thought, to get a $1,000 bonus.
“I’m upset,” Martha Gleason, a commissioner, said.
Martha Gleason is one of the five commissioners, people voted on, to serve on the board.
She missed last month’s vote because she was out sick, but said a resident reached out to her questioning if it was legal.
From there Gleason did research and then reached out to Myers. That’s when Myers sent back an email stating the board wasn’t allowed to do that.
In another email, she said in part “the board did not have authority to approve this extra compensation for Board members, and that the action doing so is a nullity and of no force and effect”
“This created a whole mess,” Gleason said.
During November’s meeting, some members voted in favor of the bonus, arguing their taxpayer salary of $4,800, a year was not enough.
Gleason said after that email from their attorney, she started questioning bonuses the board voted on in the past.
The one she voted in favor of in 2023 was $1,000 and in 2022 it was $250. Gleason said she voted for the bonus for the first time in 2023, as she was new then.
“I’m at a point where I have some trust issues right now,” Gleason said.
Gleason said the trust issues she has come from their attorney saying they have no right to approve bonuses, but then during another portion of an email from the attorney saying “no repayment of funds from bonuses approved in prior years would be necessary.”
“I don’t want citizens to feel like ‘Oh yeah they got away with not having to pay this year,’ but what happened last year it should have been illegal as well,” Gleason said.
Gleason noted she asked their attorney to get a second opinion from the attorney general, on if they don’t have to repay bonuses in the past if they don’t have the right to approve them.
The one she voted in favor of in 2023 was $1,000 and in 2022 it was $250. Gleason said she voted for the bonus for the first time in 2023, as she was new then.
“I’m at a point where I have some trust issues right now,” Gleason said.
Gleason said the trust issues she has come from their attorney saying they have no right to approve bonuses, but then during another portion of an email from the attorney saying “no repayment of funds from bonuses approved in prior years would be necessary.”
“I don’t want citizens to feel like ‘Oh yeah they got away with not having to pay this year,’ but what happened last year it should have been illegal as well,” Gleason said.
Gleason noted she asked their attorney to get a second opinion from the attorney general, on if they don’t have to repay bonuses in the past if they don’t have the right to approve them.
News4JAX reached out to Myers as well as the rest of the AMCD board, for a response to what’s going on.
Myers declined, and the only other board member News4JAX got a response from was Catherine Brandhorst.
She sent an email asking us to call her, we did and she did not answer.
Gleason said moving forward she wants all of this resolved, so no extra money is being taken from taxpayer dollars.
Gleason added she plans to return her bonus from last year.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Khalil Maycock
Khalil Maycock joined the News4JAX team in November 2022 afte
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