The drama continues in North Miami Beach.
And again, another commission meeting was cancelled before it started.
Due to the recent ouster of Faux Commissioner Frantz “Weasel” Pierre, and the resignations of Mayor George Vallejo and Commissioner Marlen Martell, who left to become the manager of North Bay Village, the North Miami Beach Commission was left with only four elected officials, which does not constitute a quorum.
Frantz was removed from office for not bothering to fulfill his duties as a commissioner, and he subsequently sued the city to keep his seat. As a result, North Miami Beach has been in a state of constant chaos.
Eventually, as we reported on March 26, 2018, Circuit Court Judge Dennis J. Murphy entered an Order Granting a Stand Still of the Parties, which states, “The Parties agree that, while it is Plaintiff’s position that he remains a Commissioner, during the pendency of this action, Commissioner Pierre shall not act as a Commissioner and shall not sit on the dais during Commission meetings, unless or until Court Order otherwise.”
Judge Murphy’s Order was pretty damn clear, right? You’d think, anyway.
Oddly, NMB city officials didn’t seem to get the memo.
Due to an unfortunate series of events, North Miami Beach found itself without a quorum and has been unable to appoint a replacement for Marlen Martell. Once again, attorneys for the city ended up in court and filed a Verified Emergency Petition for Declaratory Judgment and Injunctive Relief on April 10, 2018. This motion requested Judge Daryl E. Trawick to issue the City a right to hold a meeting with a four member quorum for the sole purpose of filling Commissioner Martell’s seat. A hearing was scheduled for Thursday, April 12, 2018, but was mysteriously cancelled on April 11, 2018.
HUH?
Adding to the mystery is that today Judge Trawick issued an Order on an Agreed Motion for Temporary Injunctive Relief from Quorum, which was posted on the Clerk of Court’s website, but for some odd reason is “pending redaction.”
Wait, WHAT?
Redaction? What the hell needs to be redacted from a public court record about a public municipality?
What part of GOVERNMENT IN THE SUNSHINE is so difficult to understand?
Even more importantly, exactly what did both parties even agree to? Not one in North Miami Beach seemed to have a clue. At least, none of the residents.
Imagine the shock when – Lo and Behold – the Weasel himself, Frantz “Church Thief” Pierre, appeared in the flesh and sat himself on the dais.
Wait, WHAAAAAT?
Apparently, a secret deal had been made between city officials and Frantz Pierre’s lawyer that was never disclosed to the public.
But, Commissioner Anthony DeFillipo was not about to allow this travesty take place on his watch.
Even before the meeting was called to order, he turned on his microphone and had his say. He later provided us with a transcript of his statement, which we are reprinting here in its entirety:
Fellow residents and friends,
Let me be clear.
I took an oath of office to uphold the charter and the citizens bill of rights of North Miami Beach.
I am very disappointed but must take a stand for what’s right.
Our city is entering into very dangerous territory tonight. This city commission is being asked to vote on something that is legally questionable at best, and an outright violation of our charter and the state’s Sunshine Laws at worst.
We are told that a so-called deal has been struck to allow former Commissioner Frantz Pierre to vote on appointing someone to fill the vacancy in Seat 7.
This so-called deal was made in secret, with no explanation to the Commission or public, no notice, and no debate in the sunshine. It is crystal clear that any deal or settlement must be approved this Commission… yet that is NOT on the agenda.
This entire meeting is an embarrassment to the residents we serve.
This is a very simple issue…. either Mr. Pierre is a City Commissioner, or he is NOT a City Commissioner.
If he is a City Commissioner, then Mr. Pierre should serve out the remainder of his term. If he is NOT a City Commissioner, then Mr. Pierre should NOT be allowed to vote on any matter…. no less one as important as filling a Commission vacancy.
We need to take a collective breath and get this right so we ensure our residents that everyone up here on this dais is looking out for THEIR INTEREST!!
To get this right, we need to do two things.
First, we need to our City Attorney to immediately hire a different outside counsel to give us a fresh look at our situation. We need to know that we have looked at every option, and that we are NOT being backed into a corner to make bad or even illegal decisions.
Second, we need the Commission on Ethics to investigate how this so-called deal was orchestrated, and whether everyone’s behavior was above board and legal.
In the meantime, I will NOT participate in any Commission meeting until I have assurances from credible third parties that doing so is legal.
This is where I must take a stand on behalf of the residents of our great city. I am duty bound to do nothing less. I will uphold the oath of office I took.
Thank you.
Respectfully
Commissioner
Anthony F. DeFillipo
Tony promptly walked off the dais, leaving the commission once again without a quorum.
BOOM!
What was absolutely nauseating was watching the remaining commissioners falling all over themselves to thank the Weasel for showing up.
BARF!
Aside from Tony, none of the other commissioners returned our calls or texts.
City Attorney Jose Smith, however, did answer the phone and also supplied us with a copy of the Agreed Order on Motion for Temporary Injunctive Relief from Quorum.
Based on this Order, Frantz Pierre would be permitted to remain on the dais only long enough to select a replacement commissioner for Marlen Martell’s seat, but he was forbidden from voting on any other legislation in the Agenda.
As if a court order would have forced him to gracefully leave once the vote was taken.
As everyone knows, nothing would have made that Devil’s Spawn happier than being escorted off the dais and out of the Chambers by police officers while his cronies film it for YouTube so he can be a “martyr.”
Apparently, this secret deal was cut at 4:00 pm TODAY, in Judge Trawick’s courtroom in downtown Miami – a scant one hour before the Commission Conference was scheduled to begin – leaving absolutely no time for public disclosure.
We also hear that attorneys for the city were pressured into this ridiculous agreement by none other than County Commissioner Sally Heyman, who has absolutely no right to interfere in the business of the City of North Miami Beach.
Commissioner Anthony DeFilippo, on the other hand, was the only one on the dais who refused to be a party to the bullshit. He told VotersOpinion that his staff had no right to enter into a such an agreement without the knowledge and consent of the Commission.
He’s absolutely right.
Circuit Court Judge Dennis J. Murphy’s directive that Commissioner Pierre shall not act as a Commissioner and shall not sit on the dais during Commission meetings was perfectly clear.
It’s unfathomable that another Circuit Court Judge would so cavalierly sign an Order in direct conflict with a Court Order issued by one of his colleagues, who is presiding over an entirely separate lawsuit. We imagine that Judge Trawick’s decision could be overturned on appeal in a heartbeat.
What’s even more unfathomable is that the remaining North Miami Beach commissioners would acquiesce, knowing full well how much havoc Frantz Pierre has single-handedly wreaked upon the city in the eleven years he’s been allowed to occupy a seat on the dais.
Well, except for Phyllis, who’s as equally corrupt and despicable as the Weasel.
As far as we’re concerned, Anthony DeFilippo is the only one on the North Miami Beach City Commission who got it right. He alone had the courage of his convictions and the integrity to stand by them no matter what.
The others not so much.
Stephanie
Why couldn’t this “deal” be offered to Councilwoman Martell? After all, unlike Pierre, she left in good standing.
Good point. The last person that should be allowed on the dais is the same one being sued by the city to have him removed from office. DUH! This stupid (not to mention illegal) “solution” should never have even been considered, much less agreed to by the city’s legal counsel. Come on, people, what were you thinking?
I thought that with all this new development the city would finally move in the right direction. But clearly, the city is its own worse enemy.
I don’t get it. If there is no quorum, how can the commission hire a new outside counsel like Commissioner Defilippo suggested? And isn’t a judge the neutral third party he’s talking about?
The city attorney hires outside counsel, not the commission.
Judge Trawick should not have issued an order in direct conflict with and existing order by another Circuit Court Judge (Dennis J. Murphy). Only a higher court, i.e. the Third District Court of Appeals, should have the power to overturn a lower court’s order. Judge Trawick’s order was improper and should be set aside. Let’s see how the city handles this one.
Let’s see allow the commissioner that has been involved with the City for over 20 years as an employee and elected commissioner without a blemish come back for one final vote. Or allow an individual that has numerous internal affairs investigations going on, moved boxes out of the city hall in the middle of the night, threatened city employees to fire them for doing their job, got elected through absentee ballot fraud, stole from a church, etc., etc.
I say allow Martell to come back one last time she was not thrown out or forced to resign. after all John Julian voted on his replacement.
If Pierre was putting the city first as some of the commissioners said last night he wouldn’t have gone to court numerous times to stop the business of the city and would have allowed the 4 remaining commissioners to vote on seat 7.
Frantz “Weasel” Pierre cares absolutely nothing about the City of North Miami Beach or its residents. He has proven it time and time again. His only interest is lining his pockets with other people’s money. Let’s recap once again for anyone who missed it the first gazillion times we’ve posted this. So far, he’s been able to avoid being investigated, arrested and prosecuted for:
Filing a bogus restraining order against an opponent
Committing perjury under oath
Violating city code
Intimidating and fighting with a city employee
Making false accusations against a city employee
Attempting to coerce a city employee to lie for him
Stealing city property, including water
Falsely accusing a city employee of rigging a bid
Installing a carpetbagger from MIRAMAR to run against one of his colleagues
Lying to recuse himself from a vote
Falsely accusing the son of an elected official of deliberately causing his car accident
Going postal on a city employee who was attempting to do her job
Falsely accusing the MAYOR of interfering with the bidding process (for which he was beautifully bitch slapped!)
Conspiring to steal FDLE funds from the city for a bogus non-profit
“Winning” elections by absentee ballot fraud
And, yes, committing grand theft 3rd degree for stealing $2,500.00 from the Haitian Evangelical Baptist Church.
And now we can add:
Halting all official business of the City of North Miami Beach for 54 days (February 22, 2018 to the present) and counting!
Unless he has a mansion in Haiti that we don’t know about, for someone who’s only interest is “lining his pockets with other people’s money”, he’s pretty much a failure. His house is a total dump, in a city that by the way will always be another dump as long as it continues to be governed in this manner.
Don’t forget, he’s got nine “registered voters” and five children living in La Maison de Pierre that he has to support. He always needs moolah.
Ugh!
(Ugh is used in writing to represent the sound that people make if they think something is unpleasant, horrible, or disgusting.)
And the gall of Beth Spiegel and Barbara Kramer to say that Tony DeFillipo walking off the dais was a violation of the Ethics Legislation passed last year due to Phyllis doing the same to stop a vote. The meeting never came to order as Acting Mayor Spiegel had Jose make the announcement before roll call was done to officially start the meeting, there was no meeting as was said at the end of the video.
Since the meeting was never called to order, there was no violation of that resolution. Tony walking out is the least of their problems. But, it’s easier to blame someone who did the right thing than to deal with the person who started all the crap in the first place — FRANTZIE! He loves this drama and he loves being the center of it all. Imagine how exited he was when out of the blue he was being fawned over by the same women he refers to as “racist white bitches.” How much you wanna bet his “firmness” is no longer “chilled?”
There is no way that demon should be allowed to step one foot on the dais until his lawsuit against the city has been resolved. Letting him up there for even 30 seconds to vote on what is probably the most important decision facing NMB at this moment would be unmitigated disaster of epic proportions. If they open that door, even just a crack, they may as well beg the judge to rule in Frantzie’s favor, and then beg forgiveness from Ben Kuehne for wasting his time.
No, seriously. What the hell were they thinking? It’s outrageous that anyone at City Hall thought this was a viable solution.