In just the first six months of this fiscal year, North Miami Beach Commissioner McKenzie Fleurimond has charged $13,457.23 on his taxpayer-funded Procurement Card (P Card), which we already reported in P Card Madness, Part 1. North Miami Beach Criminal Commissioners charge up a storm on your dime!

We can only imagine the damage he’ll do before the fiscal year ends on September 30, 2022.

You will recall that at the Second Public Budget Hearing held September 21, 2021 for FY 2021-22, it was McKenzie Fleurimond who “presented a discussion on increasing contingencies for each commissioner for sponsorship events throughout the year,” according to the Minutes of the Meeting.  A “Motion to approve $13,000 for each elected official for events as part of their contingencies for any events that they may want to host pertaining to their office [was] made by Commissioner Fleurimond, seconded by Commissioner Joseph.”

Keep in mind that up until that point, the elected officials had contingency funds of $7,000.00, but McKenzie wanted to nearly double that amount.

Also, keep in mind that the intent was clearly spelled out at the meeting that this money was to be used “as part of their contingencies” for events, and for no other reason.

Not surprisingly, this money grab passed 4-3 with McKenzie and his co-conspirators on the dais, Michael Joseph, Paule Villard, and Daniela Jean greedily voting in the affirmative.

Mayor Anthony DeFillipo, Commissioner Barbara Kramer, and Commissioner Fortuna Smukler voted in vain against the plundering of your tax dollars, but they were outnumbered as usual.

Two months later, McKenzie and his three co-conspirators conveniently forgot what they already voted on.

At the November 16, 2021 Commission Meeting, the matter came up again during the Manager’s Report at hour 5:48:50 of the meeting video, when Arthur “Duke” Sorey “stated there was an amendment to the fiscal budget made by Commissioner Fleurimond in the amount of $13,000 and requested the board to clarify whether it was for the discretionary fund or contingency fund.  Mayor and commission discussed the amended amount of $13,000,” according to the Minutes of the Meeting.

In case you’re wondering, there is no difference between a discretionary fund and a contingency fund, so whoever typed the Minutes was confused since they are both basically the same thing.

The real issue, as it turned out, was whether or not the $13,000 would be held by the City and doled out at the request of each Commissioner, or if the money was to be used as a “non-accountable expense account,” which means the money is paid directly to the Commissioner to do with however he or she pleases.

As we explained in What planet do these people live on?, the Miami-Dade County Commission on Ethics and Public Trust published a report in 2019 stating that “non-accountable expense allowances are objectionable for public employees.  They do not provide the transparency and accountability that should exist in government because they do not require elected officials to account for how money is spent, or even if it is spent with a public purpose.  Non-accountable expense plans also allow elected officials to circumvent charter restrictions on raising their own salaries without voter approval.”

Apparently, McKenzie Fleurimond never got the memo because he was desperately trying to grab the $13,000 for his own personal benefit — as a raise without really calling it a raise.

At hour 5:49:20 of the November 16th Commission Meeting, Duke announced that he wasn’t sure how this $13,000 was to be handled and he just “wanted to be clear on what everyone thought they were voting on.”

Duke then said he assumed it was to be used as a “contingency” fund, but apparently one or more of the Commissioners thought otherwise, and they were giving him different directives.

Michael Joseph immediately piped in, “I thought it was for the expense.”

Duke tried to step away from the discussion twice, but the Mayor kept pressing him, saying that this was the Manager’s discussion item and asking him to explain what the difference was “and we can have a constructive conversation.”

Clearly uncomfortable, Duke said it was either for discretionary spending “to do whatever you want in the community,” which would be spent by the City.  The second thing he “heard” was that the $13,000 would be considered an “expense account.”  And the third thing he “heard” was “something community, that it would go to community events, so just events only.”

Of course, the first and the third things he “heard” were exactly the same, but Duke being Duke, he knew he had to make something up on the fly, so he winged it the best he could.

Although he asked the Commission to clear it up for him, Duke Sorey knew very well where this discussion was headed.

Michael was the first to speak and said he was “all for” using the $13,000 as an “expense account,” which means it was his for the taking.

Daniela said she also “remembered” the same thing.

At hour 5:53:48, McKenzie finally spoke, taking credit for being the one to “bring it up.”  He suddenly “remembered a conversation” about splitting the money between a discretionary fund and the other half going toward an “expense account.”

Fortuna said that she was under the impression that all $13,000 was to be used from their discretionary fund, with some of that going toward donations.

Paule, who never has an original thought in her empty head, merely parroted Michael and McKenzie as usual and said she also “remembered” talking about splitting it in half.

The Mayor logically suggested that instead of trying to guess what they “remember,” maybe they all should review the Budget Hearing video to figure out exactly what had been intended when they voted on this money, but of course he was shot down by the four big spenders, who were chomping at the bit to grab the cash.

Commissioner Barbara Kramer reminded her colleagues that donations are not supposed to go toward pet projects or “religious places,” but should be given to organizations that directly benefit the residents of North Miami Beach.

Then again, that would exclude McKenzie’s “donation” of $600 of your tax dollars that he gave to “Pisgah Pantry Outreach” located at the Mt. Pisgah SDA Church in Miami Gardens.

But, we digress.

Michael, as usual, tried to stop all discussion, and made a motion to grab all the money for his personal “expense account.”

By now, it was midnight.  Despite Tony’s and Barbara’s admonishments that this was taxpayer money, and that the matter should be tabled so that residents could be there for public comment, their efforts were in vain.

The four larcenists were never going to stand for transparency.  They wanted the money and they wanted it now!

And, make no mistake, Duke was in on the scheme from the very beginning.

The Minutes of the Meeting would later read, “Motion to reconsider amended amount of $13,000 to be split evenly into the expense allowance and the discretionary fund made by Commissioner Joseph, seconded by Vice Mayor Jean.”

When it suddenly became apparent to Barbara Kramer that $6,500 of that money would be ADDED TO THEIR ALREADY BLOATED COMPENSATION CHECKS, she hit the roof.

“When does it end?  What do you need this money for?  GET JOBS, PEOPLE!  You need real jobs.  This is not your job!”

Unfortunately, they do not understand that being an elected official is not a job.  It’s supposed to be an altruistic act of service, and any stipend they receive is intended to merely cover their out of pocket expenses for the privilege.

But just like their counterparts in North Miami, these four grifters expect the taxpayers to serve them and lavish them with “salaries” and benefits they didn’t earn and don’t deserve.

Tony, of course, was beside himself as he berated the four looters for taking public money that they are not entitled to.

Of course, they didn’t care.

They do whatever they want, public opinion be damned.

They are that shameless.

WATCH!

City Attorney Hans Ottinot, who thinks he’s the eighth Commissioner, as usual ran interference by interrupting the Mayor, “We have a motion and a second and we have to vote.”

Once again, the four spendthrifts, McKenzie, Michael, Paule, and Daniela, voted in the affirmative to give themselves a $6,500 raise, and the fiscally responsible elected officials, Tony, Barbara, and Fortuna, voted against this grand theft third degree of taxpayer money.

And regardless of what the unethical and highly incompetent Hans Ottinot says, the raise they gave themselves was in violation of Article II, Sec 2-3 of the City Charter, which specifically states:

Members of the City Commission shall receive such compensation as shall be fixed by the Commission. The compensation of members of the City Commission may be increased by the affirmative vote of five members of the Commission. The compensation shall be payable as other expenses of the City are paid.

But again, we digress.

Here’s the real reason North Miami Beach Commissioner McKenzie Fleurimond keeps gouging taxpayers.

During the budget hearings in September when McKenzie “presented a discussion” to increase the discretionary amount by $13,000, he had not paid the rent on his apartment in more than three months.

By September, when he still hadn’t come up with the rent money, he must have been desperate.  He had to know that an eviction was coming down the pike.

Hitting the taxpayers up for another raise must have seemed like a good idea at the time, and that extra $13K would sure help.

He already knew his co-conspirators would be only too happy to help themselves to another raise, so there was no doubt in his mind the motion would pass.

To make matters even worse, Commissioner Barbara Kramer accidentally found out on June 27, 2022 — just two days ago — that McKenzie & Co. gifted themselves another $15,000 each from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to allegedly be used for “Community Engagement.”

A/K/A the Taxpayer-Funded Paule Villard Re-Election Fund.

Furious about this discovery, Barbara sent an email to the City Manager, admonishing him, “I was quite shocked to find out that there was additional spending money in an ARPA fund. When was this established? I never knew about this. Was this something discussed in a Commission Meeting, and I just don’t remember it? More money for pet projects because my colleagues can’t work with the discretionary fund amount already given to us?  We also have $ 4,000.00 available for Travel and Auto expenses as well as $ 750 for Educational Programs. This is ridiculous!”

And like every other email Barbara has sent to the City Manager, who is her employee, he has refused to respond.

But, we digress yet again.

Still, the money didn’t come fast enough to bail McKenzie out of the hole he dug for himself.

According to a Complaint for Tenant Eviction filed on November 19, 2021 by his Landlord, Prestige Boardwalk, LLC, McKenzie and his wife were served ten days earlier on November 9, 2021 with a THREE (3) DAY NOTICE TO PAY RENT.

 

By now McKenzie had to really be in dire straights.

Fortunately for him, the next Commission meeting was only a week away on November 16, 2021.

Was it just a coincidence that Duke brought up the $13,000 “discretionary” money that night?

Was it just a coincidence that McKenzie’s best friend, Michael Joseph, pressed hard to grab at least half that amount for a non-accountable “expense allowance” to be added to their paychecks?

We think not.

By some “miracle,” McKenzie came up with the money a mere two weeks later, when he entered into a Joint Stipulation for Settlement with the Landlord, and agreed to pay $7,789 upon execution and the balance of $1,640 by December 3, 2021, in order to “remain in the rental premises.”

McKenzie and his wife, Straussiana, also had to agree to resume his monthly rental payments of $1,640 beginning January 1, 2022, and $1,640 each month thereafter.

Apparently it was necessary for the Landlord to include in the Settlement, “All payments must be made directly to the Landlord in cleared funds in accordance with the rental agreement.  Personal checks will not be accepted.”

Furthermore, should McKenzie and his wife fail to make the required monthly rental payments, “a Final Judgment for Eviction will be entered immediately without notice and a 24-hour Writ of Possession will be issued forthwith and served upon the Defendants and the premises by Miami-Dade Sheriff to effectuate immediate eviction and removal of all persons therein.”

In case you’re wondering, McKenzie receives $51,250 of your tax dollars for what is supposed to be a voluntary public service, thanks to the two Commission salary increases he voted for.

He also allegedly has a real job with Chen Senior Medical Center, which he announced on his Facebook page on August 16, 2021.

We have no idea if he’s still employed there, but if he is, we can assume he makes a decent salary.

According to Indeed.com, even the lowest paying job at ChenMed is that of an Administrative Assistant for $29,744 a year.

As an “insurance person,” McKenzie probably earns somewhere in the $50,000 range or higher.

McKenzie’s wife, Straussiana is a Registered Nurse, the average salary range for which in South Florida is $64,136 to $82,105.

They have no children.

Yet, with a minimum combined salary of at least $165,000, McKenzie Fleurimond nearly got evicted from a $1,640 a month apartment.

What a loser!

This is a 39-year old man who only recently moved out of his parents’ house, and still hasn’t figured out that monthly rent checks need to be paid in order to keep a roof over his head.

My youngest child, who will turn 30 next week, has been on her own since she was 22 and she’s never so much as been a day late with her monthly rent check, much less served with an eviction notice.

Something is really wrong with someone McKenzie’s age who still hasn’t mastered the fine art of accepting responsibility for his own self-created problems.

This isn’t McKenzie’s — or his wife’s — first rodeo with creditors.

Back in 2017, when McKenzie and his wife, Straussiana, were still living with his mommy and daddy, each of them were sued by Midland Funding, LLC, for non-payment of credit card debt owed to Credit One Bank, N.A.

Midland filed a lawsuit against McKenzie on October 11, 2017 for unpaid credit card charges in the amount of $1,296.92, and another lawsuit against Straussiana Dice on on the same date for unpaid charges in the amount of $1,364.01.  Since neither of them bothered to show up for their respective hearings, the Court entered a Default Judgment against McKenzie on November 21, 2017, and a Default Judgment against Straussiana on November 30, 2017.

We assume they eventually settled with Midland because the Court entered a Notice of Dismissal against McKenzie a year later on November 21, 2018.  A Notice of Dismissal against his wife, Straussiana, was entered on October 30, 2019.

On January 30, 2018, Capital One Bank (USA), NA filed a lawsuit against McKenzie Fleurimond for non-payment of a credit card debt in the amount of $2,745.28 since September 15, 2016.  Apparently, McKenzie ignored this lawsuit, too, because on May 2, 2018, the Court entered into a Default Final Judgment and ordered him to pay the sum of $3,100.28, including costs in the amount of $355.00.

Six months later he ran for the office of Commissioner in North Miami Beach.

We guess he heard the “starting salary” was good, but not good enough.

Nine months later at the September 29, 2019 Commission Meeting, McKenzie and his co-conspirators push through a Resolution giving themselves a a 66% raise from $26,999 to $44,750!

Even though this increase was supposed to cover “increased expenses, including health benefit costs,” less than two years later at the June 15, 2021 Commission Meeting, McKenzie & Co. pushed through Resolution R2021-60 to force North Miami Beach taxpayers to “provide direct payment for full premium of Mayor and Commission medical, dental, vision and life insurance benefits.“

And they aren’t even City employees!

Now that McKenzie has managed to increase his taxpayer-funded compensation by another $6,500, under the guise of “expense account,” he is gouging taxpayers for a grand total of $51,250.

On top of that he gets “free” health insurance  and the unlimited use of a taxpayer-funded credit card to spend on whatever he pleases with apparently no oversight.

And yet, he still can’t pay his rent.

And now the world knows he’s nothing but a fraud who can’t even manage his own finances, much less weigh in on the City’s budget.

Remember this when McKenzie runs for re-election in 2024.

And in case you forget, we’ll be only too happy to remind you.

Stephanie