This is the third and final installment of this series.  It’s the last one not because there isn’t so much more to write about North Miami Beach Clown Commissioner McKenzie Fleurimond’s performance at the April 18, 2023 City Commission meeting, but because there’s just so much we can take listening to him bloviate.  But, the tirade we’re about to “iterate,” as McKenzie says ad nauseam, is just too entertaining to miss.

As we told you in Part 1 and Part 2 of Motor Mouth McKenzie beclowns himself, now that the tables have turned and he no longer has a 4-vote majority on the dais, McKenzie is not liking it one bit.

Too bad, so sad.  Elections have consequences.

McKenzie’s hypocrisy was on full display, as he was laughably pretending that he’s a team player whose “theme is to move NMB forward.”  Unfortunately for him, he cannot hide the fact that he is the one who caused every single problem that North Miami Beach has had since he first rushed the appointment of ex-City “Attorney” Hans Ottinot on February 1, 2021 with absolutely no discussion or consideration for his adversaries on the dais, Mayor Anthony DeFillipo, Commissioner Fortuna Smukler, and former Commissioner Barbara Kramer.

The fact that he displayed such overt contempt for the three elected officials for the past two years and two months, what he did next at the April 18th Commission meeting was such a stunning display of dishonesty it needs to be showcased for posterity.

Immediately after the Mayor and Commission approved the City’s employment agreement with John Herin, Esquire, at hour 2:29:37 of the meeting video, Commissioner Jay Chernoff put a motion on the table.

“At this time, not like we’ve done in the past, I would like to give permission to Mr. Herin to hire outside counsel, special counsel, to as my colleague just alluded to, go in the past after our last City Manager and after our City Attorney and hire Michael Pizzi to be that counsel.”

For the record, we loved Jay’s not so subtle dig at McKenzie with “not like we’ve done in the past.”

You will recall that it was McKenzie who directed ex-City “Attorney” Hans to illegally hire Sham Lawyer Luis E. Suarez to “investigate” Mayor DeFillipo’s residency without the consent of the entire Mayor and Commission as required by Article III, Sec. 3.3.2 of the City Charter, which unambiguously states, “The City Commission may, at the request of the City Attorney, retain other counsel in any matter in which the City of North Miami Beach has an interest, and pay the compensation of such counsel.”

Unlike McKenzie, Jay followed the Charter and asked his fellow elected officials to second his motion and approve of hiring outside counsel.

Hey, McKenzie.  Since you’ve been learning (and “reiterating”) new words, here’s one for your collection.

As expected, McKenzie could barely contain himself and immediately ran off at the mouth with what he absurdly believes are pearls of wisdom.

“Ah, my goodness!,” he said with a dramatic flourish.  “So, um, ah, ah, this is interesting.”

Then he launched right into his self-delusional diatribe.

“So, you have an attorney’s that’s representing , with all due respect to you, Mr. Chernoff, representing you in a lawsuit against two of your colleagues, representing the Mayor in a lawsuit against the City, okay?  Um, and this is the person that you want now to hire as a Commission, with all the conflicts of interest that’s floating on this dais with these particular cases, to be the Of Counsel now to represent the City on the City side of any pending litigation?  Is that what you’re saying?”

Jay simply responded with, “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying due to the fact that you caused us to get into the situation that …”

McKenzie, as usual, interrupted and shouted, “No, listen, listen.  I, I …”

The Mayor attempted to speak, and McKenzie had the audacity to insist, “Let me finish, let me finish, let me finish!”

As if he ever lets anyone else finish a freaking sentence!

The Mayor wasn’t having any of that nonsense, and said while looking at McKenzie, “You asked a question and he answered …”

“And now I’m going to continue,” spat McKenzie.

“Finish your statement,” said the Mayor.

“Okay, because I’m not, I’m not gonna do this.”

He paused for effect.  Then in his most serious stage voice, began to lecture, “The, uh, now, for those of you who are here as quote unquote standard bearers, you guys should be livid, YOU GUYS SHOULD BE LIVID, Commissioner Kramer.”

In case McKenzie hadn’t noticed, Barbara Kramer is a private citizen now.  He also didn’t notice that the audience began to heckle and jeer.

But, McKenzie had thoughts that the world needed to hear!

He raised his voice over objections by the Mayor, “And I’m calling her out, I’m calling her name out only because I believe that she is …”

The Mayor stopped him, “Commissioner, you are calling out somebody from the …”

But, McKenzie had thoughts that the world needed to hear!

McKenzie interrupted AGAIN with, “The reason I’m calling her name is because I believe …”

The Mayor again tried to stop him, “You are out of order!  There is no reason!”

But, McKenzie had thoughts that the world needed to hear!

“Alright,” McKenzie cried.  “Let me finish my statement.  Because I believe that as much as we have bumped heads that in her heart of hearts that she is a standard bearer.  That’s the reason why I mentioned her name.”

Is this buffoon for real?

McKenzie Fleurimond wants Barbara Kramer and all of you to forget that they didn’t merely “bump heads.”

For the last two years of her final term in office, McKenzie Fleurimond made Barbara Kramer’s life a living hell!

This is the jackass who refused to acknowledge Barbara on the dais and disregarded her every word.

This is the windbag who encouraged his hand-picked City “Attorney” and City Manager to treat her with disdain and disrespect.

This is the pendejo who refused to support or even attend any events sponsored by her committee.

And worst of all, this is the corrupt politician who conspired with his three criminal colleagues to falsely accuse Barbara of “racism,” knowing full well that’s a blatant lie, because she had the audacity to censure him for violating a City Ordinance.

And now this come mierda has the sheer audacity to call Barbara a “standard-bearer” after everything he did to try and destroy her legacy?

WATCH!

Of course, McKenzie was not done pontificating.  He went on to lecture his colleagues by telling them that “a standard-bearer is someone who holds up the standard for things that are good and things that are right, and will not allow for unethical things to be done.”

That’s so adorable coming from a corruptocrat who doesn’t have an honest or ethical bone in his body.

And yet, he can’t help himself.

Because McKenzie had thoughts that the world needed to hear!  DAMMIT!

“And so, being consistent, if we want to be consistent, it’s not about who you like, it’s not about who you don’t like.  But if we want to be consistent, then how in the world can we as a Commission sit here and even proffer a motion to have someone who’s representing two of my colleagues against several other colleagues and against the City to also represent the City in those … it doesn’t even make legal sense from my understanding.  You have to, how do you represent both sides?  How do you go to court and you’re suing the City and they you’re also defending the City, uh, it just doesn’t even make legal sense.  But just proffering that motion alone let’s me know where some of us stand.  Well, I’m glad you know where I stand.  I’m glad you know where I stand on this particular issue.  And, like I’m telling you, whether you agree with me or don’t agree with me before, anybody who’s a standard-bearer or anyone who has an ounce of sense knows that this does not meet legal muster, it, I think it’s … Mr. Attorney, would this be considered illegal for an attorney to be on both sides of the case?”

Mr. Herin attempted to answer him, but McKenzie couldn’t be bothered to listen to an actual attorney because he was too busy thinking about what he was going to say next.

“Here’s my question.  Can one attorney be on both sides of the case at the same time?”

The City Attorney responded, “Generally, no.”

“Okay, generally, no,” McKenzie interrupted as usual.

Mr. Herin continued, “However, I understand that the request was to engage outside counsel to look into past conduct, not to participate in the litigation.”

And, of course, McKenzie cut him off and said, “Listen, no matter how you slice this, people are talking about Friends & Family Plans as far as people giving business to friends and etcetera etcetera, um, this here, and I would encourage my colleagues who, who, who, um, who are not involved in, um, who are not doing business with Mr. Pizzi to really, really consider what you’re doing tonight because this to me is a blatant uh, uh, uh, um, it’s a blatant mis, uh, appropriation of the City’s disposition.  It’s not right.”

McKenzie Fleurimond literally just described the two years of hell the City went through until the results of last November’s election finally broke the circle of corruption that had infiltrated City Hall.

McKenzie had no problem telling his personal taxpayer-funded corrupt “lawyer” to hire outside counsel without express direction by the City Commission, in a failed attempt to oust the Mayor in order to circumvent the outcome of that election.

But now he’s upset that the Mayor and Commission are complying with the City Charter by taking a proper vote to hire outside counsel to investigate the very same corruption that McKenzie personally and financially benefited from for the last two years.

Funny how that works.

And, yet, McKenzie Fleurimond is so delusional that he is incapable of seeing the truth.

He doesn’t even have a clue why people are laughing at him.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, McKenzie Fleurimond is the most self-unaware person on the entire planet.

Jay Chernoff stated that he would not have made this motion if he had not already obtained a written legal opinion from esteemed attorney Benedict P. Kuehne, Esquire,  who stated that there is no conflict of interest.

Commissioner Fortuna Smukler spoke next to remind McKenzie that he’s a hypocrite.

“All of a sudden you don’t want the Friends & Family Plan,” she said.  “You’ve wanted the Friends & Family Plan for the last two years, but now you don’t want it.  This is not the Friends & Family Plan.  But please don’t talk about the Friends & Family Plan when you’ve been part of the Friends & Family Plan for the last two years.”

Commissioner Phyllis Smith also weighed in.  “From what I understand is what our former ‘attorney’ did is exactly what [McKenzie] is saying.  He represented three Commissioners against the City when he was hired to take care of the City.  So I’m hearing this and I’m saying we were in a big mess.  And I said it publicly, I’ll say it again in front of my Commissioners, that I think everybody has the right to what they feel.  I don’t want to take that away from everybody.  But what you don’t have the right to do is stop the City!”

Phyllis was upset that there was no time to properly read a Proclamation to a 100-year old resident because they have to make up for the four months that the City could not conduct the People’s Business because McKenzie and his co-conspirators refused to attend Commission meetings.

“So, today, in my seat,” she continued.  “I want to go after people that took, that stole, that used your tax dollars, my tax dollars because I pay in to the City, and they weren’t allowed to have it, they weren’t allowed to have that money.  I want to tell you that this will not go underneath a rug.  I had this discussion with the Attorney today.  Can we get back our money?”

Phyllis turned to McKenzie and said, “A lot of it was promulgated from just what you’re fighting against.  You sat here and did things that were unconscionable.  Why are they unconscionable?  Because it’s not your money!  And so, therefore, you took money that wasn’t yours!”

Phyllis warned that she was getting herself worked up over the mess, so Fortuna saved her by calling the question.

City Attorney John Herin clarified that they were voting to hire Michael Pizzi to investigate alleged misspending and misappropriation of taxpayer money, and improper acts committed by the former City Manager and former City “Attorney,” and then report back to the Mayor and Commission his findings.

The City Clerk called the roll and the motion passed 4-1.  (Daniela Jean was a no-show again and Michael Joseph had already walked out of the meeting at hour 2:28 and did not return.)

Speaking of no-show Commissioners, the Mayor and Commission also voted to dock the paychecks of McKenzie Fleurimond, Daniela Jean, and Michael Joseph the sum of $2,000.00 each for stopping City business since December 20, 2022.

In a surprisingly unbiased and non-racist article, the Miami Times Online explained, “The vote came after a resident requested a refund of the $6,000 fee paid to the city a year ago because of the delayed action caused by the meetings that lacked a quorum. The resident is none other than the wife of interim city manager Mark Antonio, who filed the application nearly a year ago, before Antonio was considered for his current position. Antonio did not attend the hearing due to conflict of interest.”

As you can see, McKenzie tried his hardest to block the Mayor and Commission from passing all the legislation that had been on hold for months thanks to him and his two co-conspirators, as well as all the new legislation needed to undo (or at least mitigate) the damage they all caused over the last two years.

Yet for all the deserving barbs that came his way from residents at public comment and his colleagues on the dais, McKenzie still showed no remorse or even a shred of humility.

In fact, he blithely ignored his part in the hot mess he helped create, and acted as if none of it ever happened.

Sorry, McKenzie, you are fooling no one.  Your shameful behavior has been on full display from the minute you walked off that dais on December 20, 2022, and refused to do your job until you were Court ordered to do so.

Not a single person has forgotten.

No one has forgotten how you began to systematically dismantle and destroy North Miami Beach from the minute you got your Puppet Candidate, Daniela Jean, elected in November 2020 and achieved a four-vote majority on the dais.

No one has forgotten how you conspired with Michael Joseph, Paule Villard, and Daniela Jean to hire the most incompetent, ignorant, and illiterate “lawyer” in all of South Florida and applauded his continuous acts of malpractice as long as he kept you and your co-conspirators out of trouble.

No one has forgotten how you shockingly praised over and over that vulgar monster, Duke Sorey, for “the great job he’s doing,” when in fact, he was misappropriating tax dollars, allowing Purchasing Card fraud, staffing the workforce with his incompetent cronies, illegally awarding bids to shady vendors, violating the City Charter, destroying a once great police department, abusing employees and three of your colleagues, and disrespecting residents.

No one has forgotten how you gave away City property to the Haitian American Nurses Association literally for a song and voted for it without disclosing your conflict of interest that your wife is a member.

No one has forgotten the tens of thousands of dollars you’ve spent taking dozens of taxpayer-funded vacations around the country, almost none of which had any public purpose for the benefit of North Miami Beach residents.

No one has forgotten how you secretly conspired with Duke Sorey and the CRA Director to sell off Daniel Diefenbach Park and the Arthur J. Snyder Tennis Center to build “affordable housing,” even though the City had no legal right to do so, and your incompetent City “Attorney” never bothered to do the research.

And in case anyone does forget, we will be sure to remind everyone when you try to run for re-election in November 2024.

Stephanie