When it comes to discovering even more proof of ex-North Miami Beach City Manager Arthur “Duke” Sorey’s insidious public corruption, absolutely nothing surprises us anymore.

During the grim two-year period when there was a four-Criminal Commissioner vote on the dais, Michael Joseph, McKenzie Fleurimond, Paule Villard, and Daniela Jean gave Duke Sorey carte blanche to spend anything he wanted on their personal wish lists — and on himself.  Not even the sky was the limit!

In turn, Duke did whatever it took to make them happy whether or not it was ethical, legal, or fiscally prudent.  More often than not, it was none of those.

For example, the four Criminal Commissioners had Duke illegally include controversial Resolutions in the Consent Agenda, none of which would pass in any City not run by corrupt public officials.

A Consent Agenda, also known by Roberts Rules of Order as a “consent calendar,” described in RONR (11th ed.), p. 240 as [emphasis ours], “Legislatures, city, town, or county councils, or other assemblies which have a heavy work load including a large number of routine or noncontroversial matters may find a consent calendar a useful tool for disposing of such items of business. Commonly, when such a matter has been introduced or reported by a committee for consideration in the assembly, its sponsor, or, sometimes, an administrator, may seek to have it placed on the consent calendar. This calendar is called over periodically at a point established in the agenda by special rule of order, at least preceding standing committee reports. The matters listed on it are taken up in order, unless objected to, in which case they are restored to the ordinary process by which they are placed in line for consideration on the regular agenda.”

Furthermore, as we previously reported, a paper entitled The Power of a Consent Agenda published by Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan specifically notes that the chairperson of the meeting, or in this case, the Mayor, “determines whether an item belongs on the consent agenda.”

Even more importantly, “If any member requests that an item be removed from the consent agenda, it must be removed.  Members may request that an item be removed for any reason.”

But the four Criminal Commissioners, aided and abetted by their corrupt City Manager and equally corrupt City “Attorney” Hans Ottinot, ignored all of these rules and more.  They did whatever they wanted to satisfy their lust for money and power.

Taxpayers be damned.

Once such instance occurred at the August 16, 2022 Commission Meeting, where an already jam-packed 23-item Consent Agenda was further bloated by McKenzie Fleurimond.  According to the Meeting Minutes, he added six more controversial items to the mix, including Paule’s taxpayer-funded Gift Card Campaign Event and her ridiculous Resolution to “establish” a “sister city relationship” with Cap-Haitien, Haiti.  This was exactly one month after she had already spent $9,400.20 of your tax dollars to travel there for the purpose of visiting her nephew.

And, once again, all of these costly, controversial, and highly unethical items were rammed through with the usual four-Criminal Commissioner vote.

Another one of those controversial items included, and passed with absolutely no discussion, was Resolution R-2022-102 for the engagement of “LGL Consulting & Executive Advisory Group, LLC (LGL Consulting) to provide one-on-one and group executive coaching and training tailored toward leadership development for department directors and senior management,” according to the Memo from Duke to the Mayor and Commission.

According to both the Memo and Resolution, the cost of this “service” was “not to exceed $65,000.”

Normally, all purchases of goods and services over $25,000 should be put out for bid, according to Chapter III, Section 3-3.1 of the City’s Code of Ordinances.  Alternatively, the “City Commission may, in its sole discretion, elect to waive the requirements of this section upon a 5/7 affirmative vote when the City Commission deems the waiver necessary for the health, safety, or welfare of the city.”

Duke worked around this pesky little detail by citing Section 3-4.5, which allows for Exemptions from Bidding for “Teaching, training, specialized services and recreational instructors.”

Even if that were Duke’s true intent of this “agreement,” this item should not have been included in the Consent Agenda.

Worse, even though it wasn’t brought before the Mayor and Commission until August 16, 2022, Duke had already secretly entered into an Agreement for Professional Services more than a year earlier on July 20, 2021!

By the time Duke decided to ask the Mayor and Commission to approve his deal, he had already paid LGL Consulting & Executive Advisory Group, LLC FIFTY NINE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED NINETY ($59,590.00) DOLLARS!

After the Resolution was passed, LGL went on to receive an additional $46,673.00 for A GRAND TOTAL OF $106,263.00 OF YOUR TAX DOLLARS!

We asked for and received copies of all invoices for all the checks that were paid to LGL Consulting & Executive Advisory Group, LLC.  You can view them here:  PRR-2023-650

LGL is a single-member Limited Liability Company, which advertises itself as a “Group,” and was formed as recently as 2019 by Laury Georges-Lane of Apopka, Florida.

She issued two invoices to the City a month for 18 months — $4,167 for “Executive Coaching Fee” and another $1,667 a month for “Mediation Fee.”

Not a single invoice was itemized, so we have no idea what her “Executive Coaching” entailed or which employees had disputes that required mediating.

What we do know, however, is exactly what we’ve come to expect from a fraud like Duke Sorey.

Several former department heads gave us a brief synopsis of what actually occurred.  Duke told at least one director that Ms. Georges-Lane was hired as his “Executive Coach” to assist in “improving his leadership skills.”

We all see how well that worked out.

One former director recalled a meeting that Duke ordered all department heads to attend for the purpose of assessing his skills so that the consultant could give him constructive criticism.

Ms. Georges-Lane then placed a bunch of pictures on a table and asked each attendee to choose a picture that best represents how they felt about the current state of the City and the administration.  These pictures included such scenes as:

• A group of people crying
• A burning building
• Pandemonium
• People pulling ropes in all directions
• People drowning

There were also cards with positive scenes, such as children playing, etc.

Ms. Georges-Lane asked each attendee to discuss the picture they chose and explain why they felt the way they did.  She then said she would follow up with Duke but would not indicate who said what.

All but one department head chose a picture depicting the chaos that had been going on as soon as Duke became the City Manager.

Ultimately, every single director who chose a negative picture was fired or forced to resign.

So much for confidentiality.

This utter nonsense, and its totally unnecessary expense, went on for 18 long months.

It would have continued indefinitely under Duke’s Friends & Family plan if he hadn’t lost his four-Criminal Commissioner vote in the November 2022 election.

As much public corruption as we’ve uncovered so far, we still have more questions than answers.

• What exactly did Laury Georges-Lane accomplish for the outrageous $106,262.00 of taxpayer funds she received?
• Why was Duke paying her $1,667.00 a month to mediate employee disputes when this is typically handled by the Human Resources Department?
• Exactly how many disputes did she actually mediate?
• Do taxpayers get a refund for her abject failure to improve Duke’s leadership skills?
• And, finally, why did Duke choose this particular woman to be his personal “Executive Coach?”

Never mind.  That last one’s obvious.

Hey, a guy can dream, right?  Even a loser like Duke Sorey is entitled to his fantasies.

In the hopes of finding the answers to our other burning questions, we’ve made an additional Public Records Request for emails, reports, work product, memoranda, etc. regarding this questionable expenditure.  We will follow up with a report.

In the meantime, in case anyone is wondering what Duke is up to these days, wonder no more.

According to his “new and improved” LinkedIn page, it appears he is still under the delusion that he’s qualified for any job, except maybe Strip Club Bouncer.

As for his “Job Experience,” Duke is now the President/CEO of “Self-employed.”

 

More like “Unemployed.”

Since Duke was fired FOR CAUSE at the April 18, 2023 Commission meeting, he didn’t get the golden parachute he was expecting.  He also doesn’t have that steady stream of undeserved income, so he thought it was a good idea to file a lawsuit in the hopes of ripping off even more money on top of the $431,268.37 he already stole from taxpayers, not including what the City paid toward his pension contribution, health insurance, life insurance, and the employer’s share of his Social Security, or the $51,849.44 check he received for his “unused” leave time.

On September 25, 2023, Judge Reemberto Diaz issued a Case Management Order (Streamlined Pathway), setting deadlines for both parties to adhere to.

Unless Duke either comes to his senses and realizes he’s got no case, or he ends up getting arrested, indicted, and convicted for public corruption, his lawsuit will go to trial some time after June 5, 2024.

We will have plenty of popcorn ready!

In the meantime, we here at VotersOpinion intend to do everything in our power to expose each and every one of Duke Sorey’s despicable acts of ethical violations, abuse of position, misfeasance, malfeasance, felony grand theft, high crimes, misdemeanors, and general scumbaggery, all in the name of justice for all the North Miami Beach residents and employees whose lives he destroyed.

We will leave no stone unturned.

Stephanie