Madeira Beach sticks with the status quo, much to the chagrin of a few residents who cite conflicts of interest.
By AMY WIMMER
Published September 17, 2003
MADEIRA BEACH - A group of frustrated residents showed up at City Hall on Monday with ammunition: anecdotes and photos they hoped might topple the chairman of the Board of Adjustment.
But the boisterous complaints came mostly from the mouths of people who have been on the losing end of board decisions. That left the majority of the City Commission convinced that the concerns are just sour grapes.
"This is pretty darn low," said City Commissioner Roger Koske, one of four commissioners who voted for all the incumbents on the board, including controversial chairman Joe Jorgensen, and against all the prospective newcomers. The board members were up for reappointment. "If you've got proof, bring it forward."
The handful of residents who spoke against Jorgensen thought they did have proof. They pointed out that Dennis Reynolds, a member of the Board of Adjustment who voted in favor of a variance for Jorgensen's home, has since been hired as a general contractor on the home. And Dave Mullins, a Madeira Beach property owner who received three variances for a home addition, was spotted at Jorgensen's home days later, doing plumbing work.
One woman brought photos that showed Mullins working on Jorgensen's house.
"I don't have a problem with Mr. Mullins being a plumber there just because he happened to get three variances days prior," Commissioner Jan Sturgis said in a comment that drew boos from the audience.
The Board of Adjustment is controversial in part because its decisions are final, according to the city charter, with no opportunity for appeal to the City Commission. Anyone dissatisfied with the board's decisions must take his case to circuit court.
Mayor Tom DeCesare tried to cut short the reactions of the audience, which included many people who came to the meeting specifically to campaign against Jorgensen's appointment.
"We don't need the clapping," DeCesare said as the residents applauded.
The worst conflict of interest, the residents said, is Jorgensen's relationship with City Commissioner Doreen Moore. Moore, Jorgensen's next-door neighbor and business partner, described the two of them in a court deposition three years ago as "life partners."
Nonetheless, Moore has voted on Jorgensen's appointment to the Board of Adjustment and voted to grant him a Federal Emergency Management Agency flood grant. On Monday, she voted in his favor again, this time to give Jorgensen another term on the Board of Adjustment.
City Attorney Tom Trask has continually pointed out that Florida statutes do not prevent Moore from voting on matters related to Jorgensen unless the issues benefit her financially. Moore has maintained that in a small town, it is inevitable that some people on a board will know and deal with people who come before them.
"This is a small community, and we do all work together," Moore said.
Jorgensen's personality was described by George Gonzalez, a resident who was turned down for a variance by the board, as "pervasive arrogance and divisiveness." Jorgensen dismissed those concerns Monday.
"I think we have a very fair board," Jorgensen said in his appeal to keep his seat. "I think we've made good decisions, and I would welcome the opportunity to continue."
