City officials say Al Redman, who led the Unincorporated Seminole drive, failed to file proper papers.
By MARY JANE PARK
Published November 16, 2003
SEMINOLE - Al Redman, who led the political action committee that fought this past summer's annexation attempt, may owe big bucks to Seminole.
Beverly Brown, the city clerk, and Mark Ely, the city planner, say he has failed to submit proper campaign finance paperwork. As a result, they say, Seminole has no choice but to fine him.
Redman filed original organizational papers and bank account information for USEM - Unincorporated Seminole - with the city clerk's office, as state law requires.
Brown then sent Redman information about state requirements that he file treasurer's reports every other week, with original reports going to the clerk's office.
She didn't have to give Redman any information, Ely said. "It's good public policy (to educate) people who are novices in the political process."
"I wouldn't say we're professionals at this," Redman said Thursday. "I never, ever expected that I would be (heading) a political action committee."
As a resident of unincorporated Pinellas, he said, he couldn't figure out why he had to send the papers to the city, so he sent USEM's original reports to the county elections office.
In August, elections supervisor Deborah Clark wrote to Redman, advising that he send the originals to the Seminole city clerk. She attached copies of Florida Statute Chapter 106.03 (3)(c), which requires campaign treasurers' reports to go to the filing officer with whom a political action committee files its statement of organization.
In other words, to Beverly Brown.
"I disagree with your interpretation of the law," Redman wrote back to Clark. USEM's original financial reports went to the county elections office, "courtesy" copies to Seminole.
The result of the Aug. 26 election was emphatic: All five areas considering annexation voted no.
"Obviously, the city underestimated how successful we were in the annexation referendum," Redman said.
Two months after the vote, he received another correspondence. A letter from Brown dated Nov. 5 told Redman he would be fined. The reason: He failed to file original copies of the treasurer's report with her office.
Redman said he thought he was being punished because the annexation was defeated so soundly.
Seminole stood to gain more than $335-million in taxable value if voters approved the annexation, Redman said. "They blame our outfit for doing this. They want to get me some way or somehow."
As a county resident, he said, he didn't object to sending the original paperwork to the elections office.
"We were not deliberately avoiding the law," he said. "We thought we were doing the right thing and complying with the spirit of the law."
Redman "followed our advice up to a point, and then he decided he knew more than we did," Brown said.
City officials went "well beyond our obligation under the law" to give Redman the state requirements for political action committees, said Ely, the Seminole city planner. Redman deliberately refuses to file the original documents with the city, and city officials have no choice but to levy a fine against Redman, Ely said.
"The city has no legal latitude to waive or alter the filing requirements or potential fines that might result from failing to file," said Brown, the city clerk. "There's going to be some kind of fine. I just don't know what the figures are."
State law requires a fine of $50 per day for the first three days a report is late and $500 a day for each late day thereafter.
The amount will be determined once Redman files the committee's original paperwork with the city, Brown said. After that, he has 20 days to appeal to state elections officials.
Redman has an appointment Monday afternoon with Brown and City Manager Frank Edmunds.
"Whatever it takes, I'd like to take the high road on this," he said. "I would like a way to put this away, not rub anybody's nose in it. No gloating."
