⛵️ Marina deal pushback
🎉 Happy birthday, America! For you today, a deeper look at the waterfront, ICYMI ethics investigation, and Fourth of July, but make it Stet. 🇺🇸
Today’s newsletter is a 5-minute read.
🌊 Marina cash preceded marina selection
Like many readers, we here at Stet love a good controversy, particularly one over reshaping a city waterfront.
So we can’t help but be fascinated by West Palm Beach’s June 5 decision to negotiate a contract with City Harbor to build a marina on the downtown Flagler Drive waterfront.
Of note: Informa Markets, the company that runs the Palm Beach International Boat Show, delivered $45,000 in contributions on Feb. 7 to Floridians for Economic Leadership, a political committee headed by Mayor Keith James’ campaign consultant, Rick Asnani.
In a statement provided by Asnani, Andrew Doole said Informa raised the money “to show our support for the Mayor and City of West Palm Beach” and that the donations “are not from, nor affiliated, with anyone bidding on the recent city marina project.”
Who gave? International Yacht Brokers Association, $20,000; HMY Yacht Sales, $10,000; and $5,000 each from Viking Sport Cruisers, MarineMax and Viking Yachts President and CEO Patrick Healey.
One week later, the political committee got $5,000 from Leisure Resorts, owner of the downtown Palm Harbor Marina. Leisure had prepared a bid for the new marina but pulled out at the last minute.
James argued in favor of City Harbor, in part, because it had the endorsement of the boat show, which is owned by the nonprofit Marine Industries Association and run by Informa.
Yes, but. The man behind City Harbor is Ray Graziotto. For nine of the past 12 years, he has served on the Marine Industries Association's board, including three years as president. He’s now the board secretary.
Competing bidder Safe Harbor said the association and Informa refused to meet with them. They also filed a challenge, charging that the city didn’t follow its own rules in selecting City Harbor.
Among the points: During City Harbor’s presentation, Doole, who is president of the U.S. Boat Shows division of Informa, and two others addressed city commissioners. If they weren’t part of the bid team, their comments violated the city’s ban on public comment at the selection meeting, the protest filed by attorney F. Malcolm Cunningham said.
That ban didn’t sit well with some city residents. Rick Rose, who lives downtown, is organizing efforts to block the marina.
He fears it will be transformed from “one of the nicest public amenities in South Florida” to “a gigantic Braman Motorcars parking lot but instead of cars it will be yachts.”
3-year ethics probe hangs over WPB mayor
If you missed Stet’s special Thursday edition with Part 1 on the state’s ethics probe into Mayor Keith James, here’s a quick catchup before Part 2 rolls out on Thursday.
The state ethics investigation into a no-bid security contract for a friend of Mayor Keith James remains open, more than three years after it was launched. From the files of an unrelated lawsuit, Stet learned:
Why did James seek the resignation of City Administrator Jeff Green in 2019? To save the no-bid contract for the mayor’s friend, Willie Perez, Green said in a September 2021 deposition.
“Willie Perez … has lots of contacts and raised lots of funds for the mayor as well as other commissioners,” Green said. “That’s why.”
Those words do not appear in the recorded interviews and reports collected by the Ethics Commission since it began investigating in October 2019.
But the investigation is not over: The ethics cloud still hangs over James.
Despite two investigative reports recommending the case be dismissed, the Ethics Commission refused, leaving the matter in the hands of an advocate who works for the Florida attorney general.
Elizabeth Miller, the advocate, can issue another report to be considered by the Ethics Commission, put James on trial before an administrative law judge or negotiate a settlement.
Over two mayoral campaigns, Perez’s name appears just once among direct contributors to James: a $1,000 in-kind contribution of food and drinks for an event in November 2017.
Yes, but. Perez, himself, said in a sworn ethics interview (more on that coming in Part 2 on Thursday) that he helped James raise money.
“I did a fundraiser, a couple of them,” Perez said. “I’ve done a lot of fundraisers for a lot of people.”
That’s what Green said, citing the mayor as his source.
Did the mayor ever discuss Perez’s political influence, a lawyer asked Green.
“Sure,” Green said.
“What would he say?”
“That Willie raises a lot of money for candidates; and that's a good thing for him, for the mayor.”
Check back on Thursday for more of Stet’s coverage of the 3-year ethics probe into WPB Mayor Keith James.
🍇 The juice
Fresh-squeezed news from all over
👮🏼♂️ The best, most accessible list we’ve seen of the Florida laws that took effect Saturday. (News Service of Florida)
💈 A majority of Power Poll Palm Beach participants want Gannett to invest more money in The Palm Beach Post. (Power Poll)
💰 Financial disclosure law riles officials. (The Coastal Star)
🎆 No drone fireworks in Lake Worth Beach this year. But the city promises better pyrotechnics tonight than last year’s show, which fizzled out after three minutes. (Palm Beach Stories)
🍺 Quiz answer: George did what?
Last week we asked: In his Virginia race for a state post, how did George Washington blow his entire campaign budget?
The answer: Buying 160 gallons of booze.
More specifically, his campaign manager did. And with good reason. Polling places were raucous, with candidates supplying liquor and food.
In his first bid for a seat in pre-revolution Virginia’s legislature, Washington brought no liquor. He got 40 votes. His opponent, who came bearing beer, whiskey, rum punch, and wine, got 271.
Having learned from his mistake, his second campaign divided 160 gallons of booze among 391 voters. He won with 331 votes.
🇺🇸 561 insider: How Stet does July 4
Joel
🎉 North county offers several options for pyrotechnics, but Abacoa’s Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium is closest to my house and you don’t have to go to the ballgame to see the show.
The area surrounding the ballpark fills with spectators craning their necks for a space through the trees to see the lights in the sky. The show lasts about 20 minutes.
🦮 Get there early to scout a location. Maybe bring the dog and a Frisbee. And pray the game doesn’t go into extra innings.
Carolyn
🌃 I like gazing at West Palm Beach’s fireworks across the Intracoastal. We walk across the Royal Park Bridge and find a spot on Palm Beach’s Lake Trail.
Jane Musgrave
🧨 At my house, an important tradition — along with putting up the Christmas tree — is watching the unrivaled celebration of jingoism — the classic movie, “Independence Day.”
Since 1996, when it debuted on (of course) Independence Day, not a year has gone by that we haven’t watched it. We’ve shifted from VCR to DVD and now streaming.
Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Judd Hirsch, Randy Quaid and Bill Pullman give the performances of their lives.
We now watch it by day.
🗓️ On July 2, the aliens arrive and launch a global attack. On July 3, as Air Force One travels to (where else?) Roswell, N.M., all seems lost. On July 4, our fearless leaders strike back.
We recite each cheesy line and scream at each other to hit stop as the new date rolls across the screen.
So today, we’ll be watching the United States save the world and cheering the best presidential speech in movie history — perhaps the best ever.
Pat
🌳 I will be fitting the pets with earmuffs, then sitting under my large tree with a beer and betting on which of my joyfully loud neighbors will finally set fire to their own large tree.
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