A Snake in the Midst of the Florence City Council?

 

TAKE ME IN OH TENDER WOMAN 

The agenda for the 03/18 meeting of the Florence City council was rather tame on paper. The only item that really stood out to me was for an extension request from Craig construction to add 90 days onto the allowed time to complete the pickleball and tennis complex at Veterans Park. They needed more time due to the rainy weather. In remarks from the public, one commenter made the statement that as far as he was concerned the Craig crew could take a break from working on the project until after the election is held on August 26th for new representatives and the mayor. Even better if they just stopped work altogether until after a new government is sworn in on November 1st 2025. In a perfect world the taxpayers could get off the hook for the $9,997,000.00 the project is costing. Nonetheless, the city council gave Craig a 90-day extension by a unanimous vote.

Then there was the matter of Eugene Sak and his “Days Inn” project, the Hard Rock Reverb Hotel. He made a presentation at the work session. All I can say is there was some reference to the state creating an entity called “Sweet Home Alabama” and Sak was trying to get money from the state but first the city had to amend part of the resolution passed. Or something to that effect. Which shell is the pea under? With Eugene Sak and the “Reverb” hotel, who knows? A citizen put it quite well when he quoted from the parable of the old woman and the snake. “Take me in oh tender woman, take me in for heaven's sake, take me in oh tender woman cried the snake” Sak wanted an agenda item approving his request put on the agenda and a resolution voted on in this session! NOW! And it looked like one or two on the council were willing to go along. But the wiser and wearier, and in this group, I definitely include Michele Eubanks, insisted they have time to study the new proposal. Sak said they had until April 28th.

Of the remarks from the public, River Zurinsky made the most compelling and impassioned speech. He started off with saying how glad he was to see that it seemed some on the council were being more keenly aware of how much money was being spent on projects. Especially in “overruns” These are added cost that a contractor submits on a project as it is being constructed. Jimmy Oliver kind of summed up the way the council had been considering “overruns” “$4 million does not necessarily mean $4 million” Sometimes, as in the cost of the “new” parking deck, overruns can total nearly $1 million dollars over the original bid on a project. River wondered if this newfound thriftiness from the council was due to this being an election year but whatever the reason, he applauded them for paying attention to how taxpayer money is spent. He went on to say that if the city had not approved the “pickleball park” there would have been almost $10 million dollars to build 2

fire stations with. A new one for District 2 and one in District 4 which currently has no fire station. PERIOD! River is a SKYWARN storm spotter and he livestreams severe weather coverage for Lauderdale and Colbert county. He proposed building a storm shelter in the downtown area. Currently there is not one available. He also proposed that the city create a list of shelters in each district. River is actually quite an impressive young man in this writer's opinion. He is even running for city council representative in District 2!

That about sums up the works session and city council meeting as I witnessed it on 03/18/2025. It was rather tame with undertones of confusion from the work session. The best advice? Beware of snake bites!

THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME (IN FLORENCE CITY HALL)

 

The special called meeting to discuss the plans for a new city hall building, 01/14, started a little differently. The seating arrangement did anyway. The chairs were not centered in the room in a circle. They were arranged around 3 tables pushed together in a square.  Well, sort of. The bottom line is: circle or square, this meeting ended in almost the same way it started. There were no firm plans for either the old parking deck or city hall building.  Maybe next time Kaytrina Simmons can have the group meet and sit in a triangle shape. 

They all did agree to stay under the $50 million dollars that had been borrowed to build a new city hall building. 

There was a new element in the mix: an annex building. On this, yours truly is truly confused. It was never fully explained, at least to me, whether they were talking about buying a lot and building a new annex building on it or they had a constructed building in mind. I think they were talking about buying a lot. It would cost anywhere from $2 million to $6 million.

With this, the discussion between Bill Griffin and Jimmy Oliver got a little heated. For Griffin, the $6 million figure was a proposal killer. Oliver acted like this upset  him. This exchange was enlightening and put Bill Griffin way up the register on my respect meter. 

Jackie Hendrix had done his due diligence regarding the city hall building and had an engineer inspect the building and assess that it would cost more to remodel than to demolish and build a new structure. He had gotten this done for free according to him. I give him props for that, but somehow though, he is tied up with the “annex” proposal. Another thread to unravel.  

The other point that is really unclear is what they plan to do with the property after they demolish the original parking deck. It seems nobody got an independent engineer to inspect it and the wrecking ball is in its future for sure it appears. But the other new point is now they are planning on tearing down one parking deck and building another? 

And even more confusing than this was the different figures that were being discussed. I did not receive a high enough grade in accounting to keep up with that and something tells me all but maybe one on the council didn’t either.

I truly do not know how to describe this meeting. Whether he gets kudos or not, the one who should be wearing the cape in this whole affair is David Carson. He hits every meeting, be it city council or one of the different committee meetings, and records every one of them for the citizens to see. He does not receive a dime for his work, does this on his spare time, and has stated he started doing it and continues to do it because he wants the citizens of  Florence to have transparency in their government. Just watching this meeting was enough for me. Sitting through it, he should have received some kind of reward. I am adding it to this blog posting below. If your eyes glaze over during the meeting, make sure to skip to the last 10 minutes or so. You will get a good look at the shape the City of Florence government is in.

Editor's Note: To us, the words between Mr. Oliver and Mr. Griffin couldn't compare in drama to Jivin' Jackie Hendrix being an arrogant ass to Council President Simmons. He needs to realize he's not speaking to the Big Dombrowski, but to his superior.

United Fight Club - Florence Council Style

 

"It turned into a ballroom blitz."

There was drama: Eugene Sak is a slum Lord. - Michael White

There was crime: Get rid of the guns. - Billy Ray Simpson

There was anger: Arm chair quarter-backs know nothing about real life. - Jimmy Oliver

There was grief: Jivin' Jackie Hendrix is a big disappointment. - Michael White again

There was hope: I've drawn better City maps for your consideration. - River Zurinsky

There was comedy: Doesn't the City know how much one hundred million is? - David Carson

Our takeaway? We actually agree with Mr. Simpson about the prevalence of guns in the wrong hands in Florence. As for the logical Mr. White, we have to ask why he ever trusted Hendrix and his moll the Big Dombrowski (still allowed to sit on the Tree Commission)? Yes, Mr. Zurinsky has indeed come up with a better revision of the City's six districts; we'll be publishing them later this week.

Will things get better? Not if Florence continues to have a Dick Jordan mindset.

PAVE PARADISE, PUT UP ANOTHER PARKING DECK

 

There was a meeting held today in the mayor’s conference room at Florence city hall annex of the building and planning committee. It consisted of Andy Betterton along with Melissa Bailey and Gary Davidson meeting with Kaytrina Simmons, Jimmy Oliver and Jackie Hendrix.

The main topic of discussion at the start of the meeting was the demolition of the “old” parking deck at the corner of Tennessee and Pine Streets. Five bids had been submitted for the demolition the least of which was around $700K from a company out of Birmingham. As he has done for almost 2 years now, David Carson was on hand to record the meeting for his Facebook page: Florence, Al Open Meeting Project. I am including a link to this video so interested citizens can see for themselves the meeting unfold as it was recorded.

Of particular interest is two points brought up in the meeting. One, that the cost of the new city hall had risen since the original design was submitted. It was now north of the $50 million dollar range. And two, that the mayor had cancelled a meeting called by Kaytrina Simmons to discuss the city hall project with the entire council and instead had discussions with only Jackie Hendrix and Jimmy Oliver. This seems to be an ongoing problem. The question this reporter must ask is: WHY? Watch the video and draw your own conclusion.

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If any of our readers have parked in the new Florence deck, send us a quick review...

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Florence City Government is 99% Opaque

 

Let It Shine

The agenda for the Florence city council meeting on Tuesday October 1st was a long one. It had 46 items on the consent portion and 3 on the general portion. The notice for the meeting with the agenda was published on the city of Florence Facebook page at 10:46 a.m. on Tuesday. The work session started, as usual, at 4:00 p.m.

According to the Open Meetings Act of Alabama: Act # 2005-40 subsection 6 states that “meetings called pursuant to Section 11-43-50, Code of Alabama 1975 shall be posted as soon as practicable after the meeting is called and in no case less than 24 hours before the meeting is scheduled to begin”. It goes on to give exceptions due to emergency circumstances but barring these the law is very clear. And the city of Florence seems to violate it every time a city council meeting is held.

This gets brought up very frequently in the public comment section by David Carson. Mr. Carson did so once again at this past meeting. He asked how an agenda with 49 items could be viewed and researched by concerned citizens when it is posted less that 6 hours on the day of the meeting. He also brought up the practice of the city posting notices on a bulletin board with thumb tacks in front of the city clerk's office about committee meetings to be held.

Transparency. That is what seems to be lacking at Florence city hall. Whether it be the lack of concern for citizens to get notices in a timely fashion or Mayor Andy Betterton blocking all comments during the live stream of the council work session and meeting itself, it all seems designed to keep the citizen in the dark. But some citizens are taking figurative flashlights to dark hallways at city hall and looking for information. After all, sunlight is often the best disinfectant. We need some things brought into the spotlight. And thank those who show us the way.

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A DOG CHASING ITS TAIL?

 

Camille Bennett of Project Say Something appeared before the work session at the 09/17 Florence city council meeting. She was complaining that the council did not vote to approve the plaque she and the PSS group wanted placed on a strip of city owned land at  the Lauderdale county courthouse. She basically came off as a spoiled brat threatening to hold her breath if she didn’t get her way in this reporter's opinion. And she took up 30 minutes of valuable work session time going round and round with the council members  who tried to explain to her how democracy works. She finally ran out of steam and sat down. It is disappointing that council president Kaytrina Simmons allowed this display at the work session to happen.

Other city business seemed to be rushed in the remaining 30 minutes due to her decision to let Ms. Bennett spout off on a settled vote. What I still do not understand is her being allowed to come before the council in a work session when she had nothing to be voted on and her name was not listed on the agenda. Can anyone come before a work session and voice their disapproval of prior votes? Where does the line form, Ms. Simmons? 

In other business: Item 12 A on the regular agenda read as follows: “Ordinance to approve the Publication of Notice, approving and authorizing the execution of a project development agreement with FOFQZOBONE, LLC. Sponsored by Mayor Betterton”.  Confused yet? Maybe as a taxpaying citizen of Florence you are meant to be! This is the  long bemoaned and much talked about agreement with Eugene Sak for the city to “back” his supposed “franchise” with Hard Rock/Reverb Hotel to remodel the old Days Inn on Court St. Of course, you would never know that from the wording of the agenda item and the alphabet soup that appears as the company the city is agreeing to do business with. 

Evidently, this is one of the many subsidiaries of Eugene Sak. This is the same Eugene Sak  who owns many properties in Florence including Hearn Trailer Park on Hough Rd. The  condition of this eyesore and the negligence of Sak Properties have been the subject of much debate championed by councilwoman Michele Eubanks. But it seems all her work to expose the condition of the property Mr. Sak owns has been ignored by her counterparts on the council.

The vote on this resolution went exactly as “predicted” with all voting YES except for Ms. Eubanks. Once again, the story comes to mind of the old woman who took  in the dying snake. After she nursed it back to health it bit her. When she said: “I fed you  and nursed you back to health, why did you bite me?" the snake told her: “Silly woman, you  knew I was a snake when you took me in.” Drive through Hearn Trailer Park and you will see the snake. Michele Eubanks did. The ONLY one on the council who did or evidently even  cared. But we the taxpayers may feel the bite.

Other than this vote, remarks from the public seemed to be the only other point of interest  in the meeting. There were some interesting and very important ones on a wide variety of subjects. 

Apostle Billy Ray Simpson addressed the proposed study to complete the College St. Bridge. He complimented the progress. Then talked of racism in the city and country, a  general denunciation of hate and finished his speech advocating against animal abuse. “People need to quit sleeping with animals, sick animals especially.” I could only roll my  eyes at that statement and did not know whether he was trying to one up Donald Trump or not. Whatever he meant, he sat back down. 

A couple of citizens in the audience rose to voice their questioning and disapproval of the roundabout proposed for Gresham Rd. Every time I go around the one at Sweetwater, it  seems like a dog chasing its tail to me the way the drivers rush through it. One resident of Hunters Ridge subdivision brought up that if this construction is approved how would the residents be able to enter the neighborhood while the work is going on? There is only one  entrance and exit to the area. Another questioned the statement that studies show a traffic light is not warranted, and another stated they had a bass boat as did many others on his street and how were they going to be able to make a roundabout with a large truck pulling a boat? Jimmy Oliver, who is the District 6 councilman, basically told them to contact city engineer Bill Batson during council member remarks. 

The most compelling remark came from Mr. Jared Culwell. Mr. Culwell had with him his  son, L.J. Culwell. They live on a very busy Florence street. L.J. stood with this father at the podium and Jared explained that he had autism. He also rode the school bus every day to and from school. Mr. Culwell said that he had for years been at the curb of the road waiting with L.J. and when the bus arrived, and all traffic was supposed to stop. Invariably at least every few days there were several drivers who ran the bus stop sign as his child boarded and exited the bus. He said he had complained for years to the city of Florence and  although every now and then a patrolman was stationed, nothing has been done about the ongoing problem. He literally feared now that LJ was older and tended to roam more, he would be boarding the bus and struck by a vehicle who had ignored the stop sign on the bus. He has video footage he has posted on social media of drivers ignoring the stop signal on the bus.

Councilman Jackie Hendrix had the idea of a video surveillance system to be  installed on certain school buses with routes on busy streets and used whenever the bus makes a stop. Mr. Culwell agreed this would be a good idea but also voiced his concern that he had complained of this situation since LJ first started school as a little boy.  Standing next to his dad was a teenaged young man. It should not take that long to find a remedy for this problem it seems to me. And I am sure Mr. Culwell’s patience is wearing thin. This is his child who is in danger. Fix this Florence. Video surveillance is a start but add stiffer fines to the equation and let’s see if we cannot slow down these dangerous drivers! 

There appeared to be more input from the public than usual at this meeting. It was very  uplifting and made me feel that perhaps the work that this reporter and others are doing to get citizen participation in local government is paying off. Whether it is or not; I end with a  Public Service Announcement. SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS! And pat your dog on the  head and tickle your cat’s ears. Don’t eat them or go to bed with them. Stop animal abuse!

Humbly Rent a Billboad

 

There were a few important issues on the agenda for the Florence City council meeting on 08/20/2024. But from the participation of those who were in attendance and the small number of people who were watching the streaming of the work session and the council meeting online, it appears most citizens either had forgotten about the meeting or did not care. After all, we are in the middle of a national election season. It has always amazed me that the same people who will memorize political positions of a candidate to argue and the shoe size of their favorite national candidate cannot be bothered with local politics. In Florence, what is decided on Pine St. sometimes affects you as much or more than what is decided on Pennsylvania Ave. Think of that the next time you check out at Walmart and pay your city tax! Most people seem not to realize this.

Unless, they have an agenda. Project Say Something and Camille Goldston Bennett have an agenda. This group was instrumental in the protest downtown in 2020 at the time of the nationwide protests over the George Floyd death at the hands of Minneapolis police. She and her “group” took up the cause that was sweeping the nation to destroy or move confederate monuments. The one in front of the Lauderdale County courthouse had been at the location since the building’s construction in 1963 and before that in front of the “old” courthouse when it was dedicated at the turn of the 19th century. This group has promoters and detractors. Many people who were even in favor of the cause the group espoused were repelled by the antics of the group downtown. Especially those trying to eat al fresco
downtown on a nice summer evening.

Mrs. Bennett and those associated with PSS like to label anyone who does not agree with their position concerning the confederate monument as racist. Their latest victims are Jimmy Oliver and Blake Edwards. A while back, there was a resolution on the agenda for the council to vote to place a plaque on a small strip of land that the city owns in the block where the county courthouse now stands. The group got enough support from some on the council to get an agenda item at a meeting authorizing the placement of a plaque. At the time of the vote: Michele Eubanks and Kaytrina Simmons voted to place the marker at the courthouse. Blake Edwards, Dick Jordan and Jimmy Oliver voted against the placement. Bill Griffin was “absent” for the meeting.

As I recall, at the meeting Dick Jordan sort of mumbled something about this would need to be approved by the state and Blake Edwards sort of mumbled that the city should not do something that may usurp the county's authority. Did Blake know about news of back taxes owed to the county that had not been revealed at that time? When you owe over 2 million in back taxes for retail alcohol sales that is something to tread lightly with. And Jimmy Oliver stated he did not agree with the first four words on the marker itself: “ALL FLORENCE CITIZENS AGREE” Jimmy does have a point. Not ALL Florence citizens or citizens of any other place on earth could get the entire population to agree on anything. Why not just change the wording? Compromise? Instead, Project Say Something is renting billboards calling council people who did not support them “racist”. I found it really amusing that Camille Goldston Bennett came to the podium for “remarks from the public” and stated she was making a “humble” request. She didn’t pull out a Samurai sword or anything but given the display her group had made public with a BILLBOARD, her "humility” is questionable!

The other points: Garbage rates are going up. The first step for the Eugene Sak/Hard Rock/Reverb hotel got everyone's approval but Michelle Eubanks. Mrs. Eubanks is a councilwoman who follows her conviction. She has tried from Day 1 to bring to light the way Eugene Sak has let the trailer park he owns and rents (Hearn Trailer Park) become a public nuisance. She has succeeded but it appears she is the only person on the council who cares. The others consistently support Eugene Sak.

A funny side note is during the public hearing on those either for or against the “Pig in a Sak” on Court Street, only one person spoke against it. Apostle Billy Ray Simpson warned against supporting the project due to its name. HARD ROCK! It is a good point, come to think of it! The city could find itself between a rock and a hard place if Sak backs out or cannot get the funding. Ask the tenants of Eugene Sak at Hearn Trailer Park!

Florence Detective Shreds Hendrix & Sak

 

Pictured is the former Gibson Guitar factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Read on for a pithy critique from the Florence Detective as he exposes Eugene Sak's plan for a Reverb Hotel on Court Street and the coronation of Dick Jordan's pal Jackie Hendrix Jr.

Kalamazoo's Best Kept Secret

There was only one surprise associated with the July 30th Florence city council meeting, but it was a mini-shocker.  It was not the vote by the council to replace the District 2 seat left open by Dick Jordan’s retirement.  That was a unanimous vote for Jordan’s  hand-picked successor Jackie Hendrix Jr.  Despite cries of foul play from the public regarding someone being appointed and not holding a special election, the council voted unanimously to give the “job to Jackie”.  No, this reporter and almost everyone who had followed this council for any period said that they were going to usher in the person that those with money and power wished to have a seat on the council. They are a rung above Dick Jordan.  The “power behind the throne”.  There are some very monied interests in District 2 who want to make more money on projects in the city that will need the council’s approval if they have not already gotten it.  And they are the ones who really got their hand-picked choice for the council seat.  Monied interests getting their way....move along, nothing new to see here.   

No, the shocker came in from Eugene Sak's corner.  He is still after city approval for the old Downtowner Motor Inn renovation into a Hard Rock hotel.  Granted, his request for money from the city to do the remodeling has been whittled down considerably.  He went from asking for $70 million down to $9 million down to a sales tax rebate and infrastructure improvements that supposedly would benefit the city.  The city would not be out one dime of taxpayer money according to Sak.  He made the plea a couple of meetings ago and his lawyer was back at this meeting again, hat in hand and needed an answer NOW or the Hard Rock people were supposedly moving on.  I thought of the story of the old woman and the snake, Eugene Sak being the snake but some of the council seemed to think it should be voted on right away.  Jimmy Oliver was so in favor until I wondered if he had been promised free drink tickets at Hard Rock Cafes to get the council’s approval.  At that particular meeting, Jordan was leaving and Blake Edwards was his usual sleepy self.  Bill Griffin had a blank stare on his face and it seemed to be up to Michele Eubanks and Kaytrina Simmons.  They both said they would not make any decisions until they had time to study the latest proposal for this hotel.  Despite practically being asked how they could pass up this golden opportunity from Oliver, they both held their ground.  There would be time to make decisions. 

So, the lawyer for Sak came before the council again only this time had gotten with Billy Musgrove the city attorney and worked out some kind of deal for a 50% tax break up to so many millions and infrastructure breaks up to $175,000.  He stood at the podium explaining away and stated that time was of the essence since the “Hard Rock” people were giving a deadline of August 5th for everything to be signed.  It seemed he was going to make progress until he got to Michele Eubanks. Mrs. Eubanks had done her homework.  First off, she stated she could not support anything involving Eugene Sak given his history with Hearn trailer park. He had let the property get into a state of disrepair that threatened the health of the tenants he rented to and a threat to the city since he had bought the property.  But, on top of that, she had investigated the Reverb hotel division of the Hard Rock Cafe chain.  In the original presentation they had used Kalamazoo, Michigan as an example of one of the hotels they owned in a smaller market.  Mrs. Eubanks had found that not only was there not a finished Reverb hotel in Kalamazoo, there had not been one spade of dirt turned toward the project.  Everyone got very quiet except for Jimmy Oliver who almost got defensive in his questioning as to why it would make a difference.  He repeated the line from Sak that the project was not going to cost the city anything but Michele said she did not trust this venture.  Oliver did not like it but he was out flanked on this one.  Eubanks had done her homework and exposed Kalamazoo's best kept secret!

Council Meeting Cancelled/"We Will Dance Again"

 

Two Florence City Council members are ill, and the regularly scheduled meeting is cancelled. The next gathering will be July 30th. At that time, a replacement for Dick Jordan should be named.

We noticed that today's agenda also included giving SEDA a "grant" for improvements in Rogersville. If Jackie Hendrix is chosen for the council, he will not be allowed to vote on these issues. He will also need to step down from the new Parks & Rec Foundation. 

We've been asked about the partners of these candidates. As far as we know, only three have life partners. If one of these three is selected, we will do an in depth look into his/her financial attachments as well.

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Coming to Paramount+ Next Fall

Will Your Insurance Cover Being Kicked to the Curb by Florence?

 

Things that are very wrong or even dishonest in current Florence City government:

1. There are two competing reasons being given for Dick Jordan's resignation: Business or Health. Which is it? Why the obfuscation?

2. Commenting was turned off for the July 2nd council meeting broadcast on Facebook. The city wanted no comments whatsoever? Why?

3. During the last meeting, city attorney Bill Musgrove felt the need to spar with a resident whose opinion he didn't like. Bad form, very bad form.

4. Just throwing this in: Who was city attorney before Bill Musgrove Jr.? Who sold the city the land for the current animal shelter? Do you know the meaning of the phrase "Nepo Baby?"

5. Now that Tricky Dicky has his son Bill and that priest of presentism Brian Murphy ensconced in city government, he wants to name his own replacement. Much more on this later.

6. Why didn't the TimesDaily mention the three who spoke against naming Jackie Hendrix to the council? 

7. Why is Jimmy Oliver worried about District 2 having no representation for two weeks.? Dick never answered calls or emails anyway.

8. Will Kaytrina Simmons get hazardous duty pay for taking over Tricky Dicky's mess?

We could go on, but we'll let our readers in Florence ruminate on these tidbits until after the holiday.

Thought for the day: With all their money, why is it neither Biden nor Trump has a decent haircut?

Dick Jordan's Parting Gift

From the Florence Detective:

There was a headline in the June 20th edition of the Times Daily: JORDAN TO RESIGN FROM COUNCIL! He had found that after over three decades in Florence city government it was interfering with his insurance business. WHAT? The article went on to say that Jackie Hendrix, owner of Party Pros, was recommended by Jordan to take his place. Many were happy with the news to see that Dick Jordan was retiring no matter what reason was given. However implausible. Including this reporter. 

Just Say No to the "Pro"

Personally, I will always remember his statement several years back during the Retirement Systems of Alabama controversy where they wanted to take the TVA trail areas to build a golf course. When the Robert Trent Jones golf course and Marriott hotel were being proposed and requesting millions from city taxpayers, Dick Jordan declared that the building of these would be the equivalent of the Mercedes Benz plant that had just opened in Tuscaloosa to the city of Florence! 

Personal opinions of bad judgment on Jordan’s part aside, some inquiring minds wondered how he could just hand-pick his successor who would take his seat without a special election. Bernie Delinski of the TD further wrote in the article: "It would take a majority vote of the council to appoint Hendrix. His appointment would be for the district 2 council position.” To some the idea of Dick Jordan just naming his replacement and the council ushering him into the seat as a District 2 city council member just did not seem right. What happened to the election process?

A big chunk of the July 2 council meeting was city attorney Billy Musgrove attempting to explain the law from the code of Alabama that allowed such proceedings. Remarks from those in attendance when it came time for public input gave case numbers explaining that in the event a council member leaves his position with more than one year left on the term a special election was required. Mr. Musgrove almost tied himself into a legal pretzel defending his interpretation of the law. The council did not seem to question his edicts. 

Honestly, it was almost like witnessing the operation of what I imagine the politburo was like in the former Soviet Union. It seems the only point any on the council were willing to bend in the slightest on was instead of appointing someone NOW at the meeting, they would publicize the “opening” and allow those interested in the seat to “present their resume” and wait until the July 16th meeting to make their decision. 

Dust off those resumes for a council seat in District 2 if interested! This sounded more like the rules for a game show than for a city council seat. So, it looks like the current council is determined to appoint a replacement for Dick Jordan. Want to bet on the outcome? My money is on Dick’s pick: Jackie Hendrix. Who needs pesky elections anyway?

An interesting side note is the comments section where citizens can leave remarks on Facebook during the live stream of the meeting read: “City of Florence, Alabama - Government limited who can comment on this post” Apparently not only is the Florence City council refusing to hold a special election for a vacant council seat, but they also now will not let citizens voice opinions on their actions. I think I am going to practice how to say this phrase in Russian: I SPEAK VERY LITTLE RUSSIAN! Ya nemnOgo govor’yU porUsski !.... It might come in handy someday.

Important: City Council Mtg July 2nd

 

Will Dick Jordan really be gone by the July 2nd Florence City Council meeting? 

Will nefarious individuals attempt to circumvent the law on council member replacements for a city the size of Florence?

If you want the answers to these questions and to make a difference in Florence District 2, you need to be at the 5:00 p.m. meeting!

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What the law says for a town of at least 40K:

VACATED TERM OF ONE (1) YEAR OR MORE. If the vacated term of the council member has one (1) year or more remaining, the council shall call for a special election to be held in the district of the vacated council position, within thirty (30) days of the occurrence of the vacancy. The election shall be held not less than sixty (60) days, nor more than ninety (90) days from the date the council called the special election. Special elections called pursuant to this subsection shall be conducted as provided by the general election laws of the state regarding municipal elections.

Florence Detective on Those Malevolent Meters

 

READ BEFORE SIGNING

Shoalanda has been covering much of my work for me this week. I have been sort of stretched thin and I truly appreciate her reporting on the proposals of the Florence city council. The main issues this “go-round” were the metered parking area expansion and the raise in fees charged by the Florence Electricity Department. This agenda item entailed higher fees for a variety of services and a few infractions. The “metered parking” expansion was just that: adding parking areas that required a quarter to park in 30 minute intervals all over town. Let me report on the fee raise for the utility dept first.

It passed. Not without opposition from two council members. Jimmy Oliver noted the high cost of food, shelter and practically everything else these days and said he was basing his no vote on not causing further hardship to the citizens of Florence. I agree and applaud him for his stance. Kaytrina Simmons stated that she represented a district which had many living below the poverty level and could not see passing these fees now and especially at this level of a raise. Something tells me she had read Shoalanda’s blog post: Electric Meter Mayhem! Once again, this reporter commends her for thinking of those who could least afford a hefty increase in a reconnect fee at a time in their lives when they were suffering. Bill Griffin, Michele Eubanks, Dick Jordan and Blake Edwards seemed to only be concerned with passing the agenda item. Michele Eubanks did thank Mary McDuffa for agreeing to post places where someone who was about to get their lights cut off might go to get help in the form of charity on the FED webpage. But she still voted YES on the agenda item to raise fees, despite her “charitable” leanings.

Then there was the three-ring circus that became the discussion of the agenda item to expand metered parking area in the city of Florence. Chief of police Ron Tyler said in the work session there would be no additional physical parking meters installed. Never mind that the title of the agenda item had “regarding PARKING METERS” in the title! Chief Tyler gave a rather lengthy presentation with an analogy of expanding the parking area that could be charged to a Park Mobil Application on your smart phone was like building a house and wiring it for electricity. He used an example of wiring a garage although you may not actually install electrical outlets. Personally, the analogy seemed off to me. We were talking about parking spaces not electrical outlets but let each teach to their comfort level. Evidently, Bill Griffin did not understand the lesson.

Bill Griffin started the discussion on the agenda item at the council meeting by saying that East Florence would be exempt from additional parking fees. When the other council members started low key disputing this statement, Griffin assured them this came from Ron Tyler himself. He said he had talked to all the businesses along the Sweetwater area of Huntsville Rd, and they were 100% against metered parking. Jimmy Oliver stated that the parking lot could be used for “premium” parking in events like Sweetwater Days, but Bill Griffin stuck to his guns that East Florence was exempt. Blake Edwards even chimed in that a vote to approve making an area metered parking for an event would need to be approved by the council. The vote was taken and all but Griffin and Kaytrina Simmons voted yes. Here is the clincher, there is not language in the ordinance they had just voted on that...

1. prevented the police from designating at any time an area they were approving to be made into metered parking using the Park Mobil app.

2. the council did NOT have the power to approve or deny the action to “flip the switch” on the app at any time to make it metered parking. That authority was with the chief of police and NOT the city clerk as even the chief had said was written into the ordinance.

3. AND nowhere in the ordinance does it appear to be written that East Florence is designated as “exempt.”

On another note, for some reason a portion of “remarks from the public” and the closing remarks of each council member was cut from the live streaming video on the City of Florence Facebook page. Be this a conspiracy or incompetence, this reporter can relay that one of the “remarks from the public” involved a citizen going to the podium and reading the ordinance to the council members. His closing remarks were: Do any of you READ the ordinances you are to vote on before the meeting?

An Electric Council Meeting on Tuesday

 

 

Florence - The 5:00 p.m. City Council meeting on Tuesday will discuss raising the electric rates. Have problems with that? Go to the council meeting. Just remember, this is a council issue; many other issues are solely Andy's. Think some city employees are worthless? You need to see Andy about that..if you can find him.

Muscle Shoals - Tired of the mayor's over spending? He's learned a lot from Andy. Try catching him in his office. You may have to look behind the door or in the cloak closet. Better yet, have some fun. Take a detour by Gattman Park some afternoon and see how many on the Trojan baseball team are actually out there practicing.

Sheffield - Disappointed in weak management? Go to a council meeting and ask about Inspiration Landing - now in year 10! Then ask about the lawsuits. Okay, that might make the meeting drag on until Midnight. Perhaps you should just pass out pamphlets on Office of Justice training programs to ensure the police department isn't being sued every week.

Tuscumbia - Has anyone checked on the muskrats lately?

Russellville - Demand that the City build an animal shelter. Ask the Electric Department for a donation if you have to.

After everyone does that, report back on how much of an impact you made. You may have to do a rinse and repeat.

*****

Hey, Guys! I'm Fox Glove. If you can't tell, I'm a three month-old girl and I'm wearing red gloves...uh, sorta. I'm what you call a mutt, but I want to call you Ma and Pa. Come meet me at the Florence shelter on Roberson Road:

Do You Know What it Means to Miss St. Florian?

 

EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN

According to Blake Edwards in his “councilman remarks to the public”, “Youth in Government” day for the Florence City council has been going on since his senior year at Bradshaw High School in 1972. There was not even the Internet then, much less a “Google machine” so we will just have to take his word on it. The meeting on 03/19/2024 of the council this year was held at the Florence Lauderdale Coliseum. The cell reception is very bad in that building so it could not be live streamed, but the city recorded it and put the entire meeting on the City of Florence government Facebook page. It seemed to be a “run of the mill” meeting with little on the agenda that would merit controversy. 

There were some fireworks though. Apparently, even Bernie Delinski from the TimesDaily was in the audience for this meeting. His article in the newspaper covering the meeting of course focused on the reactions of the children in attendance but what was surprising was that the kids seemed most impressed with the “remarks from the public” portion of the meeting. The speeches made seemed to cover what is important to not only these young people, but most of the city of Florence presently. AND the city of St. Florian to the north too! 

Topics covered the city becoming involved again with Project Say Something in their bid to place a plaque next to the Confederate statue in front of the courthouse. Mr. David Carson was totally against this and vowed to fight this action any way he could. River Zurinsky brought up the missing live streams of meetings on the city FB page and how this was another example of the lack of transparency on the City’s part. Mr. Matt Eckl asked the question to the council of how landowners in St. Florian could opt out of the annexation if they desired to. He stated they were told by Senator Tim Melson this could be done and wanted to know if the council was aware of this procedure. No  one responded. 

Then there was Mr. Michael White who seemed to just throw the kitchen sink of grievances at those on the dais. He started by wishing the kids good luck when they graduated and stated that the current council has not recruited any jobs they could get where they would be able to pay ALL their rent with their meager salary. Then he brought up the transparency issue by reminding everyone that those who were being annexed into the city of Florence in St. Florian found out about it by reading the newspaper. He finished with the high retail sales tax rate that is paid in Florence. He stated that it is the citizens' money being spent by the council, not the opposite. Tax money should be spent wisely and with the input and approval of the citizens. The kids applauded each speaker.

All in all, it was an entertaining meeting. Not very much city business was handled of importance, but this was a good chance for the kids to see how government operates. It made me wonder how much things have changed and how much has remained the same since the first “Youth in Government” day Blake Edwards brought up that happened in 1972. Back then, it seemed like this area was truly destined for greatness. Good jobs with union pay at several facilities and there was even talk of building something called a “mall” with a city of shopping under one roof out on the new Outer Loop. Makes me think of a version of a campaign ad: Are we better off now than 50+ years ago?