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RELATED:
My breakfast with George
VGA attorneys Boone & Boone get snapped while having a breakfast meeting with former city manager George Hunt; hilarity ensues
-- Venice Florida! dot com, 06/30/04
Mayor to VGA: "Talk to our lawyer!"
-- Venice Gondolier Sun, 08/28/04
Taxpayers should know who owns the Venice Golf Association
-- editorial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 09/22/04
The Martin County Decision
In a case nearly identical to what has happened here in Venice, the Florida Attorney General ruled that a golf association leasing public land has to cough up financial data under the Sunshine Law requirements
-- MyFloridaLegal.com
Misunderstandings? maybe...
-- Venice Florida! dot com, 10/02/04

List? What list? Oh, you mean Lizst, like Franz Lizst?
During a Shade Meeting held on February 11, 2003, City Attorney Bob Anderson mentioned that he had been given a paper that purported to be a list of the VGA stockholders. The discussion ended with Anderson saying that the list was on file.

The Venice Taxpayers League, the Herald Tribune, the Gondolier-Sun and Venice Florida! dot com officially asked for the list mentioned during the Shade Meeting. We were all promised a copy of that list from the city attorney.

Now, that list seems to have been misplaced.

The original council that gave the VGA that first deal of a lifetime, for rents of a few dollars per year, was headed by a mayor who was a major stockholder in the VGA. Since then, there have always been rumors and suspicions that other council people or mayors have been financially connected to the VGA.

A long series of sweetheart leases and contracts seem to lend credence to those fears.

The latest farcical lease and all of the machinations that went into building it seem to point out the need for the citizens of Venice finding out exactly who owns the VGA. Not only now -- but a yearly list of stockholders over the last ten years, lists that could easily be verified by the state department that has the proper information.

If financial ties do exist, it would be relatively easy to check city hall records to see if those involved recused themselves from any votes on business with the VGA. If there has been no ownership connection between the VGA and City Hall there certainly wouldn't be a problem. It would almost seem as if the VGA would bend over backwards, give their stockholder lists to the city and dispel those rumors and suspicions.

Another part of the problem is that no elected official seems to be stepping up to the fore and demanding that council officially ask for those lists in question.

Who are we doing business with? It's a fairly simple question
Why isn't council demanding to know exactly who our city is doing business with? There are three possible answers:

1. They haven't thought of it yet; or

2. They have more important things to do; or

3. They already know.

My guess is that most of them are tired of having to walk through the mud and simply wish it would dry up and go away. I don't think it will. We have the right to know the reason for certain strange happenings.

Specifically:

1. Former councilwoman Janice McDermott, who was critical of the VGA negotiations at the time, was ridiculed and lambasted for five minutes by VGA attorney E.G. 'Dan' Boone during a council meeting. The rest of council, including our present mayor, gazed up at the ceiling.

2. Most of council took an active role in placing the city manager in the proper spot to cut a sweetheart contract.

3. Most of council ignored or actually took part in all the irregularities that were rife during the negotiations.

4. When the FAA forced another yearly twenty thousand dollars on to the lease, the same two people who created the original problem lease, Mayor Dean Calamaras and former city manager George Hunt, were allowed by council to negotiate with the VGA law firm without allowing the city attorney to be present.

Another guess would be that any demand for a membership list plus negotiations on the additional $20,000.00 will have to wait until after the election or, even more hopefully, until the controversy is forgotten and blows away.

Why not? It always has up to now!

But I don't think it will, at least not this time. Too many people are looking and asking questions.
 

Herb Levine is the president of the Venice Taxpayers League