The Dish- May 2023

Fort Pierce City Attorney Tanya Earley is resigning while the City balks at its contractual obligation for the purchase agreement of Fisherman's Wharf.

In June 2020, the City began accepting proposals to redevelop the 3.2-acre city-owned waterfront property located north of the south causeway bridge. Shelli and Associates proposed Pierce 1 Marina, a mixed-use luxury waterfront destination complete with restaurants, residential and retail space, and a fully-automated innovative dry stack boat storage facility called, "The Boat House."

At a Fort Pierce Redevelopment Agency (FPRA) Board Meeting on March 22, 2021, Mayor Linda Hudson said the boat house technology is "absolutely fascinating" and a "game changer." The Mayor said the project was "another way to put Fort Pierce on the map" and will be a "really, really big attraction." At the meeting, FPRA board members voted unanimously to enter into contract negotiations

with Shelli and Associates.

In a press release following the vote Mayor Hudson stated, “The FPRA wanted a project that would act as a buffer between our thriving Downtown and the Port of Fort Pierce. Shelli Associates or Pierce 1 offers exactly that, with a state-of-the-art boat storage facility, restaurants and other amenities. Best of all, the approved project retains the public access to the waterfront. Our negotiations have resulted in an agreement that protects our city and its taxpayers. This project joins another promising redevelopment project, Kings Landing, to make the future look very bright for the Sunrise City."

On August 16, 2021, the City and FPRA entered into an Agreement for the Purchase and Development of Fisherman's Wharf with Pierce 1 Marina. Shelli and Associates agreed to pay $5 million for the property and pay to have the Black Pearl Boat Ramp relocated to a safer and more accessible location just north of

Fisherman’s Wharf at Harbor Pointe.

But nearly two years later the $75 million project remains at a standstill. The main obstacle is a title issue that dates back to 1954 when the state gave the City 1.5 acres within Fisherman's Wharf for public access.

So prior to closing the deal, The City of Fort Pierce has a contractual obligation to cure title objections, including a deed restriction with the State of Florida requiring state approval for any future development to ensure it is reserved for public uses.

The state has sent notice to the City that they will lift the deed restriction for $1.98 million, but the City is refusing to pay and the developer in fed up.

Mayor Linda Hudson originally supported the Pierce 1 Marina plan but is now pushing back. “I am having serious doubts, if this is going to be able to have all the moving parts, put in the right play to move forward,” the Mayor said at a Commission Meeting on March 6th.

Commissioner Arnold Gaines offered Mayor Hudson some advice during the meeting:

Commissioner Curtis Johnson warned, “If your title’s not clear you can't transfer nothing,” and Commissioner Gaines said “We haven’t done what we said we are going to do.”

After discussion at the March 6th meeting, Commissioners voted for a third extension to the purchase agreement and now have until September 2023 to clear title defects.

“It’s a hot mess,” Mayor Linda Hudson said.

Fort Pierce City Attorney Tanya Earley told City Commissioners and the Mayor, “The City has the obligation under the contract to exercise reasonable care in clearing those issues.”

Commissioner Arnold Gaines expressed his support of Earley, “I have faith in our City Attorney.”

But following the meeting Earley resigned as City Attorney and developer Chris Shelli questions,“Who is running the City of Fort Pierce?”

During the 2022 State of the City Address, Commissioner Jeremiah Johnson said, "We are all very excited about this project as the technology and uniqueness of the proposed boat house is yet another highlight that puts fort pierce on the map.”

The Pierce 1 Marina project remains in the approval phase.

A spokesperson for the Fort Pierce City Attorney’s Office confirmed with the Dish that Ms. Earley will leave her position in mid-July but would not comment on why.

St. Lucie Public Schools Board Member Jennifer Richardson is standing up to resistance from Superintendent John Prince and her fellow board members.

In November 2020, 77,000 St. Lucie County residents voted for change. They ousted six-term incumbent School Board Member Kathryn Hensley in favor of Richardson, a political newcomer.

But following the retirement of Superintendent Wayne Gent in February 2020, the School Board voted 4-1 to hire John Prince as his replacement, and Richardson was the lone dissenting vote.

Prince, who once entered into a diversion agreement with the State Attorney's Office to avoid jail for misusing his school's credit card has a history of bullying school employees.

So Prince began retaliating against Richardson by refusing to provide her information necessary to preform her duties and even told her he would charge her a fee for records she requested from his office.

Now Richardson is fighting back. At a School Board Workshop in April, Richardson said, “I’m not your house girl,” and soon after Prince agreed to meet with Richardson weekly to update her.

The St. Lucie County Tax Collector's Office hired former Fort Pierce City Commissioner Edward Becht as General Counsel without considering other candidates.

Becht was first elected to the Fort Pierce City Commission in 2004; in 2013, the Florida Commission on Ethics investigated him for misuse of his position to help in his private law practice.

After leaving public office, Becht accepted a job as General Counsel at the St. Lucie County Tax Collector's Office. He earned $92,153.86 in 2022.

Although the Federal Government declared an end COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, a sign remains visible on Becht’s downtown office, “In responses to the Coronavirus Pandemic and for the safety of our staff our office is closed to the public.”

Today, Becht draws a public salary to offer legal advice and accepts private clients that pay for his legal defense.

When the Tax Collector's Office hired Becht, they did not publicly advertise the position or solicit more qualified candidates to apply.

Becht is an at-will employee with the Tax Collector's Office and did not enter into or sign a contract with the government organization. As such, no safeguards are in place to prevent conflicts arising from Becht's personal practice and professional obligation. In fact, nothing stops Becht from seeing his private clients

EDWARD W. BECHT P.A.

When The Dish reached out to the Tax Collector's Office, a spokesperson said Becht’s hiring and his employment relationship are the standard practice of their office for senior-level officials.

Craft’s Office told The Dish, their hiring practices are consistent with previous St. Lucie County Property Appraisers.

With no competition for the job and no contract demanding disclosure of conflicts of interest, Becht continues to double dip and use public tax dollars as a piggy bank to supplement his personal income.

inside his county owned office.

Sweeties owner and Community Activist Rick Reed once gave diapers to the City of Fort Pierce Mayor and Police Chief after a City Commission Meeting.

Reed paid $506,000 to develop a public access kayak park at Citrus Avenue and Indian River Drive in the City and wanted to name it after the late Sylvie Kramer, who founded the Healthy Start Coalition and helped reduce the County’s infant mortality rate. Once it was built, Mayor Hudson and City Commissioners refused to designate the property as a park or name it after Kramer.

During a City Conference Agenda on July 8, 2019, Reed expressed concern over corruption in the Fort Pierce City Government. "You're corrupt, you're pathetic, and you should be ashamed of yourselves," Reed told Mayor Linda Hudson and City Commissioners during the meeting's Public Comments.

When the Mayor tried to silence Reed, he told her, "Shut Up" and "Fuck You," before storming out of the City Commission Chambers.

A week later, Reed again appeared before the City Commission. As he walked to the podium, the Mayor warned, "Inappropriate language will not be tolerated." Reed responded, "Blah, Blah, Blah."

Reed then double-downed on his language at the previous meeting, "The first thing I want to do is adopt and reaffirm every word I said at the Conference

Agenda, especially to you, Mayor.”

Reed went on to scold the Mayor and City Commission for their continual deception to the public. "You sit on the Amen pew and should be ashamed."

As Reed was leaving the podium he told the Mayor,

Once the meeting ended, Reed returned and delivered a box of Depends to the Mayor and Police Chief Diane Hobley-Burney. “I got the Chief the biggest size I could find, “ Reed said.

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH) 25 million adult Americans suffer from incontinence.

The City of Fort Pierce recently sold a property for $9,000 less than it acquired it for.

The City purchased the property at 426 Douglas Ct. through the Fort Pierce Redevelopment Agency (FPRA) from City Manager Nick Mimms for $14,000.00 in 2006.

Mimms acquired 426 Douglas Court four years earlier for $100 and was a city employee when he sold it to FPRA.

The undeveloped lot sat vacant for nearly 17 years before the City declared it surplus and put it up for sale.

Several companies submitted proposals to purchase and develop the property, and the FPRA board - a mirror image of the City Commission held a meeting to vote on approving the sale on April 11, 2023.

But before the FPRA voted on the sale, Sweeties owner and Community Activist Rick Reed addressed the Commissioners.

“The City Manager put $14,000 in his pocket and today you all are going to accept $5,000 for it. That’s a crime, an absolute crime. No wonder the people of Fort Pierce don’t have much faith in our city,” Reed told Mayor Linda Hudson and City Commissioners.

Commissioner Michael Broderick questioned the sale price, “We are selling the properties at a very very, low price comparatively to what market value may be."

Reed asked, “Is there no shame, no shame whatsoever? “How are we going to get better as a city when we allow this?"

Commissioner Arnold Gaines demanded answers, “If we are not selling these lots for market value, I need to know why."

Mimms was noticeably absent from the meeting. "I see Mr. Mimms isn’t even brave enough to come tonight," Reed said. "I always say we can do better."

Despite the Commissioners concerns the FPRA ultimately approved the sale for $5,000.

“You don’t reward bad behavior, and you all continue to do it,” Reed said as he closed his comments to the Commissioners.