A St. Lucie County employee and attorney used the strong arm of the Fort Pierce Police Department to remove executive staff from the ARC of St. Lucie County amid allegations of discrimination and retaliation.
Athary Koning, served as the ARC’s Executive Director from 2020 to 2022, overseeing the non-profit organization that serves individuals with disabilities.
Koning alleges, in October 2021, ARC Board Member and St. Lucie County employee Kelly Lang requested that Koning give preferential treatment to her son who attends ARC programs. When Koning refused, Lang blasted her to fellow Board Members.
Koning further alleges, during a October 2021 board meeting, Lang, who at the time was the County Administrator’s Executive Assistant, confronted Koning about her job performance. The verbal attack sent Koning into a medical episode.
Koning says she attempted to address the medical episode with ARC Human Resources and after receiving no response filed a grievance with the Board. The Board led by President Curtis Boyd, a local attorney did not respond to the grievance.
In January 2022, After hiring an attorney to take legal action against the ARC’s insurance company,
Koning was terminated.
The Board named Tara Goheen as the ARC’s Interim Director.
On January 31, 2022, Goheen rehired Koning at the ARC and relieved Board Members of their duties on the belief she had the power as Executive Director to do so.
On February 2, 2022, Lang, Boyd, a locksmith, and the Fort Pierce Police Department arrived at the ARC and falsely claimed they had an injunction against Koning. When Police inquired who Koning was Lang described her as, “Some black girl with thick braids.” When Koning asked to see the injunction, a Fort Pierce Police Officer allegedly placed his hand on his gun and removed Goheen and Koning from the property.
Koning was served with a temporary injunction from the ARC on February 4, 2022.
After Koning filed a federal lawsuit against The ARC of St. Lucie County for racial discrimination and retaliation, The organization merged with The ARC of Martin County and Boyd and Lang left the Board of Directors. Boyd’s law practice remains a tenant in an ARC owned office building, Lang is still employed with St. Lucie County and the ordeal has exasperated Koning’s medical condition.
The St. Lucie County 911 Call Center is being flooded with calls of shooting activity this year in Fort Pierce.
A public records check by The Dish reveals 274 calls to 911 reporting shooting activity in the City of Fort Pierce from January 2023 to August 2023. That’s about 30 a month or one per day.
Last month, The Dish reported 179 confirmed shootings under Chief Hobley-Bobley in the last five years.
“The numbers don't lie. Many of these calls to 911 are not being fully investigated, nor are officers documenting them in police reports. The Fort Pierce Police Department is fudging crime stat numbers at the expense of innocent victim’s blood being shed on our streets. By not fulling investigating the shooting calls or confirming if they occurred, the Fort Pierce Police Department emboldens violent criminals to kill our citizens,” Community Activist and Sweeties Owner Rick Reed said.
A St. Lucie County employee and member of the Indian River State College District Board of Trustees once participated in a $500,000 jewel heist before testifying against her husband to send him to prison.
Susan Caron, the executive assistant to County Commissioner Linda Bartz, was reappointed to the IRSC District Board of Trustees in 2021 and was previously married to Floyd Boyer. In 1980, Floyd and his brother targeted a wealthy elderly couple and robbed them on an evening when they had six guests at their John’s Island Mansion.
The brothers wore masks and gloves when they stormed the mansion at
nighttime and held all the victims at gunpoint before tying them up.
They looted money and jewels from the hostages and broke into the mansion's safe, filling two pillowcases before fleeing with over $500,000 worth of jewelry.
In the months preceding the jewel heist, masked and gloved gunmen robbed two Vero Beach restaurants. In both cases, the assailants tied up employees during the crime. Investigators believed the same suspects committed the mansion robbery.
The case broke when investigators learned of a burglary at an insurance company that insured the jewels stolen from the mansion. An informant
came forward and told police to watch Susan and her husband. Susan worked for the insurance company.
That led the investigators to Susan's parent's home, where they found gift-wrapped boxes containing the stolen mansion jewels.
Months later, Sheriff's Deputies shot Floyd as he fled Susan's house, ending
exchange for her testimony. Floyd Boyer was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Two years later he escaped from Polk Correctional Institution and was caught.
Prison did little to rehabilitate Floyd.
After his early release in 1996, he recruited a 16-year-old to rob a St. Lucie County restaurant. He was caught, convicted of armed robbery and sent to prison again.
Floyd was released in 2022 and is on supervised probation until 2027. He registered his address with the State of Florida Department of Corrections.
According to sources, unbeknownst to her current husband, Susan arranged for Floyd to move into a neighbor’s house directly behind hers after his release from prison.
The jailbird and lovebird seem to be rekindling their relationship and were recently photographed together near their neighborly homes.
And just five months after her convict ex-husband was released from prison, in January 2023, Susan filed for divorce from her current husband Robert.
Since Floyd’s release no gunmen have robbed the St. Lucie County Government Building or Indian River State College.
The Sweeties Sign, which gained international fame in 2021 from the Daily Mail, once again captured global attention as the most recognizable landmark in Fort Pierce.
On August 27th, the sign read, “Pray for Paula to start doing her side work,” a dig at a Sweeties' server and local favorite that co-workers say is sometimes less than helpful at rolling silverware.
After The St. Lucie Post shared a photo of the sign on its Facebook page with the message, “Only at Sweeties," the post went viral, capturing the attention of loyal customers, curious viewers, and those employed in the restaurant industry.
With over 6,000 shares, the post sparked the imagination of restaurant industry professionals, who can relate
to that one employee who does nothing. Kelly Freet Synder commented, "Every restaurant has a Paula," and calls for similar signs at other restaurants poured in. Nikki Rodriguez commented," We all know a Paula, Dont be a Paula."
Viewers even began to draw comparisons beyond the restaurant industry.
Magic House commented, "I think we have a Paula at whatever job we do. I will use Paula from now on instead of what I actually call her."
Viewers started commenting, calling lazy co-workers a "Paula,” prompting
woman is a Karen & a server that doesn't do her side work is a Paula.”
The St. Lucie Post even posted a definition of a "Paula: (1) A female restaurant server who avoids doing side work and (2) A female slacker.
After The St. Lucie Post made a gif tutorial of rolling silverware and posted a picture of Paula striking again by not making coffee, the viewers went belly up with over 2,000 comments and 22,000 likes.
Angelo Otero wrote, "This is better than TC Palm and it's free!" Lorrie Lagges commented, "Best shit ever!" Lexi Mayo said, "Why is this so funny?" Steph Amber commented, "This page is as unhinged as I wish to be."
Finally, after The St. Lucie Post revealed the real Paula, smiling and holding a broom and dustpan, Sweeties Diner, teased the audience with a "Big Paula Announcement
Coming Sunday."
Ultimately, the post reached 2,312,052 people and had 86,087 engagements, so there was only one option.
On Sunday, September 3rd, Sweeties put up a new sign, "Your Prayers Answered, Paula Promoted to Manager WTF."
The comments began again, "This is the real restaurant world" and "The best and brightest always get promoted."
The St. Lucie Post responded, "Imagine how not surprised we are. One reason to hate her and 2 Million reasons to love her."
We all know a "Paula."
We all love a "Paula."
And we all hate a "Paula."
Love her or not, Laura Powell commented, "This shit has kept me rolling all week."
