The Dish- August 2024

1

City Now Taking Applications!

Mr. Mimms, The speed of the boss is the speed of the crew...

Well, well, well, it seems Fort Pierce City Manager Nick Mimms has finally gotten his moment in the spotlight—but not exactly for the kind of public service we’d all hoped for. In a move that surprises absolutely no one, Mimms has been arrested on charges of bid rigging and official misconduct. Yes, you read that right!

Our very own City Manager, the man we are supposed to trust to run and manage the City of Fort Pierce, has allegedly been playing fast and loose with the rules to give his peeps at City Hall a little leg up. And by “peeps,” we mean his niece and her former city worker buddy.

Because, you know, Fort Pierce inbreeding at it’s best.

According to the arrest affadavit, Mimms decided that the best way to handle the lease of two vacant lots was to ensure that his niece’s nonprofit, Rooted in Change, LLC dba Lincoln Park Young Professionals, had a nice, cushy advantage in the bidding process. After all, what’s a little bid rigging between family and colleagues?

Apparently, public trust is just another casualty in the pursuit of keeping things “all in the family.”

Enter the Sweetie’s Dish, who broke this story back in November 2022. Rick Reed, is the owner of Sweeties Diner, LLC and “The Dish ‘. Reed had a few choice words about the whole affair. When asked for his reaction to Mimms’ arrest, Reed simply said, “I’m not surprised.” And really, who could be? After all, when it comes to Fort Pierce leadership, the bar is so low it’s practically subterranean.

Reed’s unenthusiastic response mirrors what many in the community have likely been thinking for a while now.

Leadership in Fort Pierce has often been more of a comedy of errors than a 2 bastion of civic responsibility. Mimms’ little escapade is

where ethics and transparency are about as rare as a Florida snowstorm.

But let’s give credit where it’s due—Mimms certainly didn’t do this halfass. No, he went all in, making sure the game was rigged from the start so that Rooted in Change could swoop in and win the bid without any pesky competition getting in the way. It’s obvious he was counting on the status quo and it was business as usual at City Hall.

So now, instead of sitting in City Hall, Mimms is facing the prospect, if found guilty of up to 15 years of incarceration. It’s a plot twist we all saw coming, but that doesn’t make it any less revolting. The only question left is whether Mimms will stick around for the final act, or if he’ll exit stage left before the curtain falls on his career.

In the meantime, the rest of us in Fort Pierce should demand positive change and get out and vote!

History as shown a new broom sweeps clean. As for Reed, well, we can’t wait to see what tea he spills next.

Maybe there’s hope for this town after all—just as long as Reed keeps his ear to the ground and his sources on standby.

Mayor Hudson Swears She’s Honest, You Can Tell She’s Lying When Her Lips Are Moving Linda Hudson: Truth-Teller Extraordinaire (If You Ignore the FDLE Report)

In a plot twist worthy of a daytime soap opera, Fort Pierce Mayor Linda Hudson is now claiming she was completely “blindsided” by the arrest of City Manager Nick Mimms. Yes, folks, the same Mayor Hudson who, according to an FDLE report, was aware of these shady dealings as far back as June 2023. And to add a bit more spice to the drama, she apparently knew since October 2019 that two city employees—Caleta Scott and Vennis Gilmore—were knee-deep in the Lincoln Park Young Professionals, the very group funded in part by Alleghany Ministries in that oh-so-transparent bid rigging deal Mimms just got busted for.

But let’s give Hudson the benefit of the doubt here.

After all, she did describe the actions of her underlings as “kinda sloppy, an accidental thing.” Because who among us hasn’t rigged a bid for a nonprofit run by our colleagues and family and then conveniently forgotten to document any conflicts of interest? It’s the kind of innocent mistake anyone could make while, say, ordering an extra latte at Starbucks or accidentally texting your boss instead of your friend. Except, in this case, the stakes are a little higher—like, you know, public trust and legal consequences.

So, when Special Agent William Saladrigas came knocking, asking about the little situation that had breezed through the City’s purchasing department without a single red flag or shred of documentation, Hudson did what any seasoned politician would do: she denied, deflected, and finally downplayed the whole thing as just a little bureaucratic whoopsie-daisy. “I don’t know, cause honestly I have confidence in all of them,” she said, when asked what should happen to Scott, Gilmore, and Mimms. Confidence? In this crew? Well, that’s one way to show loyalty, I suppose. Though one wonders if that confidence extends to the legal counsel she’s surely going to need after this mess.

But let’s not be too harsh. Maybe Mayor Hudson really was blindsided—just not by Mimms’ arrest, but by the fact they got caught. After all, pulling off a scheme like this takes a certain finesse, a talent for deception that, clearly, is systemic in Fort Pierce City Hall.

So here we are, with Hudson standing by her statement that she was unaware of the specific details

leading up to Mimms’ criminal charges, despite the FDLE report suggesting otherwise. And now, the citizens of Fort Pierce are left to wonder: if this is what Hudson considers an “accidental thing,” what on earth would she consider intentional? One shudders to think.

In the meantime, we can all sit back and enjoy the show as this saga continues to unfold. Because in Fort Pierce, it seems the only thing more predictable than corruption is the utter lack of accountability that follows it.

Tune in next time, folks—who knows what drama Mayor Hudson and her merry band of “confident” colleagues will deliver next?

3

Fort Pierce Police Union Calls for Help: Overworked, Underpaid, and Overlooked

Where is the Chief?

In what can only be described as a recipe for disaster, the Fort Pierce Police Union is sounding the alarm on the increasingly untenable situation facing the City’s police officers. Overworked, underpaid, and now dangerously close to being overlooked entirely, Fort Pierce’s finest are in a battle for survival—and they’re losing.

Fort Pierce, a City notorious for its violent crime rate, has long relied on its own police department to maintain some semblance of order. Yet, in a twist that surprises absolutely no one familiar with local governance, these same officers are the lowest paid in the area. Yes, you heard that right. The people tasked with keeping the peace in one of the most challenging environments in the region are also the ones taking home the smallest paychecks. This clearly demonstrates that police officer’s salary’s are not a high priority in the great scheme of things.

Sgt. Troy Carter, a voice of reason amidst the chaos, recently spoke out in an interview with WPTV, highlighting the urgent need for change. “We need higher salaries. We need to attract and retain officers.

And we’re not going to be able to do that without the public voicing their opinion to the Commission,” he said. It’s a simple equation: competitive salaries = more officers = better protection for the community.

Unfortunately, it seems like the City officials haven’t quite grasped the math.

As it stands, the Fort Pierce Police Department is hanging by a thread.

The officers, stretched to their breaking point by the relentless demands of a crime-riddled City, are finding it harder and harder to justify sticking around.

Who can blame them? When other departments in the region are offering better pay and working conditions, the choice becomes pretty clear. And it’s not just about money—it’s about respect,

4

support, and the ability to do their jobs without being ground into the dirt.The situation has reached a critical juncture.

Negotiations with the City of Fort Pierce have stalled, and if a deal isn’t reached soon, the Fort Pierce Police Department could be forced to close its doors, leaving the responsibility of policing the City to the St. Lucie County Sheriff ’s Office. Imagine that: the City’s own police force potentially being dismantled because those in power couldn’t be bothered to pay them a fair wage. It’s the kind of shortsightedness that makes you wonder if the City Commission is aware that crime doesn’t just take a break because the budget is tight.

But here’s the real kicker: the public has a role to play in this mess. Sgt. Carter’s plea is clear—if the citizens of Fort Pierce don’t step up and make their voices heard, the City Commission is likely to keep pretending everything is fine. And let’s be honest, “fine” is not the word anyone would use to describe the current situation.

So, what will it be, Fort Pierce? Will the City wake up and realize that a well-paid, well-supported police force is essential to maintaining safety and order? Or will it continue down this dangerous path of neglect until it’s too late?

One thing is certain, this is another example of poor leadership from the top down and begs to question, where is our police chief?

Playing Dirty? Congratulations, You’ve Won a One-Way Ticket to Failure!

The Big Fat Fumble: How Lying and Playing Dirty Left Three Local Candidates in the Dust...

In a stunning display of poetic justice, three local candidates who seemed to believe that lying, cheating, and playing dirty were surefire ways to win the hearts and votes of their communities were thoroughly humiliated in the recent primary election.

Let’s take a moment to savor the delicious irony of their epic failures.

First up, we have Nate Spera, the man who thought his path to the school board was paved with half-truths and shady tactics. Spera, who apparently believed that misleading voters was a brilliant strategy, found himself facing a rude awakening when the results came in. Despite his best efforts to manipulate the narrative, Spera was soundly defeated by Jennifer Hudson, a candidate who—get this—actually ran an honest campaign. Who knew honesty could still win elections? Certainly not Spera.

Next, there’s Audra Macon, who aimed for the County Commissioner seat with all the subtlety of a bulldozer. Macon’s campaign was a masterclass in how not to conduct yourself in public life. She seemed to think that bending the truth and playing fast and loose with the facts would propel her to victory. But as it turns out, voters aren’t quite as gullible as she hoped. Cathy Townsend, who ran a campaign based on actual policies rather than pure ambition, left Macon in the dust. Audra, maybe next time try something radical—like telling the truth.

And then there’s Keith Pearson, the Governor DeSantis appointee who somehow managed to lose his race to Richard Del Toro, despite having the political wind supposedly at his back. Pearson’s strategy of relying on dirty tricks and sketchy TikTok videos clearly didn’t resonate with voters, who decided they’d had enough of his antics. It’s almost as if the

electorate prefers integrity over opportunism. Imagine that!

So, there you have it—a trio of would-be leaders who learned the hard way that lying, cheating, and playing dirty are not, in fact, winning strategies.

Nate Spera, Audra Macon, and Keith Pearson thought they could pull a fast one on the voters, but instead, they ended up with nothing but bruised egos and empty campaign promises. Maybe next time they’ll try something different—like running honest campaigns. Or better yet, maybe they’ll realize that politics isn’t for them after all.

5

6

We are now online!

Visit SweetiesDiner.com to view all of our past issues of ‘The Dish”.

7

8