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UNF recommends firing professor accused of battery
Provost says prof demonstrated "violent" and "threatening" conduct
photo_rotation() //photo_rotation shows photos with no effect between photos // new_photo_rotation() //Must have jtabber turned on a couple lines up - makes images fade but also makes rest of page fade infographic_rotation() photovideo_load() photovideo_toggle() OAS_AD('Position3'); A University of North Florida associate professor has been given a notice of termination after a 160-page internal investigation following an attack on a contractor at the professor’s home in September. UNF Provost and Vice President Mark Workman Tuesday signed the notice to fire Tayeb Giuma, an associate professor in the Electrical Engineering Department at the school. Giuma was arrested Sept. 25 by Jacksonville Sheriff’s officers at his Queen’s Harbour home after contractor Dustin Brown claimed he was attacked with a piece of lumber during a dispute over work on a gazebo at the house. A security camera captured video of a man being beaten with a piece of lumber. “As a faculty member and representative of the university in the community, it is expected that you [Giuma], like all other UNF employees, will act in a lawful and professional manner,” said Workman, “and that your conduct will not place either your reputation or the reputation of the university at risk.” The notice to fire Giuma, who’s been on administrative leave since November, comes after a string of conduct issues for the professor who has worked at UNF since 1987. He’s had about a half dozen arrests in the past decade prior to the September incident at his home off Atlantic Boulevard just west of the Intracoastal Waterway. The arrests range from petit theft to child abuse; all those charges were either dropped or judgments were withheld after Giuma pleaded no contest in court, records show. In addition to criminal arrests, UNF records show Giuma was disciplined by school administrators about a half dozen times in the past decade for his conduct on campus. He was suspended in 1999 for a confrontation with a tenure committee, and in June, UNF President John Delaney nearly fired Giuma for publishing student class papers without permission. Workman said he had no choice but to recommend Giuma’s firing. “Your behavior on Sept. 25, 2009, demonstrates that your past tendency of threatening behavior and violence toward others continues even to the present,” said Workman. “The university can no longer assume the risk of retaining you as an employee.” While Workman’s action is a “notice” to fire Giuma, the professor can request a conference to discuss the recommendation that has to be received by Workman no later than Feb. 10. Giuma can also appeal in writing by Feb. 15. A call to Giuma’s phone Wednesday morning was unsuccessful in reaching the professor for comment.Meanwhile, Giuma also has his criminal case for the misdemeanor battery charge against the contractor to deal with. His pretrial hearing on that case is scheduled for Duval County Court Feb. 17. He’s already pleaded not guilty. “I’m really pleased with the investigation and it just brings everything to light that’s happened,” Brown said Wednesday. “It makes me realize that I’m not the one that’s causing all the problems. I’m also not the only one that’s been abused.” UNF officials have previously said they did not know of Giuma’s previous arrest history prior to the September incident with the contractor at his home. Brown said he wonders why the university wasn’t more vigilant. “It does raise concern,” said Brown. UNF spokeswoman Sharon Ashton said prior to arriving at UNF, Giuma received his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Miami where he also taught. Miami records officials said they have no records available on Giuma at that campus and speculated his records may have been disposed of in a purge. Still, Brown said he’s impressed with UNF’s 160-page report on Giuma’s conduct. “That’s a long investigation. I am very happy with that. That needed to be done. I thought this whole case was going to be swept under the rug,” said Brown. Drew Dixon can also be reached at (904) 249-4947, ext. 6313
UNF recommends firing professor accused of battery
Provost says prof demonstrated "violent" and "threatening" conduct
photo_rotation() //photo_rotation shows photos with no effect between photos // new_photo_rotation() //Must have jtabber turned on a couple lines up - makes images fade but also makes rest of page fade infographic_rotation() photovideo_load() photovideo_toggle() OAS_AD('Position3'); By DREW DIXON A University of North Florida associate professor has been given a notice of termination after a 160-page internal investigation following an attack on a contractor at the professor’s home in September. UNF Provost and Vice President Mark Workman Tuesday signed the notice to fire Tayeb Giuma, an associate professor in the Electrical Engineering Department at the school. Giuma was arrested Sept. 25 by Jacksonville Sheriff’s officers at his Queen’s Harbour home after contractor Dustin Brown claimed he was attacked with a piece of lumber during a dispute over work on a gazebo at the house. A security camera captured video of a man being beaten with a piece of lumber. “As a faculty member and representative of the university in the community, it is expected that you [Giuma], like all other UNF employees, will act in a lawful and professional manner,” said Workman, “and that your conduct will not place either your reputation or the reputation of the university at risk.” The notice to fire Giuma, who’s been on administrative leave since November, comes after a string of conduct issues for the professor who has worked at UNF since 1987. He’s had about a half dozen arrests in the past decade prior to the September incident at his home off Atlantic Boulevard just west of the Intracoastal Waterway. The arrests range from petit theft to child abuse; all those charges were either dropped or judgments were withheld after Giuma pleaded no contest in court, records show. In addition to criminal arrests, UNF records show Giuma was disciplined by school administrators about a half dozen times in the past decade for his conduct on campus. He was suspended in 1999 for a confrontation with a tenure committee, and in June, UNF President John Delaney nearly fired Giuma for publishing student class papers without permission. Workman said he had no choice but to recommend Giuma’s firing. “Your behavior on Sept. 25, 2009, demonstrates that your past tendency of threatening behavior and violence toward others continues even to the present,” said Workman. “The university can no longer assume the risk of retaining you as an employee.” While Workman’s action is a “notice” to fire Giuma, the professor can request a conference to discuss the recommendation that has to be received by Workman no later than Feb. 10. Giuma can also appeal in writing by Feb. 15. A call to Giuma’s phone Wednesday morning was unsuccessful in reaching the professor for comment. Meanwhile, Giuma also has his criminal case for the misdemeanor battery charge against the contractor to deal with. His pretrial hearing on that case is scheduled for Duval County Court Feb. 17. He’s already pleaded not guilty. “I’m really pleased with the investigation and it just brings everything to light that’s happened,” Brown said Wednesday. “It makes me realize that I’m not the one that’s causing all the problems. I’m also not the only one that’s been abused.” UNF officials have previously said they did not know of Giuma’s previous arrest history prior to the September incident with the contractor at his home. Brown said he wonders why the university wasn’t more vigilant. “It does raise concern,” said Brown. UNF spokeswoman Sharon Ashton said prior to arriving at UNF, Giuma received his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Miami where he also taught. Miami records officials said they have no records available on Giuma at that campus and speculated his records may have been disposed of in a purge. Still, Brown said he’s impressed with UNF’s 160-page report on Giuma’s conduct. “That’s a long investigation. I am very happy with that. That needed to be done. I thought this whole case was going to be swept under the rug,” said Brown. Drew Dixon can also be reached at (904) 249-4947, ext. 6313
State files complaint against Wolfsons in Mayport land deals
A state regulatory agency filed a complaint Monday, accusing former Atlantic Beach Mayor Don Wolfson and his brother of concealing $105,000 in real estate commissions it says were improperly paid to John Meserve. The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation said Don and Dennis Wolfson gave Meserve, also a former Atlantic Beach mayor, four checks totaling $105,000 for his help with Mayport land deals even though he didn’t have a license. The agency is seeking fines up to $5,000 each and other civil penalties against the Wolfsons, who are licensed real estate agents. They could also lose their licenses, said agency spokeswoman Jenn Meale. It is illegal for participants other than property owners to receive profits on real estate transactions if they don’t have a license. It is also illegal for licensed brokers to pay commissions to unlicensed associates. The agency filed a similar complaint against Meserve last month for his unlicensed involvement in the 2005 and ’06 land deals. Meserve, who has since been elected to the Jacksonville City Council, was suspended from that post after being charged with a felony. The state says the Wolfsons also “concealed” Meserve’s commission payments from Vestcor Cos., the development firm they were representing as real estate agents. Vestcor spent about $10 million on Mayport waterfront land in hopes of developing it. Vestcor President John Rood said Monday he has had no dealings “in years” with the Wolfsons. Rood, who was ambassador to the Bahamas during the deals, said he did not know the Wolfsons were paying commission checks to Meserve until the Times-Union reported that in August. “I never knew Meserve was getting a commission fee,” Rood said. “I wasn’t even living in Jacksonville at the time.” Don Wolfson did not return voice mails left on his home and business phones Monday. Dennis Wolfson does not have a listed phone number and could not be reached. State Attorney Angela Corey charged Meserve with a third-degree felony last month. He will appear in court Monday. Meserve’s response to the regulatory agency’s civil complaint is due today. The agency said it had not received the response as of late Monday. The Wolfsons have 21 days once they receive the complaint to respond, Meale said. They are expected to be served with the complaint by the end of the week, she said. Corey said she could not file criminal charges against the Wolfsons because the statute of limitations on that violation elapsed after one year. The limitation is longer for the charge she filed against Meserve. Meserve was the chairman of the Mayport Waterfront Partnership, which advises Jacksonville City Hall on Mayport issues. Don Wolfson was also a member of the panel. Meserve was also mayor of Atlantic Beach during part of 2005 when he received some of the payments. Don Wolfson succeeded Meserve as mayor in November 2005. Those who have civil complaints filed against them from the regulatory agency can opt for a formal hearing before an administrative law judge, to contest the complaints, similar to mediation, Meale said. Or they can negotiate with state regulators in hopes of settling the case without an official hearing. drew.dixon@shorelines.com,
Thousands of fish killed in cold snap in Duval and St. Johns counties
And now they're turning up in area ponds and in the Intracoastal Waterway.
Photo 1 of 3 Thousands of fish killed by the recent cold snap have turned up in the Intracoastal Waterway, ponds and other inland waters throughout the Beaches area. Most of the fish kills were reported in the waterway along Roscoe Boulevard, around the Palm Valley bridge and in lakes, ponds and lagoons in the Ponte Vedra Beach area, officials said. The kills followed temperatures dipping into the 20s the first two weeks of this month, said Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokeswoman Karen Parker. When air temperatures got that cold for so long, water temperatures dipped faster than usual. "It's probably been the worst cold-stress fish kill that I've seen in seven years since I've been working with the commission," said Parker. She said wildlife officials are still trying to track down data for comparisons. St. Johns and Duval counties had about a dozen reports of fish kills, with the largest in the Palm Valley and Ponte Vedra Beach area along the Intracoastal Waterway. "Most of it was in the inland areas and most of the fish that were killed were armored catfish and tilapia," Parker said. The worst fish kill on the First Coast was recorded Jan. 11 on the Intracoastal Waterway in Palm Valley when thousands of fish were reported dead. Hundreds of dead fish were also found in the Intracoastal Waterway on Jan. 14 along South Roscoe Boulevard. A smaller fish kill of about 100 was reported Jan. 13 near Marsh Landing and several other kills were reported in other locations throughout St. Johns County. In Duval County, the damage wasn't as extreme. The worst fish kill was found Tuesday in a retention pond off Aquatic Drive in Atlantic Beach. About 100 tilapia were found dead. In the Sawgrass Players Club and Country Club, hundreds of tilapia, "possibly thousands," were killed in dozens of retention ponds, said Michael Morrison, operations manager for the Sawgrass communities' homeowners associations. He said he's still cleaning up the dead fish. "We have my staff and the aquatics maintenance companies and both golf courses have dedicated personnel to assist in the cleanup," Morrison said. "The cleanup process is unkind. It's just dirty. It's not difficult but you have to manually remove all fish, which we do with a variety of nets." Morrison said the cleanup from the ponds is extensive and that talapia sink to the bottom after they're killed. They gradually float to the surface when the water warms. "The cleanup could take weeks," said Morrison. "The same thing happened back in 2001 and it took five weeks. It's just a very slow and smelly process." While coastal areas of Duval and St. Johns counties were hit by the frigid temperatures, Parker said the prolonged cold snap hit most of Florida pretty hard with large fish kills reported throughout the state. She said the FWC is still trying to put this year's fish kills into historical context. At The Bridge Waterfront Bistro in Palm Valley on the Intracoastal, kitchen manager Ryan Pinkard said dead mullet were floating in the water Friday. "We've been talking about it," said Pinkard. "I've lived here for 16 years and have never seen anything like it." Customers have continued coming to the restaurant; the fish kills in the Intracoastal don't seem to faze them, said Pinkard. But people who frequent the waterway to fish are disturbed. "I got a couple buddies that are coming down here and they are just freaking out," said Pinkard. Other creatures were also impacted during the cold snap, Parker said. About 3,000 sea turtles were rescued at sea throughout Florida, mostly along Brevard County, she said. "We had lizards falling out of the trees," Parker said. FWC officials don't clean up the fish kills. The fish are left to decompose where they died. But FWC responds to the scene to test the dead fish to make sure no algae or other biological factors are causing the kills. Parker said the cold is the only cause found so far. Drew Dixon can also be reached at (904) 249-4947, ext. 6313.
Current and past charges against UNF professor raises 'red flag' for students *
As a University of North Florida associate professor is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on a battery charge Tuesday, students on campus are rattled about the charge facing one of their educators. Electrical engineering associate professor Tayeb Giuma is accused of misdemeanor battery in the attack on a contractor at his Queen's Harbour home Sept. 25. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge, which will be heard in Duval County Court. "If Dr. Giuma is guilty of the things that we have heard, any professor who would do this sort of thing, it's very disheartening," UNF Student Government President John Barnes said. "It's a red flag for students. ... It does bring concern if it turns out these accusations are true." The UNF administration is investigating the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office charge that Giuma beat contractor Dustin Brown with an 8-foot board during an argument over a gazebo construction project in September at the gated community off Atlantic Boulevard. A security video camera next door to Giuma's home captured images of a man striking another with a piece of lumber. The charge came after several arrests for Giuma in the past decade. The arrests range from petit theft to child abuse; all those charges were either dropped or judgments were withheld after Giuma pleaded no contest in court, records show. In addition to criminal arrests, UNF records show Giuma was disciplined by school administrators about a half dozen times in the past decade for his conduct on campus. He was suspended in 1999 for a confrontation with a tenure committee, and in June, UNF President John Delaney nearly fired Giuma for publishing student class papers without their permission. Delaney was quoted in the UNF student newspaper, The Spinnaker, on Wednesday: "I was stunned with [the] professor's criminal background." Spinnaker Editor James Cannon co-wrote an editorial in November that called for the professor's firing. He said the Giuma coverage has sparked heated reaction from the university community. "We had several comments not only from students, but parents of students," Cannon said this week. "A lot of it was just concern about the fact that there were so many past instances and run-ins with the law that he was still a professor." Giuma, who is on administrative leave from UNF, did not return two messages left on his voice mail this week. Marvin Gillman of Jacksonville Beach e-mailed Shorelines Jan. 23 and said the media was conducting "a witch hunt" on the professor. "What is the push on professor Giuma for what appears to be a personal incident between a contractor and a homeowner, which has nothing to do with UNF?" Gillman asked. Barnes said UNF Student Government will observe the university's investigation into Giuma's battery charge. He said it's likely Student Government could take action after the investigation. "With the very active Student Government Senate that we have, I would not be surprised if they pass some sort of resolution about this matter," Barnes said. "We are definitely monitoring it." drew.dixon@jacksonville.com, (904) 249-4947, ext. 6313
Atlantic Beach forms committee to make investment policy
City votes to form committee to create a new policy on where to place its money.
ATLANTIC BEACH - Amid one of the most turbulent stock market atmospheres in U.S. history, the City Commission agreed Monday to form a committee to help establish a new policy for the city's investments in the future. City Finance Director Nelson Van Liere had been looking for direction from the commission as he was about to establish an investment portfolio with the Florida Municipal Trust, which is a pool for local governments to participate in various investments. But rather than sign off on a new investment policy, the commission instead decided to form an ad-hoc committee of three people from the investment trading industry to oversee and help draft a new investment policy for the city. Van Liere had recommended changes to the city's policy to include guidelines for diversification of the city's investments. "In the past couple of years, our interest earnings have taken a dive on us," Van Liere said. "Our policy simply states that we should [invest]. It has no guidelines." While investments have been made, there has been little market analysis of the city's financial interests in them, Van Liere said. "We'll have to start managing our portfolio a little more than we have, 100 percent more than we have in the past," said Van Liere, who acknowledged that while he has accounting expertise, he is not an investment broker. Many of the city's past investments have ranged from treasury bills to certificates of deposit. CommissionerCarolyn Woods said she also lacks investment acumen and suggested forming a committee with input from investment experts. "It's a pretty complicated subject," Woods said. "Maybe it would better if we had an ad-hoc committee to work with and come up with recommendations." The cautious approach by Atlantic Beach demonstrates the potential financial wreckage that can come with municipal investments that are using tax dollars. In 2007, dozens of Florida cities were hurt financially when the state's investment pool was frozen after stocks began to plummet. Many of the assets could not be retrieved by cities. Beaches cities escaped serious damage because they withdrew funds before the freeze. Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach and Jacksonville Beach all removed a combined $14 million from the state investment pool before the state-ordered freeze was imposed in late 2007. The investment pool was formed about 30 years ago to provide a low-risk option similar to a money market account for local government surplus funds. But in 2007, sub-prime mortgages, which had ties to the state investment pool, collapsed, prompting the state's financial officer to implement the freeze. Instability in the sub-prime mortgage industry caused the fund to shrink, triggering a rush of withdrawals. The state froze the account for four days to stem the flow. Some municipalities were caught off guard and didn't withdraw their funds in time, leaving them without enough operating money to pay some vendors and employees. Commissioner Paul Parsons said the risks are real for any municipal investment, but he's not sure a committee is necessary to formulate a revised investment policy. "I really don't see why we have to have an ad-hoc committee," said Parsons. "I feel very comfortable with it and I feel comfortable with what he [Van Liere] has put before us." But Commissioner Jonathan Daugherty said the city should take the most cautious approach for investing. "I don't have the experience" in investing, Daugherty said. "I don't think any of us are very qualified to make policy on this. I think it would be nice to get some recommendations from people who know a lot more about this." City Manager Jim Hanson said he sees no problem with establishing a committee and that staff would find no objections. He also suggested Mayor Mike Borno appoint three financial experts to serve on the committee, which could wrap up recommendations within a couple months. Borno agreed. Van Liere said he welcomes any input, saying, "All I'm asking to do is put more control on it." drew.dixon@jacksonville.com, (904) 249-4947, ext. 6313
Beyond criminal arrests, UNF professor had disciplinary issues on campus
A University of North Florida associate professor who is facing a battery charge after a contractor was attacked at his Queen's Harbour home has faced a series of previous campus disciplinary actions ranging from reprimands to a suspension to near termination. Tayeb Giuma, a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, has a pretrial hearing set for Feb. 2 in Duval County Court on the misdemeanor battery charge that he beat contractor Dustin Brown with an 8-foot board during an argument over a gazebo construction project in September at the gated community off of Atlantic Boulevard. That charge came after several arrests for Giuma in the past decade. Some students on the UNF campus have called for Giuma's firing based on his arrest history. The university's records show that Giuma, who has worked at UNF since 1987, has faced disciplinary actions several times. In October 1997, Giuma was reprimanded by Department of Electrical Engineering Director William Caldwell for Giuma's "affront" to another faculty member who was seeking tenure. Giuma issued "an uncalled-for personal attack" and showed "non-collegial actions" against the other faculty member, Caldwell said in his written reprimand. In December 1999, then-UNF Provost and Vice President David Kline suspended Giuma without pay for 10 days. Kline said in a memo that Giuma demonstrated "unprofessional behavior" to the Electrical Engineering Promotion and Tenure Committee in November of that year. Giuma had been repeatedly warned about his behavior, said Kline, who is now a professor of philosophy and director of the Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Florida Ethics Center at UNF. In June 2008, UNF Provost and Vice President Mark Workman warned Giuma in a memo that he had inappropriately published a student's electrical engineering class paper without the student's permission. "Any similar academic misconduct on your part will result in the immediate termination of your employment," Workman said in his warning to Giuma. Most recently, in June, UNF President John Delaney nearly fired Giuma for "scholarly misconduct" after three other students complained that the professor had published their electrical engineering class papers without their permission. In his memo, Delaney said there was initially a "notice to terminate," but he withheld the notice because of a series of technicalities and defenses from Giuma, university records show. While Giuma was allowed to keep his job, Delaney issued a stern warning in the memo: "I feel it necessary to make clear that in working with students you must be careful to follow certain basic standards." UNF Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs Joann Campbell is overseeing the school's current investigation into Giuma, who was placed on administrative leave in late 2009. She said Giuma hasn't been fired because his conduct was relatively tranquil since his reprimands in the 1990s. "Part of the issue is that the previous suspension from David Kline was over 10 years prior to the recent incidents arising. Over a 10-year period he had no other incidents," Campbell said Friday. "We are still investigating those [criminal] charges as it relates to his issues here on campus and how they relate to his employment here at UNF." Giuma is a tenured associate professor, said Campbell, which means he can remain employed until he resigns, retires, is laid off or there is just cause for termination. Campbell said it's not clear if the current charge constitutes just cause to terminate. "The investigation is still ongoing," she said. "Until it's concluded, it's all speculation as to what the outcome will be." Two voice mails left on Giuma's phone seeking comment were not returned. An editorial in UNF's student newspaper, The Spinnaker, called for Giuma's firing. The recent arrest creates an awkward circumstance for the university, said Campbell, who said UNF administrators were not aware of Giuma's Jacksonville Sheriff's Office arrests prior to September's battery charge. The arrests range from petit theft to child abuse; all of those charges were either dropped or judgments were withheld after Giuma pleaded no contest in court, records show. "Anytime you get into an investigation into a faculty member's behavior or performance, it's difficult. But it's our responsibility to do as thorough investigation as we can," Campbell said. Campbell said the last time UNF fired a faculty member was about two years ago and that there are few instances of termination for misconduct since the school was founded in 1972. Drew Dixon can also be reached at (904) 249-4947, ext. 6313.
Atlantic Beach rejects request to rejoin Mayport Waterfront Partnership
Mayor says city's priority is Atlantic Beach and not the Mayport advisory board.
Photo 1 of 2 Atlantic Beach Mayor Mike Borno has rejected a request to join the Mayport Waterfront Partnership, an advisory board that's trying to regain representatives from Borno's city and elsewhere. "It is clear that we have more than enough to do in our own city," the mayor said in a Jan. 13 memo to the partnership. Atlantic Beach was part of the board when it was formed in 1997. But the city stopped sending a representative in 2008. Partnership Chairman Gary Crumley sent a letter to Atlantic Beach last month asking for an appointment to serve on the Mayport board, which advises the city of Jacksonville about Mayport issues and addresses civic development in the area. Crumley said he was disappointed by Borno's response. "There are those that may not feel the way I do about collaboration for the sake of the common good," said Crumley. "I will continue to work on these guys one at a time and create a better understanding of their participation." Atlantic Beach's rejection comes during a critical evolutionary point in the history of the board. Crumley said he wants to rebuild the partnership so it has the attention of city officials. Seats on the board have been occupied by representatives of Mayport Naval Station, the Coast Guard and Beaches municipalities. The Coast Guard and Navy rejoined the board this month after a hiatus of about two years. But Beaches government representation has been lacking and to complicate matters, former Atlantic Beach Mayor John Meserve, the partnership's founding chairman, was charged this month with a third-degree felony for not having a real estate license while profiting on four real estate transactions in Mayport in 2005 and '06. Meserve, now a Jacksonville City Council member, was booked into the Duval County jail this week and his arraignment is set for Feb. 1 in Circuit Court. Meserve was released from jail shortly after he was booked Tuesday morning. Gov. Charlie Crist suspended Meserve from his City Council seat. But Borno said his decision to turn down the invitation to rejoin the partnership is simply a matter of Atlantic Beach resources. However, Borno wrote that Atlantic Beach has helped Mayport improvement projects. "Those projects led to several improvements having been completed in Mayport. We are happy to have been of some help," said Borno. "Best of success in your efforts to improve Mayport ... in the future." Borno's approach was more diplomatic than some of his colleagues on the Atlantic Beach City Commission. In December, Commissioner John Fletcher said he's not sure it's in the interest of Atlantic Beach to send a representative to the Waterfront Partnership any more. "For me personally to be interested in something like that, I would have to be comfortable that they were not going to get ensnared or embroiled in nasty political disputes," Fletcher said in December. Atlantic Beach Commissioner Paul Parsons, the last city representative on the partnership, resigned as chairman in 2008. He quit the board while raising objections to a lawsuit filed by the Mayport Civic Association seeking to block the Jacksonville Port Authority from building a cruise ship terminal there. Several partnership members are also members of the Civic Association, which represents property owners. Since leaving the partnership, Parsons has been critical about its direction. "They don't have any clout anymore," Parsons said in May 2008. Meserve also said then that the partnership had lost much of its focus because too many Mayport residents had joined the board. He said the panel should be more collaborative with surrounding municipalities and government representatives, since the partnership oversees developments along Mayport Road into Atlantic Beach. Crumley said he won't settle for rejection. "We must all work together as we share this coast we love. I will endeavor to achieve this monumental task and reach out to our politicians to a attain a greater understanding of our goals," Crumley said. He said only about a half-dozen partnership members live in Mayport and that the board has about two dozen seats. Crumley also cited the partnership's shared responsibility with nearby municipalities. "Our Mayport design guides actually include the [Beaches] Town Center all the way to Mayport ... It is up to each city to follow those guides as mandated by ordinances passed by our city leadership. It is our job to remind them of those responsibilities," he said. Crumley said he'll likely approach Atlantic Beach again. In the meantime, he plans to lobby the Duval County Florida Legislative Delegation for consideration of Mayport issues when that state lawmakers group meets for input at 2 p.m. Monday at Jacksonville City Hall, City Council chambers, 117 W. Duval St. Drew Dixon can also be reached at (904) 249-4947, ext. 6313.
Meserve booked in Duval County Jail on real estate charge
Suspended Jacksonville City Councilman John Meserve was booked in the Duval County jail Jan. 19, a week after State Attorney Angela Corey said he would be formally charged for not having a real estate license in land deals he profited from in Mayport village. Meserve was admitted in the jail in downtown Jacksonville at 10:17 a.m. and released within an hour of his booking on a third-degree felony charge of being an unlicensed real estate broker. It is illegal for anyone in Florida to profit from a real estate transaction without a real estate license. That’s what Corey on Jan. 12 said Meserve did when he made about $105,000 in commissions in land deals in 2005-06 in Mayport village. Meserve was also mayor of Atlantic Beach during some of those transactions and was chairman of the Mayport Waterfront Partnership, an advisory board to Jacksonville City Hall. Meserve has said he was only serving as a “consultant” to many of the land owners and helped prepare their land before it was sold to Vestcor Cos. While Meserve did not directly work for Vestcor, he received the commissions on four land transactions from Don Wolfson, who was the licensed real estate broker for the land development firm. Meserve was suspended from office as a council member by Gov. Charlie Crist only a few hours after Corey said she was charging him. His replacement on the council has not been appointed by Crist yet. The 69-year-old Meserve has not had his first court date set. Beyond the criminal charge, Meserve still faces possible civil penalties from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the agency that oversees real estate laws. It was that regulatory agency that found “probable cause” that Meserve should be prosecuted following a 76-page investigative report that concluded in late December after initiating the probe in August following Times-Union reports on the land deals that involved Meserve. The regulatory agency has filed an administrative complaint against Meserve and is seeking civil damages against him for violation of the law which could include fines. Meserve has to respond to that civil filing this month and decide if he wants to take the civil case to an administrative hearing, which is similar to arbitration. |
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