CareerSource Florida Crown: Again, No Meeting Notice – 12th Hour Agenda – Executive Director Ignores Attorney's Advice To Follow the Law
June 12, 2024
8:10 am | 3 min read |
Part
VII:
Pt-I |
Pt-II | Pt-III
|
Pt-IV |
Pt-V |
Pt-VI
|
Pt-VII
Photo: Gerd Altman via Pixabay | Columbia
County Observer graphic
COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – CareerSource Florida Crown, a rogue special district under investigation by FloridaCommerce (the old Dept. of Commerce), once again cannot perform the simple task of noticing its public meetings.
CareerSource Florida Crown (Florida Crown) is run by a rogue management that has previously resigned and quit, walked out of the door, cut up its credit cards, left their keys on their desks, paid themselves out for their accumulated PTO, sick time, and possibly other things, and then appeared to be ordered back to work by agents of the State of Florida.
It is unclear which agency in the “Free State” of Florida (CareerSource or Florida Commerce) ordered the Florida Crown quitters back to work.
The State required a repayment of the payouts, which were allegedly paid from restricted federal funds. Recently, Florida Crown's Executive Director Robert Jones, and his number two, Ron Jones (who actually runs the organization), refused to answer any questions regarding the payouts, their refunds, or their departure and return to employment at Florida Crown.
Florida Crown: An Agency That Cannot Be Trusted by its Actions
On May 28, 2024, Florida Crown Attorney Guy Norris advised Executive Director Robert Jones, after Dir. Jones called for an Executive Board meeting, and Board President Eugene Dukes, that the May 28 meeting notice was deficient "as a matter of law."
Attorney Norris gave a laundry list of reasons, which included that the 7-day publication notice requirement had not been met.
On May 29, 2024, Florida Crown convened anyway and then abruptly took it off the air when your reporter asked, “Wasn’t this meeting canceled?”
On Monday, June 10, Florida Crown, on its inept and no-compliant website, finally acknowledged the meeting was canceled.
Noticing Public Meetings – Not Florida Crowns ‘Thing’
Florida Crown’s inept attempt at a meeting notice, which could be found on its website, left out the address of today's meeting.
Attorney Norris, in writing (May 28), advised Florida Crown that the law requires that Florida Crown, a special district, requires "advertising in a newspaper publication in each county represented by the Special District, and such notice must be published more than 7 days in advance of the intended meeting.”
Mr. Norris also wrote: “As previously advised, CSFC Bylaws 6.1.B. provides that all meetings of the Board (which includes the Executive Committee) will be notified in writing of the date, time and place of the meeting to at least seven (7) days in advance along with an agenda.”
Mr. Norris continued, “We have time to create an appropriate Agenda and properly advertise the June 12, 2024, Board Meeting, but certainly not an Executive Committee Meeting on May 29, 2024, as suggested.”
Today, June 12, 2024: Florida Crowns Exe. Dir Robert Jones and his number 2, Ron Jones, ignore their attorney, Guy Norris
Scheduled for today at 11 am, called for by Executive Director Robert Jones, is a meeting of the Florida Crown Board.
The meeting has not been advertised, and the agenda was posted on the FL Crown website yesterday.
Epilogue
Today’s FL Crown meeting is not legal.
It is a "horn-book" law that, after an illegal act, everything fails.
It is unknown if FL Crown will cancel today's illegal meeting or if someone from the State – CareerSource, FloridaCommerce, the Inspector General, the Governor – or anybody else will advise Florida Crown to abide by the law.
Note: In North Central Florida, Florida Crown is not the only organization that ignores meeting posting and notice requirements.
Today, the NCFRPC is sponsoring a meeting at the DOT, which flies in the face of established law and Florida Attorney General's Opinions.
Recently, Columbia County has held a couple of secret, un-noticed Auditor Selection Committee meetings.
It may be the water.
