Developer may again be backing candidates
The sleepy little village of Palmetto Bay may be about to get an exciting election in November.
First, a little pajarito told Ladra that former and embattled Councilman David Singer – an allly of former Mayor Eugene Flinn and a critic of current Mayor Karyn Cunningham — picked up a candidate package on Wednesday for a rematch against Councilman Steve Cody in Seat 2.
He didn’t have to do it in person. All the documents are available online. But he obviously wanted Ladra to find out.
This could be a throw-down grudge match as the two men really haven’t stopped jabbing at each other for the past four years, since Cody beat him by just about 500 votes.
Read related: Ex Palmetto Bay councilman compares controversial duck removal to Holocaust
“David Singer proved that he was toxic in 2020 in the years since he’s become an EPA super fund clean up site,” Cody said, adding that the former councilman was fired from his law firm after he compared the removal and euthanizing of muscovy ducks in the village to the Holocaust.
And apparently he is very litigious, suing everyone including Cody for $1 million in damages and former Mayor Shelley Stanczyk, activist Gary Pastorella and the owner of a fireplace store.
“I’m not worried,” Cody said.
Another Flinn ally, Mark Merwitzer, the policy director at the Transit Alliance (love them) and a lifelong resident of the village, announced Wednesday that he would run against Vice Mayor Leanne Tellam, who solidly beat former Village Manager Ed Silva in 2020, on a campaign for “community driven change,” and to “restore accountability and ethical governance” to the council.
“Growing up in Palmetto Bay, I have seen firsthand the challenges our community faces, from traffic congestion and overdevelopment to a lack of government transparency and responsiveness to residents’ needs,” Merwitzer said in a statement. “I am running for Vice Mayor to be a strong voice for the people of Palmetto Bay and ensure that our hometown values and interests always come first.”
Merwitzer, who served as Flinn’s campaign treasurer in 2022, may look like a 12-year-old, but he’s 24 and already has a pretty heavy track record of community activism, beginning with being onetime chair of the Palmetto Bay Youth Community Involvement Board and included a time when Village Attorney John Dellagloria had police deliver a letter to him at Village Hall during a public meeting in April of last year that threatened a lawsuit over what the lawyer called lies the candidate posted on the platform formerly known as Twitter. Dellagloria later dropped it.
In between that, the University of Florida grad (with a minor in urban planning) also helped pass statewide legislation against texting and driving (he was 18) and served on the Palmetto Bay Education Advisory Committee. He is currently is policy director at Transit Alliance, a local non-profit that advocates for better public transit, walkable and bike able streets and mobility options.
“I believe that our village government should foster the aspirations of our young people, listen to the concerns of all residents, and make decisions based on the best interests of our community, not special interests or politicians,” Merwitzer said in his statement. “As Vice Mayor, I pledge to fight tirelessly for better transit solutions, low development, and a more resilient future for Palmetto Bay.
Read related: Leanne Tellam beats Ed Silva 2 to 1 for Vice Mayor in Palmetto Bay runoff
Tellam, an attorney and PTA mom who beat Silva 2-1 in a runoff, hasn’t filed any paperwork indicating she will run for re-election. She did not return calls and a text to her phone Wednesday.
But las malas lenguas say these two candidates could be backed by developer Oscar Barbara of Luxcom, who wants to build more than 100 homes with canal access, a marina and clubhouse on a 71-acre site at 6525 Southwest 152nd Street purchased from Florida Power & Light in 2018 for $33 million. The utility had a plant at the site, adjacent to Deering Bay Estates, from the 1940s to 2012. It was torn down in 2013.
The property, which may be contaminated, has been zoned for one-acre estate homes and Barbara may need a zoning change for his Yacht Club of Luxcom to be built. The company sued the village in 2020 saying the zoning ordinance targeted the property to prevent their development plans.
And a dark money trail of PACs shows the company supported Flinn and two other candidates, including Councilwoman Marsha Matson, in the 2022 election. Barbara can count to three, which is the number of votes he would need to get a zoning change.
Ladra expects Luxcom to be a presence during this election cycle, too.
Palmetto Bay Village Council elections could get interesting this November added by Ladra on
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