Connect with us

Southeast

Florida mayor resigns with mass email to residents alleging corruption in small-town government

Published

on

Florida mayor resigns with mass email to residents alleging corruption in small-town government

A Florida mayor abruptly resigned after outlining a pattern of “corruptive behavior” throughout the small town’s government in an explosive letter to all its residents last Friday.

“What is going on with this small town is all wrong,” now-former Madeira Beach Mayor Jim Rostek told Fox 13 on Wednesday. “I am sorry that I have to walk away. It is for my health. Please keep up the fight. I will always try to have your back. Please continue to do what’s right.”

Rostek’s allegations pointed to City Manager Robin Ignacio Gomez and his “discretionary” and “discriminatory” code enforcement, per the June 14 letter reviewed by Fox News Digital. 

GIRL SURVIVES FLORIDA SHARK ATTACK AFTER VACATIONING DOCTOR SAW BLOOD IN WATER AND REACTED

Madeira Beach, Florida, Mayor Jim Rostek resigned on Friday and sent a letter accusing his city government of “corruptive practices” to all the community’s residents. (Fox 13 Tampa)

Advertisement

“I am sorry to leave. But with a city manager as such, I cannot be or have any part of Gomez’s corrupt behavior, talking in circles, lies, preferential treatment of ‘some’ or discriminatory enforcement practices. As well as the everyday wasting of the tax-payers’ money and trying to justify it,” Rostek wrote. “In the end, some will go up to the pearly gates and some won’t. I will always do what is ethical and correct, others not so much.”

Gomez allegedly ignored Rostek’s requests to establish a life jacket policy, a smoking policy and a formal prohibition on cellphone usage for municipal employees who are operating city boats and vehicles, the resigning mayor claimed.

“I had a resident take pictures of the code enforcement boat, with people riding around on it doing their job, I guess, no life jackets on,” Rostek added. “The smoking policy … I see one or two of them smoking in city vehicles. There’s federal law about that stuff. He refuses to implement policy.”

DESANTIS SPOX DUNKS ON NYT ‘FACT-CHECK’ ON TERRORISTS ENTERING SOUTHERN BORDER: ‘AWAITING YOUR CORRECTION’

Madeira Beach, Florida, Mayor Jim Rostek described himself as a stickler for ethics and safety, and said that contending with the alleged mismanagement caused him recurring health issues.

Madeira Beach, Florida, Mayor Jim Rostek described himself as a stickler for ethics and safety, and said that contending with the alleged mismanagement caused him recurring health issues. (Google Maps)

Rostek complained that he had seen city sanitation workers holding onto the back of a truck with one hand and texting with the other. 

Advertisement

“Gomez is very well-liked by employees because, in my mind, it’s ‘Camp Run Amok,’” he said. “We’re supposed to set an example for the public.”

Rostek also alleges that his former colleagues practiced technically legal but unethical financial techniques. They avoided commission approval on projects totaling over $30,000 by negotiating multiple line-item contracts at lesser amounts instead of issuing a Request for Proposals, he claims.

FEDERAL JUDGE RULES FLORIDA RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSGENDER MEDICAL TREATMENT FOR KIDS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

Madeira Beach City Manager Robin Gomez.

Madeira Beach (Florida) City Manager Robin Gomez had his contract renewed until 2028 by the city’s commission this week. (City of Madeira Beach)

Attached to the June 14 email was a separation agreement between Gomez and the city of Clarkston, Georgia. The document, dated Sept. 7, 2021, outlines Gomez’s voluntary resignation as city manager there and states that he and city officials cannot discuss his career there with other parties. 

Rostek explained to Fox 13 that he is a stickler for ethics, safety and the city’s liability, and that his stress in contending with his former colleagues resulted in multiple health scares. 

Advertisement

“I told him, ‘talk is cheap,’” Rostek said. “I said, ‘you need to have policy to back up what you’ve told them, because when it comes time for a lawsuit, we’re not going to have any ammunition to substantiate,’” he told the outlet. “If you don’t get the small things right, what about the big things?”

“God only knows what else is going on,” he continued. “You don’t know what you don’t know until you start looking and digging deeper.”

Anne-Marie Brooks, a former District 4 commissioner for Madeira Beach, replaced Rostek after his resignation.

Anne-Marie Brooks, a former District 4 commissioner for Madeira Beach, replaced Rostek after his resignation. (City of Madeira Beach)

In an email to Fox 13, Gomez denied Rostek’s assertions. 

“While entitled to his opinions, the city has provided answers and resolutions to the comments although not completely supported/agreed/understood by Mr. Rostek,” Gomez wrote. “It is unfortunate that the disagreements and misunderstandings of city processes and policies by Mr. Rostek led him to state/list claims of corruption, which are simply baseless and false.”

Advertisement

“We continue to perform our daily tasks and responsibilities pursuant to federal, state, county and city laws/ordinances/statutes in the most ethical manner,” he continued.

Anne-Marie Brooks, previously a city commissioner, has stepped up as Madeira Beach’s mayor in Rostek’s absence. 

Gomez wrote that city administrators would hold a special meeting to fill her now-vacant seat on the commission next week. 

Commissioners just voted to restore Gomez’s contract until 2028, according to TBN Weekly. 

Meanwhile, Rostek told Fox 13 that he hopes “someone at the state level makes contact with [him]” about the alleged corruption in the small town. 

Advertisement

Read the full article from Here

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Southeast

Drone mishap during Orlando holiday aerial show sends child to hospital

Published

on

Drone mishap during Orlando holiday aerial show sends child to hospital

A child was hospitalized on Saturday after being hit by a drone that was part of an Orlando, Florida holiday drone show.

According to the Orlando Fire Department, a 7-year-old boy was transported to the hospital because of injuries sustained from the falling drones, FOX 35 in Orlando reported. 

In a video posted online by X user MosquitoCoFl, hundreds of drones being used as part of an aerial light show appeared to be flying into position before several started falling from the sky before slamming to the ground.

A man could be heard saying to children nearby, “Oh no! I don’t believe they’re supposed to be falling.”

MYSTERY DRONES COULD BE IDENTIFIED FASTER USING NEW DETECTION TOOL, BUT FAA LACKS RESOURCES

Advertisement

Several drones malfunctioned during a drone show in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, sending the unmanned aerial objects crashing to the ground. (Credit – X/MosquitoCoFL)

Geese also appear on the water, flapping their wings to try and get out of the way of the chaotic scene.

City officials told the station the holiday drone show was permitted by the FAA.

Still, after one drone show went wrong, the city chose to cancel the second that night at 8 p.m. due to “technical difficulties.”

DRONES SPOTTED ACROSS NORTHEAST LIKELY COMING FROM ‘INSIDE THE US,’ MILITARY EXPERT SAYS

Advertisement
several drones crashed during an aerial show in orlando, florida (2)

Several drones malfunctioned during a drone show in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, sending the unmanned aerial objects crashing to the ground. (Credit – X/MosquitoCoFL)

The FAA told Fox News Digital it will investigate the cause of the drone show malfunction.

“Several small drones collided and fell into a crowd during a holiday drone show over [Eola] Lake in Orlando, Florida,” the FAA said. “The incident occurred around 6:45 p.m. local time on Saturday, December 21.”

According to the agency, drone arrays and light shows are subject to FAA regulations and typically require a waiver to a regulation that prohibits operating more than one drone at a time.

For each drone show application, the FAA looks at things like the software controlling the drones, procedures for setting up safe and restricted areas to keep people a safe distance from the show, procedures if drones fail, and procedures for when an aircraft gets too close to the show.

DRONE MYSTERY: NEW JERSEY HOMEOWNERS THREATEN TO TAKE MATTERS INTO THEIR OWN HANDS IF GOVERNMENT DOESN’T ACT

Advertisement
several drones crashed during an aerial show in orlando, florida (1)

Several drones malfunctioned during a drone show in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, sending the unmanned aerial objects crashing to the ground. (Credit – X/MosquitoCoFL)

Additionally, the FAA reviews how the operator will keep the drones inside a confined area using Geofencing, and whether the operator has an adequate number of people to run the show.

For the second year, the City of Orlando used Sky Elements Drones as its vendor to operate the drones, the station reported.

Sky Elements Drones did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the matter.

In a statement to Fox 35, the vendor said, “Sky Elements Drones wants to extend our sincere hope for a full and speedy recovery to those impacted at our Lake Eola show in Orlando on Saturday, Dec. 21.

Advertisement

“The well-being of our audience is our utmost priority, and we regret any distress or inconvenience caused,” the company continued. “We are diligently working with the FAA and City of Orlando officials to determine the cause and are committed to establishing a clear picture of what transpired. Millions of people see our shows annually, and we are committed to maintaining the highest safety regulations set forth by the FAA.”

Read the full article from Here

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Southeast

Florida boy has open heart surgery after being hit by drone at holiday show, parents say, NTSB investigating

Published

on

Florida boy has open heart surgery after being hit by drone at holiday show, parents say, NTSB investigating

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating an accident in which a 7-year-old Florida boy was struck by at least one drone at a holiday airshow over the weekend, resulting in him having to undergo open-heart surgery.

The NTSB on Wednesday said it was investigating the Saturday night malfunction at an aerial light show in Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando.

Adriana Edgerton and Jessica Lumsden, parents of Alexander, said one of the red and green-lit drones struck him and knocked him out upon impact, causing a chest injury, Fox Orlando reported.

Hundreds of drones being used as part of a Saturday night aerial light show in Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando appeared to be flying into position before several started falling from the sky before slamming to the ground, according to videos posted online. 

DRONE MYSTERY: NEW JERSEY HOMEOWNERS THREATEN TO TAKE MATTERS INTO THEIR OWN HANDS IF GOVERNMENT DOESN’T ACT

Advertisement

Alexander, a 7-year-old boy, has undergone heart surgery after he was struck by a falling drone during a holiday airshow in Orlando, his parents said.  (Fox Orlando )

“Before they went down, the green one went straight at us. I went to the left. My son went to the right, and it hit my son,” Lumsden told the news outlet. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the boy’s parents. 

The city canceled the show after the drones crashed.  

“Due to technical difficulties, the 8 p.m. Holiday Drone Show at Lake Eola has been canceled. We apologize for any inconvenience,” the city posted on X. 

Advertisement

MYSTERY DRONES COULD BE IDENTIFIED FASTER USING NEW DETECTION TOOL, BUT FAA LACKS RESOURCES

several drones crashed during an aerial show in orlando, florida (2)

Several drones malfunctioned during a drone show in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, sending the unmanned aerial objects crashing to the ground. (Credit – X/MosquitoCoFL)

It was not clear what led to the drone difficulties. 

The vendor for the drone show, Sky Elements Drones, told the news outlet it wanted to extend “our sincere hope for the full and speedy recovery to those impacted” at the show. 

“The well-being of our audience is of the upmost priority, and we regret any distress or inconvenience caused,” the company said. “We are diligently working with the FAA and City of Orlando officials to determine the cause and are committed to establishing a clear picture of what transpired. Millions of people see our shows annually, and we are committed to maintaining the highest safety regulations set forth by the FAA.”

several drones crashed during an aerial show in orlando, florida

Several drones malfunctioned during a drone show in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, sending the unmanned aerial objects crashing to the ground. (Credit – X/MosquitoCoFL)

Advertisement

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the malfunction. 

Drone arrays and light shows are subject to FAA regulations and typically require a waiver to a regulation that prohibits operating more than one drone at a time, the agency said. 

Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report. 

Read the full article from Here

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Southeast

Hero officers and good Samaritans who went above and beyond in 2024

Published

on

Hero officers and good Samaritans who went above and beyond in 2024

Join Fox News for access to this content

Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your account – free of charge.

By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News’ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive.

Please enter a valid email address.

Having trouble? Click here.

While the world can often feel like a discouraging place, there are plenty of people – both those who have sworn to protect and serve, as well as regular citizens – who are willing to go above and beyond for others. 

Here are some examples of law enforcement officers and good Samaritans taking heroic action over the past year. 

Advertisement

Arkansas police officer saves boy who fell through ice on pond

Last January, a police officer in Jonesboro, Arkansas, sprang into lifesaving action after a boy fell through the ice on a frozen pond. 

Body camera footage shared by the department showed Officer Troy Ellison running through the snow and jumping a fence before getting on his hands and knees to help the boy. 

HERO POLICE OFFICER SAVES TERRIFIED BOY FROM FROZEN POND

Jonesboro police officer rescues child who had fallen through ice into freezing pond in Arkansas. (Jonesboro Police Department)

“I gotcha, I gotcha,” he is heard saying in the footage. 

Advertisement

Soon after, another officer and a fire official arrived and helped Ellison pull the boy out of the pond with a rope. 

The boy was taken to a hospital to be checked for any cold weather injuries. 

“’Great Job’ goes to one of our officers who responded to a call about a child falling through ice on a local pond,” a Facebook post from the Jonesboro Police Department, who shared the video, read. 

“Officer Troy Ellison sprung into action when he arrived on the scene. He quickly located the child, crawled onto the ice, and pulled the child to safety with the help of Lt. Shon Morris and members of the Jonesboro Fire Department.”

WATCH: 

Advertisement

Arizona officers save baby being held hostage

In May, a team of officers in Surprise, Arizona, entered a barricaded home where a 7-month-old baby was allegedly being held hostage by his father and had been shot. 

“I thought that one of us or multiple of us would get hurt going inside the house,” Surprise Officer Carlton Williams told “FOX News @ Night” in October. “The fact that the gentleman had already shot at officers multiple times, there was no doubt in my mind that we had to make entry into the home.”

The department had received a 911 call about a woman and her baby being held hostage by the baby’s father. The mother escaped, but the child was still inside when the team of officers forced their way in after hearing gunfire. 

They found the baby at the back of the house and one officer took him to safety while the others provided cover – all without firing any shots.

The baby was taken to a hospital to recover and was reunited with his mother. The father later died after barricading himself in the home and lighting it on fire. 

Advertisement

“This is as close as it gets to a perfect operation,” law enforcement expert Aaron Cohen said. “They’ve got to get to the end of that structure and get to that kid, and they have no idea what’s laying behind that door.”

ARIZONA BODYCAM HEROES SAVE WOUNDED BABY BEING HELD HOSTAGE INSIDE HOUSE

California police officer saves choking boy

In June, a police officer in El Monte, California, saved the life of an 8-year-old boy who had fallen unconscious after choking on a piece of candy. 

“I just saw him purple, he was already unconscious, so… neighbors and I were trying to do compressions on his chest, breathe through his mouth, but nothing seemed to be working,” the boy’s mother, Vanessa Becerra-Aguayo, told “Fox News @ Night.” “He was unable to talk to me, so he was unconscious the whole time until the police arrived.” 

Officer Raul Vega said he used his LifeVac “anti-choking, rescue device” to clear the boy’s airway. 

Advertisement

“It’s basically like a plunger, like a foam plunger, and you place the device over the person’s mouth, and you press to get, you know, suction in and while you’re holding it down, you pull it up, and that allows the object to become dislodged and the airway to open up,” he said. 

After two tries, the candy came out of the boy’s throat, and he later woke up in the ambulance. 

HEROIC POLICE OFFICER SAVES CHILD CHOKING ON CANDY: HE WAS ‘PURPLE’

Indiana police officer saves boy with autism from drowning in pool 

In September, an Indiana police officer was hailed as a hero after he saved a 3-year-old boy with autism from drowning in a neighbor’s pool.

After responding to a report that the boy was missing when his parents realized the door had been left unlocked and he had gotten out of the home, Fort Wayne Police Officer Evan Myers began to search the area with other officers. 

Advertisement

After seeing the boy swimming in the neighbor’s above-ground pool, he ran over and got the boy out. 

“He’s breathing and is conscious,” Myers is heard saying in body camera footage. “Are you OK, buddy?”

“I want to personally thank him deeply for just being able to find my son,” the boy’s mom, Savannah Ybarra, told local station WPTA.

WATCH: HERO INDIANA OFFICER SAVES MISSING AUTISTIC BOY, 3, FROM DROWNING IN POOL

WATCH: 

Advertisement

Georgia passerby saves homeowner from house fire 

In October, a passerby saved a Winterville, Georgia, homeowner who woke up from a nap to find his house engulfed in smoke and flames. 

David McConnell told FOX5 Atlanta he could hardly see and he tried to leave his house through his front door but his storm door – a secondary door installed over the door – was locked. 

Dylan Betts, who was driving home from work when he saw the smoke, raced to McConnell’s house and “ripped it off and then kicked it in,” he said. 

Betts said he stepped inside the home through a “thick wall of black smoke” and called out.

GEORGIA PASSERBY SAVES MAN FROM BURNING HOME BY KICKING DOWN STORM DOOR

Advertisement
house on fire

David McConnell’s house went up in flames on Oct. 29. (Athens-Clarke County Fire Department)

“Mr. David, luckily, heard my voice, and he came right to me,” Betts told FOX5. 

When the outlet asked Betts why he risked his life to save a stranger, Betts responded, “Why not? That’s America.”

McConnell said his family calls Betts “our hero,” and even gave Betts tickets to a Georgia/Tennessee football game as a small thank you for saving his life.

Oklahoma police officer and good Samaritan save sleeping man from rolling off bridge

In November, a quick-thinking police officer and a good Samaritan teamed up to save a man who said he fell asleep on a guardrail of a bridge about 40 feet over the Oklahoma River. 

An Oklahoma City police officer identified as Officer Reyes went to check on the sleeping man lying on the bridge’s guardrail when the man turned and slipped. 

Advertisement

Reyes grabbed the man by his hoodie as he dangled over the waters below.

SLEEPING MAN SAVED FROM ROLLING OFF BRIDGE BY POLICE OFFICER, GOOD SAMARITAN IN DRAMATIC VIDEO 

WATCH: 

A good Samaritan jogger then ran over to help Reyes grab the man’s arms and pull him to safety. 

Advertisement

The man wasn’t hurt in the incident. 

Oklahoma City Police Msgt. Gary Knight told News9, “It’s a real hero type thing when you see an officer spring into action – save someone’s life with the help of a citizen.” 

Fox News’ Michael Dorgan, Maria Lencki, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Stephen Sorace contributed to this report. 

Read the full article from Here

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending