Opinion ID: 72625
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: The July 29, 1993 BCC Hearing

Text: 28. The BCC was scheduled to hear the appeal from the ZBA's denial of Plaintiff's second development application on July 29, 1993. Prior to July 29, 1993, Defendant Minshew privately met with County Commissioner Willie Junior. At that time, Defendant Minshew drafted a motion upholding the ZBA's denial of Plaintiff's second development application. Although Defendant Minshew drafted the motion prior to the BCC hearing on Plaintiff's second development application, the motion provided only for denial of Plaintiff's appeal. Further, Defendant Minshew failed to maintain copies of the hand-written and typed versions of the motion prepared for County Commissioner Willie Junior. Defendant Minshew additionally met with County Commissioner Steve Del Gallo prior to the July 29, 1993, BCC meeting to discuss Plaintiff's development application. 29. On July 29, 1993, the BCC heard the appeal from the ZBA's denial of Plaintiff's second development application. The record provided by Defendant Page to the BCC contained incomplete and inaccurate information. The record included irrelevant and prejudicial evidence admitted by the ZBA in the form of petitions and letters from opponents to Plaintiff's project. In addition, no final Findings and Conclusions from the ZBA were in existence. Instead, Defendant Minshew read aloud an unratified and unadopted draft of the Findings and Conclusions with full knowledge that the ZBA had never approved them. The Findings and Conclusions read by Defendant Minshew to the BCC substantially differed from the Findings and Conclusions ultimately ratified and adopted by the ZBA on September 8, 1993. 30. At the July 29, 1993, BCC hearing, Defendant Lee presented numerous letters from Perdido Key residents opposed to Plaintiff's project. Defendant Lee's actions were improper, among other reasons, because Defendant Lee should not have taken any action with respect to Plaintiff's second development application after publicly speaking out against such application at the June 9, 1993, ZBA meeting; and no new factual matters should have been introduced into the record after June 9, 1993. When Plaintiff objected to Defendant Lee's conduct, Defendant Lee recused himself from the appeal. 31. During the July 29, 1993, BCC meeting, Defendant Minshew knowingly and intentionally misstated to the BCC the law relating to the requirements for a PUD in a Coastal High Hazard Area. Defendant Minshew knowingly and intentionally misled the BCC to believe that a procedure existed for developing land as a PUD in a Coastal High Hazard Area. Defendant Minshew did this despite the fact that Staff had thoroughly researched this issue, at Defendant Minshew's direction, and informed her that no such procedure existed under Florida law, practice or procedure. 32. The BCC subsequently denied Plaintiff's appeal.