City Fights Sheriff With $100K Make-Work Job
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Deerfield Beach Commissioners are throwing a $100,000 life preserver to the city’s fired police chief.
Chief Peter Sudler was told he was being dumped by incoming Broward Sheriff Scott Israel, prompting protests from commissioners and some activists.
In an attempt to fight back against Israel, commissioners have scheduled a special meeting Jan. 2 to create a city Director of Public Safety and Emergency Management.
Because a contract gives the sheriff control of policing in Deerfield, it is unknown what responsibilities are envisioned for the director.
An annual salary of $100,000 is being discussed, according to a source intimately familiar with controversy concerning the chief.
Israel sent word shortly before Christmas that Sudler was being dismissed because the city needed “major changes” in the police department. When the move was opposed by commissioners and several civic activists, it quickly became a controversy.
The new sheriff defended himself, being quoted in the Sun-Sentinel that it was “my obligation to build a team I can work well with, that I have trust in.”
Commissioners — who oversee a community so hard by financial problems that city employee have been laid off — will consider making a symbolic costly move to overturn the wishes of Israel. The special meeting is just four days before Israel is sworn on January 7.
A source told Browardbeat. com that the new director’s job is being pushed by Mayor Peggy Noland. She could not be reached for comment.
A spokesman for Israel, who won Deerfield beach in November by roughly two-to-one over defeated former Sheriff Al Lamberti, had no comment.
Taxpayers will have to decide whether creating a new administrator with no real responsibilities over BSO officers or functions is a good use of their money
AGENDA SPECIAL CITY COMMISSION MEETING Wednesday, January 2, 2013 6:30 P.M.
CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
January 2, 2013
GENERAL ITEMS
- 1) Resolution 2013/ – A Resolution of the City Commission of the City of Deerfield Beach, Florida, authorizing the City Manager to execute an application from the State of Florida Transportation for the temporary closing/special use of a State Road for the Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade. ACTION: Commission to vote on Resolution
- 2) Ordinance 2013/ – AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF DEERFIELD BEACH, FLORIDA, AMENDING AND UPDATING SECTION 2-246 CREATION OF CITY DEPARTMENTS TO PROVIDE FOR A NEW DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT; DELETING OLD SECTION 2-248 CONSOLIDATION OF PUBLIC WORKS AND ENGINEERING DEPARTMENTS; CREATING A NEW SECTION 2-248 PROVIDING FOR THE CREATION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, CREATION OF THE POSITION OF DIRECTOR, PROVIDING FOR THE FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE NEW DEPARTMENT; CREATING A NEW SECTION 2-249 PROVIDNG THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT, FIRE RESCUE AND CODE ENFORCEMENT ARE BY CONTRACT WITH THE BROWARD SHERIFF’S OFFICE; AUTHORIZING NECESSARY BUDGET TRANSFERS; CONTAINING A PROVISION FOR INCLUSION IN THE CITY CODE; CONTAINING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE; CONTAINING AN EFFECTIVE DATE ACTION: Commission to vote on Ordinance and set public hearing for January 15, 2013
ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS AND CITY MANAGER COMMENTS COMMENTS BY MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS
December 30th, 2012 at 1:08 pm
Great use of taxpayer money. They sure make Chaz’s life easy up there.
December 30th, 2012 at 1:26 pm
Buddy;
To be fair, the $100,000 is paid in pennies…
So who could complain right?
December 30th, 2012 at 1:40 pm
Buddy,
Don’t give our elected officials in Tamarac any ideas as they love the recently fired Chief Marc Dugay. You never know, they may put something like that on the January agenda.
BTW there aren’t any residents upset about his firing and I can tell you that morale in our District will be even higher with a new chief.
December 30th, 2012 at 2:31 pm
if citizen taxpayers are silly enough, no gullible enough, to go along with this, fine. theres probably lots of other “figurehead makework” positions throught city/county government in broward.
December 30th, 2012 at 5:03 pm
Sharon
Don’t you usually use Chaz Stevens as your cut out for commentary. Oh I forgot that is only when it may destroy someone’s reputation.
December 30th, 2012 at 6:07 pm
Buddy, Sudler has not been offered anything. And I am willing to bet he doesn’t take a job with no responsibilities. The guy works 24/7 and has done more for Deerfield than the last three chiefs put together. Rumor has he has been offered several jobs already. Stay tuned and stop listening to your sources inside Scott Israel’s camp.
December 30th, 2012 at 6:10 pm
Shouldn’t it say MAYOR Noland?
December 30th, 2012 at 6:18 pm
Not sure what to think until Sam tells us…
December 30th, 2012 at 6:49 pm
It was obvious from your coverage of the sheriff’s campaign that you are on Scott Israel’s payroll.
December 30th, 2012 at 7:07 pm
@5…
Does someone need a hug?
December 30th, 2012 at 8:10 pm
Pete….are you sure you are up to this?
December 30th, 2012 at 8:13 pm
to LEO no. 1-
IMO it appeared Buddy may have leaned toward lamberti (go back and read posts from July 2012 thru Aug primary to 11/06/12).
that said – voters decided and israel it is till 2016. for better or worse.
IMO had lamberti got the county wide E911 dispatch done in HIS BUDGET, he would have 4 more years. he stupidly stepped on five dollar bill to pick up quarter (like all the other city/county electeds) and was sent packing.
Israel better make this a 2013 priority or he will be out of office in Nov. 2016.
December 30th, 2012 at 9:16 pm
these commissioners and the mayor should be tarred and feathered if they vote to approve this! what nonsense.
December 30th, 2012 at 10:15 pm
@10
Geez, now your’e even trolling for those…
December 30th, 2012 at 11:44 pm
Oh, Mr. Israel…
Knowing how you have been on a tear, (firing good people, giving your cronies jobs, etc.)I really doubt that you would have been elected had the electorate known how much of a crony you really are.
You are putting people into jobs who raised money for you.
It is rather nauseating. I would feel better if I knew that at least some of your obvious behavior was embarassing to you.
Lamberti painted an unflatering picture of you during the campaign.
It seems as though you are out to prove Lamberti was right.
Now, you have booted a popular chief in Deerfield. What, you can’t work with him? Did he not campaign for you? You can’t possibly work with a chief strongly supported by his own city, because he is not your crony?
So Israel is cleaning up the Sheriff’s office…of popular chiefs who are strongly supported in their city…
It all makes so much sense.
December 31st, 2012 at 8:27 am
Maybe now some may know why cities do not contract with BSO, they lose control of their police authority. The Chief’s are beholden to the Sheriff that comes and goes, not to the city.
Now they may look at restarting their own police department or create a regional police department to share the expense but keep control.
December 31st, 2012 at 8:54 am
Now is the time for every contract city to explore going back to a municipal police department. Israel is a criminal, and has no business being in law enforcement. As a resident of a non-contract municipality, I am tired of subsidizing the residents of Dania Beach, West Park, Lauderdale Lakes, Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Pembroke Park, Cooper City, Southwest Ranches, Weston,Oakland Park and Tamarac. This is a fiefdom created by Ken Jenne that has morphed into the most powerful, easliy corruptable system on the planet. Enough.
December 31st, 2012 at 9:25 am
This is a disgrace and this stunt may very well get Mayor Noland kicked out of office. The election is in March, and there is outrage over this. Deerfield laid off hundreds of workers, mostly black and lower wage earners, due to budget concerns. But they now want to save one person, at over $100K a year? Noland could be the Lamberti of 2013 for pushing this stupidity for a position that won’t have anything to do with police and fire. BSO’s contract says they will have to work with the city manager, not his designee. A serious misstep by Noland and she should have read the tea leaves…
December 31st, 2012 at 9:37 am
Mayor Noland, you just lost my vote. What are you sleeping with this Sudler? That’s my hard earned tax money you’re playing with deary.
December 31st, 2012 at 11:01 am
This could work out well for Deerfield and Sudler, or it could backfire. Just think, though, Sudler knows exactly what it takes to run the district and what those costs are and where he could save the city money in contract negotiations. He could save money right now in special event and overtime law enforcement costs. He knows which deputies are good and which ones are slugs. He also knows how the Fire Dept is feather-bedded and top heavy with too many Chiefs and not enough Indians. These are things he was never able to act on before but could in the new position.
If this turns out to be just a make-work job for a well liked guy, the politicians will pay a big price. If they can show on paper how this will serve the city well, the politicians will get a shoe in. Then they have to deliver in reality for the next election 4 years from now.
December 31st, 2012 at 11:26 am
@17 McLovin
Pompano explored the idea of bailing out of BSO. $30+ million in startup costs.
December 31st, 2012 at 2:11 pm
@Sam
Actually, Noland has to deliver in three months — up for re-election this March.
And soon to crawl up her ass is the 214 year old former mayor and current pain in the ass Jean Robb, who is running for election (the 9th time). She lost to Peggy and Al Capellini. Coming in a distant fifth with like 27 votes. Only four people ran though — you do the math.
JeanRobbZilla.com
RobbZilla, firmly ensconced in 1928 will rail about issues such as prohibition, woman’s suffrage, and the sort.
And we can now expect her to bitch about this hiring.
From the satirical blogging angle, one could not ask for a more target rich environment.
RobbZilla, the Charles Barkley of crazy quotes, has never let facts and/or reality get in her way.
You can count on MAOS to bring you ringside seats.
December 31st, 2012 at 2:54 pm
his salary should then be proportional to what he SAVES the city. meanwhile in October Deerfield started the monthly “francise fee” on our FPL and utility bills to raise revenue for the city. On every account, residential and non-residential. Like a kickback to Deerfield every month based on “Consumption”.
When is qualifying for the march elections?
How soon can we mobilize to have challengers for ANY on commission that support this hiree?
December 31st, 2012 at 3:03 pm
Chaz Stevens why don;t you go work for BSO-since you know everything. You think your fat ass could pass even the physical, but yet this slob has all the answers , but no answers. Keep drinking you Pabst blue ribbion beer-Hethen.
December 31st, 2012 at 4:30 pm
@Shitty Activist…
I’ve been wondering when you’d chime in. With all of the XMas shopping and packages left out in cars, you’ve probably been busy..
What’s that word again that’s in your past…
Oh yeah, grand theft.
And I’m betting that’s not the video game.
As far as my health, come to Strike Fit bro. See for yourself if I can pass the physical. Get in the ring — we’d be willing to waive the height restriction in your case.
January 1st, 2013 at 8:24 am
I heard that the reason the former Cooper City City Manager fought so hard to contract with BSO was that he was tired of the never-ending union contract negotiations with municipal police and fire.
January 1st, 2013 at 10:27 pm
Children at St. Jude’s hospital are suffering with cancer, and these clowns throw thousands of dollars away on this kind of bickering. Only in the banana republic that is south Florida.
January 2nd, 2013 at 5:34 pm
Where were our commissioners when our former Jay Fernandez was forced ot by then sherrif Lamberty. The Sheriff has the right to chose who he thinks is best suited for the job of chief not the commissioners. We were so short of money you imposed a utility tax on the citizens of Deerfield Beach. We just cannot this spending spree.
January 3rd, 2013 at 10:13 pm
Looks like the sitting Deerfield comm must read Buddy’s terrific blog BROWARD BEAT because they are re-grouping and did not take this up yesterday. now challengers must throw their names in the ring next week as the comm is likely just buying time till after the March election. will city mgr withdraw this stupidity? The comm says they are waiting on the new sheriff to get on board. stay tuned.
FROM BUDDY:
Thanks for the kind words.
January 4th, 2013 at 11:25 am
@ Bernie Parness
Just FYI, Jay Fernandez was not forced out by Lamberti. He was forced out by someone on the DFB Commission. And I got that straight from one of those elected officials, not to name any names.