Accused Of Lying About Where She Lives, Sen. Maria Sachs Once Claimed To Live In An Office

BY BUDDY NEVINS

 

Democratic state Sen. Maria Sachs,  accused of currently not living in her district, also claimed to live in an office that was not  in her district for three years ending in 2011, according  to documents from the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections.

Sachs registered to vote at 212 N. E. First Avenue, Delray Beach from May 27, 2008 to August 18, 2011.

That address was outside her Palm Beach senate district and was in the area represented by state Sen. Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale, , according to two Palm Beach County political sources and the map of state Senate districts at the time.

For the last seven months, the small house that Sachs said she lived in was also used as a campaign office for state Rep. Lori Berman, D-Boyton Beach.  The address appears on Berman’s campaign documents.

On Monday, Sachs was charged with currently not living in her district by legislative powerhouse state Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, chairman of the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee.

Latvala had just left a committee meeting where he grilled Barbra Stern, daughter of campaign consultant/lobbyist Judy Stern. Mother and daughter own a condo now rented to Sachs, but media reports indicate the senator doesn’t live there.

Barbra Stern was seeking approval of the committee for her nomination to the state Elections Commission by Gov. Rick Scott.

Stern told Latvala’s committee she didn’t know anything about the lease, which was handled by her mother.

Her nomination was approved and moved to the full Senate, where Latvala said it could still be blocked.

Latvala questioned whether Barbra Stern should serve on the Elections Commission because she owned a condo which enabled Sachs to violate the Florida Constitution, which requires a senator to live in their district.

“I’ll kiss your feet if (Sachs) spent one night in that condominium since she was elected,” said Latvala to the Florida Current after his committee meeting. “Your voter registration information is a public record. What address was she registered at, before she was registered in Broward County? An office building in Delray Beach.”

Sachs denied she lived outside the district and rented the house as a tactic to bypass the law.  She told The Miami Herald, “I have fully met the requirements of the law regarding legal residency in District 34.”

 

Previous Questions About Sachs’ Residency:

Sachs “lived” here. It’s the same location used as a campaign office for another candidate

Supervisor of Elections document showing Sachs registered from office, which sources say was outside her district. (click to enlarge)



31 Responses to “Accused Of Lying About Where She Lives, Sen. Maria Sachs Once Claimed To Live In An Office”

  1. Aletheia says:

    The commissioner from Lauderdale Lakes, Eric “deadbeat dad” Haynes is also probably not living in his city. This flim flam bozo, who passes himself off as an economist, is largely responsible for LL’s ruination, the installation of his ethically challenged college buddy as city manager and the exploitation of the City’s CRA. After a failed marriage and business…where he lives is anybody’s guess!

  2. Jess says:

    Broward Politics says Joe Gibbons is not living in his district either and guess who is running his campaign for County Commission?
    Does Judy just approach these candidates and say, “ah you don’t have to live in the district?”

  3. frank says:

    Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.

    http://saynotosachs.com/images/LostReceipts-AllYears-1.pdf

  4. while the sen sentinel slept says:

    Where is the local paper of record on all of this? Nowhere to be seen.

    Could it have anytyhing to do with the fact that they use quotes from Stern on any and all election issues despite not winning a major race in years?

    I saw Wallman said on Twitter yesterday at a meeting on the convention center, no questions Brit abotu Sachs? As usual you were probably spending more time figuring out if Friedman was wearing socks or not at the meeting.

    Maybe Doug Lyons (old friend of Judy’s) and the rest of the paper share the same view as Babs testified the other day, to make sure she has no knowledge of her mother’s business dealings.

  5. Kevin says:

    Senator Sachs could clear this up pretty easily by showing a copy of her water bill. If she has actually been living there all this time, the bill will show that there has been water usage.

  6. Where are the cancelled checks Judy ? says:

    Turn them over to a reporter.

    FROM BUDDY:

    Good idea. Make that reporter me.

  7. Calvin says:

    She should not be allowed to do this and Berman should also be in trouble for this.

    Nothing will happen because of her husband and Bobby Wexler.

    Pbc what a joke

  8. C Feibush says:

    Judy you reap what you sow. It is a shame what a person devoid of ethics you have become. So much was expected of you years ago coming up and you had so much potential. Then you became bitter and angry at the world. Few frends and family around at this point in your life for what, politics. Find happiness before it is too late Judy, if you not for you but your girls. Give them a legacy to be proud of. There is more to life than money and hurting people. There is time to change your ways.

  9. Beth says:

    I guess the people of her coastal district can expect a lot of neighborly sympathy and help from her in the next hurricane…

  10. laughable says:

    I say the “punishment” should be that she should *gasp* be required to live at that shabby 740 sq ft apartment of which she is claiming to live.

  11. elaine says:

    Bring back Ellyn Bogdanoff
    Her ethics is superior and her work for Broward and Palm BEach all on record

  12. Jesse says:

    @Ellen Democrats outnumber Republicans in that district which is why Ellyn Bogdanoff lost. Democrats have shown they will elect a monkey if it is a “D” so I’m afraid all this scandal will amount to nothing. to beat Maria will take another Democrat or term limits.

  13. Reno says:

    Pretending to live in your district is nothing new. Lori Berman lives in a million dollar house in Boca but pretends to live in a small apartment. Jim Waldman only lives in his district since re districting. His heir Steve Perman lived in Coral Springs while representing Boca. Gibbons doesn’t even live in the same area code. Thurston lives with a criminal. See a pattern here?

  14. Harmony says:

    @while the sun sentinel slept and also @Frank, Elaine, and Jesse:

    Amen. This is yet ANOTHER example of the media bizarrely protecting Sachs.

    I thought it was absolutely crazy how, during the Bogdanoff Sachs campaign, the media not only allowed but encouraged the idea that the complaint against Sachs regarding the missing receipts was cheap, lacked-evidence and petty.

    The missing receipt statements were REAL and so was the House of Reps. investigation (*Actually* the investigation is more damning than the public ever knew!). And the issue of Sachs choosing an expensive form of travel over a less expensive form is real, too. I worked in state government, and there are public officials who never take advantage of tax payers and there are those that do it all the time. The public really should be educated on who that is and is not. And the lack of receipts… REALLY? How could she think that was ok? And yet the media never took her to task. Even though the media was provided with all the information. They completely made it seem like Bogdanoff was just being mean. It was so crazy. Now, here we are with this instance and it’s the same deal.

    Maybe she’s “within the law” and maybe not, it’s still wrong. It’s sad what partisanship gets you in this democratic system. Hopefully she will get a D challenger. When she does, I guarantee you the media will love reporting the scandals then. Although it will never change the fact that Bogdanoff was the right person from the beginning.

  15. Janet says:

    All this smoke yet Brittany Wallman of the Sun Sentinel continues to cover her girl friend Judy’s rear end by looking the other way.

  16. Thanks Feibush says:

    You know what they say Feibush…

    “if the bitch is bad, the pups will be bad too”

  17. voter says:

    all the electeds have questionable stuff
    Barrington a. russell pa filed chapter 11 last week
    isn’t he the mayor of lauderdale lakes?

  18. City Activist Robert Walsh says:

    Listen to Sen. Latvala. Easy boy I can see your hard on for the Sterns all the way down here in Ft.Lau. And to Bogdanoff-enough of your orchestrated attemps and Christy(George) Moratis as well. You lost thanks to Judy here. Well???

  19. laughable says:

    The Sterns had nothing to do with Maria Sachs recent victory until after election day when she was there all along for her… by staying out of the race. Its classic Judy Stern.

  20. Dear Future Candidates says:

    Did you see that Perry Thurston had his homestead exemption taken away this week? Poor Perry if not for your association with Judy Stern you probably could have slid under the radar.

    Future candidates beware, there are no grey areas so you better have all your t’s crossed and i’s dotted working with Stern. Of course even if you are honest and wish to play it straight, you will always be judged by Stern’s reputation. Use her at your own peril.

  21. oh really says:

    looks like thurston sold one of his places so maybe unrelated to stern
    foreclosures on electeds continue
    a fort ldle commissioner just had his third foreclosure in 3 years

  22. Lisa Duke says:

    http://www.local10.com/news/blogs/bobnorman/Mayor-caught-living-in-another-city/-/3223354/15968754/-/format/rss_2.0/-/1q0oik/-/index.html

    Bob Norman broke this story last year and the city attorney has done nothing about former Mayor and now Commissioner Flury living in Fort Lauderdale. Shameful. This woman clearly does not live in Dania Beach.

  23. Lisa Duke says:

    http://www.local10.com/news/blogs/bobnorman/Dania-commissioner-The-weekends-are-all-mine/-/3223354/17499220/-/f6dy4r/-/index.html

    … and she continues to violate the city charter to this day. Shameful.

  24. You Make The Call... says:

    A work of fiction…

    Players

    Judy Stern, lightning rod for bad press
    Barbra Stern, Member of the Florida ELections Commission and daughter of Judy Stern
    Sen Maria Sachs, potential dupe

    Patriot games out of WPB is paid for and runs the Maria Sachs winning campaign in 2012.

    Somehow Judy Stern is considered around town as have running the winning race at least in Broward.

    Giving Judy Stern her due, to a limited extent, she is been known to be quite proficient in knowing the good and bad about everyone she works with.

    It would take little work for Judy Stern to discover that Sachs may have lived outside of her previous Senate District for a year or more prior to the recent election as Media Trackers reported this this week.

    http://florida.mediatrackers.org/2013/04/17/florida-state-sen-maria-sachs-left-district-30-residents-without-representation/

    Move into 2013….

    Why would Stern aware that the media in Broward watches her every move, use her own letterhead to be a part of the documents filed by Maria Sachs for her reelection?

    Stern had to know this would bring media attention to Sachs that would not have occurred had Sen. Sachs filed her reelection papers without doucments tied to Stern.

    Why of all the places Sachs could have rented in the Senate District would Judy Stern, again knowning the media attention it would bring, allow Maria into rent her condo?

    Why would Judy Stern rent the condo to Sachs with her daughter Barbra Stern on the Elections Commission, but not confirmed,which could only bring negative press to her own daughter?

    Why would Barbra Stern testify she willingly refused to look into the circumstances surrounding the condo rental to Sachs?

    Why would Barbra Stern testify she chooses not to know about her mother’s business dealings?

    One opinion is this…

    Barbra Stern does not get confirmed by the full Senate, has to leave the Elections Commission, she immediately can portray herself as victim of the bad Republicans.

    If Sachs by her own choice or otherwise can’t run for reelection for whatever reason becomes another victim of the bad Republicans.

    So Barbra Stern who has no knowledge of Sachs residency issues, could run for Sachs seat as the progessive champion and felllow victim of bad Republicans, carrying the torch for the fallen Maria. For irony, Barbra Stern can use her condo Maria is in to establish residency.

    As for Judy, her dream to have her daughter elected to high office is the crowning moment of her career and a final FU to her enemies in Broward.

    Maria can go back to the horse farm and finally live in her own home.

    Fiction or not…

    You make the call…

  25. They Eat Their Own says:

    so for all politicos who do this – We have to adhere to the law and for them with no real consequences applied once caught, they continue to be allowed to follow that money stream! Welcome to South Florida! And folks talk about NY & Chicago!!

  26. History lesson says:

    Isnt that the same Barbra Stern who managed the Butterworth Senate campaign into the ground and then became a Republican?

  27. City Activist Robert Walsh says:

    Bad Republicans . Barbie running for Sen.Sachs is seat. Basiccly Judy Stern ends up alone(I’ll save you Judy-join me w/ these pill-poppin addicts here @ the ranch). I mean do you stay up(you make the call) @ night to come up w/ this stuff. Too funny.(I love it, just the same)…..

  28. City iLLiTeRaTe BoB WaLsH says:

    Get this guy an English 101 class stat.

  29. Walsh is right says:

    You are right Robert, Judy will end up alone. On the path she is going she will end up burning everyone in her life. Hopefully her kids and yourself will be there at the end as it is doubtful anyone else will be there. The only people who will show up at her funeral at those there to double check if she is really dead.

    Luckily they have that service now where you can buy mourners. That would be fitting as the majority of those who act like they like her today only do so for the campaign contributions of her clients.

    Look at the blog posts, none of the recent posts have comments by anyone besides you to say a good word about Judy and Barbra. No mother should set their daughter up to get ridiculed like Barbra has been. Sad.

    FROM BUDDY:

    Let’s not get a one-dimensional picture of Judy Stern.

    Always remember that Judy Stern wins plenty of campaigns. She does a good job for many of her lobbying clients.

  30. name em says:

    Name 7 contested races (excluding incumbent judges, those are a layup) in the last two cycles she has won. Not the races where she is rumored to be involved but the candidate does not acknowledge her involvement.

    I will spot you 2 Judge Rodriguez and Gibbons.

    FROM BUDDY:

    You named two.

    Scott Israel’s Democratic primary in 2008 is another, although the general was lost (She would argue that control of the general election campaign was taken away from her.).

    Charlotte Rodstrom’s races for the Fort Lauderdale Commission in 2012. When Stern left Rodstrom’s side in the county commission race, the candidate lost.

    She had a role in Tim Ryan’s county commission win.

    I could go on. I have always said that every campaign consultants win and lose regularly. Just like even the best pitcher in baseball.

  31. City Activist Robert walsh says:

    I really don’t know where you can sustain that Judy Stern is a bad mother. I mean I don’t see Judy having Barbra sell fake Gucci hand bags etc. Anyways time will tell. You also forget that she has Comm.Wexler as a friend-need I say more..