Politics & Government

City Employees Ask to Be Removed From Pier Lawsuit

Two city of St. Petersburg employees who signed the pier petition have asked to be removed as plaintiffs from the VoteOnThePier.com lawsuit.

Two city employees signed affidavits asking for their names to be removed as plaintiffs from a lawsuit seeking to force a vote on the future of the St. Petersburg Pier. 

Polly Brannon, with St. Pete Parks and Recreation, and Stephanie Osterland, with Special Events, both signed the affidavits on Dec. 19, 2012. 

Patch was unable to reach Brannon or Osterland for comment. Meanwhile, Councilor Wengay Newton is accusing city leaders of pressuring workers who signed the pier petition to sign the affidavits, a charge that was denied by Mayor Bill Foster.

Find out what's happening in St. Petewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The signed affidavits, which are identical in language, state:

"I have been informed that I have been listed as a plaintiff in the lawsuit of (Kathleen) Ford, et al., v. City of St. Petersburg. While I did in fact sign a petition regarding the pier, I never agreed to sue the City of St. Petersburg. I have never met or spoken with the Plaintiff's counsel regarding the (lawsuit). I am not and have never been represented by Plaintiffs' counsel."

Find out what's happening in St. Petewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The city's Human Resources department verified the signed affidavits were in fact from employees Brannon and Osterland. 

At a press conference on Monday, council member Newton alleged he was illegally thrown out of a closed attorney-client session regarding the pier lawsuit. He also alleged that at least two city employees that signed the VoteOnThePier petition, and were listed as plaintiffs in Ford's lawsuit, were pressured to sign affidavits that they did not want to sue the city. 

Foster called the allegations a lie an interview with the Tampa Bay Times. Messages from Patch to the city's legal department were not returned. 

In August Ford filed suit against the city on behalf of the VoteOnThePier.com petition, which was denied a public vote on the pier by city council after successfully reaching its petition goal.

The first Ford vs. St. Pete hearing was held Dec. 5 and circuit judge Amy Williams ordered the two parties into mediation. She also ordered Ford to list the 15,652 individually instead of just "petitioners" as listed in the original suit. 

Ford then mailed postcards to those who signed petitions notifying them they would be listed as plaintiffs unless they let Ford know otherwise. 

The postcard sent to petitioners read:

" ... The court now requires each of the 15,652 signers of the petition to be named individually as part of the lawsuit. As a petition signer, you are a necessary party in this lawsuit (either as a plaintiff or as a defendant). I have named you as a plaintiff seeking the right to vote on the pier. If you have changed your mind since you signed the petition, and no longer wish to vote on the pier, please let me know by January 17, 2013, and I will then change you from being named as a plaintiff, to being named as a defendant."

On Monday, Jan. 14, a last-minute hearing is scheduled for the pier lawsuit after the city asked to have the meeting. According to the notice of hearing, Assistant City Attorney Joe Patner and the city are requesting a delay of the scheduled Jan. 18 mediation. 

Tom Lambdon, chairman of VoteOnthePier, called this move by the city nothing more than a delay tactic. 

"It’s clear that the city is trying to delay it and burn the clock so they can tear the building down," Lambdon told Patch Wednesday. "Our petition is the only one that can stop the demolition of the building. That’s why the city is trying to delay it. They just want to burn the clock between now and Memorial Day."

The pier is scheduled to close to the public on May 31 with demolition slated for August. Construction on the "Lens", the pier design slated to replace the inverted pyramid, is scheduled to begin early 2014. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here