Tuesday, April 30, 2013
On April 5, Jude Jack Day sided with St. Petersburg in Ford's lawsuit. The city is now trying to recover costs from the lawsuit.
The city of St. Petersburg is seeking $16,152 from local attorney and mayoral candidate Kathleen Ford for court costs relating to the VoteOnThePier lawsuit. The motion, filed by assistant city attorney Joseph Patner, said because Ford brought the suit against the city and lost, "the defendant is entitled to the recovery costs as the prevailing party. Wherefore, the defendant city of St. Petersburg moves for costs against the plaintiff." Ford filed suit in August 2012 on behalf of VoteOnThePier petition signees after city council voted not to go forward with a public referendum regarding the future of the St. Petersburg Pier. After a failed mediation process, Judge Jack Day sided with the city in the lawsuit in April. "This lack of …
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
The survey of registered voters in the city conducted by St. Pete Polls, taken yesterday after Ford officially entered the race, pegs Foster with 28 percent support, Ford at 27 percent and Kriseman at 23 percent.
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Wednesday, April 17
Monday, April 15, 2013
This will be Kathleen Ford's third attempt to become St. Petersburg's mayor.
Former city council member and local attorney Kathleen Ford announced Monday that she will run to be St. Petersburg's next mayor. A campaign website, kathleenford.com, has launched. "My campaign to be elected the next mayor of St. Petersburg begins today," Ford wrote on the website. Ford made a formal announcement at noon Monday at Demens Landing. In recent months Ford has gained a following by taking on the city while representing VoteOneThePier in court. Ford, on behalf of citizens who signed a petition to save the St. Petersburg Pier, filed suit against the city in August 2012. After a lengthy process of mediations, extensions and court hearings, Circuit Judge Jack Day sided with the city and against Ford two weeks ago. This …
Thursday, March 28, 2013
The fate of the pier lawsuit is in the hands of Circuit Judge Jack Day.
After listening to three hours of arguments from attorneys, Judge Jack Day adjourned Wednesday's hearing on the future of the St. Petersburg Pier without a decision. Judge Day didn't give attorneys a timeline for his ruling but did thank both sides for "illuminating your respective points." Attorney and former city coucilor Kathleen Ford filed the lawsuit, with five other residents, in August 2012 on behalf of the 15,652 people who signed VoteOnThePier's petition to hold a citywide vote on the future of the Pier after a vote was denied by city council. Wednesday, assistant city attorney Joe Patner argued that the content of the petition needed to be clear, non-political rhetoric and include some disclosure of financial impact. Ford, …
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
No agreement on ballot language was reached. It will now be up to the judge to decide if a vote on the future of the St. Petersburg Pier happens.
Monday's pier lawsuit mediation between the City of St. Petersburg and attorney Kathleen Ford ended with an impasse, according to VoteOnThePier.com chairman Tom Lambdon. Any possible citizens' vote on the future of the St. Petersburg Pier will now be in the hands of Circuit Judge Jack Day. "As the leader of this two and a half year long fight with city leaders to afford city voters the opportunity to have the final say regarding the fate of the iconic centerpiece structure of the downtown waterfront park system, I believe it is most important at this juncture that we maintain our faith and trust in the judicial system to appropriately decide the merits of the case," Lambdon told Patch. "And additionally hopeful (the court) considers that…
Monday, January 14, 2013
The court-ordered mediation will go on as planned this Friday between the City and attorney Kathleen Ford.
The City of St. Petersburg and attorney Kathleen Ford, representing VoteOnThePier.com, have reached an agreement to move forward with Friday's court-ordered mediation. More than 15,000 petitioners will be removed from a lawsuit seeking to force a citywide vote on the future of the St. Petersburg Pier. Monday's hearing in St. Pete was requested by the city, in order to delay the Jan. 18 mediation. That mediation will not be delayed. The hearing took less than five minutes, as Circuit Court Judge Jack Day announced that the parties had reached an agreement, or agreed to a "stipulation." Joseph Patner, representing the city, said today's "stipulation" is a step in the right direction to make sure no unwilling citizens are a part of the …
Thursday, January 10, 2013
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. 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. …
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
The hearing regarding the VoteOnthePier.com lawsuit against the city is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 14.
The city will get a chance to present its argument for delaying a court-ordered mediation over the future of the St. Petersburg Pier. The city requested and was granted the last-minute hearing over attorney Kathleen Ford's VoteOnThePier.com lawsuit to force a citywide vote on the future of the St. Petersburg Pier. According to the hearing notice, Assistant City Attorney Joe Patner and the city are requesting a delay of the scheduled Jan. 18 mediation. The hearing will take place at 9:30 a.m., Monday, Jan. 14, at the county courthouse in downtown St. Petersburg. Circuit Court Judge Amy Williams, who ordered the city and Ford on Dec. 5 to go into mediation, is no longer the judge in this case. The new judge is Circuit Court Judge Jack Day…
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Attorney Kathleen Ford, representing 15,000 petitioners, and the city of St. Petersburg are ordered to sit down with a mediator and work toward drafting a referendum.
The St. Petersburg Pier's future may be decided by voters. Circuit Court Judge Amy Williams ruled Thursday that the city of St. Petersburg and attorney Kathleen Ford, representing the VoteOnThePier petitioners, have to meet with a mediator within 60 days to come up with ballot language for a vote on the future of the St. Petersburg Pier. "Why don’t we just do it? Let’s get together and let's do it," Williams said. "It just seems like we can all agree here." She ordered the two sides to meet soon, so that a citywide vote may happen as early as the March election. Williams also ruled that Ford had to re-file the suit by Dec. 12, naming all the people who signed the petition. She said she could not dismiss the case on the grounds that the …
Wendy T Christy
10:05 pm on Friday, May 3, 2013
There are very few things that are true here, all your name calling and crude insinuations are a few, the main issue is the vote that is needed by the citizens who pay taxes for the land which belongs to the city. The preservation of the wildlife which lives here, which will be destroyed by money hungery developers, and those who are in their pockets. This city wide cancer of deceit and lies will… more ›