A Beach Bum's View by Gary Becker Treasure Island Florida

Gulf Beach News

How We Got Here

While most of you were sleeping, Sunset Beach has successfully taken over Treasure Island. A well planned and well carried out overthrow of your City Government engineered by the so called Sunset Seven.

This overthrow started with the Land Development Regulation battle of two years ago. Scare tactics and misinformation had most city residents believing that Gulf Blvd. was going to be wall to wall, sky to sky condos and hotels. The truth of course was a maximum of 8 stories with the green space between buildings increasing with the height of the building. The result is still wall to wall buildings but they can only be 5 stories tall with little regard to green space.

Along with the LDR’s came Commissioners Kraus and Collins who were elected on the “No Tall Buildings" ticket. Fortunately they were harmless their first year with the sitting Commission of Maloof, Ellsworth and Blush being able to keep the two new Commissioners in check.

The past election was the master stroke. With the LDR issue put to rest, just before election, Kraus and Collins brought it back demanding that the citizens- passed ordinance be made part of the City Charter. Kraus also attacked Blush for backing a Florida State Senate Bill, a bill that Kraus claimed would lead to uncontrolled growth. The truth was just the opposite but the damage had been done. This move made the LDR’s once again a campaign issue. An issue that neither Ellsworth nor Blush could overcome.

With the election of Bildz, the Sunset Seven now had a majority on the Commission. Gayton also ran on the coat tails of the LDR issue but does not appear to be answering to the Sunset Seven. Maloof was powerless to stop whatever nonsense came out of Bildz’s and Collins’s mouths. Kraus now saw an opening to become the next Mayor if he kept himself in line with the now in control Sunset Seven.

The next move was to depose the sitting City Attorney. Long time City Attorney Denhardt had made several mistakes over the years and was easy pickings. The process of choosing a new City Attorney began prior to the last election and applications to be considered for the position were to be turned in by the end of February. After the election new Commissioner Bildz asked permission to allow a business client of his to be allowed to submit an application nearly a month after the closing date. With the exception of Maloof, the commission all in line together on this request was rubber stamped. The application was accepted, interviews completed and Bildz’s business client was now the new City Attorney. As an afterthought, Bildz admitted that the new City Attorney Kiefer had contributed money to Bildz’s campaign fund.

With the Commission and City Attorney now under the control of the Sunset Seven there was only one more move to make in order to complete the takeover of Treasure Island. Get rid of the City Manager who was under no one’s control.

This final battle began in public when the Commission began its yearly evaluation of the City Manager. The Mayor, now the outsider, supported a 5% pay raise for the City Manager, the same as the year before. Gayton, who ran on the platform that he would always vote on issues, said he hadn’t been in office long enough to evaluate the City Manager and didn’t want to vote on the size of the City Manager’s raise. Collin’s, who doesn’t pay property taxes, proposed the City Manager get no raise and in fact suggested the City Manager donate time to the City. Bildz suggested a 3% raise and asked if the City wasn’t paying too much for the City Manager and various Department Heads throughout the City. Kraus fell in line with Bildz’s 3% along with Gayton who realized he couldn’t abstain from a vote again without taking a lot of criticism.

The 3% raise was then offered to the City Manager who a week later told the Commission what they could do with the 3%. This then led to a near citizen uprising forcing Kraus, who was now seeing a chance to be Mayor going out with the tide, and Gayton, who now realized what was happening to the City, to ask the City Manager to reconsider.

The City Manager returned to the Commission with 3 requirements, better pay, better treatment of City Employees and better defined goals of the Commission. The Commission agreed to revisit the issues with each Commissioner meeting with the City Manager in private.

Victory for the Sunset Seven was secured at the next Commission Meeting. Just prior to the meeting, a large group of City Manager supporters were gathered at City Hall where Bildz was overheard saying, “No Chuck, Up Chuck.”

When the meeting started, Gayton proposed an $8,000.00 a year bonus to be paid to the City Manager at the end of the year. Kraus fell in line with Gayton as did Maloof. Collins questioned the bonus but then also fell in line with the other 3 Commission members. Bildz, holding to his “Up Chuck” remark voted against giving the City Manager the bonus.

The City Manager then turned down the Commission’s final offer citing differences with certain Commissioners that were too deep to overcome. Later it was learned that the final straw that broke the camel’s back was not Bildz’s determined stand to get rid of the City Manager but Gayton's flip-flop and the timing of the bonus pay out. Evidently there had been an agreement between certain Commissioners and the City Manager to pay the bonus by June 1 st. When Gayton proposed and got passed the end of the year payment of the bonus it was the end of the line for the City Manager.

With control of the Commission and City Attorney, the Sunset Seven are now is position to chose their own City Manager and have total control of City Hall.

There are those who are working hard to return control of the City to the people such as the group “Friends of Treasure Island.” But “Friends” and others must tread carefully and not sacrifice important City projects and programs just to make the current Commission look bad. We must chose our battles as carefully as chose our times of community.