The Lobbyist

"I said to him, 'What is this meeting about? Obviously you guys had this planned, and the only person who didn't know about it was me. As far as I'm concerned, this is an ambush, and you are very rude and disrespectful to me. '"

An offended Eggelletion rose from the table and walked off, Russell recalls. Rogers, meanwhile, tried to explain the county commissioner's stance on annexation. Russell says he excused himself from the table and left.

Russell says he deplores secretive, backroom politics -- and has since concluded that the meeting was in violation of Florida's Sunshine Law, which forbids elected officials who sit on the same governmental body from discussing public business outside public view.

"They obviously did this to set me up," he asserts.

Of Russell's account, Eggelletion says, without elaboration, "Russell is a liar."

Yet the vice mayor isn't the only elected Lakes official who claims that Eggelletion tried to strong-arm him into opposing annexation. Commissioner Shomers recalls a chance encounter at the Office Depot store in Lauderdale Lakes several months ago.

"If any commissioner votes for annexation and raises my taxes, I will campaign against them," Shomers recalls Eggelletion telling him.

"Well, Joe, I have good news for you," Shomers replied. "I am in favor of annexation, but I will not vote in favor of raising taxes."

Shomers' sunny response belied what he felt was an unfair and inappropriate tactic. "I took that as a threat," the veteran commissioner says.

Pressuring city officials was just the beginning of Eggelletion's efforts to kill annexation. He also joined Swap Shop owner Preston Henn in painting Lauderdale Lakes as a city in financial crisis. The Swap Shop owner and the commissioner were bound not only by an issue but also by the dollar: Henn, his wife, and his Tallahassee lobbyist, Dave Ericks, each contributed the maximum $500 to Eggelletion's reelection campaign on August 11, 2004.

Henn's 78-acre flea market, circus, and movie drive-in was the linchpin of the annexation effort. It was needed to physically link several of the neighborhoods and add crucial tax revenue to city coffers. But Henn, a prolific campaign contributor who has forged close relationships with county commissioners, wanted to join Lauderhill, which is also near his property.

Russell and other officials countered that the two cities' tax rates are almost identical and pointed to auditors' reports that show Lauderdale Lakes to be in solid financial condition. Joe Major, a vociferous community activist and president of the Broward County Civic Association, says that his neighborhood, Broward Estates, has long awaited annexation and that the opposition was a "menace to the grassroots community."

"He doesn't care about anybody but himself," Major says of Eggelletion. "He didn't come to any of the neighborhood meetings on annexation that I know of. We can't find him. There is no responsiveness from his office when we try to contact him."

Major, who works closely with several neighborhood leaders, contends that Eggelletion wants the area to remain under county control so he will retain power over them as a commissioner and be able to leverage that power for more jobs with developers. "It's the start of the disruption and corruption and taking advantage of the black community," the activist claims.

Eggelletion counters that even if the area were ceded to Lauderdale Lakes, the county would still have power over future developments. "It just shows that he doesn't understand politics," Eggelletion says of Major.

The activist, however, points at Eggelletion's cozy relationship with developers as proof that he doesn't have the people's best interest at heart.

"We are not getting help, and we believe it is because all Eggelletion cares about is the developers and the good old boys," Major says. "He's lobbying for developers. No elected official should be allowed to do that, but we know others do it, like Lieberman."

Major would like to see a criminal investigation. "[Broward State Attorney] Michael Satz needs to get on that, but he's a public official himself and doesn't want to make waves," Major says. "If Satz did, he wouldn't be in office as long as he has been."

Satz's office wouldn't comment on whether it intended to investigate the lobbying activities of Eggelletion and Lieberman. When Satz spokesman Ron Ishoy was asked about it, he replied that the office wasn't "in a position to discuss what's going on."

While Eggelletion has recused himself from voting on Cornerstone matters, he has used his office to push for that company and other developers to be given more tax money. During the May 25 County Commission meeting this year, after the United Homes bid for the Lauderdale Lakes town center project was under way, he made a passionate plea for his benefactors.

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United Homes' Chairman Tony Mijares traveled to the Broward government building in downtown Fort Lauderdale on May 25, where he planned to plead his case before Eggelletion and the rest of the commissioners.