On Wednesday Sun-Sentinel weather writer Ken Kaye did a little blog post about Broward County Mayor Stacy Ritter's complaint-fest at some event called the Florida Governor's Hurricane Conference. Apparently former hurricane center director Bill Proenza introduced her as the mayor of Fort Lauderdale. Kaye writes:
Ritter, the first speaker during the conference's main session, immediately addressed that error.
"If I may correct you," she said politely, "I'm not the mayor of Fort Lauderdale, a small little city of 400,000. I'm the mayor of Broward County, which has 1.8 million people."
Ritter said she also didn't appreciate the fact that Proenza revealed her age: 48.
She further wasn't happy that as she spoke, she was displayed on large video screens, which she said "sucks" because they made her look "larger than life."
Having a happy hurricane conference, mayor?
Understand, this is classic Ritter, the sour little princess of Florida politics. She has a huge sense of entitlement (apparently because her dad was a big-shot Tamarac commissioner) and I've seen her act like a snotty child in Tallahassee. You can see that attitude in the arrogant and corrupt way she governs, too. So it doesn't surprise me that she got up there and started complaining like a spoiled brat.
Well, not surprisingly, she bellyached about Kaye's post, too. So what does Kaye do? The milquetoast apologizes! (Don't get me wrong, I like Kaye as reporter, and the man knows weather, but he needs to take a knock here). Here's his post:
Broward County Mayor Stacy Ritter wasn't very happy about a blog that I wrote on Wednesday, where former hurricane center director Bill Proenza mistakenly called her the mayor of Fort Lauderdale.
I don't blame her.
The blog made it look as though she was actually angered with Proenza's gaff, and in reality she was just having some fun and trying to open with some light remarks.
I should have made that clear in the blog.
Apologies, mayor.
This is astonishingly lame. I'm sure Ritter wasn't cursing and stamping around on the stage, and she probably did think it was funny, but her little trifles reveal her character. The original post was fine and dandy. But then Ritter, who deserves no apology from anyone the way she has conducted herself in office, applies a little pressure and Kaye gets all weak in the knees.
No this isn't a big deal, but this sort of contrite jellyfish actions is indicative of the self-neutering that goes on over at the Sentinel and a reason why their local government coverage is so weak.
