Chaz Stevens

Deerfield Beach Pastor Anthony Davis Ordered to Pay $50,000 Fine for Overbilling Federal Government

There are plenty of passages in the Bible that tell us not to lie, but they don't say jack about fudging invoices or grant applications! On December 21, a Deerfield Beach pastor, Anthony Davis, was hit with $50,000 in civil fines for having overbilled the government. Davis' organization, Brotherly L ... More >>

Broward Inspector General Report Slams Lauderdale Lakes Administration

​Lauderdale Lakes is in some hot water, and not all of it is old news.A preliminary report dated yesterday outlines the findings of the Broward Office of the Inspector General regarding the "gross mismanagement of public funds" in Lauderdale Lakes. The OIG says preliminary reports aren't public re ... More >>

Sylvia Poitier's Secret "Defense Fund" Set Up by Judy Stern and Friends, According to Email

Broward Sheriff's OfficeSylvia Poitier​If you're wondering how suspended Deerfield Beach Commissioner Sylvia Poitier -- who was convicted yesterday on four counts of falsifying public documents -- managed to pony up the cash for defense lawyer Johnny McCray Jr., a months-old email acquired by the ... More >>

Sylvia Poitier Found Guilty on Four Counts of Falsifying Public Records

Broward Sheriff's OfficeSylvia Poitier​A jury convicted suspended Deerfield Beach Commissioner Sylvia Poitier today on four misdemeanor counts of falsifying public records.Poitier, 76, was arrested in April on five charges of falsifying documents -- which were related to a loan to her brother, who ... More >>

Deerfield Memos: Former Mayor Threw a Fit at Clerk's Office, Dropped a "You People" Line

​Memos from the city clerk's office in Deerfield Beach accuse former Mayor Jean Robb throwing a fit in their office last week, tossing some insults and expletives and even dropping a "you people" line on employees.The memos, obtained by city activist Chaz Stevens, describe Robb coming into the cle ... More >>

Allen West's Request Met: Investigation Into Deerfield Beach Housing Authority Pending

​Rep. Allen West's July request has been answered: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of the Inspector General is coming to town to look into the Deerfield Beach Housing Authority.A letter from Deputy Inspector General Michael P. Stephens to West dated August 3 confirm ... More >>

Steve Gonot Sentenced to One Year in Jail, Appeal Under Way

Steve Gonot​Steve Gonot, the former Deerfield Beach commissioner convicted in May of stealing campaign funds and of misconduct charges, was sentenced today to one year in jail.Gonot will be posting $20,000 bond to stay out of jail while the appeals process plays out. He was also sentenced to five ... More >>

Ben Preston Elected as New Deerfield Beach Commissioner

votebenpreston.comBen Preston​Ben Preston, the first African-American firefighter in Deerfield Beach's history, has been chosen by voters through a special election as the city's newest commissioner.According to unofficial results from the Broward County Supervisor of Elections, Preston has defeat ... More >>

Deerfield Beach Special Election Is Today. Try to Avoid Voting for an Alleged Criminal This Time

​If you live in District 2 of Deerfield Beach, today is Election Day.Thanks to the fact that the last commissioner, Sylvia Poitier, has been suspended for allegedly falsifying public records a few times, today's special election will find someone to replace her for the rest of her term -- which en ... More >>

Steve Gonot, Former Deerfield Beach Commissioner, Denied New Trial

Steve Gonot​Steve Gonot, the former Deerfield Beach Commissioner convicted in May of stealing campaign funds and misconduct charges, was denied a new trial this morning.Broward County Circuit Judge Barbara McCarthy denied Gonot's request, and maintained the scheduled sentencing for June 20.Gon ... More >>

Two Former Deerfield Beach Commissioners, Former Mayor Scheduled For Court This Month

cousinsusa.com​Three former Deerfield Beach politicians -- Commissioners Steve Gonot and Sylvia Poitier, as well as Mayor Al Capellini -- will all be spending time in Broward courthouses this month.Gonot was convicted last month of submitting a false campaign report, a felony that carries a penal ... More >>

The Wek Shall Inherit Fort Lauderdale Beach?

The Wek is buying up Fort Lauderdale Beach. Who is The Wek? Wekerle​It's Canadian trader Michael Wekerle, who owns a winter home in Fort Lauderdale. He's a veritable legend on Canadian trading floors, a true financial animal. You can read all about him here. Then you have Swedish he ... More >>

Deerfield Mayor's Husband Suspended for Day After Locker Dispute

FlickrNoland didn't trust the locks that his bosses were giving him.​Deerfield Beach Fire Rescue Lt. Howard Noland -- husband of Deerfield Beach Mayor Peggy Noland -- has been suspended for a day without pay following an investigation into allegations that he was insubordinate when he placed his o ... More >>

Deerfield Beach Investigator Taking a Close Look at Payments to Riviera Beach Promotions Company

Flickr: esaring​Jimmie Bo Horne, a promoter who booked acts for Deerfield Beach's city festivals over the past decade, has been contacted by a forensic auditor seeking records of how city money was handled for that event."Any information I provide to (the investigator, Michael Kessler) will be don ... More >>

[UPDATED WITH VIDEO] Deerfield Commissioner Bill Ganz Considering Censure of Sylvia Poiter

​Last night's meeting of the Deerfield Beach Commission was a mostly civil affair, at least until Commissioner Sylvia Poitier learned that her colleague, Bill Ganz, was considering a motion to have her censured if she erupts in the same way she did at the last special meeting, in late. June.Poitie ... More >>

Deerfield Beach Housing Chief Defends No-Bid Contract

Since February questions have been raised about construction projects awarded by the Deerfield Beach Housing Authority. In particular, the agency seems to have a checkered history of following guidelines for keeping its procurement process corruption-free. Earlier this month, executive director Pame ... More >>

Poitier Hurls Race Card at Mango Meeting

Photo fromMyActsofSedition.comPoitier giving Ganz the evil eye at last night's special meeting.​The special meeting to deal with Deerfield Beach's Mango mess got ugly, judging by the liveblog by Chaz Stevens and the pictures he posted later Monday night. Of course, this past weekend's Mango Festiv ... More >>

Sylvia Poitier, in Her Own Words (Subtitles Not Included)

That's video, courtesy Chaz Stevens, of the special meeting last night in Deerfield Beach where commissioners discussed the weekend's meltdown at the Mango Festival, which was canceled after promoters failed to pay for the sound crew.On the left is Commissioner Sylvia Poitier, ranting and raving in ... More >>

Deerfield Beach Mango Festival Claims Broward Sheriff Sponsorship; BSO Denies

Photo: Mango Festival​In what's becoming an annual tradition, the Deerfield Beach Mango Festival is exaggerating the role that the Broward Sheriff's Office has at the June event.Last year event organizers claimed that BSO deputies ensured that cash collected at the gates wasn't skimmed. BSO contra ... More >>

Suddenly, Sylvia Poitier Is Deerfield's Most Ethics-Conscious Commissioner

deerfield-beach.comSylvia Poitier​Deerfield Beach is in the midst of a forensic audit and the state prosecutor is reviewing a report that found suspicion of fraud in the way the city's Community Development Division doles out funds from state and federal housing programs. Could that be the reason ... More >>

Signs That Sylvia Poitier Is Turning District Residents Against Deerfield Commission

She's the single African American commissioner and she rules a district with a large African-American population, but Sylvia Poitier's recent ethical problems don't appear to have a racial component -- at least not until she announces that race is a factor.And there are subtle signs that Poitier may ... More >>

Deerfield Beach Commissioner Admits Taking Past Payments From Charity Being Investigated

Flickr: ANVRecifeWhere did Deerfield Beach's housing money go?​Deerfield Beach Commissioner Sylvia Poitier told Juice Thursday that she received stipend payments from a charity that later became a recipient of tax dollars for the improvement of the city's low-income housing. That same charity, the ... More >>

Deerfield Beach Wants More Records From Charity Linked to Vice Mayor

FlickrLet's hope the WDBA files don't look like this.​The firm conducting an audit of Deerfield Beach's dealings with nonprofit agencies has taken a keen interest in the Westside Deerfield Businessmen Association, a charity whose executive director chairs the city's planning and zoning board and w ... More >>

[UPDATED WITH VIDEO] Deerfield Beach Mayor Talks About Wild Commission Meeting, City's Future

Mayor Peggy Noland is walking around Deerfield Beach today, chances are she's got a big grin on her face. That's because she's close to finishing a task she's been working on for nearly a year: the termination of City Manager Mike Mahaney. (Video here, on Chaz Stevens' Acts of Sedition.]"In May, whe ... More >>

From Gold Toilets to Toilet Paper: Rothstein Victims Can Flush Away Grief

image courtesy Cramo Productions​If you're a victim of Fort Lauderdale's Ponzi king, Scott Rothstein, here's a grand way to spend your last $16. Granted, that's a bit more than you pay for Charmin; but this is a luxury product. There's simply no way to put a price tag on the satisfaction that come ... More >>

Censure for Sylvia Poitier?

deerfield-beach.comPoitier​Remember last week's ridiculous video of the Deerfield Beach Commission in action? It appears Vice Mayor Sylvia Poitier has exhausted the patience of a colleague or two, because we have confirmed that at least one commissioner is exploring the possibility of censuring Po ... More >>

Back From the Brink: How the Deerfield Beach Commission Pulled Out of an Ethical Tailspin

blogbybett.blogspot.comSome of the heroes from last night's Deerfield Beach Commission meeting.​It was supposed to be as easy as 1-2-3. At last Thursday evening's budget meeting, Deerfield Beach Mayor Peggy Noland made it known that she was sick of working within the confines of the city's ethics ... More >>

Deerfield Parks Director's Controversial Penalty Has Boomerang Effect

George Edmunds, the acting director of Deerfield Beach's Parks and Recreation Department, has been ordered to attend a meeting with the city's Human Resources Department to review the mistakes he made last week in disciplining a city worker for failing to greet Mayor Peggy Noland.That meeting comes ... More >>

Documents Show Deerfield Mayor Tried to Distance Self From Disciplinary Action

deerfield-beach.comPeggy Noland​A series of internal memos recently made public by the Deerfield Beach City Clerk's office show that Mayor Peggy Noland denied being offended by the lack of a greeting from a city parks worker last week. But those denials are at odds with the memo by Deerfield Beach ... More >>

Deerfield Beach Commission Will Not Be Tricked Into Broadcasting Hardcore Porn

Flickr User: carlosvianarenamon2014A source with knowledge of these things tells Juice that Deerfield Beach City Hall has decided on a new policy regarding video presentations at its commission meetings: Since pornography sometimes appears in video form, and since the city's government does not trus ... More >>

To the Spoiler Goes the Victory; Deerfield Mayor's Son Pays Fine for Campaign Sabotage

It was the kind of sloppy political sabotage you'd expect in a Banana Republic. But hey, we're talking about Deerfield Beach. So we shouldn't be surprised that the punishment for Thomas Noland is roughly equivalent to the kind you'd expect for a prince in a corrupt kingdom: A fine of $250 for the 20 ... More >>

Capellini "Not Guilty"? We'll Be The Judge Of That

Yesterday, the Juice blog published one of the deceptive headlines from one of ex-Deerfield Beach Mayor's Al Capellini's newest propaganda rag, the Deerfield Beach Dispatch. In huge letters, the headline says, "Capellini Cleared." In small letters, between those words are the crucial ... More >>

Who Is Al Cap's Mystery Bride?

Deerfield Beach's ex-mayor, aspiring future mayor, and apparent master of suspense, Al Capellini, says he is marrying some woman. Who? That's for him to know and us to find out. Let's cobble together the clues, shall we?For starters, we can rule out the swimming instructor that Capellini was courtin ... More >>

Commissioner Steve Gonot Booked; Is Capellini Next?

Well, my timing was exquisite but I focused on the wrong politician. Steve Gonot, according to the Deerfield Advocate blog, has resigned his office this morning, apparently as part of a plea deal with the State Attorney's Office. NEW: He has been booked into jail (mugshot at right).  ... More >>

The Mayor's Private Dick

Al Capellini takes the Nixon route against his rival on the commission

Rambo and the Phantom

Investigating a gun-slinging city commissioner and the mayor who hides in the bathroom

Letters for June 8–14, 2006