Acquitted commissioner no longer suspended

Florida Governor Rick Scott restores Tamarac commissioner Patricia Atkins-Grad

TAMARAC, Fla. ā€“ Florida. Gov. Rick Scott issued an executive order revoking the suspension of Tamarac commissioner Patricia Atkins-Grad, who was acquitted of bribery charges earlier this month.

Atkins-Grad was suspended in June 2010 when she was charged with six felony counts, including two counts of bribery. She was acquitted of all charges on Dec. 11th.

Scott issued an executive order reinstating Atkins-Grad on Wednesday. Local 10's Bob Norman tried speaking with her at her home.

"Go away!" said Atkins-Grad.

"It's Bob Norman," he replied.

"I don't want to speak with you," she answered.

"You don't want to speak with me?" asked Norman.

"No thank you. Thank you anyway," said Atkins-Grad.

"Well, you got reinstated," said Norman.

"I know what I got but I don't think you and your best friend (inaudible) wasn't polite to me," replied Atkins-Grad.

Atkins-Grad plans on taking her seat back, retaking it from Michelle Gomez.

"The thought that she would even ask to be reinstated when her defense to taking a bribe was that she was too stupid to understand what she was getting makes it an absolute joke," said Alvin Entin, an attorney who lives in Tamarac. "Let the voters decide whether or not they think she was too stupid to take a bribe."

"It's not good news for the people of Tamarac," said Tamarac resident Patti Lynn. "We've had an excellent representative for the last two year in Michelle Gomez. Intelligent, informed, articulate and that's what we need."

Atkins-Grad can ask for back pay and attorney's fees, which could reach into hundreds of thousands of dollars.