NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – City business in North Miami Beach has been at a standstill for month as several commissioners boycotted the meetings.
In court on Wednesday a judge was asked to remove one of those no-show commissioner from office.
It was the latest act in the drama of getting the city back to business for its residents, which has been stymied since October by the intentional absences of three of seven commissioners.
“Have they shown up at a commission meeting in 120 days? If they have not, they are off the commission,” said attorney Michael Pizzi.
The question is whether Commissioner Michael Joseph reached the 120 days of absence, where his seat would be automatically vacated, according to the city’s charter.
“Today is not the day,” said Pizzi.
The judge agreed. There was no decision made Wednesday because all three commissioners are now under court order to be at the next meeting.
The four commissioners who have been attending meetings were at the court hearing, as were two of the no-show commissioners.
That includes Commissioner McKenzie Fleurimond, who, last December, walked out of a meeting and broke quorum in order to prevent a vote to terminate the city attorney, who supports him and the other two absent commissioners.
“As a result of the judge’s order, I am attending the next meeting,” Fleurimond said. “City business will continue.”
The three commissioners said City Attorney Hans Ottinot advised just them not to show up to meetings while his questions about the residency of the city’s mayor go through the courts.
Asked whether that should have any bearing on who shows up for meetings, Commissioner Jay Chernoff said: “It should not. It should absolutely not.”
Ottinot didn’t speak Wednesday, and, at a meeting last month, literally ran away from a news crew, bolting out of the building and across the street.
His termination is all but certain as soon as the city commission has a quorum.