Palm Bay City Council to discuss resolution to audit Clerk’s Office at April 2nd meeting

City officials rip a page from Obama’s playbook

Evidently on cue from the Chief Judge, the City of Palm Bay has prepared a bizarrely worded resolution on the Brevard County Clerk’s Office. While the Clerk’s Office is currently down 50 full time equivalent employees we are working to maintain the branch service offices in Palm Bay and Merritt Island. It is quite true, and should be apparent to anyone, that if we lose another 20 to 30 employees to layoff and another 50 to 60 employees to furlough (out of an original 350) we will be unable to continue operating the branch service offices.
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Judge orders Clerk to spend non-existent funds

The Chief Judge of the 18th Circuit Court, after accusing me of failing to provide requested financial information and failing to discuss staff and operational changes with the Judges, is issuing an order forbidding the Brevard County Clerk of Courts from implementing cost saving changes in light of a $1.5 million shortfall, 20 layoffs, and the loss of 25 more full-time equivalent employees (out of 330) while we work on reduced work schedules of 36 hour weeks.
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Brevard Clerk questions Tallahassee math on new bill

This article from the Hearald Tribune shows the outright lies being fought out in Tallahassee over the Judicial Pearl Harboring of the Clerks. The 33% increase in budgets is a joke. Our revenue this year is LESS than it was five years ago. Before we would use Recording Fees to help cover the courts, now those are greatly decreased.

Total Clerk Revenue (all functions) 2003/04: $22,214,701
Total Clerk Revenue (projected) 2008/09: $21,136,587
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Court of Law Gone Awry as Court of Feeling

Brevard County is following the lead of certain other Counties in the State of Florida in ordering mediation between the parties in a foreclosure. Normally mediation is ordered when one has parties in a DISPUTE. In the foreclosure, there is no dispute, it is a fact the house payments have not been made. Since there is no dispute of fact, we can only have a court ordered mediation out of a FEELING it is a ‘good thing’ to allow those who owe to stay in their house even if they are not paying.
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Judiciary in Full Court Press to Obliterate Clerk’s Offices

The Florida Association of Court Clerks held a meeting Wednesday in Tallahassee to discuss the current movement by the Judiciary through the Legislature to take over the Clerk’s Courts employees. Although I rarely go to Tallahassee I drove up very early Wednesday morning, got the scoop, and got back to the Viera Courthouse Wednesday evening.

There is no rumor, there is fact, and the fact is the Office of the State Court Administrator (OSCA), Judge Quince of the Supreme Court, and the current Chief Judges of all Florida Circuits are working overtime on the Legislators to strip the employees and their funding from the Clerk’s Office.
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Florida Today Editorial makes my point brilliantly

Failure to distinguish between the essential and non-essential reduces heroes to status of scoundrels.

If you want proof of the decline of journalistic ethics, look no further than the Florida Today.

I had just posted my column about negative campaigns when I stumbled across this beauty on the Florida Today opinion page. Note their concern isn’t with finding the truth and halting the flow of misinformation – they want everyone to be able to spread lies freely, without having to worry about being ‘negatively’ attacked for not telling the truth.
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Concession Letter from Needelman Campaign

Truth continues to escape Needelman, even in gracious concession letter. His mind must be a very strange place indeed…

“To my friends, neighbors, and supporters,

I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to run for Brevard County Clerk of Courts. We all knew we faced a challenge in going against an incumbent for this position. My feelings were strong, and they still are, that we needed a change in this office. Therefore I decided to make the run.
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Needelman supporter accuses me of libel (again)… says lawsuit is on the way

‘Badge451′ says I didn’t contact Needelman before running my story
Asking Needelman live on the air on Bill Mick’s show in front of thousands of listeners didn’t count

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Click here for pdf snapshot of Needelman campaign web site as it appeared August 7, 2008

Apparently my coverage of Needelman’s Campaign Web Site HomeTown News Interview “modification” has earned me a spot in the State Rep’s legal counsel’s crosshairs. Here is a post from earlier today from someone called ‘Badge451′ from the Florida Today Clerk of Courts forums who claims to be some type of law enforcement. 
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‘Third Audit Protocol’ derails as election nears

Needelman campaign throws caution to the wind

I can tell the disgraced and disenfrocked former Palm Bay lobbyist is back in town as the negative attacks have moved from the (Florida Today) BLOG to the radio, TV, and the nebulous website, mitchforclerk.com.
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Hometown News confirms Needelman ‘interview’ on campaign web site has been modified

After Mr. Needelman lied to the Bill Mick Live audience on Friday morning, I was so outraged I contacted the Hometown News to inform them of what was done and said, and to see if I could get a copy of the original e-mail to refute new allegations I had somehow fabricated the screenshot I have of the Needelman campaign web site from August 7.

They did me one better, and at approximately 8pm Saturday night posted the following on their home page:
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