Patricia Sigman, a long-time, Orlando-based labor and employment attorney, ended Flagler Beach Fire Chief Martin Roberts’s three-hour disciplinary hearing with a searing indictment of the the city administration and an earnest defense of Martin, who nhad kept silent throughout the month-long controversy. Here’s Sigman’s complete closing.
Cops/Courts
Countering 2 Precedents, Florida Court Rules Pregnancy Discrimination Is Not Illegal
Appeals courts in 1991 and 2008 had clearly stated that either the state law’s intent forbids discrimination or federal law, which explicitly forbids it, preempts state law. Yet the appeals court in Miami ruled against a woman fired from her real estate job after she got pregnant.
Elian Gonzalez Affair Returns to Haunt Don Appignani, Flagler County Judge Candidate
The Florida Bar publicly reprimanded Don Appignani in 2002 over a conflict of interest charge when he was a labor attorney for INS employees, following his role representing INS employees involved in the Elian Gonzalez affair. Appignani disputes most of the findings to this day.
A Stabbing at European Village, a Spate of Domestic Violence and Arrests in Palm Coast
An unusually pronounced series of unrelated domestic and neighborhood issues, including a drug-related stabbing at European Village, resulted in the arrest of 5 people in Palm Coast between Friday and Tuesday.
Freddie Giddens, Ormond Beach Pharmacy Robber, Sentenced to a Minimum of 25 Years
Freddie Giddens, Kenneth Jenkins, and Thavelin Watson took part in a Sept. 6 armed robbery in Ormond Beach, and were caught after a police chase through Palm Coast that ended in the Z Section.
Prison Privatization Still Unconstitutional As Court Rejects Attorney General’s Appeal
In a victory for police unions, an appeals court ruled against Attorney General Pam Bondi in a long-running battle about the Legislature’s attempt last year to privatize prisons across southern Florida.
Palm Coast Takes a Deeper Drag
At Synthetic Marijuana Regulation
Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts and council member Frank Meeker want Palm Coast and other local governments to jointly tackle the legality of synthetic marijuana even as states are gradually adopting bans on fake-pot sales across the country.
Synthetic Marijuana, or Fake Pot: What Is It, How Dangerous and Prevalent Is It?
Synthetic marijuana, or fake pot, is sold as a legal spice or incense herb such as K2, but is a little-understood chemical compound with potentially more severe side-effects. A briefing on the origin and meaning of synthetic marijuana.
When Even Sheriff Fleming Is a Bystander to Rumors’ Wreckage
A verbal altercation involving Sheriff Don Fleming’s step-daughter and another woman at European Village began a series of events that caused the firing of the woman and her boyfriend, both waiters at Mazzaluna. Charges that Fleming had retaliated are unsubstantiated.
Aaron Kinney, Accused as Gas Station Robber, Had Reported Woodlands Attack in October
Aaron Kinney, 33, is considered a person of interest in the two other gas station robberies in the county. Sheriff Don Fleming had confirmed his arrest Sunday evening. He’d struck the BP station on Old Dixie Highway and at a Mobile station on State Road 100.