A defiant Mike Norris Tuesday evening said he didn’t care if he “cost the city a million dollars.” He was not repaying a dime of the $30,000 the lawsuit he just lost cost taxpayers. He gave no indication that he accepted the court’s ruling. He blamed his colleagues for not taking his advice in December to protect the city against the lawsuit he ended up filing. He warned his colleagues on the Palm Coast City Council that he would be seeking reimbursement of his legal fees over the pending ethics complaint they filed against him. And he renewed conspiratorial claims about city staff and “what’s going on in this city.”
The mayor threw the gauntlet at the end of a four-and-a-half-hour council meeting after colleagues, prompted by Council member Charles Gambaro, said only Norris could voluntarily pay back the fees he cost the city.
Norris in May filed suit against Gambaro and the city, charging that the council’s appointment of Gambaro past last Nov. 5’s election day was illegal. Gambaro called the suit “frivolous.” Circuit Judge Chris France last week ruled unambiguously that Norris had no standing to sue, and that even on the merits, the city acted within the charter.
Norris did not acknowledge losing the suit on Tuesday, instead hinting that the city was wrong, the judge was wrong, and he was right. “If I’m defending our residents’ right to pick their representative, and if I feel something’s wrong, I’m going to do it every time,” Norris said.
He gave no indication that his defiance–of investigative findings, of legal advice, and now of a court’s decision–would end. Nor would the costs. He did not say whether he would appeal. If the council was hoping that the ruling would put an end to the turmoil, Norris disabused it of that hope.
“Now twice we have heard–whether it’s true or not according to you–we have heard that legal advice has been given to you that you that you haven’t followed,” Council member Theresa Pontieri said, “and it’s ended up costing us money. So it’s frustrating. I want it to stop.”
Before the lawsuit, City Attorney Marcus Duffy had advised Norris that Norris’s attempt to fire Acting City Manager Laurent Johnston and Chief of Staff Jason DeLorenzo was a violation of the charter. Norris ignored the city attorney’s advice and asked the two top staffers to resign anyway, triggering an investigation by a Tallahassee attorney that found he had violated the charter. The investigation cost the city $15,000.
Duffy on Tuesday said the lawsuit, litigated by GrayRobinson for the city, would cost “around the $30,000 range.”
“We spent a lot of time talking about figures and dollars, and efficiency, saving taxpayer dollars,” Gambaro said. “What’s the council’s position on perhaps asking the mayor to reimburse taxpayers for the frivolous lawsuit?”
Norris laughed it off. “Take me to court,” he said.
Pontieri wanted to know whether Norris had received advice before filing the lawsuit–why the decisions regarding the appointment were made, and whether he had standing to sue. “Yes, both myself and Mr. Blocker advised the mayor on those issues,” Duffy said, referring to Jeremiah Blocker, one of the attorneys at the St. Augustine-based Douglas Law Firm who is also part of Palm Coast’s team of attorneys.
“Mayor Norris, were you advised of those issues?” Ponieri asked him.
“No, I was not,” Norris said.
“I’ll tell you flat out, I blame your attorney in part, because a basic tenet of your attorney’s job is to tell you you don’t have standing file a lawsuit,” Pontieri, herself an attorney, told the mayor. Norris was represented by Anthony Sabatini of St. Augustine, a former legislator who made his name embracing controversy masked as populism, a tactic Norris favors.
“These monies come out of the general fund. So they come out of the very fund that affect property taxes,” Pontieri said. “They come out of the very fund that we take for fire, police, parks and rec, streets, all the funds that we talked about tonight, that money comes from those same coffers. So, you know, I have an issue with it.”
The vice mayor–who, with Norris abandoning the majority of his mayoral responsibilities, has fulfilled the role of mayor at the expense of her own personal treasury of time, unaccounted expenses and less tangible sacrifices–looked into the legal grounds of pursuing attorneys’ fees but found none. Nor is there a mechanism the council could pursue to recover the fees, she said.
But it’s “frustrating for me,” Pontieri said, as it should be “for the whole council” and residents if Norris received advice that there was little to zero chance of success with his lawsuit, but he sued anyway.
“I’m not going to call Mayor Norris a liar. I’m not going to call Mr. Duffy a liar,” Pontieri said. Only Norris, Duffy and Blocker know what occurred in their conversations. “If, in fact, there was advice given that you have no standing and you really have no ability to recover damages in this lawsuit, I think if it were me, I would pay the legal fees. But I wasn’t privy to those conversations, so I can’t request something based on–we don’t know what happened.”
Council members Dave Sullivan and Ty Miller agreed: the most the council can do is request that Norris pay the legal fees. “That’s been asked and answered,” Miller said. “Doesn’t look like we’ll recoup any of those fees.”
Looking to end the meeting, Norris had several times impatiently asked council members if they had anything to add. He then took to his defense.
“We can close this out real quick, be done with this,” Norris told his colleagues, a statement that belied his seven-month war on the council, or its cost to taxpayers. In one of his most astonishing deflections, he then blamed the City Council for his own lawsuit. “I specifically asked for a legal opinion. Specifically. And every single one of you denied it,” he said.
Norris was referring to a Dec. 3 meeting when he first hinted at litigation, though no one at the time expected that he would be the one filing it. He brought up the legitimacy of the appointment toward the end of a long meeting that December day. (See the segment here.) He said he wanted a “formal opinion” on the Gambaro appointment from Duffy, with an interpretation of the charter.
All four other members of the council, who at the time included Ray Stevens (he has since been replaced by Dave Sullivan), were very hesitant, especially as Duffy said he had already provided that opinion in the form of emails. Stevens said “we might be expressing some sort of guilt” by asking for an opinion after the fact. Pontieri said it “opens us up to further vulnerability” when the council had already taken steps based on Duffy’s advice. (See: “In Puzzling Move, Palm Coast Mayor Norris Seeks ‘Legal Opinion’ On Gambaro Appointment, But Is Rebuffed.”
Curiously, Norris repeatedly justified a legal opinion as a means of protecting the city from a lawsuit. No one, including the nine other applicants to the seat to which Gambaro was appointed, said they’d sue. Members of the public had been critical of the process, but none had mentioned suing (and none would have had standing to sue.)
In retrospect, Norris’s “puzzling” Dec. 3 request–as it was characterized in a headline on this site– now looks like it may have been an intentional maneuver positioning him for the lawsuit he eventually filed in May. On Tuesday night, he was using those Dec. 3 statements again in his defense.
“If you want to try and take me to court, or try to take get back money for a law firm that Mr. Duffy should have been representing us in that case, not an outside firm that we contract, you go right ahead and try it,” Norris said Tuesday. None of the council members had suggested that Norris should be sued for the legal fees.
Norris continued: “All the money wasted, the Lawson report, all the other money that’s been wasted in the city, and you want to come after me, go right ahead and try it. But I’ll stand up. I don’t care if it cost the city a million dollars. If I’m defending our residents’ right to pick their representative, and if I feel something’s wrong, I’m going to do it every time.”
Seemingly more concerned with media reports than a judge’s ruling or the city’s $30,000 bill, Norris then falsely accused Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston of speaking with FlaglerLive of a meeting he’d had with Johnston and Mark Strobridge, the interim assistant city manager, and of giving “specifics of that conversation.” (Norris was inaccurate, relying on accusations and conspiracies rather than evidence. No one at City Hall had informed on the meeting, though the city manager’s meeting schedule, as the mayor’s ought to be, is a public record. A city spokesperson confirmed that the meeting took place, but did not speak to its substance. Strobridge in an attempted interview would not even confirm whether the meeting took place. Johnston was not contacted about the meeting, prior experience making any attempt to gain privileged information from her, on or off record, a hopeless exercise. Norris did not contact FlaglerLive before making his false claims, and does not respond to FlaglerLive’s requests for interviews.)
“What does that have to do with anything?” Pontieri asked Norris.
“I’m telling you, what’s going on in this city,” he said. But he was not. When Pontieri asked him to be more specific with his allegations, Norris wouldn’t explain. The meeting adjourned.
JC says
Mayor Norris is acting like a Democrat that he can’t stand.
Jim says
Well, I think enough is enough.
We have a “mayor” who is caught up in his own conspiracy theories and refuses to listen to anyone who tries to point out the situation and facts. He now says he doesn’t care what it costs the city. That from the mayor? I don’t care if you agree or disagree with him, as a citizen of this city, you should be concerned when an elected official says he doesn’t care about costs that HE is inflicting on his own city and constituents. You should be concerned with a mayor who says there are all kinds of “bad things” happening in this city but has yet to present a single fact or event to support his claims. You should be concerned with a mayor who is fine with taking his pay check but refuses to perform the vast majority of his responsibilities. You should be concerned with a mayor who is so far out of step with his fellow council members and the administration of this city that he effectively a non-factor except for inflicting more cost and friction.
We, the voters, made a major mistake when we voted this guy in. Clearly he is not what most of us thought we were getting. I’m not interested in continuing this disaster for another 3-1/2 years. I’m asking Flagler Live to let the citizens of this city know if there is any recourse such as recall or other avenue we can pursue. Norris needs to go. He won’t resign. People like him are so righteous that they can never see how destructive and inept they really are. We need to find a path to removing him – and soon.
And, by the way, once he’s gone, my vote is for Pontieri to replace him. She’s shown more professionalism and desire to do what’s right for the city than anyone I’ve seen on council since I’ve lived here.
Bill Lyon says
From the time Norris claimed, “We do not live in an HOA,” as justification for not enforcing existing ordinances involving trucks and boats in people’s driveways, I’ve felt betrayed by the Mayor. He was elected to serve ALL of Palm Coast’s residents, not just a few outliers. If I had wanted to buy in a sloppy town, I’d have moved to a city that does not have great ordinances for protecting the value of a resident’s property. Norris should move to the county if he does not want protective ordinances.
Larry says
Every week there seems to be Mayor Mike Norris related chaos and problems for the city.
Wonder what kind of Norris induced drama will occur next week and the week after, and so on, until Mike Norris is no longer mayor.
Palm Coast is now the “The Mayor Norris Show” and it’s a train wreck. Give him credit though – there’s something fresh and unexpected every week. He’s similar to the villain on Survivor that everyone loves to hate. Someone needs to make a documentary about his term as Mayor, because it’s something for the history books.
Critical Eye says
I hope Theresa Pontieri and the rest of the City Staff are adding and submitting all the ongoing outrageous allegations and lies Norris continues to accuse Lauren Johnston and other officials leading our city government of doing. It seems obvious Norris has enlisted a small group of citizens manipulating and convincing them of his lies.
In my opinion it appears we are dealing with a “ Mayor in title only” that by all accounts appears to display a mental disorder by the name of “Cluster B personality disorder “ Check it out. Here’s the list of symptoms. Once you read them I think we can all agree there’s no doubt that the symptoms fit Norris to a T. That being said…..Get ready to did deep into our pockets to pay for electing Norris that will cost us up to a million dollars if Norris is allowed to stay. Start writing letters to DeSantis now to have Norris removed ASAP
Cluster B personality disorders are a group of mental health conditions characterized by dramatic, emotional, or erratic behaviors. These disorders include antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, and narcissistic personality disorder. Individuals with these disorders often struggle with regulating emotions, maintaining stable relationships, and experiencing a consistent sense of self.
Here’s a more detailed look at each disorder within Cluster B:
Antisocial Personality Disorder:
Characterized by a disregard for the rights of others, manipulation, and a lack of remorse.
Borderline Personality Disorder:
Marked by intense mood swings, unstable relationships, impulsivity, and a fear of abandonment.
Histrionic Personality Disorder:
Involves excessive emotionality and attention-seeking behavior, with individuals often being overly dramatic and seductive.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder:
Characterized by a grandiose sense of self-importance, a need for admiration, and a lack of empathy.
These disorders can significantly impact an individual’s social and occupational functioning, leading to difficulties in interpersonal relationships, work, and other areas of life.
Stop domestic terror says
Typical republican trash put themselves and their cult above anything else! You tell those people with cerebral palsy to get jobs!! Haha as they cause a recession! Stop the treason and domestic terrorist group called republicans they are Nazis !!
PCer says
Just looking at his supporters surrounding Norris in court tells me everything I need to know. It’s like Hazzard County Kentucky vomited all over Flagler County.
Mort says
Me thinks this Mayor has been taking advice from Dennis McDonald and friends, who has not repaid the money he owes.
Judith G. Michaud Judith G. Michaud says
Wow, you think the voters would have learned by now! By any chance is he the long- lost brother of Trump ? He surely acts like him! Quit voting RED Palm Coast !
chris says
WOW, He sounds just like pumpkin head in the WH. Nothing is ever his fault ,he is always right and he doesn’t give a shit about anyone but himself !!!! Place a lawsuit against him to make him repay costs to the city .
Marco Simone says
Responding to Jim…
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0100-0199/0100/Sections/0100.361.html
Holly says
@Critical Eye,
That person of which you speak is usually Dennis McDonald who himself has cost this county $$$$. Time for an exorcism?
chris says
He sounds just like the pumpkin head we have as president. never wrong, everything he says is true and doesn’t care for anyone but himself.
John O says
Although Norris is an inept clown, he happens to be right about the Gambaro appointment. If a judge ruled that the law allowed Gambaro to be appointed, it doesn’t change the fact that Gambaro was not elected by the people and that the list of qualified candidates who had already demonstrated their desirability by the public was ignored. Councilman Dave Sullivan was appointed the same way. Palm Coast voters expressed a desire for a new start with this past election. So what did the City Council do? They forced one of Flagler County’s old guard down our throats when the opportunity arose. The judge’s ruling that Norris had no standing to sue is also legal BS. The reason that no one who might have had standing did not sue is probably because they could not afford the legal fees. And so Norris is playing their game. The powers that be are using their bottomless pit of taxpayer dollars to subvert the will of the voters and Mayor Norris is on the other side doing the same…. “I don’t care if it costs Palm Coast a million dollars”. In a way, Palm Coast is getting what it deserves. The dullards that live here vote for the same type of people over and over. They voted for Trump and they voted for Norris. They wanted a s..mbags and they got them.
The dude says
Sociopaths always blame the circumstances of their actions on others.
It’s the MAGA way.
Call Me Disappointed says
It was a disgusting and disappointing show by the mayor and his minions at the City Council meeting last night. Sad that they are permitted to insult the integrity of our City Manager and members of our Council.
It’s time for all of them to disappear beginning with his dis-honor.
Ed Danko, former Vice-Mayor PC says
Clearly, Norris does not care about the taxpayers and is willing to spend a million of our hard-eared tax dollars on his paranoid conspiratorial claims. He could care even less about neglecting his responsibilities as Mayor. It is time for this City Council to send a formal request to the Governor to remove “Million Dollar Mike” from office so we can finally put an end to his stupidity.
Billy says
Go mike! Get these corrupt people out of office!
KMedley says
The opening sentence to this article should have simply stated, “Mike Norris didn’t care”. This observation has been present since the start of his campaign, during the primary season, the general election, and now, the daily comings, or more appropriately, goings of Mike Norris.
He DIDN’T CARE when he and his campaign fabricated and subsequently released the Palm Coast Community Cats story against his opponent, Peter Johnson.
He DIDN’T CARE that he involved members of the local radio station, WNZF, to futher this clump of cat manure! Pastor J had not problems peddling that poop!
He DIDN’T CARE when he and his campaign manager trespassed on private property to secure a selfie against the backdrop of a private banner, hanging from a private fence, to demonstrate the homeowner’s obviouse opposition of Norris as Mayor.
He DIDN’T CARE as he used foul language to reply to Mrs. Alan Lowe while at the library during Early Voting. Regardless of his personal feelings for Alan Lowe, the disrepectful replies were disgusting. He DIDN’T CARE !
He DIDN’T CARE as he directed outbursts at audiences attending local primary debate forums.
He was, from the beginning, a CLOWN!
According to statistics from the Flagler County Supervisor of Elections, voters DIDN’T CARE to show up and/or give any thoughtful process before electing this CLOWN! The TOTAL VOTER TURNOUT was 29.23%. In the City of Palm Coast Mayoral Race, a total of 20,236 ballots were cast and of these, Norris secured 6,6348, a whopping 31%.
Sixty-nine percent of eligible City of Palm Coast voters DIDN’T CARE to participate in the primary. Elections have consequences, in particular PRIMARY ELECTIONS!
There were many who warned against Mike Norris. Many DIDN’T CARE . It will now cost our city and its taxpayers dearly. No matter the amount of money spent, he DIDN’T CARE . Perhaps lessons will be learned, but, I doubt it.
Say NO says
Ed Danko wants to run for the seat.
Please, won’t any other city step up and offer to take in Ed Danko so we can get rid of him?
Ed Danko, you were the Vice Mayor- as all on the board usually are at some point. You are not the Vice Mayor now, in fact you are irrelevant.
JazzMan says
Mike Norris doesn’t even care a hoot about his supporters either. Norris only cares about one thing and that one thing is himself.
He’s poor and broke he couldn’t even keep his power spray business alive. Word on the street is he’s belly up. But he got a crew of misfits together to join him and promised all sorts of ambiguous things in his secret meetings during his campaign.
What has he accomplished? Not a damn thing besides costing the city $30,000 on a frivolous lawsuit where he had no standing, and he knew it all along. Now he promises to cost us at least $1 million more with additional frivolous lawsuits. When he’s confronted about all his secrets and lies, he tucks his tail between his legs and runs like a coward. The coward that he is.
Anyone that supports this lying conniving coward it just as bad as he is.
Atwp says
Love to see Republicans acting like brainless immature children.
Deborah Coffey says
Mike Norris must be Trump’s twin brother…an enraged, total narcissistic fruitcake. What causes people to vote for sick losers like this?
Critical Eye says
@Atwp @Deborah Coffey
I’m not a Democrat or a Republican but from where I sit Mike Norris behaves exactly like the Democrats have been acting lately. A sore loser with his head screwed on upside down and backwards. I don’t see any Republicans on this platform calling Democrats childish names. Just stick to the subject and get over it. It’s not about Republicans or Democrats. It about a dangerous individual that is a mentally ill narcissist that lies about everything right to our faces.
Critical Eye says
All of you Democrats need to stay on the subject of who this article is written about. Stop making references about Republicans. In my opinion, Mike Norris is acting exactly like the Democrats have been acting lately. I’m neither republican or democrat but I can tell you one thing I have not seen a single Republican call a Democrat, any childish names on this platform.
Mike Norris is a dangerous lying narcissist that needs to be removed from office. He is costing our city far too much money, which is actually taking money out of our very own,pockets. He is who he is. It has nothing to do with politics. He is a sick mentally unstable person. He lies about everything including Flagler live and Pierre Tristan.
layla says
Mike Norris is unbelievably unqualified to hold office. He will continue to embarrass this community. He and his supporters lost A major vote in the REC tonight. Take the hint and GROW UP.
The dude says
“Critical Eye” needs glasses or something…
Jim says
@Marco Simone says,
Marco, thanks for that link. I read through it and now I have a much better understanding of why elected officials seldom get recalled! Basically, it starts with getting 1,000 valid signatures within 30 days and goes on from there.
Thanks for the information. Very helpful and educational.
layla says
@KMEDLEY,
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0100-0199/0100/Sections/0100.361.html
Would you be willing to start this committee? Looks like all we need for a recall is 1,000 signatures. We can get the volunteers and have this done within a couple of weeks.
Critical Eye says
@The Dude
Well, at least vision can be corrected. Finding something to correct your attitude, on the other hand, is much harder.
Do you think your response adds any merit to the conversation?
Critical Eye says
@Layla and @KMEDLEY
I will definitely sign a petition to recall Norris. Our city needs saving from this corrupt Mayor. Let everyone know where we can go to sign up. The sooner the better.
Peter wentworth says
Palm coast could have had Cornelia Mamfre but their love of all things MAGA drove them to choose a nincompoop like this.
The dude says
This EXACTLY what wife beaters say to their battered spouses…
“Aw baby, now look what you went and made me do…”
Here hold my beer says
Go ahead sue me!
How’s about go ahead run again and see how that goes,
A- hole Mayor!
Keep Flagler Beautiful says
The judgment money should come straight out of his retirement fund. What nerve!
KMedley says
@Marco Simone says @Layla says @Critical Eye says
I am familar with the Florida statute cited. As you have read, the Grounds for Recall, F.S. 100.361 (2)(d), are listed as:
1. Malfeasance
2. Misfeasance
3. Neglect of Duty
4. Drunkeness
5. Incompetence
6. Permanent inability to perform official duties
7. Conviction of a felony involving moral turpitude
According to a quick Google search, Malfeasance vs. Misfeasance is summarized as:
1. Malfeasance
Refers to the performance of an unlawful or wrongful act.
Involves actions that are illegal or unethical, such as embezzlement or fraud.
Typically associated with public officials or individuals in positions of authority who abuse their power.
2. Misfeasance
Refers to the performance of an unlawful or wrongful act.
Involves actions that are illegal or unethical, such as embezzlement or fraud.
Typically associated with public officials or individuals in positions of authority who abuse their power.
Reasons 3-7 are, in my opinion, self-explanatory.
Has the Florida Ethics Commission rendered a decision yet? Depending on those findings, one of the 7 reasons listed may apply.
As for a Recall Committee, the number of signed petitions needed, 1,000 or 5% of the total registered voters [F.S. 100.361(2)(b)](6), coupled with the 30 days to obtain the number of signed petitions is in and of itself a daunting task. However, once the signed petitions are obtained, they must then be turned into the Supervisor of Elections for the verification process, [F.S. 100.361(2)(f)(g, 1-3)], all at once within 30 days, signatures verified at a cost of $.10 per signature, and if the requisite number is not obtained, addtional time is not afforded to the committee in order to add more petitions. So, collecting signed petitions would require more than the requisite number in order to allow for those that won’t pass the verification process.
One would hope there are those within the halls of our City Hall who have long since started a journal keeping track of this clown’s actions and inactions. In my opinion, Neglect of Duty and Incompetence are contributing factors. He’s cleared out his office. The performance at the State of the City was abysmal. How many meetings has he been MIA? He didn’t participate with 4th of July events, such as reading The Declaration of Independence. One would hope he read the City Charter, however, given the basis of the Ethics Complaint, that’s doubtful. Is that neglect, incompetence, both?
Time will tell, but I believe in Karma and when Karma finally comes, my popcorn will be ready!
Elections matter, ESPECIALLY, PRIMARY Elections!
Endless dark money says
There are many here in Flagler our own community that need help and to be wasting millions on frivolous lawsuits while people need help obtaining basic human needs is just irresponsible and unethical at every level. So called progress has left many struggling to just stay afloat. We need structural change that benefits everyday people not the fascist kind the orange conman and his cult are providing.