Last June, a resident of Ricardo Place hurled a spear at a Palm Coast city employee’s truck while the employee was inside. A few months before, a man was trespassed from the city-owned Palm Harbor Golf Course for targeting city employees with golf balls. The man was allegedly “suffering from a persecution complex.” A man trespassed from the local hospital made threatening calls to city staff and had to be trespassed from a city-run summer camp for children. There are also documented threats of shootings, anger from an ex-employee, from someone with a code enforcement case before the city, and numerous cases of harassment.
Those are the type of cases on the city’s “Difficult Citizens List” that the Palm Coast City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to abolish, at least in its present form. The list will not actually go away. Secret as it was in all practical purposes, it remains a public record. And the city does not intend to scrap the process that would land someone on such a list in the future. It intends to revamp the process so that it isn’t a violation of due process. (See the full list, its names and addresses redacted, below.)
But how did the list come to be in the first place and why?
In May 2015 a B-Section resident was so abusive to Palm Coast city employees that the city filed a police report. A waterline at the resident’s home had broken, damaging the house and running up a large water bill. The amount was lowered by $200. He he refused to pay any part of the bill. His water was eventually turned off. He ended up “continuously calling and harassing the utility department,” according to the report, allegedly threatened that “Someone is going
to get hurt soon,” called employees by the vilest names and found various ways to insult them.
To then-City City member Bill McGuire witnessed one of the residents’ outbursts. To McGuire, the incident was the last straw. McGuire had become aware of other repeated incidents between residents and city employees, whether at City Hall or in the field, that caused him to worry about employee safety. That June, he asked for a city task force to devise ideas on better protecting employees from abuse.
Then-City Manager Jim Landon agreed. Landon set up a task force that included Landon, Mark Carman, the sheriff’s commander of the Palm Coast precinct at the time, and three others still with the city today: Barbara Grossman, the city’s code enforcement manager, Bill Reischmann, the city attorney, Virginia Smith, the city clerk. By August, the city administration had produced a six-page, color-coded document called “Dealing with Difficult Customers,” later appended to a five-page restatement in more narrative and graphic form intended to be used by city employees.
“The City is committed to providing a safe work environment,” the document states. “While we acknowledge that some of those that we come in contact with may be angry or upset, we want not only to provide you with guidelines and tools for dealing with difficult customers, but also want you to feel free to discuss any concerns or issues you may have. Following, you will find Procedures and Protocols by environment that can be utilized as a tool.”
The procedure cautions employees against over-reacting, using sarcasm, arguing, giving ultimatums or dismissing the customer as a chronic complainer, recommending instead to be patient, empathetic, calm and allow the person to vent, but also to stay in control and state facts. The document goes so far as to provide body-language directions: “Do not stand face to face/shoulder to shoulder, this is perceived as a challenging position,” “Do not cross your arms,” and so on. The color-coded portion provides a gradual list of behavior types and directives on how city employees should respond, whether it’s vulgar language, insults, direct or indirect threats, up to physical violence or property damage.
As soon as the customer uses vulgar language, harasses or makes indirect threats, employees are directed to warn the customer that the behavior is unacceptable, ask the customer to leave if the behavior doesn’t stop, and “Report the incident to your supervisor and follow-up in writing. Supervisors should notify Human Resources immediately and forward written information to Human Resources.” Direct threats of or actual violence require contacting 911 and pulling the silent alarm as well as written documentation.
So was born the “Difficult Customer List,” with its first entry dating back to March 2016, its last dating back to just last month. There’s been a total of 38 entries, some of them affecting the same customer.
The city’s handbook at no point addresses the public-record nature of the documentation. It does not set out a process by which those named may be informed that their behavior is being documented. It does not set out a process by which those named may challenge their inclusion. The document is silent on–and blind to–due process.
The list of names has its its first entry dating from March 2016: Raymond Crown, a Flamingo Drive resident, had made “miscellaneous threats.” The resident is named in the city document, his full address given, and is said in a note written by city staffers that he “Seems to have mental stability issues” and “Believes himself to be D. Trump’s running mate. Claims to be able to get staff fired.” The recommended course of action: “Be cautious around him. The FCSO is familier with him as well.” (That’s the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.)
If anything, the information about Crown–who is named here because he is a convicted felon serving time in prison–is an understatement: he would subsequently be arrested in an unrelated confrontation with another man that involved the destruction of property and Crown threatening to bomb the Sheriff’s Office, Oklahoma City-terrorism style, and kill the sheriff. He seemed to have enough knowledge about Oklahoma, a terrorist act against a government building, to speak of getting “a garbage can of ammonium nitrate” to carry out his threat. He also said he wanted suicide by cop and told a sheriff’s deputy he had “a fuckin’ bullet coming in the head.” In January 2019 he was found guilty of making threats, among other charges, and sentenced to three years in prison.
Crown was released last November (he had many months’ jail credit and was eligible for release after serving 85 percent of his sentence). He is on probation until 2025.
He’s just one example. The first six names on the list and several others further down have faced criminal charges at one time or another (not from the city). Hardly any behavior listed on the list is defensible, and no employee in any sector could conceivably be expected to tolerate any of the behaviors described in the list. The list reflects a presumption by some customers (very, very few, in context) against customer service personnel in many fields–whether government or private sector–have been a pervasive problem going back many years. Palm Coast isn’t unique, and there’s a cottage industry dealing with it.
The uniqueness of Palm Coast’s approach was its own presumption–that the method did not need to be transparent, vetted, or, as the case may be, liability-proof. Matt Morton, the city manager for only a few more hours at the time, attempted to address that when he summarized a recommendation to the city council Tuesday evening. It would prove to be one of his last acts as manager, other than negotiating the contract of his interim successor.
“The most important thing: in the interim there is no list and the list should be kept, until council adopts a process and you guys have public comment and people are comfortable with whatever it looks like,” Morton said. “In the interim, absolutely, stop the list, frame it, have a public meeting about it.” The administration is to bring back what would amount to a policy. As Morton saw it, he said a list has its place for employees’ safety’s sake, but “the substance of the interaction, if it rises to that–there’s been very few since 2015–but it needs to be documented in a police report, not in some statement or on a spreadsheet. The person needs to be notified in writing that they’re intended to be put on.” He recommended changing the name away from “difficult citizens.”
“There’s a situational awareness list or citizen contact list,” Morton said. “That person has opportunity to appeal that decision. Usually it’s administrative, it’ll be to your new city manager. After that they have a second appeal to usually some kind of quasi body, either the code board or a special magistrate. When that’s done, they would then be placed on the list. The only thing that the list should be is a name if appropriate, an address or location if appropriate, and no longer with what happened to [others] with comments from anybody. It should just be, ‘please respond with two people,’ or or ‘citizen has requested no response,’ or ‘respond with FCSO’ to just simple instructions to just completely changed the nature of this to get it to what it supposed to be.”
Morton’s last day was Wednesday. He left City Hall around 2 p.m.
FlaglerLive relies on a strong core of donors. But they’re just a fraction of the 25,000 readers who daily depend on FlaglerLive for reliable, fearless reporting and analysis you cannot get anywhere else. If you’re still on the sidelines, we need you to join the Friends of FlaglerLive today. Elections, storms, the latest catastrophe - when dependable and factual local reporting will be more essential than ever, take a stand for integrity and have a direct voice in fostering serious journalism in your community. As little as $10 makes a difference, or better still, become a monthly donor: Become a "Friend of" FlaglerLive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit news organization. Donations are tax deductible. Think of it as buying a "scoop", in every sense of the term!
Reader Interactions
Comments
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
the dude says
I don’t see much of a problem with most of these entries in the list.
I’d recommend not listing names, but addresses sure.
LE and city staff have to have some way to know if there’s an unhinged a$$hat on the other side of that front door they are about to knock on.
MikeM says
It would certainly be nice for a county employee to know that they have to deal with an A-hole before they get to the residence. Seems like a good idea. Keep the list. By looking at the examples , everybody on it belongs on it.
blondee says
I don’t see a problem here. Some of these people sound like they’re insane.
The Voice Of Reason says
I had to chuckle. I drove by the one closest to me yesterday and was not surprised to see the trump sign still planted in the front yard. Coincidence, I doubt it. I would bet most of these loonies voted for the orange one. Probably gun nuts too. This list should be required reading for city employees.
EVA says
Bingo! Incredible that this behavior is tolerated. Lock them up!
Call me Ishmael says
Required reading, you say?
Unless one day, or maybe in one of these cases, a city employee decides for a less than honorable reason to embellish an encounter with a citizen, or outright lie, to get that person on the list. I’m not saying it did, but it could and it may have.
This is why we don’t have secret lists without due process.
What I find ironic is that some who argue that our freedoms are being threatened by masks are okay with a fellow American/Palm Coaster being put on a secret list.
Mary Fusco says
You do realize that every time you or anyone else calls an 800# for any reason or calls a government office, there are notes made in your account regarding the call? The same person does not answer the call every time and those answering are made aware, from the notes, what they are dealing with. Whether it is a “list” or “notes” nuts are documented as they should be.
D. Edward says
Sounds like you have some sort of bias! I really get entertained how you liberals like to put everyone into a category. Neglecting the fact that people such as yourself are also placed into a catagory, all sane people would catagorize you as suffering from a mental disorder called liberalism. Your ideas and agenda will never succeed here in PC or Flagler. This coming from a Christian, Constitutional and Bill of rights supporter who believes in the right of free speech, as well as my right to self defense. So for those who wish to tread on my rights, tread softly, as the response may be more than you care to handle.
As for the naughty list, did you ever stop to think that the reactions of these people is due to harassment from the “brown shirt” code enforcement nazis.
K. Mugsy says
Well said D. Edward. I agree with you 100% and now we will probably be put on that list
TR says
What President we have is not a qualification on the way someone acts. People have a mind of their own (suppose to anyway) and do things on their own. As far as you trying to take one persons political beliefs because of a sign is a big stretch in your assessment if you as me. I’ll take your bet though and bet your wrong on your thinking. Just look back at all the violence of riots we had last year. You think those people were Trump supporters? I think not.
Not the only list in town. says
The sheriff’s office does this as well. I wonder FlaglerLive if you will get that list. Here is how it works…an officer will inform dispatch to add Signal 20 notification to an address when the officer feels like the person is mentally ill. The warning is documented. Unfortunately, officers are not qualified to make that diagnosis and it’s often misused for when a person is uncooperative or not liked by the officer. The warning stays on the person’s residence until taken off and every officer, firefighter, or ambulance that responds to that address goes there with a belief they’re about to deal with a mentally ill person.
Jimbo99 says
Seems this would be someone’s duplicate list of those that have been handled by FCSO. A spreadsheet that summarizes a list of individuals that have a full report that has already been filed away in their record. “Difficult citizens list” is a soft & polite term for those threatening to bomb buildings, throw spears and whatever else are the most heinous of crimes listed.
Vincent Neri says
Their is a reason for the need of a “difficult citizens list.” It is the same reason why we see such horrible violence in our country. Everyone is concerned about their rights but rights are not going to solve the problem. The problem is often times people failing to take personal responsibility for their life. Failing to take personal responsibility for ones life puts people into a downward spiral of wrongly blaming others and wrongly justifying their wretched behavior. Responsibility is the ability to respond, This ability to respond to lifes challenges requires that we consistently and persistently seek to improve ourselves so that we may improve our family, community and our nation. The fact is that who we are on the inside is expressed into the outer world and that is what we attract back to us. The degree to which we become responsible determines the quality of our lives. A life well lived requires high standards and the standards require personal responsibility. Suffering is built into life. All any of us can do is decide to make the challenges of life better or worse. Accepting personal responsibility will not free any of us of all discomfort in life but it will make our lives and the lives of those around us profoundly better. In no way am I suggesting that taking personal responsibility is easy but the fact is that life is like exercise whereby no pain equals no gain. In the non acceptance of personal responsibility the only thing ahead is greater discomfort but in the acceptance of personal responsibility comfort is ahead of the discomfort. Personal responsibility leads us to the brighter and better tomorrow.
Skibum says
The Sheriff’s Office needs to be aware of potentially violent people much more than the city does, so despite the city “doing away” with this list of difficult people, an easy fix is to simply make FCSO aware of the information so law enforcement can include any pertinent information in their computerized database if warranted to alert deputies to someone who may present a threat to their safety if contacted. I highly doubt that someone who has a history of documented threats of violence or behavior that presents a safety issue toward city staff or law enforcement would be ignored and not have it documented somehow in today’s climate of anti-social behavior toward public officials. If the information is documented by law enforcement, problem solved.
Hmmm says
Before, everyone bashed the city about the list. No look at cha!! Now its necessary huh? Just another example of people talking about things they dont know.
celia pugliese says
A professional county employed in that Naughty List is so well deserved there and just because my mask wearing and support in the City Council Meetings mask mandate he cyberbully me publicly in the You Tube city meeting published of April 6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Un6QkncdhwU&t=261s, calling my support “parroting” and also try to intimidate me insulting my origin privately also via you tube email as well, This is my reality with one of them I can easily imagine v that besides me, this individual not only intimidated city employees but probably other elderly or anyone like myself for our different choices with his pattern:
“A Spiller
1 month ago
How much benefit do we actually get from masks? Do you even know or are you just “parroting” what you heard on TV.”
1 month ago
“A Spiller
To celia pugliese you are a prime example of our poorly run immigration system. You don’t hold American values and want to make our country more like the sh!thole that you came from. I will gladly help pay for you to go back.”
My reply to him:” To A Spiller This was your coward private message to me a Flagler County taxpayer that funds your pay in the county rolls and just because I agree with our city mask mandate?”
My question to this individual is what gives him the right..? He was only 9 years old when I was sworn my proud pledge to my beloved USA citizenship. My son served proudly in our Navy a veteran now. He forgets that when a person speaks (my 3 minutes in council meetings as seeing) with a foreign accent is because he/she speaks more than one language in my case four. How many languages he speaks? He chooses to ignore that bullyism and intimidation does not work as expected in most cases! I take my hat off to the city of Palm Coast for documenting anyone that presents a threat to their employees!
Jerry Rio says
As I read all the complaints about rules that are enforced for maybe 55 percent of Palm Coast, I realized that it only affects the working class population of this city. Many who complain are retired , or unemployed, mostly retired.
The unemployed are mostly people trying to keep their heads above water perform things that many neighbors may not like and are home most of the time looking out their windows.
The working class of this city sometime have to come home and park their truck outside and rules say only for lunch…… from 12 to 1 , don’t be in your driveway any other time or else….. well many do not have a normal lunch hour….. or just come home for a break from the heat. Every one has different lives , and for the life of me can’t understand leaving it over night so you can get up and just go to work like a normal person does.
Do you ever think to complain when you need any services such as air conditioning , plumbing, electrical, work…. or just things to be hauled away.. and that person now has to go all the way back to storage to get their vehicle trailer , tools etc. not to mention pay for that storage annually, then you complain that their rates are too high. (funny)
Code enforcement needs to be revamped. First you need to hire people that have two things, Compassion and COMMON SENSE. That would go a long way into peoples attitude toward the code enforcement officers, both are lacking at this point.
If you are someone that is in anyway devaluing your neighbors property, and this is where common sense comes Into play that person gets a summons, common sense dictates whether a garbage can by the garage door is the same as trash thrown around or accumulated being the same thing. How does a magnetic sign on a vehicle warrant a summons is beyond me. This City needs to be proud of the working class and be happy that we have people that own business’s that pay taxes to support the needs of the community where I come from if someone next door to me has a business and decides to come home for a break , that is a person to look up to not give a summons to.
Now that I have mentioned the City side, I also want to address the other people that are not complying to basic standards…. if your property is a mess clean it , be proud of your efforts and you will be surprised that that neighbor next door may even come out and talk with you someday .
For the City of Palm Coast you should find people with Compassion and Common sense to fill the jobs of code enforcement and maybe that naughty list will go away ALL BY ITSELF……
Get off my Lawn says
New TV day time show……. ” As Palm Coast Turns “.
I talk to 3 or 4 older residents who DO NOT leave their homes ANYTIME. Two of those are retired NYPD officers. They tell me they DO NOT want to get involved with or help anybody in this city. They say they will only get a law suit against them if they help. I can only imagine the true number of “Home Bounds” that are fed up with this city and its rules, camera’s, assh*le’s , Rage drivers, Dog walking idiots who leave dog crap on their neighbors lawns. I could go on but why bother.
You think you got a ” Difficult Citizens List ” now. JUST WAIT ANOTHER YEAR