An emergency meeting was called by Mayor Kurzman to discuss increasing the compensation of the town manager, Mr. Robert Daniels as he had applied for another job in Juno Beach. The following is a TIME LINE of events.

December 12, 2023: Robert Daniels signs Town Manager employment agreement with Town of Sewall’s Point. Agreement includes provision in paragraph 2G: “In the event Manager makes formal application for full time employment elsewhere while serving as Town manager, he/she shall be required to provide written notice to the Town Commission simultaneously with such application.”

February 7, 2025: With the assistance of the headhunting firm Colin Baenziger and Associates, Town Manager Daniels applies for the position of City Manager in Juno Beach, Florida.

His cover letter states: “I am currently working as the Town Manager in Sewall’s Point for the past 2 years…I was planning on working here for the rest of my career in public service…That changed yesterday when I heard the Town Manager’s position was available…I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work in Juno Beach, a community I loved and closer to home.”In violation of his employment agreement, he fails to notify the Town Commission.

February 20, 2025: Colin Baenziger & Assoc. prepares a candidate report that narrows down the pool of 62 applicants to 9 semi-finalists. Mr. Daniels is in this group.

February 26, 2025: Juno Beach Town Commission meeting. The 9 semi-finalists are announced. Their resumes are provided to residents.

March 4-5, 2025: Juno Beach Town Commission meets with 5 finalists, including Mr. Daniels, shows them around town, and interviews them at a public meeting on 3/5/25.

Video of these interviews shows Mr. Daniels at 1:43:30:

https://www.juno-beach.fl.us/towncouncil/page/town-council-public-meeting-interviewing-town-manager-finalists

March 7, 2025:

* Juno Beach Town Commission hires Robert Cole as their new manager.

* Mayor Kurzman calls a Special Town Commission Meeting for 3/10/25

March 8, 2025: On his “Friends & Neighbors” Facebook page, Tom Campenni comments about Mr. Daniels’ pursuit of Juno Beach job.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=956112006686793&id=100068640068294&set=a.423888679909131

March 10, 2025: Town Commissioners receive copies of the proposed Town Manager Agreement and Town/City Manager Salary Comparison FY2025, drafted by Mr. Daniels on March 7th. https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/3196689/Town_Manager_Agreement_revised_03-07-25_-_Proposed.pdf

Elements of the proposed agreement include the following:

1. Back dated to January1, 2025
2. $175,000/year base salary, which is a 34.85% increase.
3. Annual guaranteed 10% salary increase
4. A 5% bonus for outstanding performance.
5. Increase the car allowance 20% from $500/month to $600

Note: chart above shows Atlantis and Ocean Ridge are closest to us in population. They pay their town managers $153,159 and $143,000 respectively. There are other towns in Florida of a similar size and budget that should be examined and included in the comparison.

Mayor Kurzman opened the meeting by stating that Mr. Daniels is “the lowest paid town manager for any coastal town from Vero to Miami” and is “by far the best town manager that Sewall’s Point has ever had.” He admitted that he was aware of Mr.Daniels’ application to Juno Beach “last week” and had watched the 3/5 interviews. Cmr Tidikis asked Mr. Daniels who prepared the draft agreement. Silence ensued. Then Mr. Daniels replied that he was asked to put together a draft agreement. He did not reveal who asked him. Commissioner Barile stated that residents should be involved in the process. Most of the commissioners were not pleased with the prospect of searching for a new town manager.

At 41:30 in the meeting Mr. Daniels stated “I just want to clarify …in the current agreement there is not a notification provision in there to notify you…everything came up very quickly.” This is not accurate in two instances:

1) Mr. Daniels stated earlier that he drew up the new agreement. Both the old and the new agreements contain paragraph 2G, the existing notification provision.

2) He applied for the Juno Beach job on 2/7/25. One month later, on 3/7/25, another candidate was chosen. At no time during this month did he honor his agreement to notify the commission in writing that he had applied for another job.

Link to the 3/10/25 Special Meeting. https://tsp.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=317

March 18, 2025 Commission Meeting: Commissioner Fender urges the commission that we need to act on Mr. Daniels’ salary information.

This is your town and your opinion is valuable. Give the commissioners some guidance.

How would you handle this situation?

Respond to inquiries@sewllspoint.info

Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Over $389 Million to Protect the Quality and Supply of Florida’s Water Resources

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 25, 2025

CONTACT: DEP Press Office, 850-245-2112, DEPNews@FloridaDEP.gov

In Case You Missed It: Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Over $389 Million to Protect the Quality and Supply of Florida’s Water Resources

PALM BAY, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced more than $389 million in grants to improve water quality and quantity across Florida. The funding includes $189 million in Water Quality Improvement Grants and $55 million in Alternative Water Supply Grants. Additionally, the Governor awarded $100 million through the newly established Indian River Lagoon Protection Program, $25 million through the Caloosahatchee Watershed Grant Program, and $20 million through the Biscayne Bay Water Quality Improvement Grant Program to further support targeted restoration efforts in these essential ecosystems.

“Florida’s waterways are a vital part of our environment, economy, and way of life, and protecting these resources continues to be a top priority,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “These investments will help safeguard water quality statewide and accelerate restoration efforts in key ecosystems like the Indian River Lagoon, Caloosahatchee River and Estuary, and Biscayne Bay.”

“Florida’s support for water quality projects is making a real impact in reducing nutrient pollution and improving the health of our waterways,” said Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Alexis A. Lambert. “Governor DeSantis and the Legislature have made these investments a priority to provide needed resources for local leaders to take on infrastructure projects that will improve the environment for future generations.”

DEP received an impressive response to this year’s Water Quality Improvement Grant cycle, with 348 project submissions requesting more than $2.2 billion in funding. After a comprehensive evaluation, 31 high-priority projects were selected to receive funding, reflecting the most impactful and cost-effective solutions to reduce nutrient pollution and enhance water quality. These projects support communities by providing enhancements to existing wastewater and stormwater treatment facilities and connecting septic systems to sewer, among other improvements. Collectively, these efforts are expected to remove more than 1.1 million pounds of total nitrogen and 286,000 pounds of total phosphorous annually.

In addition to broad statewide restoration efforts, the state is prioritizing immediate, targeted nutrient-reducing projects in priority ecosystems. Today, $100 million is being awarded to support 25 priority water quality projects in the Indian River Lagoon, $25 million is being awarded for four targeted water quality projects in the Caloosahatchee River and Estuary and $20 million is being awarded for eight water quality projects in Biscayne Bay.

Under the DeSantis Administration, DEP has awarded nearly $2.9 billion to 1,098 community projects to protect Florida’s water resources. These projects are expected to reduce total nitrogen by more than 4.6 million pounds and total phosphorus by more than 893,000 pounds per year. More than 250 projects have already been completed, with many more advancing as local governments strategically plan for future improvements with the state’s ongoing funding support.

Alongside water quality improvements, $55 million has been allocated to support 14 projects through the Alternative Water Supply Grant Program, with the goal of producing more than 40 million gallons of water per day within two years of becoming operational. These projects focus on expanding reclaimed water use, enhancing aquifer recharge, and promoting water conservation. Since 2019, the state has invested $245 million to support the statewide development of alternative water supplies, supporting projects that will generate more than 225 million gallons per day of additional water to meet future needs.

To ensure continued progress, Governor DeSantis has included $550 million in his budget proposal to protect Florida’s water quality and $60 million to further alternative water supplies.

A full list of these grant projects selected for Fiscal Year 2024-25 can be found at ProtectingFloridaTogether.gov/Grants.

WORKSHOPS WORK

As evidenced by the turnout on February 8^th 2025, WORKSHOPS WORK!

The workshop on Saturday 2/08/25 at 9:30 proved the people enjoy the ability to have their voices heard.

Mayor Kurzman wisely suspended the 3 minute rule to have participants freely express their opinions about speed limits.