By: Sharon Aron Baron
Governor Rick Scott’s office has suspended Mayor Beth Talabisco from office — again.
In July, an appeals court ruled that a Broward judge was out of line when she threw out corruption charges against her last year.
In 2011, she was charged with accepting illegal campaign benefits from developers Bruce and Shawn Chait in exchange for her support on their land project and suspended from office. A circuit court judge threw out the charges in 2012.
The decision by a three-judge panel from the 4th District Court of Appeal spelled renewed legal trouble for the mayor, who was arrested in 2011, suspended from her job, cleared, reinstated, and partially reimbursed by the city. Up until today, she was leading city commission workshops and meetings.
The mayor’s seat is largely ceremonial since the city manager runs the day-to-day business. But the mayor is the figurehead and runs the meetings.
According to the Sun-Sentinel, late Friday, a special commission meeting was called for 9 a.m. Tuesday at City Hall for commissioners to appoint a mayor during Talabisco’s suspension. If the new mayor is one of the sitting commissioners, the commission will later fill that commission spot.
