Tamarac Taxpayers Tapped for $8K Tab in Bolton’s Tossed Ethics Probe

by Kevin Deutsch July 28, 2024

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Tamarac Taxpayers Tapped for $8K Tab in Bolton's Tossed Ethics Probe

Tamarac taxpayers are footing the bill for Commissioner Marlon Bolton’s successful legal defense in a recent ethics complaint case, city records show.

Under Tamarac’s new ethics and reimbursement law, City Manager Levent Sucuoglu – with the consent of Tamarac City Attorney Hans Ottinot – approved $8,415 in payouts on April 25: $2,520 of which was paid directly to Bolton and the remaining $5,895 to his attorneys at the Meyer, Blohm and Powell law firm in Tallahassee, according to the documents.

Bolton incurred the fees during a state ethics investigation stemming from a resident’s complaint over the controversial Shaker Village Clubhouse deal. During a closed March 8th meeting, the Florida Commission on Ethics said it found no probable cause to believe Bolton—a Shaker Village resident—violated state ethics laws in connection with the deal.

Tamarac’s reimbursement policy, approved by commissioners in April and tweaked at a July 10 meeting, applies to cases in which the commissioners, mayor, or city department heads are formally accused of ethics violations but not found to have violated them.

The reimbursement checks are cut without the commission’s approval unless they exceed $10,000, in which case the payments require a vote.

Bolton, the first city official to be reimbursed under the new law, was represented by attorney Ronald G. Meyer in the state ethics case.

The commissioner did not respond to a text message seeking comment for this story.

Tamarac’s reimbursement policy was first proposed at an April 10 commission meeting. Ottinot said he and the city manager brought the law forward as “a matter of good policy.”

When questioned at the meeting, Ottinot declined to say whether the law would apply to any outstanding legal costs for commissioners. Neither Ottinot nor Bolton said during the meeting whether they’d had any prior discussions about the law.

Mayor Michelle Gomez and Commissioner Elvin Villalobos cast the lone votes against the reimbursement law in April. The law covers applicable legal fees for ethics cases resolved within 60 days of its passage.

Records show the Meyer, Blohm and Powell firm billed Bolton for their services on April 24 – 14 days after the law passed.

News of the reimbursement payments comes amid a heated, often vitriolic feud between Bolton and Villalobos. Both face challengers in their November reelection races.

At the July 10 commission meeting, Villalobos said Bolton had filed a complaint against him with the Florida Commission on Ethics regarding a car the city purchased for Villalobos’ use.

“For you to make a complaint saying that I directed the city manager to purchase a vehicle for me that I don’t even use, that I haven’t used, it’s a shame,” Villalobos said. FPO 63023 Meyer Blohm And Powell PA (1)

Ottinot has said the city’s reimbursement policy is consistent with Florida law and with standards laid out in a legal opinion by Florida’s attorney general.

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Kevin Deutsch

Kevin Deutsch is an award-winning journalist and author of two nonfiction books. He covers general assignment news and Jewish community issues for Talk Media. He has also worked as a staff writer at The Miami Times, the Rio Grande SUN, the New York Daily News, Newsday, The Miami Herald, The Palm Beach Post, The Riverdale Press, and Bronx Justice News.