Thin-skinned Florida House District 3 Rep. Joel Rudman has his panties in a wad again! His plot to help pro-incorporation bypass legwork for an official straw poll was foiled by commissioners in May, and his latest effort to revisit the matter fell apart earlier this week. Now Rudman’s scrambling to put together a new scheme to allow the Preserve Navarre incorporation effort to skirt precendent and get around completing important, much-needed work.
Instead of being publicly noticed on the commission’s Monday July 8 meeting agenda, Rudman will reveal the plan to skirt a straw poll during public forum. Rudman is trying to ambush the meeting using Democrat Union Organizer tactics.
A birdie told me Rudman might allow Preserve Navarre to pay for their own straw poll. But we all know how easily polls can be manipulated. Thankfully, Rudman isn’t the sole state legislator representing Navarre. Florida House District 2 Rep. Alex Andrade represents Navarre Beach and most of the U.S.98 corridor in South County.
Back to Monday, July 8, the million-dollar question that day, and actually it’s a $6.5 million dollar question, will be two fold…
First off, earlier this year Rudman asked Commissioner Ray Eddington to put a presentation from Preserve Navarre on a commission agenda, and on May 6th commissioners heard the request to place an official incorporation straw poll on the Nov. 5 General Election ballot. However, the board REJECTED that request due to FALSE and INACCURATE information in Preserve Navarre’s feasibility study.
Keep in mind that the precedent in Santa Rosa County, for those seeking to create an additional layer of government, is to gather petitions from 8% of residents within the proposed new taxing district. That’s the same standard the State of Florida uses for ballot referendums.
Rewinding over the past decade, the common denominator to MULTIPLE failed Navarre incorporation attempts has been long-time Democrat Nancy Forester:
- Back in 2014, Nancy was involved with Citizens to Incorporate Navarre PAC, which was able to raise around $39,000 – enough to pay for a third-party PROFESSIONAL feasibility study. PLUS that PAC was able to gather enough signed petitions to get a straw poll on the ballot. However, voters REJECTED incorporation by a DOUBLE-DIGIT MARGIN, and the PAC disbanded.
- In 2018, Nancy TRIED AGAIN with a NEW PAC called Navarre Area United. They TRIED and TRIED to get enough signed petitions for ANOTHER straw poll, but they failed, blaming it on COVID. Since then that PAC has also dissolved.
- In early 2021, Nancy teamed up with Wes Siler to start Preserve Navarre. So far they have FAILED to get enough signed petitions for another straw poll. They also failed to raise enough money for a third-party PROFESSIONAL feasibility study and just used a college student to design their budget.
Instead of completing their homework, which serves to help VOTERS make INFORMED DECISIONS, Nancy and Preserve Navarre want shortcuts.
Moving on to the second part of Monday’s $6.5-million-dollar question…
Rudman on Monday plans to “update” commissioners on incorporation. Why is he doing that? Why isn’t Preserve Navarre doing it? After all, its their effort.
Keep in mind how Florida Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed EVERY SINGLE PROJECT that Santa Rosa Commission had in House District 3. Out of the $6.5 million passed in the legislature’s budget, DeSantis slashed the appropriations down to ZERO. The only money Santa Rosa Commission received came from District 2 Rep. Alex Andrade, who delivered around $50 MILLION to his district.
That tells us something is afoul in Tallahassee. Could it be how Rudman has been actively working with Democrats to expand Medicaid in Florida? That’s something Republican leadership has STRONGLY OPPOSED. Maybe it was because Rudman wore black fingernail polish at the Capitol before skipping out on the budget vote to play a Satanic-themed gig? Who knows.
But in closing, I’d like it noted that in opinion pieces I’ve spoken TRUTH to POWER, calling out Rudman’s poor performance in the legislature. He’s reacted childishly, calling me names, threatening my customers and telling me to pack my bags and leave.
Joel, I’m not going anywhere. At the end of the day I have built up a following of more than 76,000 by providing ACCURATE news & information. No amount of dishonest videos, fat shaming or other bullying tactics by you and your small circle of community agitators/sychophants to whom you pander will run me off.
If you focused a FRACTION of the time you waste being petty & vengeful or wasting bills which have ZERO chance of getting passed, maybe Santa Rosa Commission would have received some of the $6.5 million in District 3 funding instead of nothing. Maybe more than 4 of your 14 sponsored bills would have been passed.
Rudman needs to put aside his wannabe rocker dreams, stop pandering to agitators and get busy working. Fixing the potholes on 87 South is a good place to start…
