The forfeiture train is back on track.
Bradenton Beach commissioners voted 3-1 Feb. 5 to hire attorney Alan Prather to serve as city counsel on the specific topic of forfeiture.
Commissioners are seeking legal advice regarding the forfeiture initiated by Vice Mayor Jack Clarke to oust Mayor Bill Shearon from office for alleged misconduct.
The vote was 3-1 to retain the former Bradenton Beach city attorney, who is with the Bradenton-based Porges, Hamlin, Knowles & Hawk law firm. Commissioners and attorney Ricinda Perry previously concluded she should be excused from the forfeiture process.
Prather acknowledged the sensitivity of the issue and said he would try and help steer commissioners through the process, should they decide to follow through. He will be paid $275 per hour for up to five hours of work.
Clarke and Commissioners Jan Vosburgh and Ed Straight approved the hire, with Commissioner Janie Robertson dissenting.
Shearon was not in attendance. He was out of town due to the death of his mother. Clarke, who, as vice mayor, would become mayor if Shearon is forced from office, ran the meeting.
Commissioners agreed to continue to 9 a.m. Friday, Feb. 13, the special meeting they began Dec. 2 on forfeiture.
They will first discuss forfeiture protocol and procedures with Prather, various tasks, establish a timeline and estimate costs. They then will undertake the forfeiture of office proceedings. That will be followed by a general discussion regarding the charges, which are forthcoming from Clarke.
In other actions, commissioners:
• Decided against a proposal by Robertson to include a review by the Florida Commission of Ethics in the forfeiture process.
• Voted 4-0 to amend the rent for Cast-n-Cage Restaurant on the Historic Bridge Street Pier effective March 1. The monthly lease payments were $5,500 since September 2014. He now will pay $5,665 monthly for the restaurant, plus $772.50 for the bait shop and $566.50 for the harbor master office.
The vote was unanimous to add $180 per month to Pena’s rent for 10 months in 2014 based on the 2015 property tax bill. Another vote for the city to absorb $827.24 in 2014 property taxes was approved 3-1. Clarke dissented.
“One step forward, two steps back,” Pena said to commissioners. He believes the city can’t assess a rent increase until 2016.
• Voted 3-1 to pay Perry uncapped legal fees for her work on the recall petition against Shearon. Robertson dissented.
• Voted 3-1 to pay Perry up to $2,000 for administrative work with Sanclemente on the forfeiture process, to which Robertson said, “Cha-ching, cha-ching,” with her dissenting vote.