Luckily, no lives were lost...

You remember the election that never happened, according to state law, back in March of this year? It was a silly matter over 20 feet in a limited part of our downtown. The area has some of the highest property values in Lake Worth and the fate of the historic Gulfstream Hotel hung in the balance.

During the campaign, the PAC formed to support rejection of the height limitation in the charter decided to erect a large sign on the Gulfstream Hotel which proclaimed that "NO" was the preferable choice for the long term future of the building and the city as a whole.

The sign had a seven foot long disclaimer, but that wasn't big enough for some people. The chair of the Respectful Planning Lake Worth PAC filed a complaint with the Florida Elections Commission where she urged the office's immediate attention to the complaint as the election was less than two weeks away.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, we have a decision as of August 26, 2013 when the chair of the Florida Elections Commission signed an approved "Consent Order" and the Election Commission now considers the "case closed." The person signing the letter to Loretta Sharpe, below, added the following, "I would also like to add my appreciation for the cooperative manner in which this case was resolved." It was considered a minor violation and the respondent, Ms. Sharpe, agreed to pay $200 and enter into the consent order where she neither admits or denies that it violated Section 106.143(1)(c). No investigation was undertaken by the department. So, you could say that this complaint too became "null and void."

Ms. Sharpe says this is the best $200 she has paid for the most amount of entertainment. Here is the official paperwork.

It should be noted that the Respectful Planning Lake Worth PAC was fined a similar amount for the submission of a late treasurer's report. So, let's call it even, shall we?

And where do those land use attorney fees show up on their report? In-kind or cash?