Cocoa Beach City Commissioner Ed Martinez resigns with two years left in unexpired term
Cocoa Seaside Metropolis Commissioner Ed Martinez has resigned, citing his in depth do the job travels, and commissioners have scheduled a exclusive assembly to examine whether or not to appoint his successor.
And in the wake of Martinez’s resignation, Cocoa Beach metropolis attorneys have issued a memo affirming that his votes given that Jan. 6 are valid — though his driver’s license tackle and voter registration switched to a locale in Manatee County.
“I was creating confident that, if I had an challenge with any insurance policies, that I would be covered. That is all. I was seriously just masking my bases. I had no strategy it was heading to transform my voter registration,” Martinez explained of altering his driver’s license address.
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“I’ve been voting in Brevard due to the fact 2008. So that naturally wasn’t a thing I prepared, and that has nothing to do with my resignation,” he explained.
The Cocoa Seaside Metropolis Fee will conduct a special meeting on Martinez’s departure at 6:30 p.m. Friday. The 4 remaining commissioners will decide irrespective of whether to appoint a limited-expression replacement or hold his Seat 2 article vacant until eventually November, City Clerk Loredana Kalaghchy claimed.
Martinez stepped down Monday, helpful promptly. His unexpired time period lasts by way of November 2024. Cocoa Beach front voters will pick his permanent successor in the November standard election.
In a Wednesday memo to commissioners, City Attorneys Becky Vose and Wade Vose said Martinez has been obtaining, renovating and “flipping” properties — which includes a residence in Manatee County.
Martinez has lived in a Cocoa Beach apartment in the Minutemen Causeway developing where his ice product retailer is found, and “he has in no way intended to give up his residency in Cocoa Seashore and intends to keep his home as Cocoa Beach front into the potential,” the memo mentioned.
However, a Jan. 6 insurance concern arose that brought about Martinez to alter his driver’s license deal with to a area in Manatee County, the memo stated.
“Unbeknownst to Commissioner Martinez, that transform in deal with quickly changed his voter registration to Manatee County. At no time did Commissioner Martinez acquire any motion that to his know-how would have modified his authorized residency or impaired his capacity to stand for the Metropolis of Cocoa Seaside as a City Commissioner,” the memo reported.
The Voses concluded that assessment of Florida law and the town charter “will make it apparent that Commissioner Martinez was a experienced city commissioner right until his voluntary resignation on July 11, 2022.”
Had Martinez not voted since Jan. 6, the memo stated, no City Fee steps would have modified, help save one particular. That lone exception: Last week’s vote granting a variance permitting constructing peak of 70 feet for the upcoming Westgate Cocoa Seaside Pier vacation resort hotel, somewhat than the permitted most top of 45 toes.
The variance acquired the demanded 4-1 supermajority vote, with Martinez voting yes. Without having his vote, the final result would have been 3-1 — and the variance would not have been granted. Vice Mayor Skip Williams cast the no vote.
For each the city attorneys’ memo, if Westgate Cocoa Seashore Pier officials wish to have a “do-over” of the hearing with a new vote “in purchase to stay clear of even an visual appeal of a issue,” that request need to be accommodated as soon as probable.
Martinez was appointed to the Metropolis Fee in 2015 to fill the Seat 2 unexpired phrase of outgoing Mayor Dave Netterstrom soon after he resigned.
Martinez gained election in 2016, defeating Mary Jane Nail and Eric Herrburger at the polls. He was reelected devoid of opposition in August 2020 throughout the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said he resigned because his do the job-connected travel normally takes him as far as Australia, New Zealand and Scotland.
“I no for a longer period experienced the time and availability to be a great asset to the metropolis. I vacation very a little bit for my occupation and the several companies I have on the East Coast, and some of the perform that I do with flipping properties and issues of that nature,” Martinez claimed.
“So I genuinely just wished to be truthful to the city and make it possible for anyone that is there a great deal extra than I am to fill the place,” he reported.
At first, Martinez submitted a letter of resignation dated June 1 that was thanks to choose outcome on Nov. 8, the working day of the typical election.
But, in a Monday email, Martinez amended his resignation and made it effective promptly.
Past thirty day period, Melissa Byron and Keith Capizzi filed to run in the Seat 2 race.
Byron’s last day of work at Metropolis Hall was Tuesday: She has retired as director of advertising and marketing and economic growth.
Capizzi is a retired tugboat captain who manages the reggae/island radio station WRRJ-FM (89.7 Cocoa Seaside/101.5 Melbourne).
Declared election candidates are not to be deemed for appointment to Seat 2, in accordance to Friday’s agenda.
“I believe we did a great deal of fantastic matters in Cocoa Seashore,” Martinez explained. “I am extremely proud of our report. The town has been substantially transformed since I’ve been in office.”
“I experienced a campaign assure to get puppies on a seashore, and I did. I was very pleased for that. Amid other issues, I assisted build the Sustainability Committee, which is mainly an environmental committee in the metropolis. And also, the redevelopment downtown as nicely the new parking garage the police station. So I imagine the city’s heading in a favourable course,” he said.
Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA Today (for more of his stories, simply click here.) Get hold of Neale at 321-242-3638 or [email protected]. Twitter: @RickNeale1
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This post originally appeared on Florida Right now: Cocoa Beach Town Commissioner Ed Martinez resigns successful right away