A Mayor of Florida He abruptly resigned in an explosive letter to all residents last Friday, outlining a pattern of “corrupt behavior” that pervaded the small town’s government.
“What’s happening in this little town is just wrong,” said Jim Rostek, now former mayor of Madeira Beach. told Fox 13 on Wednesday. “I’m sorry I have to leave. It’s for my health. Please keep fighting. I’ll always try to support you. Please keep doing what’s right.”
According to a June 14 letter reviewed by Fox News Digital, Rostek’s allegations point to City Manager Robin Ignacio Gomez and her “discretionary” and “discriminatory” code enforcement.
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Madeira Beach Mayor Jim Rostek resigned on June 14 and sent a letter to all community residents accusing his city government of “corrupt practices.” (Fox 13 Tampa)
“I am sad to leave. But as City Manager, I cannot be a part of Gomez’s corrupt behavior, roundabout talk, lying, preferential treatment to ‘some’ people, or discriminatory enforcement practices. Along with the daily waste of taxpayer money and trying to justify it,” Rosteck wrote. “In the end, some will make it to the pearly gates and some will not. I will always do what is right moral and rightOthers, not so much.”
The resigned mayor claimed that Gomez allegedly ignored Rosteck’s requests to institute a life jacket policy, a smoking policy, and a formal ban on mobile phone use for municipal employees operating city boats and vehicles.
“I got pictures from a resident of the code enforcement boat with people on board doing their job, I think, without life jackets on,” Rostek said. “The smoking policy … I’ve seen one or two of them smoking in city vehicles. federal law About that thing. He refuses to implement the policy.
Madeira Beach Mayor Jim Rosteck described himself as a man with a strong ethical and safety agenda and said he suffered repeated health problems as he grappled with alleged mismanagement. (Google Map)
Rostek complained that he has seen city sanitation workers holding the back of a truck with one hand and texting with the other.
He added, “(Gomez is) very well liked by the staff, because in my opinion it’s ‘Camp Run Amok.’ We should set an example for the public.”
Rostek also alleges that his former co-workers used technically legitimate but unethical financial techniques. He claims they avoided commission approval on projects totaling more than $30,000 by negotiating multiple line-item contracts at lower amounts rather than issuing a request for proposals.
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Former Madeira Beach District 4 Commissioner Anne-Marie Brooks replaced Madeira Beach Mayor Jim Rosteck after his resignation. (Fox 13 Tampa)
Attached to the June 14 email was a separation agreement between Gomez and the city of Clarkston, Georgia. This document, released on September 7, 2021, outlines Gomez’s voluntary resignation as city manager and states that she and city officials cannot discuss her career with other parties.
Rostek told FOX 13 he is very conscious of ethics, safety and the city’s responsibility, and that the stress from conflicts with his former co-workers led to him suffering several health issues.
“I told them, ‘Talk is cheap,’” Rosteck said. “I said, ‘You need to have a policy to prove everything you told them, because when it comes time to sue, we won’t have any ammunition as evidence,’” he told the outlet. “If you can’t get the little things right, what about the big things?”
“God only knows what else is going on,” he added. “Until you dig deep and investigate, you don’t know what you don’t know.”
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In an email to FOX 13, Gomez denied Rosteck’s claims.
“While entitled to their opinions, the City has provided responses and solutions to the comments, however none have been fully supported/agreed upon/understood by Mr. Rostek,” Gomez wrote. “It is unfortunate that the disagreement and misunderstanding by Mr. Rostek regarding City procedures and policies led him to state/listen to claims of corruption, which are completely unfounded and false.”
He added, “We continue to carry out our daily operations and responsibilities in the most ethical manner possible in accordance with federal, state, county and city laws/ordinances/statutes.”
Anne-Marie Brooks, previously a city commissioner, has taken over as Madeira Beach mayor in Rosteck’s absence.
Gomez wrote that the city administrator will hold a special meeting next week to fill her vacant seat on the commission.
Commissioners have voted to reinstate Gomez’s contract until 2028, according to news agency Xinhua. TBN Weekly.
Meanwhile, Rostek told FOX 13 he hopes “someone at the state level will contact him about the alleged corruption in the small town.”
