Beach commissioner bares all tonight

In a continuation of the August 6 meeting of the St Augustine Beach Commission that convenes at 7:00 p.m. tonight, a four-page letter and three pages of e-mail submitted to the City on August 2 by Commissioner Undine Pawlowski titled, “Rumors and personal matters” will be aired.

The two new business items on tonight’s agenda include a request from Pawlowski for discussion of a City Charter provision establishing the number of commission votes needed to hire or fire police chief and a request by Commissioner Samuels to discuss individual commissioners involved in legal matters that may concern the entire commission.

Pawlowski recently canceled a town hall meeting, saying that she was in fear of her personal safety. In her August 2 letter, she said the Beach Commission is acquiring a reputation of being petty and vindictive and likened to a Jerry Springer television show.

She accused the other commissioners of engaging in “rumor driven terrorism” and “political opportunism, judgmentalism and attacking behavior”.

On one hand, Pawlowski asserts, “I am an open book”. However, she goes on to say some matters are not appropriate for public meetings because they may “infringe on personal safety” and “private rights, including property rights”.

Pawlowski said in her letter that she is the victim of “obsessive attention by various individuals with very questionable motives”. Without naming names in her letter, Pawlowski says that she has already told “certain individuals” that she considers their further contact to be an “act of aggression and stalking, harassing behavior”.

She also says that she is the victim of comments, some of which are slanderous, much of which are rumors. Threatening to “move forward with appropriate legal action”, Pawlowski wrote that the purpose of her letter is to “dispense with the rumors and lies” and “to put the truth on notice”, thus laying the groundwork for a defamation lawsuit.

The statements made in the letter from Commissioner Pawlowski address accusations regarding the report written by the current employees of the Beach Police Department, questions pertaining to her residency and a civil notary violation.

Pawlowski calls for, “a more nurturing environment for debate and receptivity to new ideas”.

If you plan to attend, the special meeting will convene tonight, Monday, August 27, at 7:00 p.m. in the St Augustine Beach City Commission Meeting Room located at 2200 A1A South in St Augustine Beach.