Lawyer: Seraphin’s claims are “completely meritless”

Wayne L. Helsby, the outside counsel with Allen Norton & Blue representing the City of St Augustine in the matter of former 450th Marketing Consultant Charlie Seraphin, answered the complaint of Seraphin’s lawyer, Kelly Parsons Kwiatek, saying that Seraphin’s claims are “completely meritless”.

During his association with the City, Seraphin served as a paid consultant for another entity in St. Augustine, and taught as an adjunct professor at Flagler College. He received no benefits, as do City employees, and he repeatedly referred to himself in emails he wrote as a “paid consultant”.

Seraphin had no set hours of work, had very limited reporting responsibilities to City management, had access to an office and computer at City Hall, but did not have a key to the office. The City is very confident that it will easily succeed in proving that Seraphin was legally considered an independent contractor and not an employee of the City.

Seraphin sucked $78,000 a year out of city taxpayer’s wallets, making him the highest paid 450th Musketeer; second only to Dana Ste. Claire who is paid $89,603.61 a year plus benefits.

Seraphin was contractually retained to conduct both marketing and fundraising activities for the City’s upcoming 450th Commemoration. The City Manager who terminated Seraphin’s contract, John Regan, was repeatedly questioned as to why Seraphin was not producing any significant fundraising results for the City — both by commissioners and members of the public.

While Seraphin was performing services for the City, he failed to secure any meaningful funding to offset the City’s costs for the 450th Commemoration events.

Under political protection from ex-mayor Joe Boles, who was defeated in November for re-election by St Augustine voters fed up with the incessant spending to fill a seemingly bottomless money pit, charlatans like Seraphin and Ste. Claire, used their positions and connections with the City to keep Boles in office.

The attorney representing the City said it is “unquestionably improper” and unlawful under Florida Statutes, while being paid as a consultant, to engage in political activities in opposition to a political candidate using publicly owned telephone and computer resources owned by the City of St Augustine.

Nonetheless, Seraphin went so far as to call at least one senior citizen and recommend he reconsider his political support for the woman who would become the city’s new mayor, Nancy E. Shaver. Upset by the reaction to his published letter, the elder resident feared reprisals from Seraphin or Boles and notified Shaver of the contact.