Mark Rossi’s Name Will Not Be On The Ballot For Mayor
Be sure to watch the video above.
by Amber Nolan
Mark Rossi’s name will not be on the August 28 ballot for Mayor of Key West, the Supervisor of Elections, Joyce Griffin decided after a hearing on Wednesday, June 27.
Rossi failed to pay for the municipal election assessment by the qualifying deadline, however the website of the Supervisor of Elections mistakenly noted that he had qualified. Griffin filed for Declaratory Judgement for clarification on the Florida Statute 99.061 (7) (a), before deciding whether or not to include his name on the ballot.
The statute, revived by the Florida Supreme Court in 2016, allows a 48-hour cure period when a candidate’s check is returned by the bank. However, Rossi’s check for the “fee” was not returned. He simply did not pay it.
“The plain language of that section clearly only applies to a circumstance where a candidate’s check is returned by the bank,” Judge Koenig stated. “It does not apply to the municipal election assessment.”
“He was told that he needed a check and he did not come pay it. I have to follow Florida statute,” said Joyce Griffin.
It is unclear at this time if Rossi will challenge the decision.
SEE RELATED: DID MARK ROSSI PLAN ON FILING FOR FINANCIAL HARDSHIP TO AVOID THE ELECTION FEE?
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Great video, can’t say I didn’t love the ending :-).
Judge Koenig did a fablous job telling the lawyers, candidates and public audience what he was looking at, what he could do, what he could not do. I was the only person who spoke to Judge Koening, who said the Florida bounced check elections law and the Florida Supreme Court case that rewrote that elections law, had nothing to do with what might go down in Key West history as “the Rossi case.”
Judge Koenig was crystal clear that Joyce Griffin, not him, had to decide whether Rossi would be on the ballot. That was her job. Will Rossi appeal either Judge Koenig’s or Joyce Girffin’s rulings? Regardless, the mayoral election process will proceed.
I told Joyce after she made her decsion that she had done nothing wrong. Both Rossi and his campaign expert campaign treasurer, Barry Gibson, a former city commissioner, too, who later had run against Joyce Griffin, both knew the $225 fee had to be paid, unless Rossi filed a financial hardship waiver.
I told Joyce it was all that ghost Angela’s fault. (Angela lives in the Supervisor of Elections Office.) And then the ghost over in the Clerk of the Court building across the way got involved.
If you think I’m woofing, drop by Joyce’s office and let her and her nice staff of ladies tell you all about Angela. Then, walk over and ask Clerk of the Court Kevin Madok and his staff about their lady ghost, who has no name.