4 of 5 St. Pete Beach city council members announce resignation on heels of new Florida law
ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. - A new law in Florida will require small-town local officials to disclose in-depth financial information, including their net worth and the price of any assets they own over $1,000.
The new law, referred to as Form 6, is causing a wave of resignations among elected local officials. At a St. Pete Beach city council meeting on Monday, four out of the five council members announced they would resign effective Dec. 30th, including the vice mayor.
"I’m very disappointed, quite frankly. It’s not something that I wanted to do," St. Pete Beach Vice Mayor Mark Grill said. "I believe it’s [an] invasion of privacy, and a bigger concern, I believe this overreach by state government is an attack on our home rule; at the local level, the state tries to preempt us from running our city how we see best."
The SPB Mayor was the only member who did not resign. FOX 13 spoke with him Monday after the meeting:
"Personally, I feel bad that they’re put into the position where they have to choose between serving the city and not," We’ve had one commissioner – [Ward Friszolowski] today, he served the city for 32 years. So I think we are losing some amazing people."
A few council members had concerns about their spouses' finances also being public, and employment concerns, having to potentially name clients or customers of their primary business. Some just worried about safety when listing the price of their personal possessions.
"It is a loss for the city, and moving forward it’s a loss because the right people may be afraid [or] concerned to step up in the future," said Grill.
At least a dozen council members have also resigned in Bellair, Indian Rocks Beach and Seminole. The new law is set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2024.