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Couple investigated after heated meeting clash
A St. Pete Beach couple is under investigation following a tense exchange during a recent city commission meeting. FOX 13's Blake DeVine reports.
ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. - A St. Pete Beach couple is under investigation following a tense exchange during a recent city commission meeting.
The backstory:
One week ago, Pinellas County sheriff’s deputies showed up at the couple’s home. The couple says the visit raised concerns about intimidation and a possible abuse of power.
Tensions boiled over inside St. Pete Beach City Hall during a March 24 commission meeting. The discussion centered on a controversial cell tower ordinance.
Courtesy: City of St. Pete Beach
During public comment, resident Ronald Vigneault and his wife, Lauren Mones, voiced frustration with Commissioner Jon Maldonado.
What they're saying:
"Jon you have no integrity, you’re lying. You wrote that letter," Vigneault said.
Mayor Adrian Petrila stepped in as the exchange escalated, reminding speakers about decorum.
"When you signed up on the back of that card, it clearly shows you will not participate in personal attacks," Petrila said.
Courtesy: City of St. Pete Beach
Three weeks later, Mones recorded cellphone video when Pinellas County sheriff’s detectives showed up at her Pass-a-Grille Beach home.
"They were sent to my house from a commissioner to intimidate me, to interrogate me. At least, that’s how I felt," Mones said.
Mones says the deputies also asked about her plans to attend another meeting.
"They questioned if I was going to go to the commission meeting that night," Mones said. "That really alerted me to intimidation tactics."
The other side:
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office declined an interview with FOX 13.
When asked about the couple’s allegations, PCSO Corporal Jamie Miller said in a statement:
"That assertion is false. We will release the results of our investigation in the coming days, and the reports will address the issues," Miller said.
Commissioner Maldonado also declined an on-camera interview. He instead pointed to rules governing conduct at city meetings and noted that allegations of misconduct and conflicts of interest are handled through other channels.
Vigneault is still holding hope for more transparency from local leaders.
"Let’s open conversation again and let’s solve this together as a community," Vigneault said.
Although, Mones says they aren’t backing down.
"If myself and my husband don’t call out when our constitutional rights are being taken away," Mones said. "We’re all going to find ourselves in trouble."
What's next:
Maldonado is suggesting the city create a new code of conduct for commission meetings. He has proposed holding a workshop this summer to discuss the idea.
The Source: Information for this story came from statements from the Mayor of St. Pete Beach and a city commissioner, statements from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, interviews with St. Pete Beach residents and previous reporting on FOX 13.