In the defamation lawsuit council member John King has filed against recall committee co-chair, former council member Bill Veach, Veach has refused to answer questions King submitted during the discovery phase of the lawsuit.
During the recall process Veach claimed King violated Florida’s Sunshine Law, accepted gifts from developers, and forced out a town contracted employee. King denied all of the allegations, repeatedly calling them lies. Veach never provided any proof of his allegations, nor did he need to during the recall. King was recalled by the voters, however, a judge ruled the recall petition was flawed because Veach never identified who the contract employee was on the petition. As a result, King was able to keep his seat.
King says all of the allegations Veach made against him are false and the recall was really about his vote on the Seagate/Red Coconut redevelopment. In fact, the recallers were telling voters that’s what it was about. They did not try to hide that. Elected officials are not subject to being recalled on a vote they take which is why these other allegations are often chosen. They do fit into the criteria for a recall and recallers do not have to provide proof. They just need to convince enough of the electorate to vote the elected officials out, which they did on Fort Myers Beach for both King and Karen Woodson.
The only recourse for both of them is a defamation lawsuit if they believe the allegations are untrue.
Court filings show that King submitted three questions for Veach to answer. They are:
#1) In relation to the Sunshine Law violation allegation: Identify each private conversation you allege King had with (Council member) Karen Woodson regarding solicitation of a replacement Town Attorney, as referenced in the first allegation in the recall petition.
#2) Identify each unreported gift you allege King received, as referenced in the Second Allegation of the Recall Petition.
#3) Identify each town contract employee you allege King dictated the removal of, as referenced in the third allegation of the Recall Petition.
Veach refused to answer all three questions stating the suit is an invasion of his First Amendment right to political activities, as well as a violation of Florida’s anti-SLAPP statute. Florida’s anti-SLAPP law “prohibits meritless lawsuits designed to silence individuals or entities exercising their free speech rights on public issues.”
Last week a judge refused to dismiss Veach’s request to dismiss the lawsuit.
King’s council seat expires in November. He’s been testing the waters to see if he should run again.
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Speak for yourself Dan there are a lot of voters that`s for King
There is absolutely zero proof that the petitioners were saying the recall was about Seagate nor was that on the petition voters signed. I’m sure if you had proof of this via video, emails, etc you would have posted it but you got nothing. Be truthful!! And I’m sure you will delete this because you delete any comment that doesn’t agree with your narrative.
I have known Bill for 20+ years. He is credible, acts with integrity and Florida is lucky to have him.
The same Bill who lied about evidence for the recall?? He is none of the characteristics you mentioned.
There is no proof he lied. Nor is any proof needed when seeking a recall.
The petition did not include basic information such as location and the date the malfeasance took place, and perhaps most importantly, the name of someone who witnessed it. True or false doesn’t necessarily matter, but the petition must state a minimum level of detail to be legally sufficient in support of a recall. The appeals court should disqualify the petition.
There is nothing about Veach that is credible or has any integrity in my opinion.
Coming from a man with zero integrity. You’re a clown in my and many islanders opinion.
A true bozo indeed.
The judge denied the motion to dismiss and veach has about 2 weeks to answer the complaint. Now we get to see that mother fucker squirm !
So now Billy Boy gets a taste of how much lawyers cost. Karma is a bitch!
I look forward to the judicial system following through with a court-ordered investigation to publicly determine whether Veach was truthful. Let this be his defining moment.
There is no question that Seagate caused division on the island, but does that justify making false claims to pursue the recall of two elected Town Council members before their terms were completed? Actions have consequences—and that standard should apply to Veach as well.
Supporting a disgruntled former elected official without regard for the facts raises serious concerns about judgment and integrity. A recall based on unproven, defamatory accusations should never have taken place.
Well said Kelly
King should resign already. The voters showed they don’t want him making any more bad decisions for the town. He is like a bad cold that won’t go away.