Mayor Keith James once again seeks revenge
April 4, 2023
Deep down in our hearts we knew Mayor Keith James would seek revenge for Rodney Mayo’s challenging him for the Mayoral seat, and helping with the recall of James.
Judge Curly ruled Mayo did not reside in the city of WPB and wasn’t eligible to run for mayor. A win for James.
The recall was not successful due to the fear of residents, many who said they wanted him removed, but not enough to put their signature on the petition. A win for James.
For any reasonable man/woman that would be enough, but not enough for Keith James. He wanted revenge, and he has already put his plan into action.
Artist Alley. A major disgrace initiated by Keith James.
The piece below was written by Rodney Mayo who knows the history of Artist Alley and explained it well.
“Goodbye, Einstein and The Artist Alley!”
“In the infinite wisdom of the City and Mayor Keith James, Subculture Coffees’ license to use the Alley to the west of the shop was revoked last week by Mayor James and the City. We were given five days to remove everything from the Alley. The five days will be today, Monday, April 3rd, under threat; the City will send trucks to remove everything and bill us if we don’t.
Subculture Coffee had partnered with the City, The CRA, and the DDA for seven years when the idea and project were initially proposed. It was to turn a dirt eyesore of an alleyway that was a haven for the homeless and led to many assaults and petty crimes in an amazing public space. The project’s first phase was to create a mural on the wall, now the iconic Einstein Mural seen and shared by thousands. Unfortunately, as the wheels of government-run ever so slowly, it took six years for the City to install the gates on either side of the alleyway. This occurred last October. After the Alley was secured at night with the gates, Subculture Coffee installed landscaping, planters, lounge furniture, tables, and chairs.
To our complete surprise, the city attorney personally hand-delivered an eviction letter last week with five days to remove everything and restore the Alley to what it once was, an abandoned, unused haven for the homeless and crime.
The Artist Alley has always been open to the public. Subculture Coffee agreed eight years ago to be a partner and activate it. We have held countless art shows for local artists who rarely get a chance to show their work in this City. We have held poetry and philosophy groups and numerous live music events. Many charities use the space for functions. Subculture Coffee has also policed the Alley and installed security lights and cameras. In the past six months, crime and homeless issues have virtually disappeared.
The Artist Alley has been the definition of an activated community space for all.
So why the surprise rash decision to end it all? There are no negatives, only positives. We even went so far as to offer to give all the improvements totaling $35,000 to the City. However, they still refused. We contacted every department, the DDA, the CRA, Housing & Community Development (you would think this would interest them significantly), and our commissioner. All said the same. We sympathize, but our hands are tied, and we cannot talk to you about it.
Unfortunately, the only explanation is what I feared would happen and what many warned me about. If I ran against this Mayor, there would be repercussions. Unfortunately, these are the tactics this Mayor and the City are using. They will continue to scare any potential political candidates from running against them. I spoke about this many times when I was a candidate for Mayor.
We are in this painful period of canceled elections where qualified candidates are fearful of entering any race because of intimidation. The intimidation results from the enormous sums of money thrown at the “regime” candidates (i.e., Cornerstone-backed candidates). Also, the pressure of revenge for what they can and are willing to do to someone, especially a business owner in the City.
I did expect it. It starts with Mayor James kicking us out of the Alley. I am sure it will not end there. I expect more retribution. Unfortunately, I am sad that the ultimate damage will be to our City and its community. But we will not be swayed. We will deal with whatever they want to throw at us.
Don’t forget pop-up dog park (on private property, the City denied us several times) is this Saturday, April 8th, from 3 pm to 8 pm. Adopt a needy pup, save some dogs, and have fun with our furry friends (unless Mayor James finds a way to shut us down…I’m sure he is already conniving about how)
Power to the People
Rodney”
Read the eviction letter here: Termination of License(1)
Below is the picture of Artist Alley If the colors represent Gay Pride, James has now insulted the gay community.
Click to enlarge.
500 block of Clematis St. Updated 4/4/2023 @ 4:15 PM
For the past 3 years Rodney Mayo paid the city $950/ weekly to secure a permit to close the 500 block of Clematis St. from Friday @ 5:00 PM to Sunday @ 10:00 PM. so residents could safely walk and visit stores and coffee shops without the challenge of automobiles traffic.
The current permit ends April 30, 2023 and that will be the final block closure, as the city (James) will not renew the permit.
There you have it, James doing what he does best, enacting revenge.
WPB has a “strong mayor” form of government along with to much power if you aren’t capable of handling it, and in my opinion James has never been able to handle power. To me the meaning of “strong mayor” is when someone is on the ground, you reach down and help him up. It doesn’t mean you have the power to knock someone to the ground.
The end