Florida Supreme Court rejects Botel request, ending her bid for re-election in Riviera Beach

The Florida Supreme Court has denied a request from Riviera Beach City Councilwoman Julia Botel for a rehearing in a case where a lower court ruled that she did not follow state law in qualifying as a candidate for re-election.

Friday's decision makes Botel's opponent, former Long Beach, N.Y., city manager Glen Spiritis, councilman-elect in District 4, which includes Singer Island. The city has already scheduled his swearing in for March 20, a day after municipal elections will be held.

"I am, of course, disappointed in the Florida Supreme Court ruling, but I am content in the fact that I fought the good fight on behalf of my constituents for as long as I could," Botel said. "I am so grateful for the outpouring of support I have received from both Singer Island and the mainland of Riviera Beach during this long legal battle. I intend to continue to serve my city in whatever ways I can as a private citizen going forward."

Botel, a 76-year old former educator, handily defeated Spiritis in 2021, earning her a second three-year term. That term was rocky, however.

The only white City Council member in majority-Black Riviera Beach, Botel angered many Black residents who said she spread racist misinformation about a Singer Island beach party that was expected to draw a large Black crowd on July 3, 2022.

Botel apologized, but that did not quell the anger of many Black residents, who saw it as another moment of racial division between the largely Black western portion of the city and the more affluent, largely white Singer Island portion Botel represents on the City Council.

Residents obtained thousands of signatures in a recall petition that failed when the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office determined the signatures were invalid because the petitions did not include the name of the city or the county, as is required by law.

Botel announced last year that she would not seek a third term. She backed her legislative aide for the seat, but when the aide was arrested, Botel decided to jump back into the race — literally hours before the noon November 21 filing deadline, court documents show.

Botel, however, did not file her campaign paperwork by the noon deadline. She claimed that a City Council member with whom she frequently sparred, Tradrick McCoy, shouted racial epithets at her and berated city clerk staff in a bid to delay the filing of her paperwork.

McCoy would not comment in detail on the allegation other than to say it was "defamatory."

The city alleged in court documents that Botel paid her campaign filing fee with a cashier's check instead of one drawn from a campaign account, as is required by law.

Still, the city initially determined that Botel was a qualified candidate for re-election. It soon reversed course, however, noting the post-noon filing of her paperwork and the use of the cashier's check to pay her filing fee.

Botel sued and initially won a ruling in her favor when Palm Beach County Circuit Court Judge Scott Kerner determined that the city was "ultra-sensitive" and "draconian" in its reading of state election law.

The city and Spiritis appealed the ruling to the Fourth District Court of Appeal, which reversed Kerner, saying Botel's use of a funds from a non-campaign account was enough to disqualify her. Botel sought a rehearing from the appellate court, but it refused to grant that request.

Botel then sought an expedited briefing from the state Supreme Court. On Friday, the court denied that request, ending Botel's legal options in the matter.

Spiritis, 71, works as a developer of affordable housing. He has said that work and his experience with local government in New York give him a background that will serve him well on City Council.

As Spiritis takes his seat, the city is facing a variety of huge issues.

Voters on Tuesday will consider a trio of ballot initiatives that, if approved, would allow the city to raise $115 million in bond funds to pay for a new police department headquarters, a new fire station and new parks.

The city is also in the design and planning stages for a new water treatment plant that could cost $200 million and might not be operational until 2027.

That's a long wait for residents who are questioning the safety of their drinking water in the aftermath of what the city's utility admits was a positive test for E. coli in a well last year.

The utility said the fecal contaminant did not make it into the city's water supply, but Mayor Ronnie Felder, who has launched an investigation in the positive test and the city's response to it, said Palm Beach County water quality experts told him the contaminant was found in two wells, not one, and that it did make it into the city's water supply.

Spiritis has been critical of what he described as the too-slow process of building a new water treatment plant, which he argues has allowed the cost residents will eventually have to pay for it to skyrocket.

He said "clean water is the No. 1 priority."

Spiritis added that finding a permanent solution to beach erosion on Singer Island and preserving the Lake Worth Lagoon are also key priorities.

"I'm hopeful that my experience and my age will assist in bringing the council together to successfully resolve the issues the city is currently facing," he said.

Wayne Washington is a journalist covering West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach and race relations at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at wwashington@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida Supreme Court rejects Riviera Beach Councilwoman request