Florida Mayor Jim Rostek resigns citing corruption in letter to residents

Florida Mayor Jim Rostek resigns as he cites a pattern of corruptive behavior within the town’s administration in a scathing letter to residents last week.

In the letter, Rostek detailed his grievances against City Manager Robin Ignacio Gomez, accusing him of engaging in discretionary and discriminatory code enforcement, disregarding his requests for implementing safety policies, and wasting taxpayer funds.

Rostek’s letter outlined several instances of alleged corruption, including the city manager’s failure to establish a life jacket policy, a smoking policy, and a formal prohibition on cell phone usage for municipal employees operating city boats and vehicles.

He also shared instances of code enforcement officers not wearing life jackets and city sanitation workers texting while holding onto the back of a truck.

Rostek claimed that Gomez had ignored his requests to implement these policies and that his colleagues had employed technically-legal but unethical financial techniques, avoiding commission approval on projects totaling over $30,000 by negotiating multiple line-item contracts instead of issuing a Request for Proposals.

The mayor also attached a separation agreement between Gomez and the city of Clarkston, Georgia, dated Sept. 7, 2021, which outlined Gomez’s voluntary resignation as city manager and a non-disclosure agreement between him and city officials.

Robin Ignacio Gomez respons to Jim Rostek

Jim Rostek resigns expressed his frustration with the situation, stating, “I told him, ‘talk is cheap.’ I said, ‘you need to have policy to back up what you’ve told them, because when it comes time for a lawsuit, we’re not going to have any ammunition to substantiate.'”

In response to Rostek’s allegations, Gomez issued a statement denying the claims, stating, “It is unfortunate that the disagreements and misunderstandings of city processes and policies by Mr. Rostek led him to state/list claims of corruption, which are simply baseless and false.”

Madeira Beach is a small town located on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Jim Rostek was the mayor of Madeira Beach until his resignation while Robin Ignacio Gomez is the city manager of Madeira Beach.

Jim Rostek’s resignation was announced in a mass email to residents, detailing his grievances against Gomez and the town’s administration. The town’s residents are now left to wonder about the future of the town’s administration and the impact of Rostek’s allegations on the community.

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