Times Union: Case against former Jacksonville councilman ends with $2,500 fine

[Patricia M. McBride]

Meserve entered a plea six weeks ago to criminal charges; the case stems from his accepting commissions without a license.

 

Posted: December 24, 2010 - 1:52am

 

By Drew Dixon

Former Jacksonville City Councilman John Meserve will pay $2,500 in state fines but not admit he broke the law while making $105,000 in four Mayport land deals without a real estate license.

Charlie Liem, secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, signed the settlement agreement Wednesday, ending a civil and criminal case that has lasted about a 1½ years.

The deal with the state agency comes about six weeks after Meserve pleaded no contest to criminal charges in the case.

“This is not new news,” Meserve said Thursday of the settlement. “You [the Times-Union] will continue to make it new news. But I have no comment.”

Meserve, former mayor of Atlantic Beach, had said he would go to a formal administrative hearing to challenge the state agency’s civil claims. That hearing was supposed to take place this month, but Meserve’s attorney, Andrew Kantor, instead submitted a proposed settlement.

Meserve must pay a $2,500 fine and $16.50 in investigative costs for accepting commissions on land deals without having a real estate license, agency documents show. The deal also requires Meserve to admit “that he was not a licensed real estate broker or salesperson,” which is required by state law to receive commissions on real estate deals.

Department spokeswoman Alexis Lambert said the department secretary’s signature on the settlement closes the case.

“It’s in the best interest that it be resolved for Mr. Meserve and that he move forward,” said Kantor, noting that Meserve’s health was the main reason he settled and resigned from the council after being suspended by the governor.

Kantor said Meserve’s health is improving.

Meserve pleaded no contest in November to third-degree felony charges of violating state law by accepting the commissions without a license. He got a year’s probation, 100 hours of community service and agreed to donate $40,000 to the new Beaches Veterans Memorial Park in Atlantic Beach.

The regulatory agency said Meserve violated state law when he received commissions for the land deals in 2005 and 2006.

Meserve was chairman of the Mayport Waterfront Partnership during the land deals and was mayor during the transactions in 2005.

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[Patricia M. McBride]

Ever so right George.  These politicians know how to play the system!

[George Vaughn]

Well let's see now....hhmmmm......a politician accepts $105,000 in four Mayport land deals without a
real estate license, then makes a plea deal that will ensure there is no record of a felony....."agrees" to pay a $2,500 fine and $16.50 in investigative costs and a $40,000 fine....hhhmmmm.....now the way I was taught math, that's still a net profit of $62,483.50.....not a bad gig and the added benefit of there being no record of wrongdoing.....it just doesn't get any better than that.  I'll bet he will think twice before doing that again.........................NOT!   And all of this was done while he was a sitting Mayor and Chairman of a local special interest group formed, ironically, to protect Mayport property from greedy developers.........and the $40,000 fine to the new Beaches Veterans Memorial Park in
Atlantic Beach will give the appearance that he was a major contributor and supporter of the military community that further sweetens the deal.  He comes out looking like a hero instead of a criminal.  There is no justice.