Gov. Scott Orders Poitier's Suspension From Deerfield Commission
TALLAHASSEE (CBS4) - Governor Rick Scott issued an Executive Order Thursday night to suspend Deerfield Beach City Commissioner Sylvia Poitier from her seat as she faces public corruption charges.
Poitier was charged Wednesday with five counts of falsifying public records. She turned herself into authorities the same day. Poitier has since been released on bond.
The charges stem from information submitted on conflict of interest forms the 75-year old life long Deerfield Beach resident filed with the city in 2009 concerning her vote for a $30 thousand grant to the Westside Deerfield Businessman Association. According to investigators, the association owed Poitier's brother, Lionel Ferguson, $46 thousand plus interest on a loan he had made to the group at Poitier's request.
"The grant was not awarded, but Poitier's vote was a potential conflict of interest. According to the arrest affidavit, Poitier failed to properly disclose to her fellow commissioner's and the public that a financial relationship existed between the WDBA and Lionel Ferguson. This disclosure should have taken place, and the proper paperwork filed, each time the WDBA was a topic to be voted on by the city of Deerfield Beach Commission.
Sylvia Poitier Arrest Affidavit
Poitier worked for the WDBA before her 2005 election to the commission and still serves as a volunteer. Her daughter, Felicia, was vice president and now serves as the WDBA president.
A long time fixture in Broward politics, Poitier first served on the city's commission from 1973 to 1985. Over the following years, she was the city's Mayor and Vice Mayor and was even appointed to the County Commission in 1986 by former Governor Bob Graham. In a landslide victory, she returned to the city commission in 2005.
Her five charges fall under Florida's "Falsifying Records" statute, which is a misdemeanor. Each count is punishable by a $1,000 fine and up to a year in jail.
