Suspended Tamarac Mayor To Remain Out Of Jail
FT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – Tamarac's 'on again', 'off again' mayor Beth Flansbaum-Talabisco will remain out of jail as her corruption case winds through the legal system, That was the decision of a Broward judge Thursday morning.
In 2011, Flansbaum-Talabisco was suspended from office after she was charged with unlawful compensation, bribery, official misconduct and conspiracy to commit unlawful compensation.
Flansbaum-Talabisco is accused of secretly accepting $21,000 from developers Bruce and Shawn Chait to support her 2006 campaign. In exchange for the contribution, the state claimed that she voted favorably for the Chaits' company, Prestige Homes, which wanted to build more than 700 homes on two former golf courses near Florida's Turnpike and Commercial Boulevard while avoiding paying big money in development fees to the city and Broward School District.
In 2012, Cynthia Imperato dismissed the public corruption charges leveled against her citing a lack of evidence and Governor Rick Scott restored her to her office.
Last July, the Fourth District Court of Appeal decided that Judge Imperato was out of line when she threw out the case against her, causing the charges to be reinstated against Flansbaum-Talabisco.
After the state's Supreme Court refused to hear her case, Scott suspended her from office for a second.
On Tuesday, Tamarac commissioners tapped Harry Dressler to take over the mayor's position.
Flansbuam-Talabisco, who has denied the allegations, is due back in court next month.
