Home / Government / Safety Harbor resident files lawsuit against Mayor Steingold, others

Safety Harbor resident files lawsuit against Mayor Steingold, others

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Jim Barge speaks at the Safety Harbor City Commission meeting on Nov. 2, 2015. Barge recently filed a lawsuit against Mayor Andy Steingold, among others, alleging slander stemming from an election eve incident in 2014.
Jim Barge speaks at the Safety Harbor City Commission meeting on Nov. 2, 2015. Barge recently filed a lawsuit against Mayor Andy Steingold, among others, alleging slander stemming from an election eve incident in 2014.

Although there is not a municipal election being held in the City of Safety Harbor in 2016, an incident that occurred on Election Eve two years ago is making headlines today.

According to a story posted last week on the website St. Petersblog, Safety Harbor resident Jim Barge recently filed a slander lawsuit against the city’s mayor, Andy Steingold, among others, alleging he was falsely accused of stealing a Steingold campaign sign during the run up to the city’s 2014 municipal election.

The article states that the lawsuit names Steingold, as well as WTSP News investigative reporter Mike Deeson, and it accuses the two of scheming with Ray Duke, a decorated Safety Harbor fire captain and the man who took the video in question, to create a “false story” painting Barge, an Ayoub supporter, as a sign thief.

The video was reportedly shot four days before the March 11, 2014 special election.

Safety Harbor resident Jim Barge.
Safety Harbor resident Jim Barge.

According to the article, after Duke shared the video with Steingold, the now-mayor asked the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office to investigate the theft. Steingold also reportedly released the video to Deeson, who aired it as part of a 10 News Investigates piece during the five o’clock news on election eve.

Steingold went on to defeat Ayoub by less than 100 votes that year in what was called one of the closest elections in Safety Harbor’s history.

In the lawsuit, Barge, an outspoken business owner who has occasionally butted heads with the mayor during city commission meetings over the years, claims the video and news report damaged his reputation.

He said the property owners gave him permission to remove the signs, but there is some dispute as to whether the signs were located on an easement in a right of way, according to the article.

Safety Harbor Connect reached out to the parties involved for their comment on the lawsuit, and they either had no comment or referred us to their legal representatives.

WTSP News investigative reporter Mike Deeson. Credit: WTSP.com.
WTSP News investigative reporter Mike Deeson. Credit: WTSP.com.

“As a journalist, I hate to say “no comment,” but the lawsuit prohibits me from commenting,” Deeson said by phone on Monday afternoon.

“It’s not because I don’t want to, or I have anything to hide. But I’m prohibited from saying anything at this time because of the lawsuit.”

After initially agreeing to speak freely about the suit, Barge said he was advised to remain silent as well.

“I want to talk about it, but my attorney thinks it’s wise not to speak publicly about it, so I’m going to refer all questions to him,” Barge said, referring us to his lawyer, Zachary Zuroweste of the Persante Law Group in Clearwater.

“I’m just trying to get the truth out there and clear my name,” he added. “And you can quote me on that.”

A message left at Zuroweste’s office was not returned by the time of this article’s publication.

Mayor Steingold also referred us to his attorney, Jack Gordon of the Tampa firm of Maney & Gordon, P.A.

According to Gordon, the lawsuit filed by barge is “frivolous” and will be revealed as such when and if the case ever comes before a judge.

Safety Harbor Mayor Andy Steingold.
Safety Harbor Mayor Andy Steingold.

“The complaint is procedurally defective and will be subjected to dismissal,” Gordon said by phone on Tuesday.

“The allegations border on frivolous from a legal perspective, and from a common sense perspective, it borders on absurd.”

Gordon said regardless of whether Barge was given permission by a property owner to remove the sign, he had no legal right to remove the signs from the premises.

“He can take them down, but he can’t remove them and take them away to convert them for his own use,” he said, adding that the fact that Barge brought the sign to his house warranted the offended party, in this case, Steingold, to call the police regarding the theft.

“Mr. Steingold didn’t direct the police to detain Mr. Barge. He reported to police the alleged criminal activity,” Gordon said.

Gordon then reiterated “there is no legal basis for the suit,” and he decried the fact that no matter how it plays out, a lot of money will be spent and reputations will be tarnished.

“The problem is, Mr. Steingold now has to confer legal expenses and costs that could add up to thousands and thousands of dollars against a frivolous and legally unsupported lawsuit,” he said.

“It’s very unfortunate, and all it does is breed acrimony.”

In addition to Steingold, Deeson and Duke, Barge also named Shelly Shellenberg, a Safety Harbor code enforcement board member who is no stranger to controversy herself, in the suit.

The suit claims Shellenberg is the moderator of a Facebook page that Barge said referenced the WTSP report in a post, and she called him defamatory names online.

Barge is seeking damages in the suit.

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Note: An earlier version of this article stated Shelly Shellenberg was a Safety Harbor code enforcement officer. She is actually a code enforcement board member. The article has been corrected to reflect the change.

12 Comments

  1. Someone took 4 Joe Ayoub signs from my lawn that year. I did not authorize the removal of those signs. I wonder who took those and whose supporters were involved in the removal of those signs. During that election I was appalled by the sheer nastiness from the people on Stiengold’s side.

    • Natalie, now that you bring it up, I also had a Joe Ayoub and Chris Logan sign stolen from the front of my house. It must of been the crazy supporters of the opponents. Quite appalling tactics .

      And even a Fire Chief involved. ?

  2. What ever happened to ethics, morals, and simple neighborly care??? Everything is frivolous to a defense attorney! It’s their job to think that way, is ethics even a course included in law school anymore? Certainly there’s not room for it. Regardless what the law says about it – putting your property on someone else’s without permission is simply wrong and then having a fire chief (we all know how hard the fire department campaigns in our town!) spy on you and actually video tape you on your own street so that it can be used to win a silly small town election is certainly not ethical behavior!

    • OMG Jenny! Thank you for filling us in on the rest of the story and to think another person in a Safety Harbor government position (the Fire Chief) is participating in these kind of events. Wondering also if the Fire Chief actually videoed this on work time?

      Also for a city the size of five square miles, how many city pick-up trucks are actually needed? Noticed for Monday’s (March 21st) Commission Meeting there is an agenda item to purchase an additional 2 more pick-up trucks. Community members who pay taxes for your property, please check out the number of city pick-up trucks for only a five square mile city…..it is absolutely amazing. There is even a city pick-up truck that states “Finance” on the pick-up door below the Safety Harbor seal. It’s parked behind City Hall. I’m sure the word “Finance” will be immediately removed after someone reads this blog by the employee that is charged only with making signs for this city of five square miles. I guess the Finance Director needs a pick-up truck to get to an “emergency” finance meeting in the five square miles of Safety Harbor.

      What kind of Mayor is running this city? Remember where your taxes $’s are going. It seems to be more pick-up trucks.

      Wondering if the city can provide a listing of all the city vehicles they have and exactly what they are used for. Jeff, this would make a great article for the Safety Harbor Connect. Please consider. Thank you for always reporting the ongoing stories in this city. The community appreciates you.

      • As a resident I too would like a pick up truck. Seriously way to many city vehicles but I guess if we didn’t have all the equipment and vehicles the Holiday parade would only be 15 minutes long.

  3. This is America and I guess everyone has their own right to file a lawsuit whether it may be frivolous or not if he or she feels harmed in anyway.

    I have to question Mayor Steingold’s report to police as “alleged criminal activity” in regards to the removal of the sign. This sounds a bit like petty high school “kid” stuff. I would of hoped that as a candidate for an open mayoral position that someone would not have to stoop that low to contact a reporter with WTSP news who aired this information on the 5 o’clock news. This makes our community of Safety Harbor look very silly and foolish.

    Mayor Steingold, there has been a lot of what appears to be alleged criminal activity on the south side of main street (i.e., cars being ransacked, suspicious individuals coming out of alley’s behind homes, attempted break-ins, porch screens being burned to get into area, etc.). Can you please focus your attention on this alleged criminal activity in our community. Thank you in advance for your efforts.

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