Former Alachua City Planner releases open letter accusing City Manager of ignoring staff concerns about developments
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
ALACHUA, Fla. – An open letter from one of the three City of Alachua Planners who recently resigned alleges that City Manager Mike DaRoza allows former City Manager Adam Boukari to have significant influence over development decisions.
Justin Tabor, who worked for the City for over 17 years, wrote that he and two other senior staff members resigned within two weeks because recommendations from the City’s planning staff were ignored and they were instructed to bring forward projects that were not ready for consideration.
Tabor wrote, “Most of the issues within the Planning Department are a result of outside influence on leadership. Specifically, the influence that former City Manager Adam Boukari has had on current City Manager Mike DaRoza. In my opinion, it appears that former City Manager Adam Boukari never relinquished control of the City Manager’s position and has been essentially co-managing the City with Mr. DaRoza, while representing developers’ interests in a private capacity.”
Tabor alleges that Boukari’s involvement with development applications “progressively increased over several years… I can confirm this continued up to my resignation and is likely continuing to occur. While Mr. Boukari’s involvement representing developers was once manageable, his involvement ultimately began to influence the direction being provided to Planning staff by City Manager DaRoza.”
Tabor provided several examples of developments that he felt were not ready to be presented to the Planning & Zoning Board for various reasons but said DaRoza instructed staff to place them on agendas. Some of these developments were the Mill Creek projects that have raised concerns from Alachua County staff and Commissioners.
Tabor wrote that an instruction from DaRoza to place the Tara April Special Exception Permit on the agenda for the February 11 Planning & Zoning Board meeting was the final straw when he knew he “could not in good conscience remain employed with the City.”
He specified that as a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, he must uphold ethical standards to serve the public interest in the planning process, and continued, “In THIS MOMENT I knew that I was being asked to put the interests of a developer above the interests of the public.”
Tabor wrote, “In my opinion, based on my first-hand experiences, the direction City Manager DaRoza gave to Planning staff to schedule these two applications for public hearings despite Planning staff’s concerns was orchestrated by former City Manager Adam Boukari to fulfill the needs or desires of Mr. Boukari’s private clients.”
Tabor concludes, “It cannot be lost on the Commission that three senior professionals resigned in two weeks. You must ask yourself this: If we were not adequately doing our jobs, why do our performance evaluations [not] reflect poor performance? Staff throughout the organization know our character and know that we upheld the best interests of the City in every action we took. Yes, there may have been some in the development community that did not like us doing our jobs but that’s what we were hired by the City to do. To do otherwise would be a disservice to the public and to the City Commission.”
Tabor asks the City Commission to reconsider a February 10 decision to end an investigation into why the Planners resigned and says it was “not because other job opportunities were presented or that retirement was already planned. Yes, perhaps the circumstances led to that, but job opportunities and retirement were not the driving force.”
Hope the commissioners at the city of Alachua start listening to the citizens and stop the awful developments they are trying to push thru and prioritize our environment and drinking water
Jacob Fletcher is running for City of Alachua Commission Seat 2 for the very reasons stated in the article. Make sure to vote on Tuesday April 8th.
The City of Alachua lacks transparency, and City Leadership needs to change at many levels in order to save the City. Citizens have been telling the Commission and the Planning & Zoning Board that what they have been doing is not for the good of the public–only for the benefit of land developers. This message has been soundly ignored with 5-0 votes in favor of developments. Citizens have been told by the Chair of the Planning & Zoning Board publicly that the Board is “merely changing colors on a map.” Unqualified testimony is often given by members of the Commission on behalf of developers and development. It’s time for this nonsense to stop.
It’s way past time for a change at the Alachua City Hall. Alachua Commissioners have approved massive developments without new roads or proper studies.
The traffic from these developments will exit onto US 441 with no new infrastructure to handle it.
We’ve been appalled at the developments spreading within the City of Alachua. Traffic is already so bad, particularly around the Publix shopping area and yet it continues. Though we don’t live in Alachua, 441 is the main thoroughfare to get to Gainesville. Please reconsider request for the Planning Department investigation.
Very interesting comment. Alachua shouldn’t develop because it’s used as a thoroughfare from other areas to get to Gainesville.
LOL Some 20 years ago Alachua City Commissioner Jean Chambers was complaining about “all that traffic passing through Alachua” on FEDERAL Highway 441. Nothing has changed.
Sorry for your inconvenience as you drive through our urban sprawl!!! 🙄 And just imagine, there’s no end in sight! You can however, drive right through downtown where it’s just about completely dead now.
If you mean Gainesville downtown, far from it.
Yes it appears they want it that way so they can scoop up the real estate and tear it down to make it like University Ave.
Tell Jacob he better step it up and start knocking on doors! He needs to put up some signs too! If you know him, tell him his Facebook page needs work! He’s got to be more personable and let people know more of who he is and what he’s all about! There’s no way he’s going to win a seat at this point. I’ve lived in Alachua for many years.
Hey clown he’s lived in Alachua for 8 months. He has no shot. Besides Ed Potts has done a great job
Potts says yes when he should say no.
Potts has more integrity than any of them sitting up there. I like Jacob but he should have ran against Coerper. Would have gone to a runoff and he likely would have won.
Ok. Hear me out. Maybe the planners shouldn’t be in charge. They aren’t elected. They answer to no-one.
If a project isn’t getting to a public hearing because some planner has an opinion, well maybe someone should push the project into the public.
I am not going to give some nameless, drunk with power planner the ability to single handedly decided the fate of a proposal because he or she has some letters after their name.
“Drunk with power” perfectly describes the Boukaris.
Drunk with power is fitting. Gib Coerper had an altercation with a trucker while perhaps feeling his power. Ben Boukari enjoyed driving around with the Gray Goose riding as shotgun in his truck. He caused a serious accident on I-75, and another incident in Lake City where he tried to out-run law enforcement, which resulted in a tase to the butt. Google has more details…. Both were elected officials at the time.
And just how does one get early release from probation in Alachua County when he broke the agreement for probation by getting another DUI in another county?
Thanks for bringing this up. Ben Boukari got both his DUIs during the daytime, not at bar closing time. He was a sitting Alachua Commissioner at the time. If a Democrat or non rubber stamper of Alachua real estate deals got such an arrest, let alone two, the Alachua County Today, run by Ben’s brother Brian Boukari, brother of city worker Adam Boukari, would have a headline in 6 inch tall type “Opponent of our sacred real estate deals gets DUIs.”
NOT ONE WORD WAS EVER PRINTED in the ACT about either of Ben Boukari’s DUIs. Showing once and for all they are a propaganda sheet for the developers, not a “newspaper” of any sort.
Also how does one get a real estate broker license with multiple DUI charges?
Having two DUI convictions may impact your ability to obtain a real estate broker’s license and be bonded, as the Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC) will review your application and consider the nature and severity of the offenses, potentially leading to denial or disciplinary action.
Inside connections? A staple of small town Southern politics.
Look up case 01-2010-CT-005642-A at the courthouse. True facts:
In 2010 an underage person was stopped by GPD downtown at bar closing time and charged with DUI. Was scheduled to go to trial when SA William Cervone suddenly dropped the charges. With no DUI conviction, the person could pass the background check for the Florida Bar and become today’s fine upstanding Alachua lawyer and publisher Habib Bryan Boukari.
Yes that one.
The ones drunk with power are the commissioners. They vote to damage our city all the time and 90 percent of the time vote the same way. Even against the city attorney’s advice.
Gee…wonder where Boukari learned his tactics from? Seems like there’s alot of former political figures affiliated with the city that can’t seem to keep their nose out of current business decisions. Certainly these people must have something to gain or hide by sticking around and protecting each other. It’s time to overhaul the city starting with the mayor. Where there’s smoke there’s fire.
Boukari was hired by, and learned all his ethical values from, Clovis Watson Jr.
Boukari was hired as a part time intern by Watson. Tracey Cain hired him as Assistant City Manager then the Commission hired him as City Manager.
Former city manager Traci Cain was hired as a filing clerk fresh out of high school. Her previous “government experience” on her resume was “part time Mary Kay salesman.”
The 20 years history of “promote from within” and grossly overpay unqualified people only buys loyalty. It does not get competence.
Such haters 😂😂😂 Alachua is a leader of the small towns in Alachua County.
I don’t live in Alachua, but how refreshing and necessary it is to see city employees actually standing firm in integrity and ethics. Gainesville should be listening. It’s time for our politicians and city staff to remember who they are first and foremost, citizens with a responsibility to those that live and pay the taxes in our communities. We’ve have enough of bad politics and staff in the pockets of developers. God bless our rural communities and people of integrity. Thank you!
On July 4, 2024 the Florida Dept of Law Enforcement raided the law offices of Bryan Boukari and the Alachua County Today newspaper. Many, many boxes were hauled out of that office taking hours. Then again in January of this year, FDLE was inside Alachua City Hall questioning employees. So what is the depth of the corruption in Alachua and who exactly are the players?
So true, but the enemy is time. The election is barely 3 weeks away on April 8. If the FDLE does not make this case public before then, there is a 95% chance the incumbents get reelected. Then we get 3 more years of Mayor Mustachio and every quick buck real estate developer on earth.
Corruptness in the FDLE!
You said that not me …but… Adam Boukari is an arse kissing Republican and Desantis appointee. Desantis and the Tallahassee Republican machine has been protecting him, IMHO. If he was a Democrat the grand jury would have the case long ago, IMHO.
They only raided the Boukari law office. It is in the same building as Alachua County Today newspaper but their offices were not part of the search warrant/raid.
Dear Alachua Moderate: Questions.
The law office is that of lawyer Brian Habib Boukari.
The pseudo newspaper is owned and operated by editor Brian Habib Boukari.
Is it possible to separate the roles?
And is it better or worse to search an officer of the court or an editor?
Correction to make things right.
His name is “Habib Bryan Boukari” not “Bryan Habib Boukari.” It is his brother the former Alachua city commissioner that is “Ben Habib Boukari.” Adam is the only brother to avoid getting the Habib name. So many Habibs, so hard to keep them straight.
From a personal perspective, I would highly doubt that one business is clean if the other one is dirty. Was just correcting what you posted.
And I would guess that both are high bars to cross. Getting a warrant to search a paper is likely pretty difficult and I’d imagine that getting a warrant to search an attny’s office is even harder (which led me to believe that FDLE must have had pretty good documentation to obtain that warrant).
It’s not only time to review and reconsider the decision to thwart the investigation into the resignations, but more importantly who voted against it and why they felt that transparency was a problem
So the guy who wanted to be assistant city manager and didn’t get the job resigns and then writes a letter throwing shade against the city. Sounds like a disgruntled employee. This is a great place to work.
At least the guy had the courage to use his name, j/s…
Good one, Frank Johnson.
You sound like someone who is a little disgruntled yourself.
So how do you explain the other two senior planners resigning as well? Team disgruntled?
26 Year Employee – why hide who you are?
Got a feeling this comment was written by someone who liked the love boat…
What happens on the boat stays on the boat… or ends up in a FDLE investigation!
The actions of the board and “planning … to get rich” have real life costs to people that don’t come immediately to mind.
As a resident in Briarwood, the whispers of corruption have certainly turned to shouts over the last two years. No sane human being with a soul would have let construction go on here as it has without under-the-table deals. Heavy construction and transport 18 wheeled trucks still use 235A and run down our main road with no real sidewalk. Decisions to ignore citizen calls and messages and saving money on the access road to 441 really affects people and endanges my chilsren every day. And who allows a builder to fully control residents “homeowners association”? Thr list goes on for a boring amount of time.
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Remember, on August 5 2021City Manager Adam Boukari resigned. The city commission, including Mayor Coerper, immediately hired him on a ‘consulting contract” for $8000 per month to train and/or micromanage the new city manager. No fixed hours, no fixed duties, just hire him at $96,000 per year on a “pure payola with the taxpayers money deal.” Pay him most of his city managers salary, but he never has to show up, what a deal.
Just as is mentioned in Tabor’s letter. Boukari never left, but became a private consultant at a company called “abbfortis.com” working with developers while at the same time was paid by the city to be the shadow city manager and herding through development deals.
It is past grand jury time IMHO.
If Alachua residents condone such activity, they will reelect the Mayor.
If they wish to rid city hall of the Clovis/Boukari stench, they will not vote for the incumbents on April 8. Simple choice.
On July 12, 2021, sunbiz.org says a Florida Limited Liability Company L21000318154 was created by Adam Boukari of Alachua. Name: ABBFORTIS STRATEGIES, LLC.
While he was city manager. He also did not pay for an LDR review or pay his business tax to start it. He had to be called out on it before he payed.
Thank you for this information. Just goes to show how thecitizens are always left out of knowing crucial information! $8,000./month is highway robbery. How many residents of city of Alachua cannot afford groceries or rent?
Most do not realize we have a 60 plus million dollar budget and a million that we know about went missing under Clovis
Most also do not know abbfortis AKA Ellen Boukari and Adam Boukari pushed to have the city of Alachua remove the requirements for developers to put up a surity bond.
Apparently the city is also not requiring impact fees for the last 15 years. No wonder our taxes and water rates keep climbing.
Maybe someone should look into how Alachua Police Dept was able to hire Chad Scott back as a Captain while he was running for Sheriff? Did that create a hostile work environment at APD? Why did no one speak up?
The investigation into the Boukari’s needs to come out. Not only is it disgusting but the people that have known about this going on (Mayor, City Manager, the higher ups in APD, Santa Fe high school officials) also need to be punished. What they have done and continue to do to children and people of this town! Thankfully someone that has seen firsthand what a “yes man” the city manager, that isn’t even qualified for the job, is being has spoken up and hopefully opened some eyes!
LOL! This has been going on for over 40+years. It is how the City of Alachua does business. I moved out of the city 20 years ago because of how they vote against residents and FOR any developer that comes along.
Whoever is running for seat 1 and 2 better step it up and make themselves known! They better bring their A game! I live downtown and I haven’t seen one sign or any clue of an election coming up!!! Gibb is well connected in this town. It’s definitely not because he has a good personality either.
There are no signs of an election. That is the way they like it. It equals low turnout and keeps them in power.
Every meeting for zoning and plan approval that I have ever attended for the City of Alachua was a blatant rubber stamp for the projects. We would have multiple citizens and experts speaking out against these developments on sensitive land and they were completely ignored. It’s infuriating. It’s criminal and it needs to stop. Clean house. Get rid of them!
20 years ago Alachua commissioner Murphy explained it in “Alachua city math.”
There would be a hot topic bad development on the agenda. 50 people would pack the auditorium, and all 50 would speak against approval. No one except the quick buck developer (and any commissioners in on the backroom deal) is for it. Commissioner Murphy explained it this way:
“There are 8000 voters in Alachua. You 50 showed up to be Karens against this. You are the ONLY 50 people in Alachua opposed. ALL 7950 people who DID NOT show up are 100% for this development.” Motion passes 5 to 0.
Alachua calls this “Bidness as usual.”
We have the 2nd highest property taxes in the state of Florida and the City of Alachua offices are only opened 4 days a week. So if you need anything from the City of Alachua it’s a Mon-Thursday operation while lots of staff still working from home. Traffic crashes are always a common occurrence throughout our city because of all lack of infrastructure. You don’t have to be a planner to understand corruption is at large in the City of Alachua. Vote for change and vote these politicians out of office save Alachua,
Y’all missing the elephant on the room. Ellen Boukari she has a little black book on them all.
There it is! That is the delay. Politicians trying to clean up before it all gets exposed. This can, and should reach far and wide. We shall see if FDLE exposes it all or if they will try to leave some in the dark and who they try to protect up the political ladder.
Boukaris were not the origination of this family of crime, they were well groomed. let’s face it, they aren’t built for prison they will sing their souls out, well what’s left of it. Uncle Rod will get them a deal.
City of Alachua has a long long history of corruption… Sounds like nothing’s changed