Martin County official unseated for public records violation, new appointment made

MARTIN COUNTY — A new Port Salerno advisory committee member was appointed last week, replacing one removed for violating public records law as the village wrestles with development.

County commissioners unanimously named Christina Waldron Ardigo, 54, a seventh-generation Treasure Coast resident, to the Port Salerno Neighborhood Advisory Committee.

She and other committee members will help advise the county's Community Redevelopment Agency. Her term runs through Sept. 10, 2025.

Ardigo wants to keep the historic fishing village from becoming a "big ol' city," she said Wednesday.

She sees Port Salerno heading in the wrong direction when it comes to redevelopment. "Development is coming," Ardigo said. She wants to hold developers accountable for the costs of new infrastructure and keep them from taking over the community.

Konz removed

An opening on the Neighborhood Advisory Committee was created when Mary Beth Konz was removed by the County Commission Feb. 20 after more than three years and with more than a year left on her term on the nine-member, all-volunteer committee.

County commissioners removed Konz because she took too long to respond to an Aug. 28 public records request, which consisted of all communications between her and real estate investor J. Corey Crowley, according to public documents and county spokeswoman Martha Ann Kneiss.

“[E]very person who has custody of a public record shall permit the record to be inspected and copied . . . at any reasonable time, under reasonable conditions,” Senior Assistant County Attorney Sebastian Poprawski told Konz in a Sept. 13 email. "What constitutes a 'reasonable' time period and condition depends on the amount of time and difficulty required to search for the document(s), as well as the sheer amount of document(s) uncovered.

"Given that a search of any emails to/from Mr. Crowley should not take more than a few minutes, waiting until the end of the month could be viewed as an unjustified delay," Poprawski added.

Konz sent the first group of records to the county on Nov. 1.

Possible criminal charges

The violation may be a legal liability for the county, and Konz could face anywhere from a fine to criminal charges. As of Monday, Konz had not been charged with any crime, according to a search of county legal records.

Konz was informed verbaly of her removal by County Attorney Sarah Woods, Kneiss said in an email.

Konz declined to be interviewed for this story.

Konz began her term on the Neighborhood Advisory Committee in November 2020, according to county records. The request for Konz's public records came from Casey Cass, owner of Casco Tools in Port Salerno and a member of Save Our Salerno, a citizens group seeking a say in the future of the village.

According to county records, Cass sought all communications between Konz and Crowley, who owns property in Port Salerno, from Jan. 1, 2021, through Aug. 28, 2023.

More: Parking may determine future development in quaint village of Port Salerno

Opinion: By terrorizing Port Salerno residents, Corey Crowley is giving developers a bad name

Cass did not respond to an email asking why he sought the records from Konz.

Poprawski also sought to have Konz certify she produced all records Cass requested. Konz filed the certification on Feb. 19, a day before county commissioners removed her.

Keith Burbank is TCPalm's watchdog reporter covering Martin County. He can be reached at keith.burbank@tcpalm.com or at 720-288-6882.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Martin County official violates public records law, unseated