Ruling: Botel can’t run for reelection
Riviera Beach councilor didn’t follow state rules
Riviera Beach City Council member Julia Botel did not follow state law in attempting to qualify as a candidate for re-election and is barred from running, according to a ruling Tuesday from the Fourth District Court of Appeal.
The court gave Botel until Thursday to appeal its decision. If the decision stands, her opponent, former Long Beach, New York, city manager Glen Spiritis, would be the only candidate for the District 4 seat Botel was trying to win for a third time.
Botel, a 76-year old former educator, said she was “surprised to hear of the court’s decision.”
“But I am a great believer in our justice system, so I am exploring my legal options at this point,” she said in a statement. “And, if I have any, this may not be the end of this case.”
Spiritis, 71, said “the court ruled based on the law. I’m looking forward to representing the people of Riviera Beach.”
Trying for the second election in a row to unseat Botel, Spiritis and the City of Riviera Beach challenged whether she had filed her campaign paperwork by the noon, Nov. 21, deadline and whether she had paid her filing fee with a campaign check, as is required by state law.
Botel announced last year that she would not be seeking re-election and would be supporting the candidacy of her former aide. But when the aide decided against a run, Botel changed course, jumping back into the race.
She acknowledged that she filed her paperwork after the noon deadline but blamed another City Council member, Tradrick McCoy, whom she said shouted racial epithets at her and verbally abused city clerk staff in a bid to block