News

By Dan Moffett

    Briny Breezes officials are scrambling to fill several key positions that have opened in recent months.
    At the top of the list is the Town Council seat vacated by Karen Wiggins in April. Wiggins, 73, who is moving to California, was the most experienced member of the council, having served several terms beginning in 2008. She also served a one-year term on the Briny corporate board in 2010.
    Council President Sue Thaler said a couple of promising candidates have expressed interest in the open seat, and she hopes to have a successor lined up soon, perhaps by the council’s June 25 meeting.
    Briny also will have to find a new deputy town clerk. Carol Lang, who has held the position since August, is leaving the job later this year. “Carol has been very accommodating,” Thaler said. “She has committed that she will stay to help train the next person as long as the hiring process doesn’t drag on unreasonably.”
    The town has advertised the deputy clerk’s job and gotten a good response, according to Councilwoman Barbara Molina.
    “We received over 40 applications for this position,” Molina said. “Very surprising.”
    Last year, the Town Council formalized the deputy clerk’s position as a staff employee of the town, rather than using independent contractors to do the work.
    Briny is also looking for someone to fill a seat on the Planning and Zoning Board that has been open for more than a year now.
    In other business:
    • Council members approved a new ordinance regulating golf cart use on a 3-1 vote, with Wiggins’ seat open. Molina voted no after questioning whether a 10 mph speed limit might make more sense than the ordinance’s 15 mph limit.
Thaler said feedback on the new cart rules has been generally favorable, once residents understand what the council is aiming to do — or not do.
    “We’re not trying to prohibit people from using their golf carts,” Thaler said. “We’re trying to make it legal for people to use their golf carts. When people hear what we are trying to do as opposed to what they thought we’re trying to do, then they’re fine.”
    • The council joined a chorus of dissent among coastal communities against All Aboard Florida, unanimously approving a resolution criticizing the potentially negative impact of the proposed passenger rail service. Mayor Mike Hill argued against the resolution, however, saying the council should invite All Aboard Florida to make a presentation in Briny before taking sides.
    “If we’re expressing a negative view of their project,” Hill said, “I think we should give them a chance to address our concerns. I think it’s the fair thing to do.”
    • Council members set three dates for budget workshops: July 21, July 22 and Aug. 25. Each session is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.