Posts tagged Pinellas County
Ex-Clearwater police union leader accused of tipping off drug dealers faces trial
April 27, 2025 // He is charged with misuse of public office for unlawful disclosure of criminal investigative information and unlawful use of two-way communications devices. He was released on bond from the Pinellas County Jail hours after posting $200,000 bail the night of his arrest. Hours later, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri held a news conference where he said Lise’s disclosures to Turner and Smith endangered the life of an undercover sheriff’s office detective who made nine purchases from their organization over the course of the investigation.
Judge finds Florida’s anti-union law union unconstitutional and ‘unreasonable’
November 12, 2024 // U.S. District Court Judge Mark Walker ruled that public teacher union members in Pinellas and Hernando counties had been damaged by the Florida Public Employees Relations Commission after the passage of SB 256, which had a component banning payroll deductions for the purpose of paying dues. Hernando United School Workers and the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association argued that prohibiting payroll deductions was unconstitutional, violated their right to be free from the state impairment of contracts. The state argued the law was necessary to promote transparency and “allow union members to decide how to pay their dues and understand how much they were paying.”
Clearwater police union president charged with tipping off alleged drug dealers
August 7, 2024 // Fredrick Lise, who has served as president of the Clearwater police union for three years, faces eight felony charges for allegedly helping a multimillion-dollar drug trafficking organization. Deputies say he kept tabs on narcotics investigations into Matthew Turner and Henry Smith and alerted them to law enforcement surveillance. Lise, 32, is charged with misuse of public office for unlawful disclosure of criminal investigative information and unlawful use of two-way communications devices. He was booked into the Pinellas County Jail on Tuesday and was being held on a $200,000 bond.
Teacher Unions in Tampa Bay Engage in Active Recruitment as Their Role is Put at Risk by New Law
May 22, 2023 // Two primary employee unions in Pinellas County school district have launched a new payment system incentivizing members to sign up with a chance to win a $100 gift card. The unions are concerned about reaching members before they leave for summer break, as they need to sign up at least 60% of eligible workers to join and pay in time to avoid decertification. This could leave thousands of employees without a contract or an authorized agent to negotiate a new one.