PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The St. Pete Beach City Commission now has a new commissioner for District Four, but there are still three seats to fill.
This comes as a new state law is requiring small government leaders to release personal financial information to the public.
“It was a pleasure, an honor to serve on this commission…I think this is an incredibly strong commission," said Chris Marone, former St. Pete Beach City Commissioner for District Four.
On Thursday, Marone stepped down from his position.
“We are losing good people who want to serve in local government and help their local communities," said Marone.
The new state law requires small local government leaders to release how much money is in their bank accounts and information on their assets.
“I think it’s an invasive government intrusion. It’s a lot of financial information that really isn’t relevant to the qualifications to serve in this position," said Marone.
Marone isn’t the only one resigning. District One Commissioner Christopher Graus, District Two Mark Grill, and District Three Ward Friszolowski also submitted their resignations because of the law.
“I’m very disappointed. I’m not a quitter. I never quit anything, and to some degree, you feel like a quitter," said Marone.
“It’s obviously a very challenging process. It’s put the city in a quite challenging situation," said Adrian Petrila, City Commission Mayor.
It’s not the first instance of a mass resignation because of the law. Over the last month, leaders in Pasco County, North Palm Beach, and many other locations have also resigned.
Now the City of St. Pete beach is left to pick up the pieces. The city voted on Thursday to replace Commissioner Marone with Richard Lorenzen, a resident of the area for over 30 years.
“I kind of saw a crisis in this city and I’m one of those guys, I’m a fixer, I’m a doer, and I just wanted to volunteer my services and see if I could help out," said Lorenzen.
But three other commission seats still need to be filled.
Phil Buckles is a resident of St. Pete Beach and said the law could have a big impact on future elections.
“People in leadership positions are hard enough to find without making it less attractive to them. I think providing private money issues makes everybody a little uncomfortable," said Buckles.
On the other hand, Brook Bickford thinks the law is fair.
“If you have nothing to hide, it shouldn’t be a problem," said Bickford.
The commission is meeting next week to interview candidates for the positions.
“I hope the people who decide to take that position are open to scrutiny but also are open to supporting residents and small businesses," said Bickford.
