Florentine Mob Steps in Pile of Own Excrement. Again.
According to Voice of OC, our old pals the Florentines, pere et fil, are at it again.
This clan of scofflaws has a long history of violating Fullerton’s municipal code so it should be no surprise to learn about their most recent hi-jinks.
Apart from rumors of arson and arboricide, FFFF readers have been treated to the Florentine saga of scandalous sidewalk theft, illegal dance floors, and operating in violation of the requirements of a conditional use permit.
The latest offense, which came to light at yesterday’s Planning Commission meeting is an application for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) amendment that was not authorized by the property owner, a guy named Mario Marovic. The Fullerton Municipal Code explicitly requires property owner authorization for a CUP. Instead, the actual application form was digitally modified to show that the Florentines themselves could now authorize the amendment. The person who signed the form, Joe Florentine, the junior member of the gang, claims he has no idea how the form got altered.
Once something starts giving off a bad odor it’s pretty certain that it’s only going to get worse. Many questions need to be answered, pretty damn quick: Why did the planning department process an application they must have known violated the law? Why did our crack City Attorney Dick Jones decide to accept the strange legal reasoning of Florentine’s lawyer? Did the City Manager, Ken Domer, direct the Planing Director to ignore the law? If Domer did, was it on orders from Mayor Jennifer Fitzgerald, who has been running interference for scofflaw bar owner in downtown Fullerton for eight years of mayhem?
So many question.
Submitting an altered form to a government agency is a crime.
Who is getting a kickback. Inquiring minds want to know
Council candidate Nick Dunlap deserves credit for drawing attention to and stopping this one. Good job.
I watched Florentine last night at the planning commission hearing. WOW. Got caught red handed forging city documents. Then he stated that the city staff KNEW ABOUT it. I actually believe him. This Is a criminal act by Florentine and the City Manager ( Ken Domer).
If you have a problem with forging documents you should move to Podunk.
Nick did an amazing job last night. Straight and to the point! He won my vote by protecting property rights and standing up to corruption.
Who wrote this article and what do they have to benefit from it? We’re they snubbed at Pete and Tony’s as a young person?
I wrote this post. It’s based on facts. And of course what Fitzgerald calls “word on the street.”
They have the benefitial gain of not rewarding forgery and cronyism.
Morality rewards itself.
So you dont have a problem with this whole situation? As a fullerton resident I sure do.
That it could get this close to approval without property owner consent is either through deceit or incompetence or both.
It’s like being an incompetent criminal.
Fullerton was run by a family with Italian roots. Actually, it was very well run…
When is Fullerton going to get sick of these thieves and lairs?
Yes, and it starts at the top. Look at the Oakmont development on Bastanchury.
CUP for what?
After watching the rerun of the commission meeting, Florentine literally threw the city under the bus and said that staff told him to forge the documents. Which person in staff?! Someone needs to be in cuffs. This is seriously absurd and needs to be fixed.
Looks like the City Manager is headed to Terminal Island.
Questions about what the CUP actually did is proof of the corruption that engulfs City hall and the history of the Florentinos. The Cup essentially was to allow Florintino to do what is unequivocally prohibited in the Code, ie., exceed City and State noise thresholds. That should required a EIR. But not in Fullerton where the corruption trail dates back decades and implicates several Planning Directors and City Managers.
If I had to speculate…..
Mario Marovic/Lounge Consulting Group has bought all the buildings starting with Vino Nostra (123 E. Commonwealth) going all the way around the corner to include Mimi’s Nails/the barbershop at 112 N. Harbor. They have plans to kick out all existing tenants, renovate the spaces, and turn them all into restaurants and/or bars. They have plans to convert the space behind Classic Barbers that is currently used for delivery trucks and employee parking and turn it into an outdoor patio/beer garden.
Joe Florentine and his collection of bars have a long-term lease. Lounge Consulting desperately wants Joe Florentine out and are (according to Voice of OC article) trying to evict Joe Florentine. I believe they have tried everything, including calling the ABC, to get them violated on their liquor license, which requires Florentine’s businesses “must make actual and substantial sales of meals for consumption on the premises” (license issued to company called “Intimate Inns”). I have not reviewed the eviction documents and don’t know what the status is there or what the exact grounds for eviction are, but a lot of money is being spent on lawyers by both sides.
Nobody has really brought up what I suspect may be the real reason Florentine wants to consolidate. I suspect/speculate it is because certainly some of Florentine’s businesses aren’t meeting the “actual and substantial sales of meals” requirement of his liquor license. However, if you bundle everything, especially to include his catering business, that helps him meet the meals requirement, which avoids trouble with the ABC, which might be a violation of his lease.
So…..be aware of what’s going on, because right now the big behavioral/quality of life problem on that corner right now is just Florentine’s businesses (which isn’t to say all the other bars aren’t problems as well). Lounge Consulting’s core business is buying buildings and converting them into restaurants and bars. Lounge Consulting may end up making the area look better (they are going to remodel all the buildings inside and out), but the resulting increase in drunken patrons may end up making the are more problematic than it already is. Sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t.
Regardless, with the sale of the building and especially if 100 North/Florentine is evicted, the City should require the demolition of the illegal sidewalk addition.
Look at their liquor license here: https://www.abc.ca.gov/licensing/license-lookup/single-license/?RPTTYPE=12&LICENSE=230784
Guess what’s not listed? One of the four businesses Florentine wants to consolidate under a single CUP. Tribute Lounge’s address is 101 E. Commonwealth.
And, finally, the CUP is in here and it’s an interesting read.
https://docs.cityoffullerton.com/weblink/DocView.aspx?dbid=1&id=1440198&page=1&cr=1
Thank you for the heads up to people like me who live and play in Fullerton. Not knowing the ins and outs of businesses in Fullerton it’s interesting to get insite.
This is libelous. The real mob would never get caught so easily or operate such poorly run establishments.
I think everybody here is missing the big picture. The City Of Fullerton tried to take property rights away from all property owners. They attempted to process an illegal application, without property owners consent. This would be a dangerous precedent since it goes against Fullerton’s own municipal code.
Not only did they try and circumvent property owners rights, the city proceeded with the hearing after they confirmed the application form was forged by the owner of Florentine’s.
Sounds like someone in the City is also, involved in this scheme. Why would the City accept an altered document? How can they take over Property Owner’s rights without the Owner knowing what is happening to his property?
Orchestrated poorly by Domer, Jones Mayer, Fitzgerald.
Jail time!
Has anyone made sure the DA is aware?
Yes. I have.
Who gives a flying FUCK!!!
I do.
All of Podunk.
Why have this establishment been allowed to do remodel after remodel and never be required to provide ADA approved bathrooms? Everyone one else in town has been required to do this.
The credit for shining the light on this goes to Nick Dunlap. He’s exactly who we need at City Hall – intelligence and courage to hold staff accountable.
Credit should also go to Mario’s lawyer who eviscerated Florentine, exposed the forgery, AND pointed out that the city was being played. D’oh!
Link to Wednesday’s Planning Commission video: http://fullerton.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=1093
Fast forward to 4:11:12
This guy is really good…
One almost wants to feel sorry for Joe Florentine, but then one remembers back in 2003 that the same Joe Florentine, with the collusion of City Redevelopment staff, stole HALF the width of a public sidewalk from the city and its residents for his own personal gain. 64 feet of sidewalk to be exact.
This illegal patio expansion also required removal of 2 mature city trees so as not to impede pedestrian access. Unacceptable.
Joe Florentine could not be more deserving of this comeuppance.
Karma’s a bitch, eh Joe?
If you don’t like forgery and theft, move to Podunk.
Just gonna keep copying and pasting the same comment, eh, I?
If you don’t like copying and pasting, move to Podunk.
Fitzgerald to Domer: Make it so.
Domer to Foulkes: Make it so.
Jones (who was in the loop): Looks good to me.
DA Spitzer: Who me?
Another article.
https://fullertonobserver.com/2020/01/11/owner-vs-tenant-at-planning-commission/
For the record…..I was supposed to be notified of the hearing as I own property within 100 yards…..and I never received any notice of the hearing.
Shocking!
I’m shocked.
I hardly know what to say.
Actual journalism in the Fullerton Observer? Hats off to the writer, Judith Kaluzny.
It’s almost unintelligible.
I sort of felt sorry for poor Joe – just another poor dumb bastard trapped by his own history of getting away with criminal shit. Too bad papa never taught him right from wrong. Oh well. Looks like a six-month stay at Theo Lacy, one third remission for good behavior. Maybe he can get a job in the kitchen.
Why Mario Marovic would not sign Joe Florentine’s repeated requests . That’s when the city stepped in to expedite the ….
This is a land entitlement issue. City code requires property owners approval. Property owner refused to give it, and that’s their legal right. So the city decided to re-define the term “property owner”.
It’s a sad state of affairs in Fullerton, when we are the only city in America (maybe the planet) the cant determine that the person who bought the property, is the actual property owner.
Then, to top it all off the application form was forged by Florentine. First, he denied any knowing of the modified document ( even though his notarized signature was on the document). When the questions Got too difficult, he folded and admitted to modifying the document himself and stated on the record the city was complicit with the forgery.
It’s not that complicated, the city was in on it. And if anything like this happens again, the city will be subject to criminal investigation and civil litigation.
“And if anything like this happens again, the city will be subject to criminal investigation and civil litigation.”
What makes you think they aren’t going to be subject to that already?
Normally when you think “florentine” you think Renaissance. Ya know, Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Boticelli.
In Fullerton you think “jail break.”
Fullerton is what caused me to leave california alltogether.
1. They allowed owner/builder fraud (builder hadn’t lived in home in over 7 years, no contractors license, workers used were fined by CSLB for fake contracors license).
2. The inspectors signed off on MULTIPLE building code violations that THEY gave to the workers to abide by.
3. They REFUSED to help the new owner recoup losses due to workers and the contractor having no clue on how to do the job correctly, which has created multiple leaks in the roof.
After Sterling left, there was no reason to ever go there again. After they stole our trees and sidewalk, there is no reason to go there. Pete and TONY are both the rudest MFers I have ever tried to talk to. I hope the Florentines’ get what they deserve. And all of you ass wipes that helped them in city hall, Start sleeping with one eye open is the “word on the street”.
Lol!