If you were looking to have lunch at the Edison this past Saturday you were out of luck. The City subsidized venture was closed to taxpaying citizens for a private party hosted by the Mayor of Tallahassee, Andrew Gillum, and sponsored by the Pittman Law Group, a City of Tallahassee vendor.
Pittman Law Group is owned by state and local lobbyist Sean Pittman.
Mr. Pittman’s group received the City’s lobbyist contract even though the group did not have the lowest bid. See story here. Mayor Gillum voted for the Pittman’s group to be awarded the contract.
Also, the lobbyist contract was later extended by the Mayor’s office without a vote. See story here.
This is the same Sean Pittman that traveled with the Mayor, while he was registered to lobby the City Commission for an insurance company seeking business from the City of Tallahassee. See story here.
Titled the “Mayor’s Brunch”, the event closed the restaurant from 11-4 on Saturday and will collect approximately $25,000 in revenue for the owners. Sean Pittman was identified as a part owner in the Edison last year.
There is little public information on the event and there is no information on the City of Tallahassee website. However, TR determined that the event was dedicated to black state legislators.
The event raises more question about the conflicts that have dogged the Edison, whose developer is a close friend to Mayor Gillum and served as Gillum’s campaign manager.
How can it be that the Mayor can vote in favor of a business associate and then headline an an event financed by the business associate? Is this acceptable behavior for elected officials?
How can Mayor Gillum vote on anything to do with Edison now that he has aided a City vendor, who is part owner in the Edison, in making money for his investment?
TR will continue to investigate.
City Vendor Sponsors Mayors Brunch at Edison added by Staff on
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It would be nice if they used some of that windfall to pay the outstanding invoices they owe.
But unfortunately waited too late to file a lien.
Must be nice to not have to pay fully for equipment installed during construction then demand Warrenty service on overtime then refuse to pay for the overtime.
People should eat here walk out then come up with lame excuses why you will not pay your bill just like these people do.
When’s the brunch for Florida’s white legislators?
Andrew Gillum, bought and paid for Sean Pittman.
How could any business trying to win a contract with the City of Tallahassee feel like they have a real chance of winning?
The kid is a disgrace!
The people of Tallahassee keeps voting these clowns in office that why I moved out of Tallahassee .
It’s no wonder you are so hated by the Mayor and his comrades. You keep bringing up these embarrassing “facts”!
My company was asked to provide security for the event. It’s seems after we quoted a price the mayor decides to go a ” different direction”. We employ veterans who have returned home looking for work and when we quote a fair market price quality security Gillum goes a different direction. This Mayor needs the hook!
It would be nice if the Edison Restaurant would move their stinking dumpster back out of Myers Park neighborhood to the Cascades Park property. Every day, when I smell the rotting shellfish, and see the garbage strewn about in a 50-foot radius from the dumpster, I think what a perfect parallel it is to how the mayor, the City commissioners and county commissioners are dumping their stink on the whole city.
….Adam Corey,owner of Edison, lobbyist and campaign manager for our mayor, shortly after election city gives over $1.5 million to help Corey open the restaurant. We support this type of corruption every time someone eats at Edison, want this nonsense to stop? Boycott establishments which used tax payers money to make our mayor’s friends rich.
Ask for a list of attendees
I get it but $25000 for breakfast is really over the top. Just food and profit. Let’s say $60 per person that is 400 plus people. One fresh would of done it for $24000 lol without conflicts of ethics just saying.
Seems unethical if not illegal. Perhaps some one will run the issue by our brand new INDEPENDENT Ethics Board.
Good luck with that.