from http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2007/01/22/0122lozman.html
By William Cooper Jr.
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Monday, January 22, 2007
UPDATED: 5:46 p.m. January 22, 2007Prosecutors have dropped charges against Riviera Beach activist Fane Lozman, who was arrested Nov. 15 at a city council meeting while addressing the council.
He was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest without violence. The disorderly conduct charge was dropped Jan. 17 and the resisting arrest without violence charge was dropped today, according to Mike Edmondson, spokesman for the State Attorney's Office.
The charges were dropped because prosecutors weren't convinced they could get a conviction, Edmondson said.
Councilwoman Liz Wade had police physically remove Lozman from the podium during the public comment portion of the meeting.
Lozman had launched into a speech about the arrests of former County Commissioner Tony Masilotti and former West Palm Beach Commissioner Ray Liberti.
After the meeting, Wade said she was upset and didn't want to hear Lozman criticizing the former public officials.
Today, Lozman said he was pleased the State Attorney's Office decided to close the case last week.
Lozman is battling the city on several legal fronts.In June, he sued the city in over its decision to use eminent domain in its $2.4 billion waterfront redevelopment project.
In the lawsuit, he alleged city officials violated Florida's Sunshine Law when the mayor improperly called a special meeting in May to sign a development agreement with master developer Viking Inlet Harbor Properties.
That case continues in court, although the council has changed its stance on the use of eminent domain.
He is also battling the city over its attempt to evict him from the municipal marina, where he lives on a houseboat.
The city began the eviction in August, claiming Lozman failed to muzzle his dog.
Lozman has called the action a "retaliatory eviction" because he sued the city over eminent domain.
Google "riviera beach eminent domain" to see that this tiff is all about. They were initially talking about displacing 5100 people to make way for their development plan. That was a couple of years ago.