‘Vicious attacks’ prompt ex-employee to file ethics complaint against Surfside mayor

SURFSIDE, FL – There is even more drama in the small town of Surfside. This time, an official ethics complaint was filed against the mayor.

Dina Goldstein, a longtime Surfside resident and longtime employee until last summer, said she now feels targeted.

The mayor said Charles Burkett participates in publications about her in social networks and has made public once confidential information.

“That’s all my thanks,” Goldstein said, displaying more than 16 years of service, including civilian police officer of the year.

“The quality of her work is exceptional,” she read from the paper.

But Goldstein was fired last summer without a chance to review or appeal the reasons.

“All the police officers came with cake and flowers and said, ‘We’re so sorry for what happened to you,'” said her husband, William Blumencrantz.

But what prompted her to file the county ethics complaint against Burkett this week was what she learned about his posts about her on the Nextdoor app and on his citywide blog, including that confidential ethics complaint.

“My address, my phone number is a complete violation of my privacy,” Goldstein said. “It caused vicious attacks against me, a lot of false accusations.”

The complaint is the latest in a city that has been divided over the mayor’s moves over the past few months.

He was seen coming in on the officers traffic control efforts. He blocked the streets of the village unauthorized gateforcing the county to come and remove them.

“I stand against him, and he doesn’t like those who stand against him,” Blumencrantz said.

Goldstein and her husband believe that frankness and criticality make them one of the targets. An ethics complaint is a resident’s only recourse.

“I basically just want to clear my name,” Goldstein said. “I want the best for this community and this city.”

She said she not only wants to clear her name, but also to get her job back at some point.

Burkett told Local 10 News via text that he wasn’t told of any obligation to keep the complaint confidential, and he doesn’t believe he has to.