FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A Fort Pierce developer is calling for the city to investigate all requests for proposal processes involving City Manager Nick Mimms in light of his arrest.
This is a story that WPTV has been closely following after Mimms was arrested Wednesday and now faces one count of bid tampering and one count of official misconduct.
Fort Pierce city commissioners held a special meeting Thursday where they voted unanimously to put Mimms on administrative leave with his full salary and benefits.
They also voted to hire an independent investigator with no ties to the city to investigate the allegations against Mimms.
Now, developer Chris Shelli of Shelli and Associates wonders if his own bid process could have been compromised.
"When I hear that stuff, how can I not be worried?" Shelli told WPTV's Kate Hussey on the phone Monday.
Shelli won a bid to develop Fort Pierce's Fisherman's Wharf.
It's a completely different project than the one the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is accusing Mimms of tampering with, but Shelli said it was a similar bid process.
Emails WPTV obtained show the city manager's office as the main liaison between Shelli and the city throughout the development process, so Shelli wants the process investigated.
"I'm scared to death that my project has been negatively impacted," Shelli said.
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In 2021, Shelli signed a contract with the city and invested about $1 million in it. However, three years later the site still sits undeveloped.
About a month ago, Shelli told Hussey it's because the land's deed shows Fisherman's Wharf has a Right of Reverter clause, which means the city needs the approval of the state to sell the land to any private person, firm or corporation.
"They cannot sell the property because they do not have clear title to the property," Shelli said in July.
"So, you're telling me the city promised you land they didn't technically, and still don't technically, own?" asked Hussey.
"Correct," replied Shelli. "As of today, they have not met their contractual obligations under the agreement."
Emails we obtained from the city show Shelli calling out commissioners for missing four deadlines. Now that he's out $1 million, he's threatening to sue.
"There's going to be no other choice. They can either pay us back the money they spent or we'll have to end up in a courtroom," Shelli said.
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King's Landing developer Dale Matteson, who also directly dealt with Mimms, told Hussey in July he may also sue the city.
Matteson said he was told the lot the city granted him to develop was clean, but it actually had 1,500 tons of concrete buried beneath the surface. Matteson was stripped of his rights to develop when he missed multiple deadlines because of concrete removal.
"We were being told that we're not going to be reimbursed the money the city owes us for getting the stuff out of the ground, and they won't re-do the development dates unless we forgive the money," Matteson said.
WPTV contacted FDLE and the city of Fort Pierce to see if they'd investigate all bid processes Mimms was a part of.
FDLE said they couldn't comment amid the ongoing investigation.
The city of Fort Pierce issued the following statement on Tuesday regarding the matter:
"Currently, the developers have not communicated this to the City of Fort Pierce, we have no additional information to provide at this time."
However, Shelli feels the answer is clear.
"Every single bid and RFP that the city has issued since he's been the city manager needs to have a critical review or investigation," Shelli said.
City commissioners on Monday discussed the future of Mimms and voted 3-2 to appoint City Clerk Linda Cox as the acting city manager.
This is a story that WPTV will continue to follow. Join the conversation on our Facebook page below.
