TREASURE ISLAND — A wave of frustration has swept through Treasure Island as residents call for the resignation of Commissioner Arthur Czyszczon, following allegations of inappropriate late-night messages to a constituent; the messages were described as “lewd” and “lascivious.”

Czyszczon was confronted publicly over the messages — the specific contents of which were undisclosed — during the Oct. 7 council meeting. He claimed the messages were the result of insomnia. Many community members called the messages unprofessional and unacceptable for an elected official.

To address these allegations, Commissioner Chris Clark had sent a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis requesting the removal of Czyszczon from his role representing District 3. So far, no action has been taken by DeSantis.

Further complicating the matter is the fact that Clark was also under scrutiny after being accused of circulating memes about another fellow commissioner, Tammy Vasquez, and supposedly using city email lists to spread them.

Clark has said the memes were not meant to be harmful, but nevertheless, residents expressed growing dismay over what they describe as infighting among city leaders that is diminishing public trust and distracting from critical issues.

“We’re sick and tired of the behavior on the board of commissioners,” a citizen stated, garnering applause from the crowd, before calling on Mayor John Doctor to fire the commissioners in question.

“I think each one of you needs to take a deep look at yourself and look at why you are sitting here, what is your purpose, and what do we have to do as a city and a community to get ahead? I ask, please, stop the sophomoric actions — it’s embarrassing,” resident Ken Layel added. “Talk about issues that matter to this community.”

Doctor divulged he does not have the authority to remove commissioners and described himself as a “weak mayor” under the city charter.

This frustration toward the Treasure Island Commission isn’t an isolated case. The callout from the public follows the removal of city attorney Anthony Sabatini, who was cited for absenteeism, unprofessional behavior and poor legal advice.

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