One of Broward County’s top lobbyists and biggest political fundraisers played the role of blocker at county hall on Wednesday.
WATCH: Raw video of county hall altercation
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Bernie Friedman stepped in while Local 10 reporter Bob Norman was attempting to interview Sun Recycling executive Phil Medico about illegal dumping done by his company. Medico had just argued his company’s case to land the county’s garbage contract.
After the meeting, Norman asked questions of Medico until Friedman stepped in to block his progress on an escalator. It was when Norman attempted to go around Friedman that got the lobbyist upset.
“That is a battery, I’m going to file a police report… this is battery.” Friedman claimed.
Norman eventually got past Friedman and continued to receive a tongue-lashing.
The story on Wednesday was that Sun Bergeron and Wheelabrator, the other company vying for the county garbage contract, unsealed their bids at a county meeting . Each companies prices were virtually identical
Negotiations are continuing today and the issue is expected to go back before the county commission in a couple weeks
Local 10 management did receive a letter from Medico’s lawyer saying Norman’s conduct crossed every bound of fair reporting and respectful conduct.
Bernie Friedman also wrote the station with continued dramatic flair, using words like “life threatening” and “catastrophic.”
