North Miami Beach City “Attorney” Hans Ottinot was a bully on the Little League field, and, no surprise, he’s a bully in real life.

During my tenure as President of the North Miami Beach Little League from September 29, 2006 to April 25, 2011, the absolute worst parent/coach I had to deal with was none other than Hans Ottinot.

Hans was despised by not only me, but the other coaches, the parents, the players, and even the referees, most of them having been on the receiving end of Hans’ tyrannical bullying.  After a game or two into the season, his players’ parents would beg me to trade their child to another team.

Any team.

Just as far away from Hans Ottinot as possible.

As President of the League, it was my job to vigorously enforce the official Little League Rules, Regulations, and Policies, or face the risk of having our Charter revoked.  Despite the strict policy we had to adhere to, Hans continuously argued with me because, of course, the rules didn’t apply to him.  In the end, he had no choice but to comply.

It drove Hans crazy that I refused to be intimidated by him no matter how hard he tried to rattle me.

Apparently, I’m still the bane of his existence.

Hans Ottinot is currently serving as the inept City “Attorney” for North Miami Beach.  He was hired by a four-Criminal Commissioner vote for the sole purpose of finding creative ways to keep his bosses out of trouble.

Even off the ball field, Hans’ only pleasure is bullying anyone who stands in his way.

While Hans has so far successfully prevented his four corrupt bosses, Michael Joseph, McKenzie Fleurimond, Paule Villard, and McKenzie Fleurimond, from being held accountable for the consequences of their unethical and illegal actions, it’s only due to the fact that he’s been able to bully his way into getting what he wants.

Hans continuously tries to bully Mayor Anthony DeFillipo and Commissioner Barbara Kramer every chance he gets.  During Commission meetings he rudely interrupts and speaks over the Mayor, who fortunately stands up to him every time.  He treats Barbara with utter disrespect, but she also pushes back and holds her own.

Commissioner Fortuna Smukler has escaped the wrath of Hans because she never makes waves no matter how much blatant corruption is going on at City Hall.  Now that Fortuna is running for re-election, she’s suddenly sees absolutely nothing wrong with the misappropriation of public funds.  This former civic activist, who demanded fiscal responsibility from her elected officials, now willingly ignores all the wasteful spending of tax dollars and spends all her time shrewdly playing the part of career politician.

Good governance be damned!

In recent months, Hans has taken to bullying City Clerk Andrise Bernard in order to protect his corrupt boss, Michael Joseph, from having to pay over $13,000 in fines for filing his Campaign Treasurer’s Reports late.

As we reported last week, I had filed a complaint with the Florida Elections Commission against the Clerk for waiving $13,350 in fines by magically “deeming” that his reports were filed on a timely basis, despite incontrovertible evidence to the contrary.

Unfortunately, the members of the Elections Commission dropped the ball on this one, finding the Complaint to be “legally insufficient” because City Clerk Andrise Bernard “acted in reliance on legal advice.”

What they couldn’t possibly have known is that Andrise actually, “acted in response to being bullied and intimated into submission.”

I can only imagine the wrath Andrise endured at the hands of Michael Joseph when he received those letters assessing him fines for late reporting.

After all, we’ve all witnessed Michael’s sudden outbursts of vicious anger at the drop of a hat.

Having first hand witnessed Michael’s violent temper, we can only imagine how he berated Andrise for daring to make him comply with campaign financing laws.  He probably then stormed into the office of his taxpayer-funded personal “attorney,” Hans Ottinot, and ordered him to make the problem go away.

But, as much of a bully as Michael Joseph can be, he certainly met his match in Hans.

Poor little meek Andrise, who is terrified of any confrontation whatsoever, probably felt she had no choice but to do their bidding.

The truth is, as a Charter officer Andrise Bernard has full autonomy over the Office of the City Clerk.  She is under no obligation to heed the “advice” of the City “Attorney,” especially when it comes to her lawful obligation as the North Miami Beach Supervisor of Elections.  Andrise may not have a corrupt bone in her body, she certainly doesn’t have a backbone, either.  She obviously backed down in the presence of such forceful malevolence.

By intimidating someone who is obviously lacking in self-esteem and assertiveness, Michael Joseph and Hans Ottinot were easily able to bully the City Clerk into breaking the law and violating her own oath of office.

Andrise’s predecessor, former City Clerk Pamela Latimore, would never have have allowed either Michael Joseph or Hans Ottinot to intimidate her or tell her how to do her job.

In fact, when Paule Villard moved to have Pamela Latimore fired by falsely accusing her of falsifying a public record, it’s now apparent that the real reason was that Pamela would never violate the law to protect her bosses.

I guess that makes Pamela a “racist,” too.  Right, Hans?

Pamela Latimore sued the City for her wrongful termination, and the City was forced to settle with her for $25,000.

According to Paule, however, it was money well spent.  With Pamela gone, Paule can now hide a multitude of election sins from the prying eyes of the public, including her Campaign Treasurer’s Reports.

In any event, as I fully expected, Hans Ottinot couldn’t wait to announce that the Florida Elections Commission found no probable cause.  So he sent out the usual vicious and inappropriate email to everyone in the administration at City Hall, in which he referred to me as a “racist blogger” five times.

But, of course.

Why he surrounded the word “racist” with quotation marks is certainly a mystery, but it’s anyone’s guess how such a troubled mind works.

Instead of intelligently opining on the legality of “deeming” that Michael Joseph’s Campaign Treasurer’s Reports were “timely” when they were provably filed late, Hans Ottinot, once again, resorted to playing the race card.

What a shock.

And, once again, I am not intimidated.

Calling someone a “racist” as a defense against your own bad behavior, and getting away with it, used to be quite fashionable.

Unfortunately, this silly ploy wore out its intended effect years ago.  People like Hans Ottinot have hurled that epithet so often it’s become meaningless.

In fact, the word “racist” has become so trite, no one cares anymore.

Least of all yours truly.

Bullying, on the other hand, was never in fashion.

In fact, bullying is a serious problem, not only on the ball field, but also in the workplace.  (Andrise, are you paying attention?)

Hans likely has no idea why he has this sick obsession to bully people — or even that he is a bully — but he displays all the textbook signs of being severely emotionally damaged.

According to Psychology Today, bullies display classic symptoms that are easily recognizable to almost anyone who comes in contact with them.

“Research finds that bullies have a distinct psychological makeup.  They lack prosocial behavior, are untroubled by anxiety, and do not understand others’ feelings.  They exhibit a distinctive cognitive feature, a kind of paranoia: They misread the intentions of others, often imputing hostility in neutral situations. Others may not like them, but they typically see themselves quite positively.  Those who chronically bully tend to have strained relationships with parents and peers.”

In a June 30, 2022 article in Very Well Mind, 7 Common Reasons Why People Bully, bullies like Hans Ottinot have experienced emotional trauma, are insecure, have poor social skills, and lack empathy.

“They ultimately feel insecure and bully others as a means to fit in or make themselves feel superior.”

“Among adults, bullying can become a toxic part of the culture at work or in other social communities and is ultimately accepted as the norm.”

The article also lists several effective ways to deal with bullies that would perhaps help City Clerk Andrise Bernard learn to practice in her future dealings with Hans Ottinot, specifically these two techniques:

“Recognize that the bullying isn’t about you: People who are bullied may feel like there is something wrong with them and that’s why they are picked on.  The problem is always the person who bullies, not the person who receives the abuse.”

“Practice empowering body language: Research suggests that people tend to feel more confident and empowered when they stand up straight, broaden their shoulders, stand with feet apart, puff out their chest, and point their chin up.  Bullies tend to feel more intimidated by people they perceive as confident.”

If you ever find yourself in a contentious situation with Hans Ottinot, don’t take it personally.  Keep in mind that he is a sad, pathetic little man whose only joy in life is to make everyone else as miserable as he is.

Also take heart that sooner or later, his luck will run out and Hans Ottinot will get exactly what he deserves.

Karma has a way of leveling the playing field.

Stephanie