Seat 2 · District 2 · November 3

Patrick has 34 donors from our town.
Justin has zero.

If you haven’t heard of Justin Bartholomew, you’re not alone. He’s running against Patrick Ferguson for Seat 2 on our Town Commission. Here’s who is paying for each campaign:

Every donor Justin lists on his campaign reports lives somewhere else.

And he’s never once spoken up at Town Hall.

Our Town Commission meets about twice a month, and any resident can stand up and speak. Everyone who does is named in the official minutes.

Since he moved here in 2023, the Commission has met more than 70 times. Here’s who stood up and spoke:

He hasn’t spoken once.

Not about the eight charter changes on your ballot. Not about the pier.

Patrick Ferguson has. He has stood up at Town meetings, and he worked with neighbors on their charter petition.

Proof: donors: each campaign’s own reports, through Oct. 2 (Patrick, Patrick, Justin, Justin) · 75+: residents named as speakers in the Commission minutes, Sept 2024 to May 2026 (every set, on the Town portal) · Patrick: Sept 10, 2025 and Mar 10, 2026 minutes

Two neighbors. Two records.

Who has been there for our town?

Patrick Ferguson	Justin Bartholomew
🏡 Home
✅ Lauderdale-By-The-Sea for 14 years. A South Florida kid: Cardinal Gibbons High School, then law school at Nova.	❌ Moved here in 2023. His business is on North Ocean Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale.
🤝 Who backs him
✅ Realtors, teachers, the Sierra Club, the County Property Appraiser, the School Board chair, a former mayor and four former commissioners.	❌ The Mayor and two commissioners, plus a former mayor. No groups.

Patrick dives our reefs, has planted sea oats on our beaches with his brother, and walks his dog around the neighborhood. He’s not new here. He’s one of us.

Proof: Patrick’s campaign website · Bartholomew’s 2024 board application · Sept 10 and Mar 10 minutes · donors: Patrick’s reports, Apr–Jun, Jul–Oct 2; Justin’s, Apr–Jun, Jul–Oct 2 · every endorsement list

Justin’s endorsers picked someone else for the board.

He has asked to serve before, on the Town’s Planning and Zoning Board. It’s a board of resident volunteers that advises the Commission.

April 9, 2024. Commissioner Strauss nominated him. The Commission picked seven other residents.

December 9, 2025. Two backup seats opened on that board. Commissioner DeNapoli made a motion to appoint Justin and Greg Moloney. No one seconded it, so it never came to a vote.

Instead, Commissioner Poulopoulos made a motion to appoint Greg Moloney and Frank Petkunas. It passed 4–0. Mayor Malkoon and Commissioner Poulopoulos both voted for someone other than Justin.

Ten months later, Malkoon and Poulopoulos are on his mailer, endorsing him for the Commission.

Proof: Dec 9, 2025 minutes, p. 21 (who was present: p. 1) · Apr 9, 2024 minutes, p. 14 · his mailer

Forward this to the neighbor who says “I don’t know anything about the Seat 2 race.” Now they do.

Your neighbors at Let’s Protect Our Paradise

Where this comes from: the Town Commission minutes of April 9, 2024, September 10, 2025, December 9, 2025 and March 10, 2026, and every set of Commission minutes on the Town’s meeting portal from August 2023 through August 25, 2026 (September 2026 minutes are not posted yet); his board application in the December 9, 2025 agenda packet, item 18.b; his qualifying papers and campaign reports, filed with the Town Clerk; Ordinance 2026-04; Patrick Ferguson’s campaign website; and his mailers (front, back), with home addresses removed. Every quote is word for word. Donors are not named. If he has spoken at a meeting we missed, tell us and we will correct it. More at letsprotectourparadise.org/record.

Why you’re getting this: you signed up at letsprotectourparadise.org, a neighbor passed your email along, or your address is in Florida’s public voter-registration file. If it’s not for you, the unsubscribe link at the bottom works with one click. No hard feelings.

Questions, corrections, or you think we’ve got something wrong: hello@letsprotectourparadise.org. We answer.