MALABAR, Fla. – A Malabar Town Councilman wadded up a piece of paper and threw it from the dais — striking a woman in the face — seconds after the end of a contentious Town Council meeting dealing with a Yellow Dog Café rezoning proposal, News 6 partner Florida Today reports.
After the meeting ended, Malabar resident Dawn Danielson, 70, who opposed the rezoning, approached the dais and distributed handouts to council members that listed Malabar lot size and setback requirements.
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Malabar Town Councilman Dick Korn crumpled up the paper, then threw it from his chair. Danielson said the crumpled paper struck her in the jaw, near her ear.
"I don't want your garbage!" Korn told Danielson after throwing the paper, meeting video shows.
"Excuse me? You threw this at me? You assaulted me in public?" Danielson asked Korn.
The Sept. 23 exchange occurred after a heavily attended meeting centered on the Yellow Dog Café rezoning proposal. Council members voted 3-1 to rezone a small parcel overlooking the Indian River Lagoon from "coastal preserve" to commercial, potentially letting the popular restaurant's owners build a boutique inn.
Korn later said he did not mean to strike Danielson with the wadded paper. Rather, he said he was aiming at a white table behind her where Malabar's town engineer and other officials sit during meetings.
"The wad of paper did not go where it was intended to. It should not have been thrown at all. I shouldn't have thrown it at all — that was my mistake," Korn said.
"It was not intended to hit anybody," he said.