Glades Gives Former County Manager $$

Internet Names Purchased From Cliff Miller

MOORE HAVEN, FL. -- Glades county, in what some observers say may be a type
of internet "blackmail" or possible official foolishness, is buying the
rights to three "Glades County" website domain names. Responding to the
announcement at the Glades Commission meeting that former County Manager
Cliff Miller had obtained rights to six internet domain websites using the
name "Glades County", Commissioner Echols stated he had conferred with
County Attorney Pringle and the only way to regain control of the domain
names was to pay Miller's asking price of $1,000 each. The Board moved to
purchase the rights for three of the domains as two of them were in use for
internet access and email.

Internet domain name experts point out that it may be illegal for someone
to sell domain names that are other business' trademarkes or names commonly
assocaiated with an existing business name. The legal principal may be
extended to governments in some cases they say. Some also wonder why
there's a need to purchase these "Glades County" names from Miller in the
first place, since there's already an existing Glades county website online
at MyGladesCounty.com. A Google search of "Glades County" brings up that
website, but nothing shows for Miller's supposed domain "Glades County"
domain names.

There may very well be a conflict of interest or ethical problem involved
if the former County Manager is profiting from the sale of "Glades County"
internet domain names to a county for which he was employed as a county
manager.

A search of internet domains shows Glades.com is owned by Glades
Pharmaceuticals in Miami. GladesCounty.com is owned by Total Concept, Inc.
of Cape Coral. Typing in "GladesCounty.com" takes you to
"Citiesofsouthwestflorida.com" which is directed to the Total Concept, Inc.
page highlighting coastal cities from Sarasota to Naples.

The domain names "GladesCountyOnline.com" "GladesNet.com" "MyGlades.com"
and "OfficialGlades.com" "OfficialGladesCounty.com" and numerous other
variations of the name are not not taken by andyone and still available if
the county wants them for $4.00 a year.