The signs were up, the signs were down, and the decision has been now made that the Glen Cove Volunteer Fire Department will not be selling roses for Valentine's Day as they had planned for the past six months.

Members of the department met with Mayor Ralph Suozzi until 1:30 a.m. Wednesday morning after the mayor had met with a group of local florists objecting to the sale. In a letter sent to Chief Spy, the florists, representing a dozen businesses in the Glen Cove, Sea Cliff, Glen Head and Locust Valley area, requested that the chief "prevent your membership from engaging in this activity." The letter stated, "January, February and March are the quietest months of the year in the flower business. Valentine's week is the only week during this time that florists are able to recoup some of the monies lost during their slowest periods. As local business owners, we take on the responsibilities of paying our employees, most locally based, paying taxes, insurance, payroll taxes, rent [and] advertising expenses."

Mayor Suozzi said he had known the firefighters were having a fundraiser, but was not aware of exactly what the fundraiser was. The mayor said, "I knew the firefighters had permission from the city to put up signs and tents, but it was not until I read the letter to Chief Spy on Friday that I knew they planned to sell roses."

According to Chief Spy, when he received the florists' letter and met with the mayor, he and the fundraising committee decided they should cancel the fundraiser, and they pulled their advertising.

Mayor Suozzi said he asked around, talked to the city attorney and looked for documentation, but found no paper trail specific to flowers and concluded that the item planned for sale was not previously known to the city. He said he knows the fire department was not doing anything many other departments do; in fact one floral wholesaler runs ads directed at organizations such as fire departments for just such a fundraiser. It's a smart thing to do, the mayor agreed, selling roses on Valentine's Day or Christmas trees at Christmas. However, said Mayor Suozzi, "At the end of the day, it was a tough decision to make, but I felt I had to consider the long-term interests of people who contribute to the city on a daily financial basis. This is not to say the firefighters do not make great contributions on other levels."

The mayor added that the firefighters are doing their fundraising for their 175th anniversary, which is in six years, and the florists only have six days to make their money for Valentine's Day. He said he made the decision which was most beneficial for this time, and said the city will do whatever it can to work with the firefighters on future fundraising.