Broward School Board Member Allen Zeman was deeply offended when a developer questioned opposition coming from a Fort Lauderdale neighborhood at a government meeting last Wednesday. Proponents of the Amalfi project gave a presentation of their beachfront condominium to the City of Fort Lauderdale Planning and Zoning Board. Some residents and local homeowners associations questioned the height of the Amalfi building on Fort Lauderdale beach. As president of the Dolphin Isles homeowners association, Zeman was afforded five minutes to address the meeting.

From the start, Zeman made the meeting about himself.

“I’m offended,” Zeman said. “I usually don’t have to defend my honor in front of other people.” The controversial School Board Member was upset after Amalfi representatives questioned the Dolphin Isles HOA vote against the project.

Zeman tried to turn a basic, run-of-the-mill zoning hearing into a modern day witch hunt.

Zeman said the questions raised in a presentation to the Board “cast aspersions on me and….I’m offended my character is under attack here today.”

“I don’t think it’s fair to haul my character in front of this board and to attack me personally,” Zeman declared.

Perhaps hoping to build sympathy among Board members, Zeman started to discuss his “service to the Navy.”

Zeman said he “spent twenty years in service to the Navy.” He said he “Worked in a war zone for a year.”

Zeman told the Board about “Having a chest full of medals that I left with.”

He told the Planning Zoning Board about “Being hired back for twelve more years to work with the three, four stars in the Pentagon both Navy and Marine Corps.”

Perhaps Zeman expected the Board to stand and cheer while thanking him for his service.

Just one problem.

Allen Zeman never served in the United States Navy.

Zeman’s company was awarded government contracts.

This is not the first time Allen Zeman walked the razor’s edge about his “service” to this country.

In 2022, REDBROWARD exposed Zeman’s word games regarding his “rank” in the military.

In an August 2022 interview with the Sun-Sentinel, Zeman claimed he held “admiral rank.”

During a 2022 candidate forum in Fort Lauderdale, then-candidate Allen Zeman told the audience he was “promoted to the admiral rank faster than anybody in the history of the Navy.”

According to Zeman’s campaign website, “While not deployed, he was selected to Senior Executive status at age 32 (equivalent to Navy admiral), led the Training and Education system and served on the DoD School Board.”

Senior executives are not Admirals or flag officers in the Navy. References to rank or admiral status are not found in Zeman’s numerous professional bios found online.

In 2022, REDBROWARD asked Zeman to clarify his mention of Naval rank as well as the claim to receiving the fastest promotion in the history of the Navy.

Zeman did not respond to our request for comment.

REDBROWARD reached out to Allen Zeman once again for comment on this latest matter.

We asked Zeman to confirm that he never served in the United States Navy.

We asked Zeman to provide names of the medals he wears on his chest.

We asked how long he had an office in the Pentagon.

Allen Zeman sent the following comment:

“I was a civil servant for 20 years, serving as a civilian primarily at the US Navy where I was assigned to a deployed command for 4 years and another year in a combat zone (Baghdad, Iraq, 2004-2005). When not deployed or in a combat zone, I worked in the Pentagon. 

After my civil service career, I worked as a civilian contractor for 15+ years, 12 of them directly for US Navy commands. 

I received numerous medals and accolades including civilian service awards.”

When REDBROWARD asked for the names of his medals and accolades, Zeman said he did not keep a list of the medals he received.

“My career was as I described. Civilians get medals, but I didn’t keep a list. When I wore the medals I won, which was not often, I wore them on my chest, as did other civilians,” Zeman wrote. “My Navy civilian career was very productive; I promoted fast, including a selection to the Senior Executive Service (equivalent to flag rank for protocol purposes) at age 32.”