Tom Wicker's journalism professor at the University of North Carolina said, "If you're telling a story about a bear, bring on the bear." The bear here in what we call "God's country" is CORRUPTION, my friends.
Reforming St. Johns County starts with you.
And it starts with Mosquito Control.
We love this beautiful place. Rose Kennedy's favorite Bible verse was "to whom much is given, much is expected."
President Woodrow Wilson said we "must make the world safe for democracy."
"The love of money is the root of all evil." 1 Timothy 6:10.
Corruption is the root of all evil in our governments. Everywhere. Americans agree.
I am running for Anastasia Mosquito Control District of St. Johns County (seat 2) and I would be honored to have your vote on or before November 3, 2026. Help me help you. Let's fight corruption together.
I've been investigating, reporting on and exposing corruption since 1978.
From Appalachia to Washington, D.C. to California to Florida, I've investigated corruption and empowered Americans to resist waste, fraud, abuse, discrimination and petty boodling.
Here in St. Johns County, a corrupt former Sheriff was fired by the Florida Senate under Article IV section 7 of our Florida Constitution for corruption. But Sheriff David Shoar's website lied to us for years that corrupt Sheriff Lawrence O. Davis was "exonerated" by our Florida Senate, which removed him from office by 44-2 vote in 1971.
Sadly Sheriff Robert Hardwick, the current Sheriff, abuses our Sheriff's website to pay homage to Sheriff Shoar, who with State's Attorney Ralph Joseph Larizza was culpable in the coverup of the September 2, 2010 murder of a Sheriff's deputy's girlfriend, Ms. Michelle O'Connell. That deputy is still on the payroll in 2026.
County Court Judge Charles Tinlin and U.S. District Court Judge Brian J. Davis both found probable cause that Jeremy Banks committed homicide, killing Ms. Michelle O'Connell on September 2, 2010. Sheriff Shoar declared it was as "suicide" before the sun even rose.
Robert Hardwick was the investigator for the State's Attorney Ralph Joseph Larizza. Investigator Hardwick and his Assistant both thought Banks committed homicide and wanted an exhumation and autopsy.
Larizza conveniently recused himself from the Michelle O'Connell case while Hardwick was at the FBI National Training Academy in Quantico, Virginia.
When Michelle O'Connell's family finally arranged for an exhumation and independent autopsy, it found Michelle's jaw was broken. She was a victim of domestic violence. Her killer remains employed by the County Sheriff and can retire in 2027. It's our money.
We in the reality-based community disdain deception and condemn dangers to democracy, like promiscuous proliferation of FLOCK cameras and wasteful, out-of-control spending on edifice complexes for the Sheriff and Mosquito Control Commission.
We in the reality-based community don't approve of wasteful spending or harmful rhetoric.d
We don't need more overpriced Taj Mahals, no-bid contracts needless flubdubs or dishonesty.
Massive cost overruns and self-dealing must stop.
County Commissioners make more than $100,000 per year.
Mosquito Control Commissioners make $400 a month, but voted to give themselves illlgal "Christmas bonuses of $1000, violating Florida law pay cap of $4800/year. Thanks to WJCT/Jacksonville Today and reporter Noah Hertz for publicizing it. It's our money.
In the spirit of the 27th Amendment, it's wrong for public officials to raise their own pay during their current term of office.
It was good enough for James Madison and it's good enough for St. Johns County.
Let snollygosters go elsewhere.
I am against wasting your money on self-aggrandizement, sweetheart contacts, domestic and foreign travel and conventions without trip reports or valid government purpose.
Our County elected officials sold out our citizens to the likes of private equity taking over Bayview, the beloved Skilled Nursing Facility Commissioners unanimously voted July 20, 2021 to sell its lease with the County to dodgy private equity interests that control dozens of nursing homes.'
Our elected officials in 2016 actually voted to allow PARC GROUP, controlled by the greedy WINN-DIXIE DAVIS FAMILY, to erase its legal commitment to dedicate 40 acres of Nocatee development to affordable housing, for the lucre of $800,000.
This vicious vote violated our citizens' civil rights.
So did the WINN-DIXIE DAVIS FAMILY's 2021 demand to alter state law to allow development of "agricultural enclaves" on demand. That dopey, dubious devilish proposition was rejected 3-2 by our newly empowered St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners, which voted against the rebarbative, ridiculous ROGERS TOWERS' corporate law firm's rote demand to muck up some 4420 acres of mostly old growth forest.
Our elected officials voted 3-2 in 2025 without a conflicts check to hire a corporate lawyer, RICHARD CHRISTIAN KOMANDO, as County Attorney, while allowing him to represent private clients, including the SLAUGHTER BROTHERS, roofers convicted in federal court for defrauding IRS and workers. It's time for KOMANDO to go.
The odious otiose oleaginous corporate lawyer lied, in writing, to reform County Commissioner Ann Taylor, extravagantly claimed that his client list was secret and somehow protected by attorney-client privilege. This louche liar needs to clean out his desk and get out of the County Commission building. Now.
Both our Anastasia Mosquito Control District Director and our County Administrator are Chinese Americans. Each of them have taken vacations in Communist China each year. Both are imperious, vastly overpaid potential security risks and treat our local government employees as servants, serfs and vassels.
In the annals of St. Johns County's legendary corruption, in the history of its sins, crimes and torts many at the behest of bootleggers, organized crime devious developers, the case of Trey Alexander Asner is instructive.
Mr. Asner was the County's historic preservationist, but he did his job "too well" for corrupt County officials, who fired him for preserving African-American history (Canright House and the 1953 St. Johns County Jail Annex, where the Rev. Dr. Maartin Luther King, Jr. and some 1000 civil rights protesters were incarcerated 1963-1964). The building is now preserved, but Andrews wanted to demolish it. It's time for her to go.
Paid $360,000/year, maladroit County Administrator Junyao "Joy" Andrews still won't meet with Mr. Asner, and neither will criminally-charged Commissioner Sarah Salley Arnold.
Pray for them.
Vote for qualified candidates who will stand up to corruption in our town and our time.
I would be honored to be your voice standing up to corruption and self-dealing, starting with Mosquito Control.
My Father helped liberate the first French town from the Nazis on D-Day, June 6, 1944, before the sun even rose that day.
The late David Brian Wallace and I first visited St. Augustine in 1992 and fell in love with the place and its history. We were then living in Washington, D.C., where Brian worked for the American Association for the Advancement of Science and I graduated from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and was honored to represent American whistleblowers.
Brian and I moved to St. Augustine on November 5, 1999. A few weeks later, the truth emerged; Brian said, "it's crooked around here!" He was right.
We were ashamed when we realized the level of corruption here. Ever since, I've worked to solve the problem.
When the City of St. Augustine dumped a landfill in the Old City Reservoir a coquina pit lake, friends informed me and I helped them resolve the problem of environmental racism in West Augustine. I reported the City to the National Response Center, which assigned the Environmental Protection Agency and Florida Department of Environmental Protection to investigate. The coquina pit lake was cleaned up and the 80 acre site off Holmes Blvd. Extended will soon feature affordable housing.
.In 2006-2007, my mentor, League of Women Voters leader Robin Nadeau, recruited me to help oppose Mosquito Control's $1.800,000 no-bid TEXTRON Bell Jet Helicopter incapable of killing a single skeeter. It was freighted with waste, fraud and abuse. I asked my Mother, a longtime former Purchasing Secretary for corporations and a county college. She would not buy a helicopter without competitive bidding.
But our Mosquito Control Commission voted 3-2 to buy the fancy-bears helicopter. Mosquito Control Commission Director Dr. Xue likes to spend money and too often gets his way. We, the People defeated his wasteful spending. After ten months, Mosquito Control Commissioners voted unanimously cancel the illegal no-bid helicopter and got a full refund of our 10% deposit. We, the People won!
When Mosquito Control illegally used pesticides near Bald Eagle nests, I reported AMCD to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
When a negligently piloted Mosquito Control helicopter allegedly nearly killed six golfers with a helicopter at a county golf course, one of the near-victims told me. No helicopter will ever again endanger our wildlife or people.
I am appalled at the alleged fake Voter Guides scandal afflicting both parties, apparently.
I have been your watchdog on Mosquito Control for twenty years. Help me help you.
The next global pandemic could be a mosquito-borne disease, We will be prepared with good science, sound planning and resistance to wasteful spending. It is up to us to reject 41% cost overruns and other irregularities.
The developer of two previously certified agricultural enclaves in St. Johns County is asking the court to block the county from reconsidering them.
Summary
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