Leon County School Superintendent Rocky Hanna, who ran and won as a self proclaimed political novice in 2016, has become a source for campaign donations for several local candidates.
Recently filed local campaign reports shows that Hanna is using a number of companies registered in Las Vegas, Nevada to fund at least three candidates currently filed to run for office in Leon County.
Two of the candidates work for the Leon County School Board.
The donations are all legal, however the activity raises several questions.
The Donations
Rocky Hanna listed “HAH Investments” on his 2018 financial disclosure form as a financial asset with a value of $210,000 in 2018. Hanna also listed 2018 income of $167,000 from “HAH I,II, III, LLC”.
The address of the companies on the Form 6 is 4730 South Fort Apache Road Suite 300, Las Vegas, Nevada.
TR has recently reported about two $25,000 donations made by HAH I and HAH III on September 24th, 2018 to the Forward Florida PAC which was supporting Andrew Gillum for governor. The two LLC’s were listed as real estate development companies.
A recent review of local campaign finance records show that within the last three months LLC’s tied to Hanna made 12 separate $250 donations to three local candidates: City Commissioner Curtis Richardson, Leon County Commissioner Jimbo Jackson, and Leon County Commissioner Bryan Desloge.
City Commissioner Curtis Richardson, who is filed for the City Commission, has received three $250 donations from three different LLC’s registered to the Las Vegas address. In addition, Richardson received a $250 donation from a H&H Capital Group, LLC registered at 1519 Killearn Center Blvd.
All four donations list the same date, October 10th, 2019.
City Commissioner Richardson was hired by the Leon County School Board after Superintendent Hanna was elected.
Leon County Commissioner Jimbo Jackson, who is filed for District 2, has received three $250 donations from three different LLC’s registered to the Las Vegas address. In addition, Jackson received a $250 donation from a H&H Capital Group, LLC registered at 1519 Killearn Center Blvd.
All four donations list the same date, November 8th, 2019.
Leon County Commissioner Jackson is employed as a principal by the Leon County School Board.
Leon County Commissioner Bryan Desloge, who is filed for District 4, has received three $250 donations from three different LLC’s registered to the Las Vegas address. In addition, Desloge received a $250 donation from a H&H Capital Group, LLC registered at 1519 Killearn Center Blvd.
All four donations list the same date, October 11th, 2019.
Questions
As mentioned above, the donations are all legal transactions. However the activity raises several questions.
First, is it appropriate for an elected official to make donations to employees he has authority over.
Second, is it appropriate for an elected official to use LLC’s for campaign donations as a way to avoid legal limits on contributions to campaigns.
And third, what are the specific business activities of the LLC’s?
TR has yet receive any response from multiple inquiries to executives of the LLC’s seeking information about the donations.
TR will continue to investigate.
Superintendent Rocky Hanna Uses Las Vegas LLC’s to Support Local Candidates added by Steve Stewart on
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Hanna & Hanna use their network of LLC’s to do the skirt contribution limits in Georgia, as well. The 2022 Charlie Bailey campaign for Lieutenant Governor received $6,000 from HAH III and $10,000 from H&H Capital Group.
In 2020, Tant and Ausley received $1,000 apiece from each of the three Nevada-registered LLC’s (HAH I, II, and III) + $1,000 apiece from H&H Capital Group, LLC. (Total $4,000 apiece)
In 2022, Bailey received $6,000 from HAH III + $10,000 from H&H Capital Group, LLC.
So our Superintendent of Schools is STILL using out-of-state LLCs to avoid legal contribution limits. Is this OK?
I looked at the Tallahassee Reports Facebook page, not one like , not one comment or share from a single LCS employee. Hey Rocky nice job on employee intimidation! Time for all LCS Employees to stand tall or perhaps you like being ruled by a man that hides behind LLC’s.
Rocky Hanna called himself a “political novice” when he was in fact he is a cold calculating individual who sought to win the election at all costs. From dating teachers he evaluated, to a notebook filled with misinformation that Rocky finally admitted was all made up by him, or finally paying child support when threatened with a public lawsuit, although he hid in plain sight for 10 years paying no support. Everything Rocky does is to further his ego and ambitions.
Rocky you bring the the word misfeasance to life. Your corrupt ways are in fact malfeasance.
Rocky Hannah is corrupt, he’s like a tick on the neck of the school system. Someone should get his teeth out of the tax payers vein.
Matt, the School Board will do nothing. Hanna owns all them except Joy Bowen. Hanna gave money to Bowen’s opponent in 2018 because he wanted her off the Board. She won despite Hanna money. If you check her opponents contributions, you will find the same ones Steve sites in his article.
I suspect the Fake Newsocrat, under new owners, will be moving to “regional publishers,” rather than one-per-rag. GateHouse was already doing this before they took over.
And Skippy was too low on the totem pole to be one.
Steep drops in
•Print Circulation
•FTEs
•Ad revenue, and
•Pageviews
have a way of doing that.
Thank you for evidence that allows us to see the true dark side of Rocky Hanna. Rocky has more conflicts of interest and outright lies than any local politician. Can someone explain to me why the school board has not demanded an investigation into the hiring practices of Rocky Hanna? Next please expose the over budget construction at Rickards high school.
Skip Foster ship has departed who’s next? TR, keep up the great investigative work!
#Shadyhassee.
Sad.
Q: What say you, Fake Newsocrat?
A: “Look, squirrel!”
Thanks Steve for keeping us updated on this issue. We have to follow the money trail and the endorsement trail. Particularly, watch NEBA and the Tall. Board of Realtors. They will endorse the candidates that Hanna gave money too. Barney Bishop, business and Ted Thomas, realtors. Both groups endorsed Hanna in 2016. Have to keep it in the family. Thomas is Rocky Hanna’s step-father. Hope is right! We must change our voting habits or Tall. Mob will continue to rule with our money and Vegas money.
And The Usual Suspects branches out and Marches On Yahoo!
This is why we are in the state we are in they exert their energy unto themselves onto their Shameless self-promotion and greed and not focusing on the job they were elected to do or Humanity.
Voters just aren’t very smart in this area. Why would they vote a person in who has a full-time job as a school principal to represent them? How can someone have the time to serve the people when he has a full-time job as a school principal? Well isn’t that the side of town that has a lot of crime?
And Proctor those have got to be the stupidest voters on the planet!
In almost every case on the County Commission there was someone more qualified to serve than what was elected. Good riddance Mary Ann! You get what you vote for folks if you don’t start paying attention and voting smarter I mean how much worse can we get? Wake up!
And Barney Bishop please sit this one out as you have no credibility regarding politics after the way you’ve conducted yourself regarding criticizing good candidates and endorsing terrible candidates. NEBA needs to sideline you.
NEBA needs to step it up I mean how can you have a luncheon with the law enforcement and not question some of their missteps like Walt funneling funds to Sean Pittman?
Look at the Chamber of Commerce holding PR events for candidates disguised as yearly junkets to Sandestin and Amelia Island? The only one who benefits from that one is Yordon.
When you have stupid voters and organizations hurting and not helping this is what you get folks. Wake up!
You should change your “Online Screen Name” to No Hope would describe you and your views better…. Since you are either ashamed of ya real name or afraid to put your real name on what you actually believe, which in my opinion makes you a coward that throw rocks and hide your hands!!! stand behind what you believe like I do… I may not agree with your views, but will respect that you speak out boldly
Stanley, you and Pat were Hanna’s lead cheerleaders when he was running in 2016. I think you got mad because he did not hire you like other supporters. BUT, Rocky and his brother and Vegas dollars is alleged to have bought you that new car you drive. Is that correct? GO HOPE !
I will keep Hope, thank you.
Why the attack I stand by everything I said?
Have your voting rights been restored, Stanley?
Didn’t you accept money or a gift from Hanna, Stanley?
Quite likely Steve has unearthed one of the pipe lines our local usual suspects have been using to launder money from local graft, corruption, and kickbacks back into Tallahassee in the form of political contributions.
This being all Democratic political funding makes me feel Jim Comey’s weasels in our local FBI Office will turn a blind eye to the situation.
Keep up the good work Steve.