Almost eight years after Tallahassee Reports published a story about Gary Yordon skirting the city’s lobbyist registration ordinance, Yordon verified the facts in the report during his testimony today at the public corruption trial of J.T Burnette.
In 2013, in an attempt to avoid revealing his connection to Scott Maddox and Governance – a Maddox controlled lobbying firm, Yordon failed to register as a lobbyist while representing the McKibbon Hotel Group.
When confronted by city officials, Yordon registered under a business named The Zachary Group. At the time, state business records indicated the business had been inactive since 1999.
Today, under oath, Yordon testified in federal court that he participated in a scheme through the lobbyist registration to hide his connection with Maddox and Governance to avoid a conflict of interest.
Also, Yordon noted the move was intended to avoid criticism from Dr. Erwin Jackson who was regularly speaking before the city commission about unethical behavior.
Yordon said that his $25,000 lobbying fee and $3,000 a month retainer fee paid by McKibbon went from The Zachary Group to Governance “immediately.”
TR’s original story is included below.
_________________________
Mckibbon Hotel Group Consultant Communicated with Staff Without Registering as a City Lobbyist
September 5, 2013
Tallahassee Reports has learned that the consultant retained by the Mckibbon Hotel Group (MHG) – who has business before the City Commission – had communications with City staff on MHG issues and was not a registered lobbyist with the City of Tallahassee.
Tallahassee Reports requested a list of registered lobbyists on August 16, 2013. Click here to see a list of registered lobbyists as of August 19, 2013. The list shows no one registered to represent MHG.
Tallahassee Reports was told by two City of Tallahassee employees that Gary Yordon had contacted them on behalf of the MHG and discussed issues related to MHG’s project before August 19, 2013. Tallahassee Reports has previously written about the MHG project here.
The City Commission voted on issues related to MHG on April 24, 2013, the Planning Commission voted on an MHG issue on September 3rd, 2013 and the City Commission has another vote scheduled on a MHG issue on October 24, 2013.
In early 20011, the City of Tallahassee enacted an ordinance that requires the registration of lobbyist. The ordinance defines lobbying as:
communications, whether written or oral, by a lobbyist outside a duly noticed public meeting or hearing on the record with any member or members of the city commission, or any member or members of any decision-making body under the jurisdiction of the city commission, or any city employee, whereby the lobbyist seeks to encourage or influence the passage, defeat, modification or repeal of any item which may be presented for vote before the city commission, or any decision-making body under the jurisdiction of the city commission, or which may be presented for consideration by a city employee as a recommendation to the city commission or decision-making body.
In addition, the lobbyist registration form requires the lobbyist to identify who they are representing and to identify any direct business relationships they have with city commissioners and city staff.
Four days after Tallahassee Reports requested a list of registered lobbyists, Mr. Yordon registered with the City Tallahassee as a lobbyists for MHG under the lobbying firm name The Zachary Group. See Mr. Yordon’s lobbyist registration form here.
Leon County records show that Mr. Yordon is currently registered as a lobbyist for Governance, representing several businesses, including Waste Pro – a city and county vendor.
Why didn’t Mr. Yordon register with the City as a lobbyists under Governance as he did with the Leon County Board of County Commissioners this year and has in the past several years?
Tallahassee Reports has learned that due to the relationship that Governance reportedly has with City Commissioner Scott Maddox, Mr. Yordon could not register as lobbyist under the Governance name.
It has been reported elsewhere that Mr. Maddox sold his residence to Governance and is currently leasing the home from Governance. In addition, Mr. Maddox reported Governance as a source of income on his 2012 Financial Disclosure form.
Florida Statutes states that “No public officer or employee of an agency shall have or hold any employment or contractual relationship with any business entity or any agency which is subject to the regulation of, or is doing business with, an agency of which he or she is an officer or employee..”
The question that Tallahassee Reports is now seeking an answer to is can a lobbyist in a lobbying firm that has a conflict with an elected official simply register under another firm name, while still a part of the conflicted firm, and not have to reveal the conflict?
If the answer to this question is yes, the City of Tallahassee’s ordinance for registering lobbyists may not do what it was suppose to do: notify the public of potential conflicts.
Gary Yordon Admits to Scheme to Hide Connection to Maddox at Public Corruption Trial added by Steve Stewart on
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GREAT JOB, STEVE!!!!
Sorry Tony… just an economy of scale kind of thing. 🙂
Power corrupts… and absolute power corrupts absolutely
Just moved back to Tallahassee after 19 years away in crooked Bay County and came back to see this, just as I left it.
@ Edward Lyle
What does ANY of that have to do with THIS Story?
I witnessed this year Gary Yordon using a handicapped space to park in while at Georgia’s restaurant . I called him out on it too.
Never thought much of him after he was caught shoplifting using his handicapped sons wheelchair as a hiding place. What a disgrace !
Good Friday Morning Everyone!
Shall we ponder a brief recap of the ever-growing Treason Tree planted by the Dementia Joe Biden Sadministration?… let’s see now…
We have a Joint Chief of Staff who embraces Marxism, views ½ of America’s population as Nazis, and engaged in planning a Military Coup against a duly elected President of the United States… TREASON
We have an Administration that is brazenly violating our Constitution and their Oath of Office by adding and abetting the invasion of our sovereign land by hundreds of thousands of un-vetted, un-tested, criminal, disease-caring, illegal alien gangbangers who are drug mules, rapists, murders, et al… then subsequently and surreptitiously disbursing them throughout the country causing harm, damage, and death to American citizens, resources and property. TREASON
We have an administration that turned a blind eye to anarchists who engaged in unfettered mayhem and illegality… and burned, looted, and murdered throughout our nation with reckless abandon. causing countless loss of life and property… and has engaged in hunting down and jailing those with opposing opinions, thus making them America’s political prisoners. TREASON
Now we have an administration that has openly admitted to conspiring with the alt-left media and social media platforms to suppress and otherwise censor opposing opinions in a clear and direct violation of the 1st Amendment as protected by our Constitution. TREASON
One wonders if ANYONE in DC (Republican, Democrat, or otherwise) has even read our Constitution, and are prepared to fulfill their sworn duty to Protect and Defend it by articulating these clear and present acts of TREASON into “legitimate” Articles of Impeachment in an effort to save this Great Nation from its impending doom… anyone… anyone… Bueller… Bueller…
Something’s going on with Waste Pro…
I read an article a couple days ago that stated that Yordon gets to walk for his testimony.
This may have all began around 2017 by the corrupt left thru their law enforcement arm of the FBI to save Gillum from all the bad stuff he did in order to have him as their Governor of Florida and perhaps President in the future. Maybe even with Maddox playing along in the scheme to protect Gillum. Then Gillum lost narrowly to Desantis and later crapped out his political future in that Miami hotel room.
So they are kind of stuck with the Maddox trial that they no longer need because Gillum crapped himself out of their future needs.
Dont expect too much from this farce and Maddox will likely get taken care of. Dont forget as the former head of the Fl Democratic Party Maddox is their boy and would have totally agreed to the scheme.
Yeah its wild speculation on Snidely’s part but hey its the leftists we are dealing with here. I just hope they put on an entertaining show for us to watch before their leftist Judge slaps a few guilty wrists then gives them the lightest punishment you can ever imagine. This is an all leftist show and we can never trust anything the leftists do. Never.
I remember when Yordon was caught shop lifting in Maas Brothers years ago using his invalid son as a shield. Yet, he has been allowed a large platform to speak to Tallahassee/Leon County as a voice you can trust.
He has always been a low down sleaze bag and yet the liberals in this area have exulted him to a pinnacle of great authority. He speaks through the Tallahassee Democrat and the WCTV station voicing all the propaganda of the left. He has been embraced by the Chamber of Commerce and other organizations even though they knew that he was a corrupt individual. Why? Because he was of their political ilk.
Stanley Sims, but is the article incorrect?
Gary Yordon is a Jerk. Always has been. He has been an MC for the stoopid Amelia Island Chamber of Commerce Junket put on by local businesses and lobbyists for the local elected leaders to SCHMOOZE, make secret deals, sell hash, cop feels.
The guy is bad news. I hope he does not get a deal in exchange for his testimony. He admitted his part in this conspiracy. SEND HIM TO PRISON.
Yordon
Will Gary Gordon MC the Chamber of Commerce event in Amelia Island this year?
About two years ago I was at the Southwood Publix standing behind Gary Yordon in line at the register. An elderly gentleman was walking out and started pointing at Yordon and calling him a crook, the man had some other choice words they won’t let me type here as well.
At the time I kinda felt sorry for the old boy, (Yordon) now I realize I missed a perfectly good opportunity to donkey punch that criminal in the back of the head.
My grandfather always told me; “its usually better to regret something you have done than something you haven’t.”
Now I know exactly what he was talking about…
I’m not sure how “together” got separated like that…………
TR might want to do an endepth story on Dr. Erwin Jackson so everyone knows who he is and the roll he played that brought all this to gether.
If Yordon released the funds immediately to Maddox doesn’t that make him as culpable as Maddox? Hence, why no indictment for Yordon?
Maddox and Yordon must be stopped they are a danger to the public at large not only in monetary damages but in the health safety and welfare to the General Public. Their involvement in Waste Pro was a heinous Fiasco and to this day Waste Pro cannot train their employees properly to ensure their safety nor maintain their equipment properly to ensure Public Safety, nor adhere to a one day pickup schedule as it is now taking Waste Pro 2 and 3 days to do a regular pickup. Something is terribly wrong and Maddox, Yordon, and the County Administrator were the three involved.
The hard-working employees and rank-and-file at Waste Pro do not deserve this. Nor does the public at Large.
Stanley Sims says:
July 14, 2021 at 8:13 pm
Now these are the kind of articles Tallahassse Reports write when they don’t like you…. White Democrats & powerful or elected blacks….
Are you brain damaged? Maddox pleaded guilty. People who betray the public trust should be dragged through the media and streets if possible…
Oh… and btw… Gas price up by about $1.20 per-gallon in just 6 short months of the Dementia Joe Biden Sadministration. Thanks Joe!
Signed,
The poor, low income, and less fortunate you falsely profess to care about
Correction: Tallahassee Reports
@ Snidely: Concur. Thumps up
@ Hope: Thumps up, Thumps up
@ Gary Yordan: Dirty R A T
@TR: Daily briefings on the CIRCUS would be nice. YOUR readership will increase ten fold.
@ Sniidely,
The Tallahassee Democrat needs to publish a correction… they refer to Gary Yordon’s company the Zachry Goup and fails to report that it was a defunct company. Tallahassee reports, correctly reports that it has been defunct since 1999..
SSDD (Same Sh*t, Different DemoKKKrat)
In an effort to appear fair, while still keeping their reporting of the ongoing Burnett trial for its leftist nut job subscribers eyes only, the Tallahassee Democrat has locked down its Burnett trial coverage to subscribers only.
I just cant bring myself to spend even the one dollar for the first 6 months to read what that leftist rag is reporting on the Burnett trial or anything.
Thank you Steve Stewart for being such a beacon of truth and light to our communitty.
Gary Yordon unindicted co-conspirator admits his crime on full display, Hallelujah what we knew all along!
And the awards for doing the most harm to Leon County goes to…
Sue Dick for sucking the life, energy, and commerce out of Leon County to give a platform to this criminal.
The Tallahassee Democrat for also giving him a platform and sweeping the filth under the carpet for years.
It was verified long ago that Maddox wrote an agreement on a paper napkin to Yordon..
Why aren’t Yordon, Ziffer, and Nancy Miller not indicted?
And the above are the official racists of Leon County as they all participated in ousting Anita Favors from her job as city manager, and did a terrible Injustice to citizen, veteran, former city executive Harry Brown.
May God have mercy on all your souls and may all the wrong be rectified and made right, Amen.
Where is our local Channel Six on the Maddox/ Yordon issues. Over the past two decades Yordon was given a program platform to spread his manure. Sounds like a lot of usual and unusual suspects.
Gary Yordon is part of the sleaze that keeps the political machine running in Leon County. He has no morals nor compunction to do what’s ethically right. He falls right in with just about everyone past, present and most likely future city and county governments.
The FBI, Federal prosicuters, and the Judge most likely have gone to great lengths to protect Gillum. The defense attorneys will never say anything but most likely the Judge has had private conversations with Tim Jansen about keeping Gillum’s name out of the proceedings.
Another fun take away is the level of annoyance Dr. Jackson provided to Yorden and the rest of the little mafia wannabes. Dr. Jackson my hero! Without Dr. Jackson this little show would have never seen the light of day. And you know thats true.
There are a lot of other dirty players besides Gillum that are being allowed to walk away. Its kind of like justice and kind of like not really justice too considering all the players that have been allowed to walk away. Cant wait to see the light weight punishments the Judge blesses his fellow leftists with!!!
The Usual Suspects alright!
Yordon has been protected by the Tallahassee Democrat for a long time now. He’s in bed with the rest of them.
Tallahassee is a den of corruption and will remain as such!
And he was hiding his connections with other companies (Big Top Productions, ran by Paige Carter Smith) and getting huge city contracts… even though commissioners knew it was him getting the contracts to pay back his support and donations to help them get elected. (Miller, Ziffer, Gillum) Yet, the county named a park after him and they honored him at numerous City/County events. Corruption at its best!
Now these are the kind of articles Tallahassse Reports write when they don’t like you…. White Democrats & powerful or elected blacks….
The shame of it is the justice delayed is justice denied- Scott Maddox should have had a fair trial and been sitting in prison long ago. It’s amazing how corrupt Tallahassee was and remains.