At the February 21, 2024 Tallahassee City Commission meeting, elected officials will receive an update on a police investigation related to Leon County Commissioner David O’Keefe’s actions at the construction site for the new Tallahassee police station.
At the February 7, 2024 meeting, the City Commission requested information regarding the incident which occurred on January 25, 2024.
Dianne Williams-Cox voiced that she had seen a video of O’Keefe trespassing stating, “I saw the video, so I know it happened. It’s not out there anymore, but I’m just concerned about what we are doing about that because if a regular citizen had done that, that regular citizen would be in
a whole lot of trouble.” She then made a motion to, “get an agenda item back to determine what happens in situations like this and what we should be doing.”
According to the agenda for the upcoming meeting, “TPD has confirmed that there is an active investigation into this incident. While investigative details remain confidential at this time, city staff gathered publicly available information related to the incident and summarized for elected officials.”
In a statement to WCTV, O’Keefe denied the trespassing allegations stating, “I would never and did not jump over a construction site fence with a no trespassing sign on it.” He also stated he would not discuss the issue further “out of respect for the investigation.”
From the city meeting agenda item:
Publicly available information on social media and reporting by the Tallahassee Democrat, WFSU, and others confirms that on January 25, 2024 Leon County Commissioner David O’Keefe visited the site along with others, including City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow, Ryan Ray, and City Commissioner Jack Porter.
While there, County Commissioner David O’Keefe live-streamed a video to his @commishokeefe Instagram account. The video is 16 minutes and 50 seconds long and depicts Commissioner O’Keefe’s actions that day, including his presence inside the fenced and secured construction site and then climbing a fence to leave the construction site. Attached to this item is the 1:03 clip from Commissioner O’Keefe’s video where he exits the restricted area by climbing a fence immediately adjacent to the road and posted “No Trespassing” sign.
Commissioner O’Keefe’s video begins with him already behind the construction fence telling viewers that he is at the old Northwood Mall site where the new City of Tallahassee Police station will be. Within the first minute of the video, Commissioner O’Keefe states: “I don’t know how long I can be out here before I get bounced or have to go somewhere else.”
After walking toward the active work on site and being approached by an Ajax construction manager who asks if he is with Leon County, he states, “I’m out here in my capacity as a Commissioner.” The contractor then asks him to “jump back over that fence” and says, “It’s posted on that fence right there,” gesturing back up the hill and toward the intersection of Boone Boulevard and Universal Drive. Commissioner O’Keefe then walks back up the hill toward a fence and says to the video, “I am going to turn this off because I have to hop this fence again and it does not look as cool as when I was younger and I could hop a fence and I do not want that video to be on the internet.”
A still image from this point in Commissioner O’Keefe’s video shows him next to a fence that is secured by a chain. Commissioner Matlow and Ryan Ray can be seen in the background in the back of a black pickup truck looking in the direction of Commissioner O’Keefe.
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The fact that O’Keefe was dumb enough to live stream his own trespassing violation should give everyone pause. These are the sort of dim-witted miscreants running the county and the city. I don’t know why anyone would expect anything other than stupid from that bunch.
This has been in the News the last couple of Nights and his Defense is: “The section of Fence he jumped over did NOT have a No Trespassing Sign on it”. But the two sections on either side of it DID. BUT, It is a SIX FOOT FENCE which means, KEEP OUT. That is why people put up Fences, to KEEP PEOPLE OUT. YOU, ME, THEM, EVERYONE. You are an Adult, you should know Right From Wrong by now. Even if their were no Trespassing Signs, there was a fence TO KEEP YOU OUT. Why didn’t you go to the main Gate, and go to the Office Trailer and introduce yourself?
There are so many other things they should be worrying about. This city makes me sick.
Ohhh – DW-C is alive!! Good grief! Aren’t there more important issues to consider?
Trespassing at a posted construction site is a felony in Florida.
I suggest video evidence of an elected official committing a 3rd degree felony is a matter of public interest.
Don’t we have bigger problems to solve. This is petty and childish.
Is it true city hall took a homicide investigator off of a murder case to investigate this? Downtown has lorded over 7th avenue for years and this is the worst I have ever seen since the summer of anitfa to try to direct LEO.
As long as they’re doing investigations against each other, where is the investigation for the mayor/mayor’s wife interfering with non-profits out of the sunshine during the election cycle?
Where is the investigation for Curtis Richardson, the mayor, and Dianne Williams-Cox mistreating the city attorney?
Where is the investigation for the above same three allowing developers to forego engineering standards on the Welaunee project?
Mr. O’Keefe is an elected official. He was asked to remove himself and he complied. Investigation complete.
Morons among us,
I must say, I am shocked that Dailey has yet to go after Matlow for Lying to the News Crew that questioned him that Day when Matlow said that O’Keefe DID NOT Trespass. O’Keefe clearly Trespassed and KNEW he was Trespassing by his own admission. Why didn’t they go to the main Gate, and go to the Office Trailer, introduce themselves and act like they would like a Tour of the place to see how it was coming along?