Based on an earlier report by POLITICO, which found Gillum’s records were tied to an “active criminal investigation,” TR requested driving record information for a number of Tallahassee elected officials.

The records associated with current city commissioners Nancy Miller, Gil Ziffer, Curtis Richardson and former Mayor John Marks were provided without redactions.

However, the records associated with City Commissioner Scott Maddox were redacted.

In accordance with Florida law, active criminal intelligence information and active investigative information are exempt from public record.

Also, a DHSMV has previously stated that the reasons “agencies need access may include performing investigations or gathering information as part of their official duties.”

These findings indicate that the two Tallahassee elected officials whose records are tied to an  “active criminal investigation” are Mayor Andrew Gillum and City Commissioner Scott Maddox.

However, these new revelations show Gillum has something in common with Maddox who was named in a federal affidavit as an FBI target. The affidavit indicated that Maddox was under investigation for mail fraud and bribery.

In addition, both Maddox and Gillum have taken trips with undercover FBI agents who were posing as developers seeking business with the city of Tallahassee.

Maddox has maintained he has done nothing wrong.

POLITICO previously reported that Gillum’s record “has been accessed by governments or law enforcement agencies. The listing shows Gillum’s records have been accessed 106 times, but a vast majority were redacted by the department, and no specific information could be provided.”

TR found that the data associated with Maddox’s records has been accessed over 150 times with well over 100 redactions.

In comparison, the records of former Mayor John Marks and City Commissioner Nancy Miller were not accessed by any government agencies and had no redactions.

The records of City Commissioner Gil Ziffer were accessed twice with no redactions and the records of City Commissioner Curtis Richardson were accessed nine times with no redactions.

Barry Richard, an attorney for Gillum, told POLITICO that this “public record doesn’t show anything of substance, and as we’ve said, the Mayor is not under investigation. Government agencies frequently cite this statute when any information is redacted.”

In the race for Florida’s U.S. Senate seat, Republican Rick Scott has a narrow lead over Democrat incumbent Bill Nelson, 49 to 47 percent. Scott is at 50 percent with those who have already voted.

The survey was conducted by St. Pete Polls and first reported by Peter Schorsch of FloridaPolitics.com.

The poll of 1,974 likely Florida general election voters was conducted from October 15, 2018 to October 16, 2018. This poll used the registered voter lists supplied by the state of Florida as of September 12, 2018. The sample of voters that were contacted included random samples of registered voters within the boundaries of the state of Florida.

Methodology:

The poll was conducted through an automated phone call polling system. The results were then weighted to account for proportional differences between the respondents’ demographics and the
demographics of the active general election voter population for the state of Florida. The weighting demographics used were: political party, race, age, gender and media market. The voters polled were chosen at random within the registered voter population within the state of Florida. Voters who said they were not planning to vote were excluded from the results below. The scientific results shown for the questions below have a sample size of 1,974 and a 2.2% Margin of Error at a 95% confidence level.

The endorsement comes four years after the Florida PBA endorsed the Democratic nominee for governor, Charlie Crist.

The endorsement also comes amid harsh criticism from DeSantis on how current Democratic nominee Andrew Gillum has handled public safety during his time as an elected official in Tallahassee.

Tallahassee’s crime rate was ranked number one in the state of Florida from 2014-2017 and murders in Tallahassee have spiked during Gillum’s stint as mayor.

The Big Bend PBA chose not to endorse Gillum during his successful run for mayor of Tallahassee in 2014.

Florida PBA President John Kazanjian, said in a statement that, “The men and women of law enforcement want to tell Floridians that Ron DeSantis has our backs. That’s why I’m proud to announce that we have his back,”

Jeff Marano, president of the Broward County PBA, issued his own statement in support of DeSantis. “He has a proven track record of supporting issues relevant to law enforcement officers and their families.”

Gillum’s campaign for governor was endorsed by five current and former sheriff’s – all five are Democrats. These endorsements included Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil, who used to serve as Tallahassee’s police chief.

“As sheriff of Leon County, I have personally worked with Andrew, and have watched him work to build a safer community for our kids, work side by side with law enforcement to tackle violent crime, and stand up for common sense gun reform,” McNeil said. “As governor, I know he will carry the same level of integrity and dedication to the safety of all Floridians.”

Others announcing endorsements of Gillum were Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings, Gadsden County Sheriff Morris Young,  Osceola County Sheriff Russell H. Gibson and Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell.

In a statement released by the Gillum campaign and picked up by the Tampa Bay Times, McNeil said, “Under Mayor Andrew Gillum’s leadership, violent crime is down 24 percent, and overall crime is down 10 percent with crime at a five-year low in Tallahassee. Mayor Gillum’s investments into more police officers, restorative justice, and community policing have made Tallahassee safer than when he became Mayor, period.”

However, during an appearance on the The Morning Show with Preston Scott, Scott asked if McNeil’s comments regarding his assessment of Gillum’s action should have included the qualifier “since you have been sheriff?”

McNeil responded by saying, “Perhaps you are right. The caveat should have been this is my perspective since I have been Sheriff.”

McNeil was elected in 2016, which means his comments would be relevant for just less than two years.

Ironically, during his campaign in 2016, McNeil made a campaign issue out of Leon County’s high crime rate and ran a dramatic television ad which showed a model home getting blown away by an apparent shotgun blast.

Also, in a press conference addressing the crime rate on June 7, 2016 – while Gillum was mayor -McNeil said, “I do not see the outrage, the efforts, or a plan to address the issue. No one seems concerned.”

Public records show that Gillum and the Tallahassee City Commission ignored pleas for help from law enforcement officials from 2009 through 2013.

The report by the Tampa Bay Times on Putnam hiring 27 year-old Clay Hollis -who has family ties to the Lakeland based Publix corporation – to a $91,000 a year state job is certainly newsworthy.

However, it is hard to understand why the involvement of current gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum in awarding a contract that will benefit his friend, campaign donor, travel companion, and lobbyist – Sean Pittman – is not on the front page of newspapers in Florida.

Pittman, along with lobbyist Adam Corey, were part of a group that traveled with Andrew Gillum to Costa Rica. The trip is the subject of an ethics complaint.

In a public meeting of the Tallahassee City Commission last week -with reporters present – Gillum’s office recommended the city commission approve a contract that would benefit Mr. Pittman and then Gillum voted for the agenda item.

There was no state-wide media report on the vote.

In an interview with the Tampa Bay Times, Nelson staked out more moderate positions than those being advocated by Gillum.

On Gillum’s position to abolish the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Nelson said , “I don’t want to abolish ICE. I want to abolish Trump. ICE is merely the administrative agency. It’s the policies in that agency that is problem.”

On Gillum’s support for Medicare for all, rather than endorse the policy proscription, Nelson said, “I’ve got enough trouble just trying to save Obamacare. I’m into results.”

On Gillum’s proposal for a $15 minimum wage, Nelson said, “I have supported a $12 minimum wage, but I am certainly open to suggesting anything that will improve the lot of the average working man.”

In addition, Neslon is not on board with Gillum’s proposal to legalize marijuana or Gillum’s desire to impeach President Trump.

When contacted by Tallahassee Reports, Marcus Gillum refused to comment on the FBI investigation.

Mayor Andrew Gillum has refused to communicate with TR since 2015. Mayor Andrew Gillum won the Democratic primary for governor of Florida on August 28th.

Marcus Gillum’s name has surfaced in relation to the federal investigation several times. Most notably he was mentioned in public reports as part of a group that vacationed in New York in August 2016. The group included FBI agents posing as developers, Adam Corey, and Mayor Andrew Gillum.

Adam Corey, the former campaign treasurer to Mayor Andrew Gillum, is a central figure in the federal investigation and, at the time of the New York Trip, was a city lobbyists and a city vendor.

The FBI investigation was revealed in June 2017 after a federal grand jury served subpoenas to the city of Tallahassee. The subpoenas demanded records involving eight local business people and a number of their companies. Corey and the city-subsidized Edison restaurant, which he co-owns with other investors, were named in the subpoenas.

The trip to New York was first reported by WCTV in August 2017 . Following WCTV’s initial report, Tallahassee Reports broke new information about the outing.

At the time of the trip Marcus Gillum told TR that he was in New York working for the People of the American Way. When asked about the FBI investigation, Gillum said “he would never comment” and ended the call.

Mayor Andrew Gillum has refused to answer questions posed by a Tallahassee Democrat reporter about who paid for activities on the trip. He later said he “either paid his own way or had his brother Marcus, who was also on the trip, pay some of their expenses.”

The Tallahassee Democrat wrote in 2017 that the “FBI may have tried to entice Mayor Andrew Gillum through one of his close friends to see a Broadway show, catch a Mets game and stay at a hotel in New York City as part of its investigation into alleged public corruption in Tallahassee.”

Payments to Marcus Gillum -who was on the New York trip – would have also been an enticement for Gillum to meet with FBI agents posing as developers.

The trip was the subject of a complaint filed with the Florida Commission on Ethics and is still under investigation.

Following the trip to New York, people attending FSU football games during the 2016 season indicated that Marcus Gillum received tickets for a stadium skybox provided by Adam Corey. At times, these people said Marcus Gillum was in the skybox with the undercover FBI agents who were posing as developers.

Adam Corey’s FSU football skybox was revealed as a central part of the federal investigation when TR reported that the undercover FBI agents purchased four tickets from Corey. It was later confirmed the tickets were provided to City of Tallahassee employees through Corey. The scandal led to the resignation of Tallahassee City Manager Rick Fernandez.

Other Tallahassee Report Investigations

Costa Rica: Another Gillum Trip with Adam Corey & Sean Pittman

Mayor Gillum’s Office Billed $10,000 by Tallahassee Democrat for Stories Authored by Journalist

Gillum, Daniels, & Corey Flew to Tampa on Developer’s Private Plane for Political Meeting

BREAKING NEWS: City Tax Dollars Pay for Mayors Office to Send Biden/Clinton Campaign Invite

Mayor Gillum’s Pittsburgh Trip Raises Questions

The ten stories were written by Tallahassee Democrat journalist TaMaryn Waters and highlighted Gillum’s “Family Friendly Workplace” initiative he began in 2015.

In May 2017, the Mayor’s Office was billed $10,000 for the stories.

The stories appeared in the Tallahassee Democrat during the first two weeks of April 2017, just four weeks after Gillum announced his candidacy for governor.

Journalists Respond to Tallahassee Democrat Partnership with City

The articles did not disclose that the stories were sponsored content paid for by the Mayor’s Office.

Records recovered by TR show that the initial $10,000 bill sent by the Tallahassee Media Group (TMG) was ignored by Gillum’s office until a TMG “collection specialist” intervened in October, 2017.

Ultimately, TMG issued a $2,500 discount and Gillum’s office paid half of the discounted amount on January 8, 2018.

It appears TMG has yet to be paid for the remaining balance.

The investigation began when TR sought an explanation for an expense discovered in the city’s online checkbook for the Mayor’s Office. The expense item indicated that the Mayor’s Office paid the Tallahassee Democrat $3,750 for advertising on January 8th, 2018.

At the time the expense was paid, TR reported that Gillum was in negotiation with the Tallahassee Democrat over another article about his trip to New York with Adam Corey.

After a records request, the City of Tallahassee provided emails, invoices, and when asked about the nature of the expenditure, the Clerks Office provided this statement:

The information regarding the check and invoice was for the Democrat to produce articles about some of our family friendly businesses in 2017.

The articles profiled specific businesses that were deemed to have family friendly work places.

In addition to not disclosing that the articles were paid for by the Mayor’s Office, the profiles do not highlight any relationship with the Mayor’s Office in the title, the branding logo, or in the article.

As seen below, the profile format for the ten stories provides an “About the Series” heading (noted by red star), but does not disclose anything about the relationship between the series and the Mayor’s Office.

While sponsored content has become a part of the media landscape for businesses, the publishing of sponsored content by the Tallahassee Democrat for a gubernatorial candidate during a campaign without disclosure may be a first by a legacy media outlet.

Politico, a global news and information company, labels paid for content before and after the title of the article (see below) and in the beginning and at the end of the article.

Also, Business Insider runs sponsored posts with the disclosure message marked at both the beginning and the end of each article using the word “sponsored.”

A former New York Times employee, Ava Sirrah, recently explained why sponsored content for businesses can be a problem for media organizations.

While the practice is lucrative, it also jeopardizes the editorial independence of newsrooms as journalists become aware of what advertisers want them to discuss. Today, brands are able to work with journalists in unprecedented ways that are difficult to regulate, because very few people know how such partnerships between advertiser and publisher are negotiated.

Tallahassee Reports reviewed each of the 10 profiles and found that the only disclosure is approximately five paragraphs into each profile that states the “series is a partnership between the City of Tallahassee and the Tallahassee Democrat that stems from the Family First Initiative launched in 2015 by Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum (noted by red lines in above image).”

The $10,000 invoice sent by TMG referenced the Mayor’s Office.  Also, there is no record of any payment from any City of Tallahassee department other than the Mayor’s Office. See invoice below.

TR will continue to investigate.

In addition, Corey was a registered lobbyist with the city of Tallahassee.

The trip has been confirmed by multiple sources.

Sources have told TR that the travelers included Andrew Gillum, Jai Gillum, Sean Pittman, Audra Pittman, Adam Corey, Austin Rain, Cody Schwartz, Darcie Morningstar and Mary Kucek.

Sources also say Ms. Kusek worked with Computer Aid Inc., which hired Corey’s firm to lobby the city of Tallahassee during 2015 and 2016. At the time of the trip, Corey’s lobbying business -Unconventional Strategies – was actively seeking business with the city of Tallahassee for Compute Aid Inc.

Previous reports indicate Gillum has a history of traveling with Corey and/or Pittman.

In February, 2015 TR broke a story about a Gillum trip to Pittsurgh that took place in January, 2015, which included Corey, Pittman and current mayoral candidate Dustin Daniels.

The Tallahassee Democrat followed up with a story and reported that the trip was not an official city trip and no city dollars were used. Daniels retroactively took a vacation day after reports about the trip went public.

In August 2017, TR broke a story about a Gillum trip to Tampa which took place in February, 2016. The trip included Adam Corey and Dustin Daniels. The trio flew on a private plan owned by a developer with an interest in doing business with the City of Tallahassee.

The Tallahassee Democrat followed up with a story and reported that the Mayor Gillum paid for the Tampa trip out of his office account, which can only be used for official business related to his office.

Also, in August 2017, TR broke details about a Gillum trip to New York city  which took place August, 2016. The trip included Corey, developers that are now believed to have been undercover FBI agents and Gillum’s brother, Marcus. Gillum has yet to say who paid for anything on the trip.

Florida law requires public officials to disclose gifts from lobbyists with a value over $100. None of Gillum’s gift disclosure forms obtained by TR mention anything about the trips outlined above.

In the limited public comments made by Gillum about his travels with city vendors, lobbyists and developers, Gillum shows little concern about the perception and/or the possiblity of conflicts of interest. For example, referring to the New York trip, Gillum told WCTV , “It was frankly a couple of friends getting together.”

WCTV reporter Mariel Carbone broke the initial story about the New York trip.

TR has previously reported that after the uncropped picture of Gillum and Corey in New York city was shown to  “Gillum’s camp”, the Tallahassee Democrat engaged in a negotiation with Gillum that resulted in a cropped picture and an interview with Gillum.

It appears now that the negotiation took place during a time frame when $3,750 was passed from the Mayor Gillum’s office to the Tallahassee Democrat.

Listed below is an image of the city’s checkbook with the payment from the Office of the Mayor to the Tallahassee Democrat. Click on image to enlarge.

The payment is curious for several reasons.

First, according to the three years of spending records available on the City of Tallahassee website, this is the only advertising purchased by Mayor Gillum’s office from the Tallahassee Democrat.

Second, the check date for the advertisement is listed as January 8th, 2018, months before the “Family First Initiative” which was listed as the reason for the advertisement.

Gillum’s “Family First Initiative” did not kick off until the first part of May, 2018, four months after the payment was made to the Tallahassee Democrat.

An advertising executive told TR that it would be rare for any client to pay for an advertisement that far in advance.

Also, the person said a client the size of the City of Tallahassee would have favorable terms that should allow for payment after there was proof of performance.

TR has asked for documentation verifying what advertisements were purchased and in what manner the advertisements were delivered to Tallahassee Democrat customers.

The cropped picture -taken in New York – accompanied an article authored by Tallahassee Democrat reporter Jeffrey Schweers back in March. The article, written from Gillum’s perspective, chronicled Gillum’s decision to cut ties with his friend, Adam Corey.

Corey has played a central role in the current FBI investigation into local government corruption.

According to Schweers, the picture played a vital role in securing the interview with Gillum. Schweers told his readers that the “Democrat’s intention to publish the photo prompted Gillum’s camp to reach out and request a meeting.”

Schweers did not tell his readers the picture was ultimately cropped and how this decision transpired.

Multiple sources have told TR that when Gillum was made aware of the photo, Gillum supporters reached out and pressured the Tallahassee Democrat not to print the picture. What followed was a negotiation that resulted in a cropped picture and the article.

The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) provides a framework for journalistic ethics. With regards to independence, SPJ states that journalists should “deny favored treatment to advertisers, donors or any other special interests, and resist internal and external pressure to influence coverage.”

Also, SPJ writes that ethical journalism means taking responsibility for one’s work and explaining one’s decisions to the public. SPJ states that journalists should “explain ethical choices and processes to audiences. Encourage a civil dialogue with the public about journalistic practices, coverage and news content.”

This issue is compounded by the fact that controversial pictures of other political figures were recently printed by the Tallahassee Democrat without alteration.

Why was Mayor Andrew Gillum – who is a Florida gubernatorial candidate – treated differently?

The publisher and the editor of the Tallahassee Democrat have not responded to TR’s request for a comment on why the picture was cropped.

Original Photo

Photo altered by Tallahassee Democrat (below)

When the video began playing during an open microphone period of the May 9th city commission meeting, Gillum continued to interrupt the presentation and the video was stopped.

Dr. Erwin Jackson finished his interrupted three minute presentation with only comments.

“Do we have any obligation to show this?” asked Gillum.

The city attorney said yes.

Ultimately Gillum achieved his goal by not letting the video play. But he may have exposed the City of Tallahassee to a  lawsuit.

The 30 second video, produced by Jackson, could be characterized as political satire aimed at City Commissioner Scott Maddox who has been targeted by the FBI in a pay for play scheme.

Jackson, who has been a thorn in the side of the city commission for years, has had various successes challenging the actions of city officials.

For example, he challenged the city’s support of a bio-mass plant and played a major role in the ultimate demise of the project that also raised ethical questions about city commission votes.

Jackson also exposed the private use of a city credit card by former Mayor John Marks.

But lately Jackson has become more embolden as the accidental leak of an FBI search warrant has verified many of Jackson’s allegations about Maddox and the city commission.

Until recently, the allegations have been routinely dismissed by city insiders as wild conspiracies.

But that has changed.

First, there was a lawsuit over Maddox’s residency. Jackson lost in court, but the FBI leak indicates Jackson’s claims had merit.

And second, he has repeatedly questioned Maddox’s behavior as a city commissioner and the current investigation has provided support for Jackson’s allegations.

It appears now, as Jackson continues to remind the city commissioners of his allegations and the current status of the FBI investigation, his 3-minute presentations are hard for elected officials to handle.

However, as newly appointed city attorney Cassandra Jackson told the elected officials, Jackson is well within his rights.

The only question now is if Jackson will file a lawsuit against Mayor Gillum for interfering with his rights to address elected officials.