This month, Governor Ron DeSantis has now designated a prosecutor to examine a complaint of election fraud and illicit disbursement of funds by the chair and treasurer of the Florida Keys Republican Party.
The matter is the result of a vote in April by the Republican Executive Committee of Monroe County to support Sherri Hodies, the committee’s treasurer, in the GOP primary for supervisor of elections, over former Key West City Commissioner Margaret Romero.
Hodies ultimately emerged victorious in the primary and will be competing against Democrat Ron Saunders, a former state House representative for the Keys, in November.
Ward, who is a member of the committee and supported Romero, requested that DeSantis designate another State Attorney’s Office to handle the matter and recused his office from the investigation.
DeSantis signed an executive order on September 20 that assigned the case to Amira D. Fox, the state attorney for the 20th Judicial Circuit of Florida, which encompasses Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, and Lee counties.
Phyllis May, a Key West Republican, submitted a complaint on July 26 alleging that with the endorsement came a $20,000 contribution to Hodies’ campaign.
The issue is that a simple majority vote of all 63 members of the committee is necessary before endorsing a candidate. May and other Republicans who are dissatisfied with the decision contend that this did not occur.
38 of the 63 members were present at the April 20 meeting, and 20 voted to endorse Hodies while 18 opposed the motion, according to the complaint and an email obtained by the Miami Herald, written by another member of the committee and first reported by the Key West Citizen newspaper.
However, in order for the endorsement to be considered official, 32 members would have been required to vote for Hodies.
Hodies ultimately emerged victorious in the primary and will be competing against Democrat Ron Saunders, a former state House representative for the Keys, in November.
In Florida, election fraud is classified as a third-degree felony, which is punishable by a maximum of five years in prison.
[READ MORE: Newsom Releases Formal Apology for Slavery on Behalf of State of California]
