Criminal Charges Against Democratic Candidates Suggested: Report

SARASOTA COUNTY, FL — The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office is recommending criminal charges against three candidates for Sarasota County Commission after they accepted campaign donations above the legal limits for local elections, the Herald-Tribune reported.

Mark Pienkos, Cory Hutchinson and Alice White — all Democratic candidates — committed misdemeanor campaign finance violations, the Sheriff’s Office said. The State Attorney’s Office will decide whether charges should be pursued, reports said. If charged and found guilty, they face a $500 fine or 60 days in jail, according to reports.

The candidates reportedly accepted campaign contributions above the county’s $200 limit, as established by the charter, from the Sarasota County Executive Democratic Committee and the Florida Democratic Party.

The Herald-Tribune reported that Pienkos received $6,000 from the FDP and three contributions of $500 each from the SCEDC. Meanwhile, Hutchinson accepted $2,000, while White received $1,000.

All three returned the money in early October after Jack Brill, the acting chair of the Republican Party of Sarasota County, alerted the county attorney to the issue.

JoAnne DeVries, chair of the Sarasota County Democratic Party, said the candidates didn’t violate any laws.

“The impartiality of our justice system represents the foundation of our civil society in America. When the justice system is used as a political tool it undermines everyone’s faith in the justice system,” she wrote in an email to Sarasota Patch. “It is undeniable that these local candidates did not violate any Florida State laws and that political parties are allowed to donate to candidates. Whether this local ordinance applies to political parties is a legal issue that has never been decided in our local courts. Instead, the history in Sarasota County shows that political committees, like the ones used by Republican candidates, not political parties, were added to the text of the ordinance when it was rewritten over a decade ago.”

She said that the money has been refunded and called the ongoing matter “a political investigation.”

DeVries wrote, “Refunds for donations over the ordinance limit of $200 occur in many county races including the most recent race for Sarasota Sheriff. Usually, once the error has been discovered, the campaign issues a refund. What is unusual in this instance is that one political opponent requested a political prosecution. All Sarasota residents should condemn such political prosecutions.”