Powerful GOP PAC mailer smears Minshew

Dark money and smear tactics have emerged in the Fernandina Beach City Commission election as voters Thursday received a campaign mailer positioning Genece Minshew as a pro-development candidate.

Minshew is running against incumbent Vice Mayor David Sturges for Seat 2 on the commission.

According to the mailer sent out by the Political Action Committee (PAC) Holding Developers Accountable of Gainesville, Florida, Minshew is portrayed as "a rubber stamp for developers?"

The claim is the complete opposite of Minshew's stated position on limiting density in the city and opposing any changes to Fernandina's Land Development Code (LDC) or Comprehensive Plan that would allow for more residential development.

With just under a month before the Nov. 5 election, this is the first negative campaign ad against a candidate in the city commission race. The mailer could be a harbinger for more negative attacks against commission candidates.

Incumbent Sturges owns a residential construction company. As commissioner, he has sought to amend the LDC to allow for more residential parcels. He voted to lower stormwater/wastewater new construction impact fees and ignored provisions of the LDC and voted to approve construction of townhomes on the Tringali property.

The Observer reached out to Sturges for comment regarding whether his campaign was involved with the PAC or knew of the attack mailer. Sturges, who is active in local Republican politics, did not respond.

The Holding Developers Accountable mailer is directly linked to William Stafford Jones of Tallahassee who is described by Wikipedia as:

"Jones is known for creating dozens of political action committees that have spent millions of dollars in Florida state elections. In 2021, the nonpartisan watchdog organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington reported that two of Jones' organizations falsely reported on their tax returns that they engaged in no political activities and failed to disclose more than $1 million in political contributions. Florida Democrats have complained that Jones' organizations have funded spoiler candidates and used deceptive tactics."

Jones is also connected to Data Targeting Inc., one of Florida's top influential Republican consulting groups. In 2016, Jones was linked to more than 40 PACs in Florida.

Minshew said she was not surprised by the attack mailer.

"Who is so afraid of me and of my election to the city commission that they would spend thousands of dollars on a smear campaign?" she said. "This is a new low for the people who are so afraid of me and my campaign that they would put out such blatant misinformation.  Remember, a vote for me is a vote for a citizen, not a political party or a politician."

Jones, who has resided in Gainesville and Tallahassee, has no known affiliation to Fernandina Beach.

In its bio of Jones, Wikipedia states: "Jones, from Gainesville, Florida, was on the Florida state delegation for the 2020 Republican National Convention and was a longtime Chairman of the Alachua County Republican Party. Jones was implicated in a 2012 scandal involving drawing district lines in favor of Republicans.

"In 2012, Jones was a key figure in redrawing Florida's congressional districts that the Florida Supreme Court declared unconstitutional because they were gerrymandered with "partisan intent." Jones helped find citizens to submit maps during the redistricting process that had been pre-drawn by Republican consultants and to provide scripted public comment based on Republican talking points."

In 2022, Jones chaired a PAC named Sun Coast Alliance that became involved in Sarasota politics.

According to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Jones' Sun Coast Alliance received a $100,000 donation from an organization named Serious Conservatives on Jan. 25, 2022. A tax form indicated that there is a 501(c)(4) organization called Serious Conservatives, so these could be the same organization. 501(c)(4) organizations don't need to disclose the names of their donors.

The Thursday mailer to Fernandina voters is estimated to have cost Holding Developers Accountable approximately $10,000.

Holding Developers Accountable lists a Gainesville address. But no other information is available. According to the website ProPublica, the PAC is connected to a Tallahassee consulting group called Electioneering Consulting, Inc. The website consists of a single page with an address and email listing.

The only official listed is Jones. He is associated with other PACs like Progressives, the Sunshine State Freedom Fund and a Republican-linked PAC Good Government for Florida.

Jones' political activities have rattled other Florida communities.

Four years ago, the Villages-News online publication, which covers the huge retirement Villages community in Sumter County, wrote this about Jones:

"It turns out William Stafford Jones is a shadowy political operative based in Tallahassee, who has nothing to do with Sumter County.  He has had a number of ethics complaints filed against him according to the Lakeland Ledger. Based on a Google search, he has established numerous PACs and his PACs will apparently back any cause or candidate that ponies up money.  The internet has a number of stories about his questionable activities."

Jones' PACs and dark money were involved in the 2022 Jacksonville city council race, the 2019 Venice city council election as well as the Martin County school board race in 2018 and Juno Beach city elections this year.

Jones did not respond to emails requesting comment on the Minshew mailer.

In its attack on Minshew, the flyer cited 10 votes it claimed were pro-development while she was a member of the city's Planning Advisory Board.

"None of the Planning Advisory Board cases mentioned in this mailer have anything to do with developers. Most of them are annexations for sewer and water, which this city commission supports. And let's not forget that the PAB is an advisory board, and all of our recommendations go to the city commission for a vote. So, nine of these cases were also voted on by my opponent (Sturges) as a sitting city commissioner," Minshew said.