Gillum only official so far to acknowledge meeting FBI on CRA deals
Commissioner Dailey says he spoke to FBI, later says it was a social call
Jeff BurlewAside from Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, no other city or county commissioner has acknowledged being approached by or talking with the FBI about its criminal investigation into local redevelopment deals.
Gillum, who’s running for Florida governor, announced Friday he spoke with the FBI the week before about its investigation into activities involving the Leon County/City of Tallahassee Community Redevelopment Agency.
He dropped that bombshell a day after the FBI’s investigation into CRA-related matters burst into public view. The Tallahassee Democrat first reported on the investigation after obtaining copies of FBI subpoenas dated June 13 demanding documents from the city and the redevelopment agency.
Related:Gillum pledges cooperation with FBI, says he's not focus of probe
More:FBI demands CRA records from city of Tallahassee
More:See the FBI subpoenas to the city and CRA
More:Power players caught up in FBI investigation
A TANGLED WEB:A look at those under the microscope of federal investigators and their connections to the city, businesses and each other.
The Tallahassee Democrat contacted each of the seven county commissioners and the four other city commissioners to ask about FBI conversations. All of the other commissioners who were reached said they have not been approached nor have they talked with the FBI about the probe.
The FBI did not respond Monday to questions about conversations with Gillum or the investigation in general.
City Commissioner Scott Maddox did not return phone calls. Maddox’s former firm, Governance, Inc., was one of more than a dozen businesses and firms listed in the FBI subpoenas. His former aide and a close, longtime business associate, Paige Carter-Smith, was among eight individuals listed in the subpoena.
City Commissioner Nancy Miller sent a text to the Democrat early Monday afternoon saying, “Sorry, I can’t talk right now.” County Commissioner Bill Proctor did not return a phone call.
City Commissioner Curtis Richardson said he’s heard from concerns citizens — but not law enforcement — about the probe.
“I have not been approached by anyone other than people in the community who are asking questions like everybody else,” Richardson said. “But there’s not much I can tell them because I don’t know much. I don’t know more than what you all have reported, to be perfectly honest with you.”
Gillum, it turns out, had FBI approval on the statement he issued last week, he and one of his aides said. In the statement, he said he was assisting the FBI and was told by the agency he was not the focus of the investigation.
After a campaign appearance Saturday in Tampa, Gillum told the Tampa Bay Times he had permission from the FBI’s field office in Tallahassee to release the remarks. Jamie Van Pelt, one of his aides, confirmed the account in an email Monday to the Democrat.
“The FBI field office approved Mayor Gillum making the statement,” Van Pelt said.
Van Pelt said Gillum also does not anticipate appearing before the federal grand jury that is working with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office on the investigation.
“He has not been subpoenaed nor does he have any expectation that he will be asked to testify,” Van Pelt said.
The FBI has asked for numerous documents, including emails, between city staff and commissioners and two dozen local business people and their corporate entities, going back to April 2012. Among other things, the subpoenas asked for all payments to the business people and their firms along with voting records by city commissioners and CRA members. The CRA board consists of the five city commissioners and four county commissioners.
County Commission Chairman John Dailey told the Democrat on Monday he met with an FBI agent last year and they discussed, among other things, his membership on boards. Dailey said the CRA did not come up in the conversation but that he brought up another high-profile FBI investigation into Leon County Schools. At the time, Jackie Pons was serving as superintendent.
“This was back when the whole Jackie Pons thing" was happening, Dailey said. “So I just imagine they were talking to everybody.”
“They were just asking me about like what do you serve on and all that kind of stuff,” Dailey said of the questions that he said "seemed to be routine."
Later in the day, Dailey clarified that the FBI agent he met with is a longtime friend and that their conversation took place over lunch at Jason’s Deli.
“Over a year ago, I had lunch with a dear friend of mine, someone I’ve known for over 25 years,” Dailey said. “He had just moved back to Tallahassee. He was asking me 'How it’s going, what are you working on, how’s life?' It was truly social.”
Dailey said he has not served on the CRA for several years and is not involved with the ins and outs of its decision-making. He said he’s focused on county business and noted the county hasn’t received any subpoenas.
“As chairman of the County Commission I am proud of the work we are doing and we will continue to do the good work,” he said.
County Commissioner Bryan Desloge said he met with the FBI, too, along with the U.S. attorney, but it was years ago after he was first elected in 2006. He said he went to federal authorities to tell them if there was ever a problem to call him directly.
Desloge said he’s concerned about the investigation’s impact on the community’s reputation, not to mention efforts to recruit new businesses. News of the FBI investigation appeared about a week after new state figures were released showing Leon County has the highest crime rate in the state, driven largely by crime in city limits.
“It’s a perception,” Desloge said. “'Hey, we’ve got high crime. Hey we’ve got an FBI investigation of elected officials.' Those kinds of things are not exactly rolling out the welcome mat. I guess in the end, I’d like to think we could do better.”
County Commissioner Kristin Dozier, who sits on the CRA board, said she's concerned about the investigation but hopes it doesn't overshadow progress it's making.
"I anticipate that everyone will do what they can to provide the requested information," she said. "And I hope we get some answers quickly as we know that these investigations can take quite some time."
Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.