Gillum pledges cooperation with FBI, says he's not focus of probe

Jeff Burlew
Tallahassee Democrat
Mayor Andrew Gillum has pledged to cooperate with the FBI and says he's not focus of their probe.

Tallahassee Mayor and Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum announced Friday he spoke with the FBI last week about its investigation into the Community Redevelopment Agency and pledged his “personal cooperation.”

Gillum, in a prepared statement, also said the FBI assured him he was not the focus of its investigation.

"Last week, the FBI approached me about several people and businesses here in Tallahassee," he said. "I spoke with them and told them they could expect both the city and my personal cooperation with the investigation. They assured me I was not the focus of an investigation and that they would be moving quickly with their work."

More:FBI demands CRA records from city of Tallahassee

More:Federal subpoena recipients roping in lawyers

A tangled web:A look at those under the microscope of federal investigators

Gillum, who launched his bid for governor in March, said he takes any allegation of corruption in the city “very seriously” and is committed to "rooting it out in its entirety."

"If corruption has taken place in our city, those parties must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law," he said. "We will not tolerate, enable or turn a blind eye to corruption."

Gillum went on to say that, "While no one likes the city being under the FBI's full scrutiny, in light of what is happening nationally, we must remember that the FBI is here to protect us and we must aid them in their work. They have my full support and cooperation as mayor and the full cooperation of the city of Tallahassee."

The mayor was alone when he spoke with FBI and has not hired a lawyer to represent him in the matter, said an aide, Jamie Van Pelt.

The mayor opened up about his chat with federal authorities a day after news broke that the FBI was conducting a criminal investigation into the Leon County/city of Tallahassee Community Redevelopment Agency, which funnels property-tax revenues into improvements in downtown and Frenchtown/southside districts.

Who's who:Power players caught up in FBI investigation

More:Tallahassee CRA islatest agency to face scrutiny

Read more: See federal grand jury subpoenas to the city of Tallahassee

The FBI served the city and the CRA with grand jury subpoenas last week demanding numerous documents related to CRA deals dating back to April 2012, including communications between city commissioners and eight prominent local business people and their corporate entities. Among those named in the subpoena was Adam Corey, an owner of the city-backed Edison restaurant and a former Gillum campaign treasurer.

Gillum, who was already the subject of a separate criminal investigation into his use of city email, appeared to be in damage-control mode Friday. His statement appeared only hours after Politico Florida’s Matt Dixon quoted an unnamed Democratic consultant and Gillum supporter as saying it was time for the him to drop out of the governor’s race.

The Gillum campaign brushed aside such calls.

“Contrary to anonymous quotes, Team @AndrewGillum full steam ahead in #FLGov,” his campaign manager, Geoff Burgan, said in a tweet.

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.