James Satcher, the hapless Manatee County Commissioner appointed Supervisor of Elections at the behest of local developers, has done it again. Days before getting his keyster handed to him in the Republican primary, it seems Satcher executed a two-year lease for an unnecessary “satellite office” in Lakewood Ranch.
When longtime Republican SOE Mike Bennett retired in late January, he recommended that Gov. Ron DeSantis appoint his top deputy, Scott Farrington, in his steed. Almost immediately, we began hearing rumors that developers were pushing Satcher—then a first-term Dist. 1 Commissioner—for the post.
This was absurd because Satcher could not have been less qualified, and Farrington could not have been more competent. Both were Republicans. It seemed like a no-brainer. But this is Manatee County, where a “no-brainer” often seems to imply something that is executed without the participation of the brain. DeSantis caved, and the community’s concerns were immediately validated.
Satcher increased the annual budget by nearly a million dollars in just one final fiscal quarter, then wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars sending out unnecessary replacement voter ID cards that confused many residents because they read like a campaign letter. He bought audit machines that could not be used because he and his cronies had no idea of the processes that needed to be followed before implementation. In fact, it was only discovered when Farrington pointed it out to the canvassing board.
There were widespread reports of voter harassment at and near polling locations during early voting and Election Day—all coming from people associated with the developer-backed candidates. Satcher himself had to be confronted when he illegally positioned himself inside the candidate boundary outside of polling locations. He also showed up inside polling locations in his official capacity and introduced himself to voters, which, if not illegal, was blatantly unethical.
Voters corrected DeSantis’ mistake and elected Farrington in a 19-point landslide. After his defeat, Satcher threw a temper tantrum and fired multiple employees. As if all of that were not bad enough, TBT’s Dawn Kitterman recently reported that Satcher leased former state rep. Tommy Gregory’s office in Lakewood Ranch, probably so that he could have some swankier digs once elected. Apparently, he had enough hubris to assume he’d win despite his lack of qualifications just because his developer sugar daddies had poured a ton of money into his campaign.
Now that he is about to become unemployed, it will fall on Farrington to decide what can and will be done regarding the two-year lease of the space, which has already cost taxpayers around $10,000 as it sits empty, plus whatever was spent on furnishings. When we asked Bennett about Satcher’s plan to open satellite offices, he told TBT that they had looked at the possibility during his time as SOE but saw that relatively few people visited the current SOE office as more and more were simply using the SOE website, sometimes often being directed there after calling the office. It just wasn’t cost-effective, especially for a fiscal conservative like Bennett, who, unlike Satcher, had always been a good steward of the public purse.
None of this comes as a surprise to Manatee County residents, thousands of whom signed a petition urging DeSantis to remove him from office after the election. The good news is that Satcher will be gone in January because the community came together, saw past the onslaught of dirty campaigning, and voted him out. The bad news is that his severe incompetence has cost taxpayers a fortune, thanks to DeSantis and local attorney Bill Galvano, a former Senate President who lobbied the governor to appoint a fool to such an important post.
Dennis "Mitch" Maley is an editor and columnist for The Bradenton Times and the host of our weekly podcast. With over two decades of experience as a journalist, he has covered Manatee County government since 2010. He is a graduate of Shippensburg University and later served as a Captain in the U.S. Army. Click here for his bio. Mitch is also the author of three novels, and a short story collection is available here.
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Buldog
Good read. Nothing surprises me from the “fab four”
Saturday, December 21, 2024 Report this
David Daniels
Satcher falsely claimed that State law required him to send out new voter information cards. The spineless Florida Ethics Commission denied the complaint saying it wasn't their job to interpret the law. Well who's job is it? How about at least a slap on Satcher's hand for not getting an official opinion? All anyone had to do is ask for an opinion from the Fla. AG, or the State Dept. I also sent a written complaint to the State Division of Elections - No response. Mr. Farrington should seek an official opinion on whether Florida Statute 97.071 requires new Voter information cards be printed and mailed to every registered voter whenever the name of the SOE changes. He would have to spend another $100K in January based on the self-serving Satcher/Ballard interpretation. 97.071(3) lists the instances when a new card must be issued and change of SOE is not one. Satcher and Ballard lied in that letter. Satcher used public funds for his personal re-election benefit, which is a violation of Florida Ethics Statute 112.313(6). In the DeSantis administration, no one cares.
Saturday, December 21, 2024 Report this
David Daniels
To be more clear, it was the campaign letter that came with the voter cards that created the ethics violation. The false claim that the law required new cards was just an excuse to send the 2 page campaign letter attached to the cards.
Sunday, December 22, 2024 Report this
409harley
Sorry I couldn't resist ... keyster ??? How about keister. Good article, thank God he's gone!
Sunday, December 22, 2024 Report this
Cat L
It's still a very upsetting thing that lobbyists are suggesting the appointees when a politician retires. That's what solidified that these are not serious actors, but only convenient pawns. I want real politicians who are really doing the work, this was of doing things stinks.
Sunday, December 22, 2024 Report this
Butterfly Cathleen
Without the participation of the brain!!! Love your use of words. Au revoir, SATCHER
Sunday, December 22, 2024 Report this
Charles
Good summary to prepare us for all the similar cases expected in the federal government and all offices within its reach by the Musk-Trump-Vance administration — compounding corruption with stupid topped with the wrath of those stuck in terrible-two-tantrums, is going to be our fate thanks to those conned into voting against their own welfare. It won't be pretty.
There is no time to waste. folks. It is up to the voters. Find, fund, and elect honest candidates. The con artists already have their plans of how to fool voters during the next elections.
Start making plans now up and down the ballot to turn out as many of them as possible in 2026 or it will get even worse. Get the clean water amendment on that ballot so gifts to polluters cease to be the reward given by corrupt politicians to those who finance their campaigns. Sign the petition and work to get others to sign it — the amendment is a game changer — https://www.floridarighttocleanwater.org/
Sunday, December 22, 2024 Report this
Debann
GOOD RIDDANCE JAMES SATCHER..YOU WERE A LOUSY COMMISSIONER AND A WORSE appointed NOT ELECTED INDIVIDUAL in charge of SOE...DESATON got it wrong again when he appointed you over the highly qualified SCOTT FARRINGTON...you continued to SCREW THE TAXPAYERS WITH YOUR last effort on spending money that WASN'T YOURS...MAY KARMA VISIT YOU OFTEN AS SHE HAS NO DEADLINE. REAP WHAT YOU SOW BECAUSE THE TAXPAYERS SPOKE AT THE POLLS....MERRY CHRISTMAS TO THE FARRINGTON FAMILY,AND SATCHER JUST GO AWAY
Sunday, December 22, 2024 Report this
FrstWordDr
I know that building. I worked in there for years when I worked for a golf magazine. They are good people. I'm sure they will work with the county to cancel the lease. That won't get back the funds already spent though... It is definitely NOT the kind of place the general public would go in and out of on a daily basis.
Sunday, December 22, 2024 Report this
jimandlope
Yes, agree this was a very good read! In addition you called much of this beforehand which you should also be credited with. You also should be given credit for us to dump this guy. Great job Mitch ! Jim Tierney
Sunday, December 22, 2024 Report this
WTF
Satcher without any accountability, once again he goes off the reservation to the detriment of our community. Not one town hall meeting about an extra satellite office. Not one workshop for the extra expense of the satellite office without any statistics to back him up that people would even use it. We should not have to pay for stupidity, yet we do time and time again. And since that was Ballard’s old office that he worked out off for our elected official he had the ear of the dumb one.
2 dumbos don’t make it right and never will.
The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.
Albert Einstein
Sunday, December 22, 2024 Report this
Lktinsanfran
How about this? We make Satcher pay out-of-pocket for the unwarranted mailer accompanying the new voter registration card and the lease on the unnecessary office space? If we the people held our politicians accountable in this manner there be a lot less spending of the tax payers' money without giving it a second thought.
Sunday, December 22, 2024 Report this