Picking up the pacing in the battle for Polk County Property Appraiser, the current commissioner, Neil Combee, has used social media to expose his opponent’s dubious tactics. The one in the spotlight is none other than the former Lakeland Mayor, Gow Fields, who seemingly with ill intent visited the Property Appraiser’s Office, a move Combee suggests was in direct contravention of the Hatch Act.
The Hatch Act, it should be noted, forbids a county officer from abusing their official power to tamper with an election process or manipulate another person’s vote, specifically the employees of the office. Combee’s explosive Facebook revelations have not only sparked curiosity among the public but also at the State Attorney’s Office, where State Attorney Brian Hass is deliberating over the necessity of an investigation.
The currently serving Property Appraiser, Martha Faux, has been put in a position to justify her actions following the attention drawn to the matter. Combee, thoroughly unimpressed, took to social media to disclose, ‘Elected officials in Florida are forbidden to utilize their official position or office to provide a competitive leg-up to the favored political candidate. This is not new – it’s been a long-standing law.’
Combee further emphasized the gravity of such a violation, highlighting that government offices are ultimately owned by the taxpayers; not the officers. He argued any misuse of the offices that goes against taxpayers’ interests is intolerable. Combee didn’t shy away from putting Fields’ visit to the Property Appraiser’s Office under scrutiny; noting the timing and purpose seemed contrived.
Contrary to Combee’s description, Fields claimed his visit was for purely academic purposes – wanting to learn about the structure of the office organisation. Pointing out, ‘When I visited her office, it was almost two months prior to deciding to run, the narrative described about me touring the office to look at different areas is untrue.’
Fields insisted that most of his time at the office was spent with Faux, in her office, learning about the organisation’s structure. Fields stated he gathered insights about the organisation, its team structure, branch locations, remote working numbers, and operation mode. However, much to his dismay, Combee saw the situation differently.
Combee cunningly utilized Facebook as platform exposing that any Hatch Act violations are considered as a first-degree misdemeanor in Florida. Violators could face up to a year in prison, a year of county probation, and a fine of upto $1,000. He was confident that Faux had overstepped her boundaries and had violated the election statute.
Definitively pointing to Faux’s actions, Combee remarked ‘The State Attorney has rightly set the gears in motion for a criminal investigation, this should be swift and concise.’ Transitioning into damage control, Faux attempted to provide a timeline that painted Fields in a more favorable light.
Faux shared that as of August 25, 2022, she was convinced of not seeking re-election and had approached Gow at his office to convince him to run as her successor. She stated that Fields visited the Property Appraiser’s Office on January 26, 2023. He was ‘not a candidate at this time’ and hence had not returned to their office since that date.
Despite Faux’s claims, Combee remained sceptical. He expressed, ‘Combee has a knack for cooking up controversies and warping realities.’ He drew attention to the fact that the Property Appraiser for Polk County has been an insider job for over nine decades tracing back to 1932 when John White was elected. His suspicions were that Martha Faux was moulding Fields as her insider replacement.
Combee stayed firm in his stance, alleging that he had been informed that Commissioner George Lindsey recruited Gow Fields, a suggestion well-received by Faux. Since no other employees showed interest or willingness to assume office, Fields was an ideal puppet to be molded. Combee asserted that this was the primary reason why Fields was introduced to many of the 125 employees.
Retaining his combative stance on Facebook, Combee hinted at forthcoming ‘sworn statements regarding this and more.’ But in a surprising turn of events, Fields seemed to lead the race. His Facebook campaign page announced his victory over Combee in two recent straw polls at the Northeast Polk Chamber of Commerce 42nd annual Pig Roast and Political Mingle in Davenport and the Polk Politics Candidate Rally and Forum at the Bartow Civic Center.
In conclusion, the Polk County Property Appraiser race has become a hotbed of scandals and accusations of Hatch Act violations. Though it’s quite clear that Fields appears to have the upper-hand for now, Combee’s relentless pursuit of truth has certainly spiced things up. It remains to be seen how this saga will unfold.