Commissioner Chappie Agrees to $1,400 in FEC Fines

BRADENTON – At a meeting of the Florida Election Commission last Wednesday, Manatee County Commissioner John Chappie (R-District 3) agreed to pay $1,400 in fines after the commission found probable cause that he violated two state statutes on two counts by paying winning bonuses to a campaign consultant after becoming an unopposed candidate.

The events took place during Chappie’s 2012 re-election campaign, where the commissioner, whose district includes most of northwest Bradenton and all of the islands, raised eyebrows after accumulating a $78,000 war chest, despite being unopposed in the race.

Florida statutes limit the manner in which candidates can dispose of campaign funds after they become unopposed (which happens once the qualifying period for their race has closed without opposition having qualified). Such bonuses are not among the prescribed methods of dispersal, which are limited to "thank you" advertising, payment of operational expenses incurred prior or the normal end of campaign methods prescribed in 106.141 of the state statutes.

Chappie twice paid $5,000 to consultants Linda Cinque of Linda Cinque Inc. and Mac Stevenson of Political Insights Inc. for "winning bonuses,“ despite the fact that the "winning“ had already become a foregone conclusion when no one else qualified for the race. Both bonus structures were found in violation of state statutes 106.11 and 106.19. The commissioner agreed to pay $700 for the two counts of violating each statute for a total of $1,400.

Commissioner Chappie is again up for reelection in 2016. He has yet to draw an opponent but has already raised more than $36,000 for his campaign as of the last reporting date.