Between the growing list of questionable political communications, fake voter guides, and other sneaky tactics by political operatives working to affect the Manatee County primary election outcome, now multiple residents tell TBT they witnessed one such operative blatantly violating election law.
The incident occurred on Saturday, August 18, during the last day of the early voting period.
According to multiple sources confirmed to have been present outside the G.T. Bray Park polling location in west Bradenton on Saturday morning, Jennings Lawton DePriest was seen traveling with a video billboard truck within the polling site’s 150-foot “no solicitation” zone.
Florida Statutes 102.031(4)(a) includes, in part, “No person, political committee, or other group or organization may solicit voters inside the polling place or within 150 feet of a drop box or the entrance to any polling place…”
At the G.T. Bray location, this 150-foot distance was marked by the centerline of the park road that runs between the polling site and the parking lot.
Dozens of individuals had gathered at tables near the parking lot outside the restricted area, offering information to interested voters as they headed in to cast ballots.
Each day of early voting, individuals representing various candidate campaigns or local political groups stationed themselves at tables outside early polling locations across the county.
Multiple individuals who set up at the West Bradenton park location told TBT that throughout the week, a box truck with a digital billboard was also positioned on-site, “soliciting voters” by running three political attack ads on a loop.
At least one of the political advertisements (commercials) the truck played was paid for by The Committee to Expose Fake Republicans PAC. The PAC is chaired by political consultant Anthony Pedicini, and its largest contribution—$160,000—came from another PAC run by Pedicini, named the Citizens Alliance for Florida's Economy.
According to multiple witnesses stationed outside of G.T. Bray on Saturday morning, the digital advertisement truck left its parked location in a nearby parking lot. It proceeded to drive in circles directly in front of the polling location—within the 150-foot restricted area—playing the advertisements at maximum volume.
Witnesses told TBT that as the billboard truck completed three circles within the restricted zone, it was followed by a gray pickup truck driven by Jennings Lawton DePriest.
DePriest is a self-described “professional propagandist” who has stated publicly that he takes pleasure in “trashing” his candidate client’s opposition.
Like Pedicini, Depriest also operates PACs that disseminate misleading information to area voters.
Video captured by one of the witnesses on Saturday shows the billboard truck driving in close proximity to the polling location. The video also shows bystanders attempting to inform DePriest that the truck driving the route violated the “no solicitation zone.”
Multiple witnesses who spoke to TBT by phone about the incident alleged that one of the bystanders, Jack May—the president of the local Manatee Patriots organization—flagged down elections officials and local police to intervene in the situation.
TBT reached May by phone, who confirmed the other witness accounts.
May said he attempted to flag down DePriest, but when unsuccessful, he alerted Manatee SOE Chief of Staff David Ballard and law enforcement of the violation.
“When we walked up to where the poll manager was,” May described, “it just so happened that David Ballard was there. So, I explained to him and another poll worker that the trucks were in violation of the solicitation boundary.”
May said that after some brief back-and-forth, he also explained his concern to an officer of the Bradenton Police Department who was also on location, and the police officer did go over to speak to the truck driver.
Another witness provided photos they took of three Bradenton Police Officers speaking with DePriest outside of his parked pickup truck.
According to the witnesses, once authorities had addressed the matter, DePriest left the scene, and the billboard truck returned to being parked stationary in the adjacent parking lot. A Bradenton Police Department vehicle positioned itself near the billboard truck, where it kept watch throughout the remainder of Saturday.
What witnesses saw of the truck and DePriest was only a part of the frustration they expressed to TBT about the incident. The second half of the story involved a political mass text that was disseminated to voters that day before the alleged election violation by the billboard truck.
The text message came into local voters’ phones on Friday, August 17.
“Election Security Alert!” the text message began.
“Left-wing operatives are alleged to be committing potential crimes at polling locations across Manatee County,” it warned.
The text included accusing members of the Manatee County Republican Assembly and the Manatee County Liberty Caucus of providing voters with “unauthorized” materials.
Both local Republican constituent groups have been very vocal in denouncing political operative Anthony Pedicini's deceptive tactics. They have created club voter guides to combat “fake” voter guides that are put out with misleading claims and under dubious circumstances.
One of the witnesses of the incident on Saturday said, “Isn’t it amazing that it is DePriest accusing these local Republican groups of breaking election laws while he and his advertising truck drive around breaking election laws.”
The mass text message alerting voters of the alleged crimes at polling places was paid for by the Florida Committee for Accountability PAC. The PAC is chaired by none other than Jennings Lawton DePriest.
Financial disclosures of the Florida Committee for Accountability PAC show that the PAC has paid over $7,000 to DePriest’s marketing firm, Top Lobster LLC, in 2024.
As for the content of the text message that was paid for by DePriest’s PAC, TBT contacted the Manatee County Sheriff's Office to inquire whether it had received any complaints or was investigating any election crimes alleged to have occurred at early voting locations.
A spokesperson of the local sheriff’s office responded to our inquiry, stating that the department was “not investigating any complaints” related to alleged election crimes and that no records were found related to “any calls for service involving election or voting issues.”
Primary Election Day is tomorrow, August 20, and Manatee County voters will cast ballots to determine the future leadership of multiple high-profile positions in local government, including four county commission seats, the property appraiser, and the supervisor of elections.
For more information on election day voting, click here. To confirm your precinct and voting location, click here. Other election information can be located at www.votemanatee.com.
Dawn Kitterman is a staff reporter and investigative journalist for The Bradenton Times covering local government news. She can be reached at dawn.kitterman@thebradentontimes.com.
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Islandman
I changed to the Sarasota Herald several years ago, primarily because they covered local sports and local news better than the Bradenton Herald.
Other than High School Football, that is no longer true.
Long story short, to control my BP, I never read anything in the A section, thus I missed their endorsement me of KVO.
Another nail on their coffin.
Personally, many of my neighbors, my massage therapist, and my barber have been informed, KVO AND SATCHER are BIG NO’S.
Garner and Metallo also are NO.
They all have reached out with the message!!
Hopefully, we make and impact.
Bye-Bye Pedicini and Beruff!
Monday, August 19 Report this
NikkiforPalmetto
Irony is not lost on that little b DePriest.... committing the very crime you inaccurately accused democrats of.
Monday, August 19 Report this
sandy
This whole primary has made me so sick and stressed. I have been here 30 years and never seen anything so nasty as this. And I worked for the county for 26 years before retiring. Most flyers were disparaging against opponents, while never pointing out what positive they are going to do for the citizens of the county. I am starting to seriously consider moving back to where I came from (and I hate cold weather). Most of my family except a stepson is up there after my husband passed. We moved here to what he called "paradise". It's not that anymore.
Monday, August 19 Report this