Update Oct. 19, 2025, 9:15 pm (EST) After the publication of this report, James Satcher reached out to TBT and provided the following brief statement: "The 2024 General Election in Manatee County was a huge success despite two hurricanes and record turnout. Increased security protocols bolstered election integrity, and ballots were accurately counted. I was blessed with some great personnel, both inherited and new hires, who contributed to this success. However, despite an impressive resume, one contractor’s work product was not subjectively up to my standards. I was disappointed, but fulfilled my contract and moved on with the important business at hand, serving citizens, and safeguarding the upcoming election."
Following an invitation by TBT, Mr. Satcher has indicated his intention to provide a more detailed response to this reporting for future publication.
BRADENTON — New details are emerging concerning how former Manatee Supervisor of Elections James Satcher managed expenditures of the local elections office after his appointment by Gov. Ron DeSantis in April 2024. These fiscal revelations are surfacing at a time when Florida's Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia and DeSantis’ DOGE task force are scrutinizing local governments’ use of taxpayer dollars.
A recently published audit report by the Manatee County Division of the Inspector General found that certain expenditures during Satcher’s tenure lacked a clear public purpose, including a sole-source contract with Fredrick Piccolo Jr.—a former communications director to DeSantis who was fired from a similar position at New College of Florida earlier this year after an arrest for indecent exposure led to multiple felony charges.
In May 2024, the elections office under then-SOE Satcher contracted with a supposed business of Piccolo’s for public relations and communications services at a rate of $2,500 per month. However, inspector general auditors noted that Piccolo Strategic Communications, the contractor of record, did not appear to be a registered business with the Florida Department of State Division of Corporations.
The audit report included, “In reviewing the supporting payment documentation submitted by Piccolo Strategic Communications, inconsistencies were noted between the name of the contractor per the agreement, and the name of the person who received the payments (Frederick Piccolo, Jr.).”
Each of the paid invoices contained a notation to “Make Checks Payable to Fred Piccolo,” and the required tax forms submitted to the Clerk’s Finance Department identified Piccolo as the sole proprietor of Piccolo Strategic Communications.
The tax ID on record with the clerk was Piccolo’s own social security number, leading the auditor to initially assume that Piccolo was ‘doing business as’ (DBA)—a formal registration that would allow a business to operate under a name different from its legal name.
“However,” wrote the auditor, “a search for this business name on the Florida Department of State Sunbiz website produced no results to confirm that the business had been registered as a fictitious name, and was authorized to do business in Florida, as required per FS § 865.09.”
Public records reviewed by TBT appeared to confirm that the contract between Piccolo and the SOE’s Office was negotiated between Satcher’s Chief of Staff, David Ballard, and Piccolo.
Satcher’s decision to hire Ballard as his second in command at the SOE drew public attention when it was rumored that Ballard was his choice for Chief of Staff before Satcher had even taken his oath of office.
David Ballard is the husband of Commissioner Amanda Ballard, and Mrs. Ballard was a former colleague of Satcher’s, as he was in his first term as a Manatee County Commissioner when DeSantis removed him from the commission to appoint him as SOE.
Drawing further public attention were the facts that Mr. Ballard previously worked for the Building Industry Association (BIA), now known as the Suncoast Builders Association. In that position, he had participated in meetings in which the association’s President Jon Mast had quietly pushed a white paper to county officials that contained “suggested” revisions to the county’s land development code.
In addition to his connections to the BIA and to a sitting commissioner, at the time of his hire by Satcher, Mr. Ballard was on criminal probation for two counts of driving under the influence.
Despite an exhaustive review of internal SOE email communications of Ballard, Satcher, and Piccolo, TBT was unable to locate any record of Satcher’s participation in the contract negotiations with Piccolo.
Across multiple emails, Ballard and Piccolo exchanged contract drafts and revisions. The initial drafts indicated that Piccolo would receive $10,000 per month for services; however, subsequent revisions reduced this rate to $5,000 per month, ultimately resulting in a final arrangement of $2,500 per month.
The emails did not reveal the reason the negotiated payment decreased. However, the emails between the men included reference to “prior discussions,” suggesting the bulk of the negotiations were being held either by phone or through in-person communications.
The finalized contract detailed that Piccolo would be paid for services beginning on May 1, 2024. Services to be provided included advising the SOE, offering opinions and strategic advice on press releases and op-eds, leading crisis communications, and “other duties agreed to by both parties.”
In total, Piccolo received $10,000 through four separate payments of $2,500 from the SOE.
A month after the SOE contracted the services of Piccolo, former Supervisor Satcher also added a new Public Information Officer position to his staff.
Vinola Rodriques was hired for the position on June 24, 2024, with a starting salary of $57,000.
On August 23, 2024, Ms. Rodriques received a salary increase, bringing her annual rate of pay to $63,240.
Public Relations or Campaign Consulting?
Following his appointment to SOE, Satcher declared his intent to seek re-election to the SOE position.
A month ahead of the August primaries, Satcher drew significant public backlash when he facilitated a mass letter campaign of the Supervisor’s Office that would reach every registered voter in the county.
Manatee County voters received new voter information cards and a personal letter from SOE Satcher, which included a color photo of Satcher.
Although Satcher alleged that Florida Statutes required every voter to receive an updated voter information card displaying the new Secretary of State’s name (Satcher’s name), many residents questioned the expense and accused Satcher of using the office for campaigning purposes.
Public records reviewed by TBT related to the SOE’s contract with Piccolo during this same timeframe also raised questions about whether Satcher—and some of the individuals employed by him—may have been inappropriately using public resources of the office to assist Satcher's reelection efforts.
One example is a meeting that Piccolo arranged for himself, Ballard, and Satcher to meet at a local Starbucks with David Rancourt, a Vice Provost at New College of Florida.
A few months before the arranged meeting, New College publicly came to Rancourt’s defense against criticism that he behaved inappropriately while serving as the college’s Dean of Students when he took the stage at McCurdy’s Comedy Club and performed a short skit that included a joke about rape.
Piccolo wrote in the invitation sent to both Ballard and Satcher, “Rancourt is a notable figure in Florida politics. He recently joined New College... Before this role, he had an impressive career in both lobbying and government service.”
Piccolo’s meeting invitation didn’t clearly define the purpose of the meeting, but it highlighted Rancourt’s career in lobbying, including that “his lobbying firm grew into one of Florida’s preeminent firms.”
In 2023, Florida Politics reported on New College’s hiring of Rancourt, writing in part, “The former mega-lobbyist once served as Jeb Bush's Deputy Chief of Staff… An alumnus of the University of Florida’s Political Campaigning program, a biography on that university’s website notes Rancourt’s long history in Florida politics.”
Text message records show that three days after the meeting arranged by Piccolo with Rancourt, Piccolo sent a group text message to Ballard, Satcher, and included Rancourt.
Piccolo used the group text to share a lengthy draft of an op-ed submission he prepared as a response to a Your Observer column authored by the publication’s CEO, Matt Walsh, titled, Shocker: DeSantis puts politics above competence.
“It’s a frontal assault,” wrote Piccolo of his draft, “But I think it’s a shot across his bow. We go raise another $30k and get to $100k, that’s a one-two punch.”
TBT did not attempt to confirm whether Piccolo’s op-ed—which was written as though Satcher authored it—was ever submitted to Your Observer. It does not appear as though the piece was ever published in any local publications. Click here to read Piccolo’s drafted work.
In another example of Piccolo’s work for the SOE, Piccolo drafted a statement announcing the approval of an SOE budget increase request that Satcher was scheduled to present before the BOCC on May 28, 2024.
Piccolo’s draft was dated for release on May 29—the day after the item was set to be heard—but he sent his draft in a group email days before, on May 24, to Satcher, Ballard, and Satcher’s political consultant, Anthony Pedicini of SIMWINS.
“Draft, draft, draft,” wrote Piccolo. “Note to outside readers, this statement is only a draft and its public release is embargoed until distributed.”
Pedicini responded to the email, writing in all caps, “WE ARE ALSO GOING TO NEED TO WRITE A TV AD FOR THE CAMPAIGN.”
When May 28 came, Satcher’s budget request was approved 4-1 with Commissioners Kevin Van Ostenbridge, Ray Turner, Mike Rahn, and Jason Beaden voting in favor. Commissioner George Kruse was the only commissioner to vote in opposition.
Commissioner Amanda Ballard abstained from the vote due to her husband serving as the SOE Chief of Staff, and what was formerly Commissioner Satcher’s seat was vacant due to his appointment to the SOE.
In another instance of internal email chains reviewed by TBT, Satcher’s wife, Monica, emailed Satcher a copy of a letter addressed to him from Gov. DeSantis. Monica’s email was sent to Satcher’s personal email address, not to his SOE email.
“Dear Commissioner Satcher,” began the Governor. “One of my greatest priorities and responsibilities is the appointment of qualified and ethical individuals to positions throughout the state…”
Roughly fifteen minutes after receiving Monica’s email, Satcher forwards it from his personal email to his political consultant, Pedicini, and his campaign treasurer, Wendy White.
A few days later, Satcher forwards the entire email chain from his personal email account to Ballard’s SOE email address, including the letter from the Governor as an attachment.
Less than 30 minutes after Ballard received the forwarded email chain from Satcher, he sent an email to Piccolo that included the letter from the governor that he had just received from Satcher.
Ballard’s email instructed Piccolo to draft an “introductory email” that “will be the first contact for these voters, so it is a first impression. The tone needs to be positive and hopeful.”
Ballard continued, “It should state that this will be the safest and most secure election in Manatee history, that he is addressing potential physical and digital security deficiencies, accessible no matter how a voter votes, and the public will have full confidence in the result by an expanded certification audit of every race.”
“It should also include the appointment letter,” added Ballard, referring to the letter from DeSantis.
Additional emails reviewed by TBT revealed that invoices submitted to the SOE for payment by Piccolo lacked documentation of the “deliverables” or tangible product of the services he provided. The SOE’s finance manager regularly had to remind Piccolo to itemize his work.
In the course of its audit, an Inspector General auditor interviewed SOE Finance Manager Pamela Smaridge, whose statements were corroborated by email records.
Smaridge told the auditor that she “never saw or heard of any of Piccolo’s work being used.”
“Every time we got an invoice from him, I would ask David Ballard for support for the deliverables, but he would never provide it to me,” Smaridge explained during the audit interview. “I do remember Ballard saying at times that Piccolo’s work was not usable because of poor quality. I pushed Ballard for support all the time, but he would never give me anything.”
As a result of Smaridge’s insistence, Piccolo would revise his invoices to include itemized lists of the work he was seeking payment for—although those lists grew less detailed as time passed.
Each invoice’s list of deliverables raises questions regarding the public purpose of Piccolo’s work and whether the SOE’s office was paying him to work for the public office or for Satcher personally.
Some of the deliverables as claimed for payment by Piccolo included: Immigration forum talking points, media advisory on swearing in, brief for Ballard on prior experience with re-election after appointment, multiple “strategy” calls, multiple draft op-eds, draft letter to registered voters, revised early voting brochure, and strategic advice, among other claimed deliverables.
The invoice for May included itemized deliverables reportedly completed in April; however, the SOE contract with Piccolo was signed by Satcher on May 3, 2024.
One of the April items that Piccolo allegedly produced for Satcher was a “3-month plan of action.” The August primary election was held just four months after Satcher was appointed SOE.
Despite Piccolo’s itemized lists of deliverables, there appears to be very little record of tangible products produced by Piccolo for the $10,000 he was paid by the SOE office.
Some of the deliverables that Piccolo claimed to have produced on his invoices, such as videos advertising office services and revisions to the early voting brochures, were products that SOE staff told the IG’s auditors were, in fact, produced and provided by Satcher’s PIO, Rodrigues.
In an email to himself, it appeared Satcher drafted his own “edit possibilities” for his bio on the SOE website.
The findings of the inspector general’s audit similarly noted the lack of recoverable or verified work product from Piccolo:
“August 2024 invoice - No work product was found for the deliverables invoiced for the month ($2,500). In addition to two (2) calls (strategy call, call follow-up), the invoice listed deliverables of a ‘Draft letter to the editor,’ and ‘Create office video of services available.’ Current SOE staff were unable to locate the letter or video, and a review of email accounts of the former SOE, former Chief of Staff, and former Public Information Officer resulted in no related documentation found.
September 2024 invoice – No work product was found for the deliverables invoiced ($2,500), and it is unclear whether the services listed supported a public purpose. Services invoiced included ‘strategic advice’ and ‘Op Ed Draft.’ Current SOE staff were unable to locate the draft, and a review of email accounts resulted in no related documentation found.
According to the auditor’s report, the SOE’s purchasing procedures require two documented quotes for purchases over $500 and three written quotes for purchases over $5,000; however, in this instance, no records of competitive quotes or bids exist.
Additional Findings of the Audit
The Inspector General’s audit reviewed the SOE’s financial controls for the period of March 1, 2024, through January 6, 2025.
As a constitutional office, the Supervisor of Elections is not under the jurisdiction of the Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller; however, since 2001, the SOE periodically requests the Division of the Inspector General to perform audits of its financial operations and procedures.
As part of the audit review, the IG selected a sample of expenditure transactions for testing out of the total recorded for the period.
The audit reported two possible instances of wasteful spending, $11,292.11 which was spent on rent and utilities for a satellite office in Lakewood Ranch that was never open to the public or used by staff, and $101,263 paid to an outside vendor to print and mail new voter information cards to all voters in Manatee County.
Satcher signed the lease agreement for the Lakewood Ranch office space in July 2024, with the rental term beginning on Aug. 5, 2024. According to the auditor’s findings, $22,981.65 was paid for rent and utilities from August 2024 until the current SOE, Scott Farrington, terminated the lease in March 2025.
Regarding the mass mailing of new voter information cards, the audit report noted that the data provided to the vendor became outdated when the cards were not printed and mailed promptly—likely due to the size of the order—and were then sent out prior to the voter registration books closing for the election period. This resulted in thousands of voters receiving two cards, each with different information.
The report included, “According to the Assistant SOE, since this was a busy time of year, when voters were making changes, she estimates between 3,000 and 4,000 voters received incorrect cards, resulting in a duplication of time and effort.”
In addition, the auditor wrote, “It is unclear whether the mass mailing was necessary. Florida Statute § 97.071 states that a voter information card must be furnished to all registered voters residing in the county and must contain the name of the supervisor. However, the statute provides only one directive on when it is necessary to issue a new card, ‘In the case of a change of name, address of legal residence, polling place address, or party affiliation, the supervisor shall issue the voter a new voter information card.’ It does not stipulate that a new card must be issued when there is a new SOE."
Nine months have passed since the voters elected Farrington as the county’s new SOE. The office under Farrington has not taken any action to mail a new voter information card to every voter in the county.
To read the full report of the Inspector General’s audit of SOE financial controls as of January 6, 2025, click here.
After the August Primary
In August 2024, Satcher lost his bid for re-election as Manatee County’s Supervisor of Elections. Republican voters selected Farrington to serve as their next SOE, awarding him nearly 60% of the vote in last year’s Republican primary.
When Farrington was sworn into office in January 2025, he dissolved the PIO position created by Satcher, thereby terminating Rodrigues.
Farrington also dismissed David Ballard from the position of Chief of Staff. Ballard is currently employed as assistant general counsel at New College of Florida—the same college where Piccolo was employed up until April of this year.
When Piccolo was arrested by the Manatee County Sheriff's office in April, following a victim positively identifying him as the man who exposed himself to her while asking for directions, he was dismissed by New College.
His arrest in Manatee County drew attention to at least three prior incidents of indecent exposure allegedly committed by Piccolo in Sarasota County in August and September 2024, incidents for which Piccolo was only cited, but not arrested.
Suncoast Searchlight reported in May that State Attorney Ed Brodsky’s office upgraded Piccolo’s prior misdemeanor counts due to repeat offenses, and Piccolo is currently facing five separate felony charges of “exposure of sexual organs” related to incidents he is alleged to have committed in both Manatee and Sarasota counties between August 2024 and March 2025.
Payments to Piccolo from the Manatee Supervisor of Elections Office under former SOE Satcher began in May 2024 and ended in September 2024. Piccolo was hired as the communications director of New College in December 2024, just months after he received his last $2,500 payment from the Manatee SOE office.
A well-known figure in Florida political circles, Fred Piccolo Jr. is the brother of Tom Piccolo. Tom is a partner at SIMWINS and co-founded the Tampa-based political consulting firm with Pedicini.
Piccolo Jr. served as spokesperson to former Florida Speaker of the House Richard Corcoran from 2016 to 2018. Corcoran currently serves as President of New College, a role he began in 2023. It was under Corcoran’s leadership that Piccolo was hired as the university’s communications director.
In the years between serving as Corcoran’s spokesperson while he served in the Florida House and working as New College’s communications director, Piccolo also served as spokesperson to Republican state Rep. Jose Oliva until July 2020, when Gov. DeSantis hired Piccolo to run his communications operation.
Piccolo resigned his communications role in the DeSantis administration by the end of that year, following backlash from a Covid-related Christmas Eve Tweet.
Despite recent announcements by DeSantis that his DOGE task force would audit Manatee County Government to identify examples of fiscal waste, and DeSantis’ appointed CFO Ingoglia announcing this week that the Florida Agency for Fiscal Oversight’s audit found substantial waste of tax dollars by the county government, neither DeSantis nor Ingoglia have announced any upcoming reviews for other local offices, including city governments or constitutional offices like the Supervisor of Elections.
Furthermore, when DeSantis held the invite-only DOGE press conference at the Manatee Performing Arts Center in July, his former appointee to the Manatee Supervisor of Elections, James Satcher, reportedly enjoyed a front row seat at the Governor’s event beside other VIP attendees.
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Commissioner Amanda Ballard voted in favor of former Supervisor Satcher's budget request on May 28, 2024. In fact, Commissioner Ballard abstained from the vote. The article has been updated to reflect the accurate vote count. We regret the error.
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.
13 comments on this item
Only paid subscribers can comment
Please log in to comment by clicking here.
sandy
Satcher is a grifter. Whose house is he now living in rent free? Would Pat Neal continue to pay for DeSantis buddy? Satcher got a seat at the press conference in July announcing the audit. Why? Piccolo was a slime who is up on felony charges. Says something when these are friends and allies of our governor. Need to audit the state under DeSantis for his waste.
Saturday, October 18 Report this
David Daniels
The $10K paid to Piccolo for work on Satcher's personal campaign services pales in comparison to the public salary taken by Ballard for doing that same thing. How was Ballard not cited for taking a public paycheck to work on Satcher's personal campaign? How does his wife, a lawyer, not speak up for her county taxpayer constituents? I hope they remember this August. I was disappointed when the Clerk's IG declined to act on my July 24, 2024 complaint that Satcher was lying when he wrote that Fl Statute 97.071 required him to send new voter information cards and was therefore using taxpayer funds for personal benefit.The Secretary of State and the Fl Division of Elections didn't even respond to my written complaint. On July 26, 2024 I filed a detailed complaint with the Fl Ethics Commission - they dismissed the complaint saying it wasn't their role to interpret the law. This is DeSantis' Florida.There are so many unethical people in public service, from the President, to the Governor, the state representatives and in the County administration. It is frustrating that the good elected officials hesitate to speak out.The Clerk's IG obviously could have looked at Satcher's letter back in July, 2024.(and obtained a legal opinion, as was done with KVO's p-card). And the good BoCC members that know better should be calling out unethical people - from the local administration all the way to the top of the ticket. Integrity is not partisan. Rule of thumb: What would Joe McClash do?
Saturday, October 18 Report this
misty
Dawn Kitterman is the real DOGE! Great investigative reporting on a dark time in Manatee County.
Sunday, October 19 Report this
David Daniels
100% Misty! Shame on me for not saying it more often. Thank you Dawn.
Sunday, October 19 Report this
Cat L
They are just incestuous... and of course since manatee county didn't do what the gov wanted, he'll retaliate. Probably won't acknowledge the waste was from his own appointee, either.
And man, Satcher was the s***y gift that keeps on giving. Imbecilic tool to the last.
This also speaks to why I'm uncomfortable with the other Ballard still being in the picture.
Sunday, October 19 Report this
jimandlope
I guess this state DOGE auditor missed this! Oh well maybe they couldn’t figure out if this was “red or blue” so they bypassed it. Jim Tierney
Sunday, October 19 Report this
Dianna
An incestuous tangled web of corruption stealing our rights and tax dollars. Thanks Dawn!
Sunday, October 19 Report this
rjckeuka4
No surprises here! Satcher smelled up the County from the time he took office and voted to remove Cheri at his first meeting...and KVO smelled it up even worse! The problem is it goes right to the top State dog! The only way we can begin to clean it out is to get the damned Republicans out of the Governors Chair and the State Legislature...beginning right here in Manatee County with Boyd!! Wake up Manatee County voters...and that from a lifelong Republican!!!
Sunday, October 19 Report this
hawkharbor
It amazes me that the wonderful Dodg group never asked why Satcher needed really three people to do the public speaking for the SOE office when I ran that office for 12 years with nobody in that position
It amazes me that I ran the office for 12 years with out significant budget increases and in fact most years returned money back to taxpayers
It amazes me that this idiot was appointed with zero credibility and zero respect by anyone other than himself
There should be criminal investigation. Was the real purpose of those hired Get the idiot re electedd
Mike Bennett. SOE for 12 years with no scandals
Sunday, October 19 Report this
Debann
First off thank you Dawn,you truly are an asset to investigative journalism..But what a wicked web was weaved by a shady Satcher..I was hoping to never hear his pathetic name again...but here we are...lots of bs that was created by desaton and Satcher and his pathetic Ballard side kick..Sounds criminal...maybe there should be an investigation ..Padding ones wallet...COLOR ME SHOCKED..MAY SATCHER REAP WHAT HES SOWED..KARMA HAS NO DEADLINE..
Sunday, October 19 Report this
andreart
This makes me sad that elected officials that voters trust, do these disgusting things. Satcher claims to be a man of god and lies to us and not smart enough to realize he was breaking laws. The back-up in this story proves it!!
He is NOT a conservative just a pawn who did not realize or care he was a pawn. I hope the Governor reads this….
Carol W
Sunday, October 19 Report this
bbenac
Wow-Satcher PAID at least $10,000 of tax payer $ for what was clearly a campaign "consultant". Then in response to this excellent reporting-it appears he actually uses what the tax payers paid for to call out the consultant as a "contractor work product not subjectively up to my standard". Obviously-even the BS response after he PAID THEM FOR BAD WORK, appears to be written by the consultant-as it states "I was disappointed, but fulfilled MY CONTRACT". WHOSE CONTRACT? Satcher never had a contract! I hope it is clear to your readers that the grift in Manatee County continues to go in-as it does in Sarasota, New College and whatever else they can get their hands on. FAFO Blaise-are you paying attention? Of course not. They are too busy going after Manatee Co. BOCC to make sure no impact fees get raised, and that no one dares to mess with Pedicini and crew again...remember, they own FL!
Monday, October 20 Report this
RRICH69176
Our local and state government mirrors our national politics. Are we doomed?
Wednesday, October 22 Report this