BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement surprised city officials — and all of city hall — by ordering the building closed while executing a search warrant on Tuesday morning.
Everyone but City Clerk Jimmy Crosby and his deputy clerk was asked to leave and not return until 1 p.m.
FDLE reportedly asked for City Manager Drew Mullins along with the clerk to stay, according to Police Chief Jeff Johnson, but Mullins was away at a conference until Thursday.
Johnson’s arrival to turn over badges, keys and other items at the same time FDLE entered was coincidental. He said he spoke with someone with FDLE who confirmed that their search did not involve the police department.
FDLE has also been involved with the examination and transfer of evidence from the police department to the sheriff’s office following the city commission’s decision to contract law enforcement services to Sheriff Gordon Smith.
Smith, who was only notified minutes before the warrant was served at city hall, said the FDLE investigators who showed up today were from a separate division in Tallahassee — the public integrity unit.
Following the search, Smith was provided a receipt for six documents FDLE took from city hall. He said they are supposedly related to the 2021 city election. Chief Johnson’s was the only race to make to the ballot. He won facing challenger Bill Murray.
That was also the year Crosby and Scott Roberts, now serving as mayor, took office without opposition. Commissioner Janice Mortimer also ran unopposed and retained her seat.
The city manager later provided a formal statement, which read, “Today FDLE conducted a search for certain documents at city hall. At this time no accusations of criminal wrongdoing have been made, and we have no further information. We will continue to work with FDLE to provide any additional information or assistance they may need.”
