Brodsky charges former Manatee County Administrator Scott Hopes with three felonies
Former Manatee County Administrator Scott Hopes has been charged with three felonies, including notary fraud, grand theft and fraudulent use of public records.
State Attorney Ed Brodsky issued a record of the filing to the press on Thursday outlining charges against Hopes.
The first count claims Hopes filed records that were fraudulently notarized. The second count claims that between April 1, 2021, and Dec. 31, 2022, Hopes obtained U.S. currency in the value of $10,000 or more, but less than $20,000, from the county for his own use. The third count claims during that time Hopes also unlawfully provided false information that became a part of public record to facilitate the commission of a felony theft.
The case stems from a complaint filed with the Manatee County Sheriff's Office claiming Hopes inappropriately deleted public records from his county-issued device upon separation from the county in 2022. In November, the MCSO recommended charges and sent the case to Brodsky's office.
Manatee County declined comment on the situation, and Hopes could not be reached for comment.
Hopes was hired as county administrator in April 2021 and then was immediately tasked with a leadership role in the county's emergency response to a breach at the former Piney Point fertilizer plant. He has also headed the county's response to two active hurricane seasons, red tide, and COVID-19 outbreaks among county staff.
Hopes also stoked controversy during his tenure as the county's former administrator and his role as a member of the School Board of Manatee. Hopes managed fallout from corruption findings made within the county's building department, he was criticized in a scathing report by Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Angelina Colonneso and received a raise on the same day the county's CFO resigned.
During his time at the school board, Hopes was a central figure in the termination of the Lincoln Memorial Academy charter in 2019. That controversy was a major sticking point among members of the public who supported the charter school, many of whom lobbied against his hiring.
Before he resigned from the county, Hopes became embroiled in another controversy after the hire of Mitchell Teitelbaum as a deputy administrator went sour following a sexual harassment claim filed by a county employee. Teitelbaum, who was the school district's legal counsel during the Lincoln Memorial Academy charter controversy, declined the position soon afterward.
Florida Center for Government Accountability Director of Public Access Michael Barfield, who filed the original complaint against Hopes, applauded the charges.
"Access to public records is a vital tool to uncover corruption and criminal conduct of elected and appointed officials," Barfield said. "I applaud Sheriff Wells for the thorough investigation into the complaint I filed as well as the State Attorney for filing charges."
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Three felony charges filed against former Manatee County administrator
