Manatee deputies find ‘probable cause’ that commissioners broke Florida Sunshine Law

Ryan Callihan
·3 min read
2

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office says it found “probable cause” that two county commissioners violated Florida’s public meeting law during a lunch discussion earlier this year.

Commissioners Mike Rahn and Vanessa Baugh reportedly attended a lunch meeting with Acting County Administrator Lee Washington and a building industry representative in March to discuss streamlining county operations. That meeting may have broken the law, deputies say.

In a previous interview with the Bradenton Herald, Rahn said he set up the meeting to introduce Washington to Jon Mast, CEO of the Manatee-Sarasota Building Industry Association. According to Rahn, he did not invite Baugh to the lunch, but she arrived and participated in the conversation.

Rahn said the lunch meeting took place at O’bricks Irish Pub, a restaurant frequented by county government officials in downtown Bradenton. A copy of the sheriff office’s report shows the alleged meeting took place at O’bricks, but most other information — including the investigator’s brief narrative of the incident — is totally redacted.

Florida’s Sunshine Law prohibits two or more members of the same board from discussing official business outside of a public meeting.

Baugh, who resigned from public office in July to spend more time with her family, did not respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment Friday morning.

“On the advice of counsel, I’m not supposed to talk about this,” Rahn said Friday morning. “I stand by my original comment that I don’t believe I violated any Sunshine whatsoever.”

Prosecutors are investigating a criminal case against two Manatee County commissioners accused of breaking Florida’s public meeting law. Commissioner Mike Rahn, pictured during an April 25, 2023, meeting is one of the board members accused of the violation.
Prosecutors are investigating a criminal case against two Manatee County commissioners accused of breaking Florida’s public meeting law. Commissioner Mike Rahn, pictured during an April 25, 2023, meeting is one of the board members accused of the violation.

Rahn, a Republican elected in 2022, is in his first term as a Manatee County commissioner. He represents District 4 on the Manatee County Commission, which includes Tallevast, Bayshore Gardens, Whitfield Estates and parts of West Bradenton.

Baugh, also a Republican, served on the board for 11 years. During that time, she represented District 5, which includes Lakewood Ranch and parts of East Bradenton.

‘Probable cause’ in Sunshine Law violation, deputies say

According to Randy Warren, the sheriff’s office’s public information officer, investigators began looking into the incident on Sept. 28 after a formal citizen complaint.

“The information made available to MCSO established probable cause that Florida’s meeting law … was violated by Manatee County Commissioner Mike Rahn and former Commissioner Vanessa Baugh,” Warren wrote in an email to the Bradenton Herald.

The sheriff’s office passed that information along to the State Attorney’s Office on Nov. 2, Warren said.

In an email to the Bradenton Herald, the State Attorney’s Office said the case remains under investigation. Once the investigation is finished, prosecutors will decide whether to press charges.

Jon Mast, center, sits in the audience during a meeting of the Board of County Commissioners on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023. Mast, CEO of the Manatee-Sarasota Building Industry Association, reportedly attended a meeting between two board members that may have broken Florida’s Sunshine Law.
Jon Mast, center, sits in the audience during a meeting of the Board of County Commissioners on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023. Mast, CEO of the Manatee-Sarasota Building Industry Association, reportedly attended a meeting between two board members that may have broken Florida’s Sunshine Law.

An illegal meeting?

In June, former Acting County Administrator Lee Washington submitted a letter to the county attorney detailing an improper meeting between top county officials.

He said Baugh and Rahn suggested hiring Mast as a deputy county administrator at the lunch meeting and later attempted to pressure him into the decision.

About a month later, Rahn and Baugh voted in favor of removing Washington from his post to hire Mast as the acting county administrator instead. The effort later fell apart over salary negotiations in Mast’s employment contract.

Prosecutors are investigating a criminal case against two Manatee County commissioners accused of breaking Florida’s public meeting law. Former Commissioner Vanessa Baugh, pictured during a Sept. 16, 2021, meeting is one of the county officials accused of the violation.
Prosecutors are investigating a criminal case against two Manatee County commissioners accused of breaking Florida’s public meeting law. Former Commissioner Vanessa Baugh, pictured during a Sept. 16, 2021, meeting is one of the county officials accused of the violation.

“I was subject to violations of Florida’s Sunshine laws, ethics, gross mismanagement and mismanagement malfeasance related to county meetings held to conduct county business, while not being publicly noticed or minutes captured,” Washington wrote in his letter.

Washington resigned from the acting county administrator role in August, citing “personal reasons” for his departure.

What happens next?

The State Attorney’s Office did not provide a timeline for when prosecutors will decide whether the evidence in the Sunshine Law allegation is enough to file charges.

According to Florida law, a violation of the Sunshine Law is a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500 and up to 60 days in jail.