Suspended Cape Coral councilmember seeks public help for legal expenses through GoFundMe
As public scrutiny and testimony against suspended Cape Coral City Councilmember Patty Cummings ramps up, a GoFundMe has been set up to cover her legal expenses linked to possible election fraud.
"WE THE PEOPLE need to support Patty Cummings and her fight for JUSTICE!" the GoFundMe's description states.
The GoFundMe, which started on Friday, has raised $1,420 of its $25,000 goal, with eight donations as of Monday morning.
Cummings's tumultuous last week
The councilmember turned herself in after an arrest warrant charged her with three felonies related to the 2022 election on Tuesday.
After the arrest, Cummings said she planned to plead not guilty to the charges and continue her role as councilor on Wednesday.
That didn't last long as Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended her by issuing an executive order suspending her on Thursday.
With the executive order, the city has begun the process of appointing a resident to fill her District 4 seat.
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GoFundMe explained
The fundraiser is dubbed "Justice for Patty," and the fundraiser's title says it's organized by her friends.
However, she is listed as the organizer of the fundraiser on the site's page.
With GoFundMe, the recipient keeps every donation they receive.
Neither Cummings nor her lawyers could be reached for comment Monday morning.
The description reiterates a statement from her Tampa-based lawyer, Paul Sisco, where they say she's being targeted for acting out of line in the eyes of the "local political machine."
Sisco, who has 31 years and participated in more than 75 jury trials, will represent her on the pending criminal case. She's due in court on Dec. 18.
The description states the charges, which led to an arrest last week, are "false accusations" that have taken a toll on her business and life as a single mother.
"Unjustly Removed from her City Council seat, defamation of her name and business and extreme loss of livelihood deprived of Due Process and targeted in a political hate crime," the description states.
Some members of the public have shown Cummings support in the face of massive scrutiny against her.
In last week's regular City Council meeting, a small group of supporters came out, with one speaking of her right to due process.
"Everyone is jumping on her, and everyone is attacking, and she's innocent until proven guilty," supporter Lorie Morgan previously said.
Luis Zambrano is a Watchdog/Cape Coral reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. You can reach Luis at Lzambrano@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Lz2official.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: GoFundMe asks for $25,000 for suspended Cape Coral councilwoman
