Vetting Sheriff Candidates for the 2020 election

[Unregistered]

* possibly his law degree )

* possibly his license to practice law

[Unregistered]

If Stephanie is not a legal resident of Sarasota County, then she has no legitimate basis for vetting any county candidate.

[Unregistered]

If Stephanie is not a legal resident of Sarasota County, then she has no legitimate basis for vetting any county candidate.

Since you bring up legitimacy, KURT A. HOFFMAN should be removed from office, he’s not a cop, he has no real law enforcement experience to speak of, he has NO integrity and he has ZERO legitimacy running for Sheriff. Kissing politicians asses and begging for money that makes you beholden to the wealthy, elite class who (not all but many) WILL CALL YOUR PERSONAL cell phone and ask for favors, to make tickets go away, make arrests go away, give their unscrupulous kid a SECOND CHANCE at a polygraph, so they can get hired at the Sheriff’s Office. The possibilities are endless.... IT DOESCAN WILL HAPPEN!

He just posted about begging and taking in $100,000 in campaign donations. Is this REALLY something a want-to-be Sheriff should be bragging about? How does everyone NOT see this is almost the same, and sometimes worse than bribing a police officer or public official. Remember, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Many of these people will be coming back for their investment WITH INTEREST.

Is KURT even a legal Sarasota County Resident yet?

[Stephanie Gibson]

If Stephanie is not a legal resident of Sarasota County, then she has no legitimate basis for vetting any county candidate.

I was born and raised in Sarasota. I have lived in North Port since 2004. North Port is part of Sarasota County.

[Unregistered]

I was born and raised in Sarasota. I have lived in North Port since 2004. North Port is part of Sarasota County.

You did an excellent job of vetting and publicizing bonafide issues that existed inside NPPD -- until finally something was done. It took you a long time to achieve results, but the outcome was worth it. Good job.

[Qfact]

I am planning on hosting a few meet and greets for the 2020 election including the #SheriffRace. Currently, there are only two candidates: Kurt Hoffman and Paul Fern. My personal focus on vetting candidates will be character, committment to Open Government as a means to reinstate Public Trust in our government through accountability and equal justice. Thus, restoring trust and faith in Law enforcement is paramount. While Character should be Qualification 1 for Sheriff.. what if both candidates are of equal character?

Please help the public make the best choice for Sheriff and provide your serious feedback on this thread. I have limited first hand knowledge on both candidates, and I am certain the public has even less information. Maybe Hoffman is the right choice, or maybe it is time for fresh perspectives that Fern may provide. What say you all that live it on a daily basis?

1. What are the top 3 characteristics the public should seek in the Sheriff candidates?

2. What 3 questions would you ask each of the Sheriff candidates?

3. What are your opinions on each of the candidates.. preferably with verifiable reasonings. I am all about 'Trust but Verify'. Any leads on pertinent public records requests that might provide insight would be greatly appreciated.

Happy New Year!

Ms. Gibson -


I personally know both of these candidates running for Sheriff. I have spent time with both of them for many years and for the most part, i can say i know them both very well. With that being said, I would like to state a few facts about both of these guys:

1) Kurt Hoffman was handed a spot by former Sheriff B.B. as the legal counsel. Kurt wanted to make sure he was in the high liability retirement area (3%), brought it to the Sheriff's attention and then was given rank in the department. He continued up the line until he reached his current position, #2. He has no clue how to work MOST cases from start to finish. He orders one or two people around whom pass information down the line as to what he (or Sheriff Knight) want done (legal or illegal).

2) Some people like to point out how Sheriff's candidate Paul Fern does not have any leadership experience. Fern chose not to climb the ladder at the Sarasota Sheriff's Office because he likes being at the forefront helping the citizens of Sarasota by taking calls and not being part of the "drinkers club" upstairs who is more concerned with where the next party is going to be. Instead, Fern joined the US Air Marshals and worked his way up the chain to be one of 18 people in the nation with a secret clearance to disseminate information/intel. On several occasions he also led a team of up to 20 or more to work complex and secret cases overseas in other countries and was the POINT OF LEAD in charge of the entire mission. He was also put into several projects in Iowa, Nebraska and other areas and in charge of locating explosives and other illegal substances being transported across the country. He received numerous awards for his leadership. So to say he does not have leadership experience is absolutely not true.

3) It is well know that there is a LOT of corruption in this area and is NOT only at the SSO but other agencies as well as the local legal system. It needs to be cleaned up! Corruption cannot be cleaned up when you have the same people being elected (or handing it down to their friends to be elected). Kurt Hoffman has MANY skeletons in his closet which are finding its way to the public and will be public knowledge very soon - some of which he may want to reconsider whether he wants to face it or bail out! Hoffman is fully aware of the the ongoing corruption in the area and has partaken in a lot of it (removing of the Cohen 911 tape, making traffic citations disappear, making charges disappear). He has even admitted to lying in the past on several occasions, stolen from Charlotte County TWICE in the past and been terminated from at least "1" agency which no longer exists. Sarasota County deserves better than to have to deal with another 4 years of a corrupt politician/leader. Fern is NOT a politician; he will exhibit leadership and there is no corruption or promises tied to it. Fern does have a past leaving the SSO but for those that know WHY he left would not only understand but would have left for the same reasons. If you feel you need to know the answer to that, ask him.


4) 99% of the SSO want change. Sheriff Knight has managed to piss off MANY people in the public, who are coming forward demanding a change. People like DT, JW, CP, KM, PR, DS, NW, MM - these people shouldnt be in charge. Most of them should have been arrested, decertified and lost their pensions. Most of the ol' timers on the inside can tell you the story as to why and what happened. Do a little research and dig into this.


Would you as a citizen want to have the Sarasota Sheriff's Office continue as status quo? I DONT!



Ms. Gibson -

Check into the above people's background and ask yourself HOW Sheriff Knight could have promoted these people to the top after what they have done. Would you want these people in charge another four years under an ATTORNEY that has never worked a call but asks for favors all the time, lies, cheats, steals, is corrupt?


There is ONE person for Sheriff at this time; Sheriff's candidate Paul W. Fern. He will bring honesty, leadership, fairness and equality back to the Sarasota Sheriff's Office. He will enter the Sheriff's Office with NO promises made to ANYONE and with a campaign that was run fair and square. Corruption will disappear. I think this will be a simple choice. Im sorry Kurt - but i cannot stand behind you as a leader with what I know about you and the things I know you have done. You really should do yourself a favor and step down. A word from the wise.

[Unregistered]

Dear, “Qfact” - “Vetting the RIGHT candidate”

I have seen this before, where someone will mimic my writing in previous posts, so they might take suspicion away from them, but I’ve never addressed it before, because it has never been so blatantly obvious. I’m fairly certain I know who did this and why you did it, but don’t do that. It’s not kosher to go on an anonymous website and put so much effort into copying someone else’s idiolect or “voice”, if you will.

The fact is, in most cases, I am responding to these posts from my cell, the text is smaller than Wilson’s self esteem and d*ck. I’m rushing through these because I don’t particularly care about grammatical errors, or minor mistakes as long as the point is made. I know, I see them immediately once I submit the post and usually on embarrassed for a second.

These scumbags have done irreparable damage to my health and have stolen too much of my time and life away of which I can never get back. I don’t want to waste a second more than I have to in order to expose the truth. To some this is a game, or a chance to enhance their career. Sometimes my posts appear to be arrogant, or condescending or worse, but the truth of the matter is, it is extremely toxic and has a significant impact on my health and well being. I am not doing this for fun, I am doing this to expose the truth and to ensure guilty parties are brought to justice and pay for their actions. I don’t want to be doing this, all I want to do is move on with my life. Unfortunately, it is not in my nature to just walk away and let these POS get away with what they have for so long.

I have heard the rumors about Kurt being fired from another agency, but as much as people may think it, I don’t post information that I cannot substantiate or have documentation to prove it. That is why, although I rarely sign my name, I don’t hide who I am. Most would agree they know who are writing my posts. I would not have included all of the initials you posted as I don’t know enough about them or what they have allegedly done. I have a lot of respect for one of the Captain’s you mentioned and I’m sure if he sees this, he will know I am referring to him. I would put his initials but feel that would only make it worse. I don’t know which CP you are referring to and if you want “Ms. Gibson” or anyone else for that matter to “check into” the employees you mentioned, you will have to use names. I worked at the agency and I don’t know which CP you are referring to. The only CP I can think of retired. So, a little help please and instead of telling someone to check into their backgrounds, if you have information/documentation, share it. If all you have is rumors or gossip, move on because you are not doing anything to help expose this corruption.

When referring to Kurt’s thievery, I don’t use the term “twice”, I use “multiple” times because it’s the true and I don’t believe for a second he only stole gas twice.

Also, I am not encouraging Kurt to step down or Neil Wilson. It will make better headlines and video when they are taken away in handcuffs and made to do the perp-walk like TK did to Bybee. Also, I want to make sure their retirements are seized. I don’t want them to retire, like the other POS I’ve identified have which means they can move their retirements making them harder to seize.

Signed,
Shawn Keeffe

[Unregistered]

Ms. Gibson -

Check into the above people's background and ask yourself HOW Sheriff Knight could have promoted these people to the top after what they have done. People like DT, JW, CP, KM, PR, DS, NW, MM - these people shouldnt be in charge. Most of them should have been arrested, decertified and lost their pensions. Most of the ol' timers on the inside can tell you the story as to why and what happened. Do a little research and dig into this.

Regarding the upcoming 2020 election for sheriff of Sarasota County: May the best man win.

The primary issue is that there is a pattern of immorality in the command staff structure of the Sarasota Sheriff's Office. That's why people are upset. This is the story about Sheriff Thomas M. Knight's documented and consistent pattern of promoting immoral men into his inner command staff circle, to include Colonel Kurt Hoffman. We will review a few select examples, from the top down:

• Sheriff Thomas M. Knight:
  (1) The FBI denied Sheriff Tom Knight a Top Secret security clearance.
  (2) Knight was arrested by VPD for disorderly conduct at a bar when he went into a drunken and emotional rage, resulting in a physical fight over "woman issues."
  (3) Knight publicly called elected Sarasota School board member Shirley Brown stupid.
  (4) Knight tried to sabotage the school budget.
  (5) Knight called elected Commissioner Hagen Brody a liar.
  (6) Knight defied a judges order to keep guns out of courthouses. Which of the above newspaper articles would you like to read? Here's one:
  .
  https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/2...superintendent

• Colonel Kurt Hoffman:
  Knight promoted Kurt Hoffman to colonel, knowing that he failed a polygraph test about stealing from multiple victims and from multiple employers. Hoffman confessed to:
  - stealing pornography
  - stealing a boat
  - stealing from multiple past employers
  - stealing gasoline while working as a reserve deputy for the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office (twice).
  .
  Here is an article:
  https://www.scribd.com/document/3224...t-Hoffman-News

• Captain John Walsh:
  Knight promoted John Walsh to captain, even though he got caught having sex with another deputy's wife in the other deputy's home.
  (1) The deputy caught Walsh in bed with her and he filed a complaint.
  (2) While under oath during an IA investigation, Walsh denied it during three separate interviews.
  (3) Then Walsh then got Detective Mark Macale to lie as a false alibi.
  That's crooked. Macale cracked and admitting lying under oath as a false alibi, thus destroying Walsh's story - but Walsh continued lying because he didn't know that Macale cracked.
  .
  Here are two articles:
  https://www.scribd.com/document/3214...ohn-Walsh-News

• Captain Ron Locke (Ret.):
  Ron Locke has retired, but Knight promoted him to captain, even though he got a juvenile pregnant and then paid for her to abort the baby. The mother was livid, so Locke threatened to arrest her for battery on a LEO if she attacked him. Sgt. Chris Iorio (retired) and Deputy Kevin Sugg blew the whistle and told Knight about it. Knight refused to investigate Locke for pedophilia, so FDLE did it.
  .
  Here is an article:
  http://www.heraldtribune.com/article...ICLE/120619799 (this article has been scrubbed from the H-T website for unknown reasons)
  .
  Then Knight retaliated against the two whistle blowers (Iorio & Sugg) by framing them and suspending them without pay on trumped up allegations.
  .
  An article is here:
  https://www.questia.com/newspaper/1P...ed-by-sergeant

• Captain Kevin McElyea:
  Knight promoted Kevin McElyea to captain after he failed a lie detector test about sleeping with a citizen's wife. The husband caught them in bed together. McElyea denied it, so the husband recorded McElyea secretly planning how to destroy the evidence - and the husband gave the recording to Knight - but Knight dismissed the case as frivolous.
  .
  Here is the lie detector test:
  http://s1179.photobucket.com/user/Pe...rOath.gif.html

• Captain Dan Tutko:
  Knight promoted Dan Tutko, after he told a subordinate K-9 deputy to lie by claiming that the dog smelled drugs – when, in fact, the dog did NOT smell drugs. The K-9 deputy refused to lie for Tutko. The K-9 deputy reported Tutko's actions to Knight. Knight then punished the whistle blower and promoted Tutko. The whistle blowing K-9 deputy was kicked out of the K-9 unit.
  .
  Here is an article:
  http://www.heraldtribune.com/article...falsify-search (this article has been scrubbed from the H-T website for unknown reasons)

[Unregistered]

I am absolutely sincere in my efforts.

You are correct, I am not LE nor have I ever been. I am just a citizen interested in helping Change the status quo of our govt. I had some issues with old NPPD that kickstarted the interest.

I have been monitoring the local LE threads for the past 5 or 6 years. We all know how these threads go.. some are thoughtful and factual, some posts are plum nonsense.

It is very hard for we in the public to know what is real vs not so much.

I learned early on not to believe everything every cop says... especially in Leoaffairs land.

I was aware of some of the historical issues with Hoffman including being provided many of the original records from LE sources. I believe these incidents were very early in his career. I did many things in my early 20s that I wouldnt do 25 or 30 years later. Do you think Colonel Hoffman has the same tendencies as he did early in his career? I am not exonerating or excusing his behaviors.. just trying to weigh out who he was then versus who he may be now.

Thank you for the serious reply.

Aside from the past issues another agency and very early on. I do not know all of the circumstances on any IAs from CCSO and failing a polygraph, big deal they are not even allowed in a court of law. I never had faith in polygraphs anyway. Now 20 to 30years later Im sure he's proven himself over and over I have seen Mr Hoffman in many different environments, SAO,College Professor and now I believe he will be a Great SHERIFF. I do believe Mr Fern is a hard working person as well. However in charge of a multi million dollar agency. I just do not know if Mr Fern could function in that setting. Maybe he could and will prove me wrong. He has great potential but I believe more is needed. Mr Hoffman has the experience, knowledge and background and is currently in a very high staff position. I just believe he has proven to be the qualified and suited for the position. I believe He will do just fine as the next SHERIFF. That is just my .02 Thank you for your efforts.

[Unregistered]

should it matter that if the thefts took place last week last month or 30 years ago the fact is the man swore to uphold and enforce the very acts he committed. What would happen to ANY deputy if they rolled up to 17th st pumps and filled their personal car up with gas. We all know the real answer. Kurt stole and then lied about stealing it until he was caught. Now he wants to be the number 1 law enforcement official in the county. It doesn't seem right that he should have that opportunity at all. You take an oath to enforce the laws and to commit the offense not once not twice but 3 times if you include the stealing of herbicide as well. The lead detective in that investigation said it best "a leopard doesnt change his spots" Mr Hoffman is deceitful