St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson, aka the "Tic Tok Sheriff." continues to be investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), not for public corruption or anything related to his position, but for allegedly voting for former President Donald Trump in last March’s Republican Presidential Preference Primary election (PPP).
It was reported earlier that Pearson was being investigated for alleged election law violations, and now The Floridian has confirmed through a source within the FDLE that Sheriff Pearson, who was appointed to his position by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, is being investigated for allegedly posting an image of his ballot showing his vote for the former President.
Gov. DeSantis himself confirmed the investigation in an executive order that was released on June 4th.
Here is the image in question:
According to Florida Statute, if Pearson did follow the lead of hundreds of Floridian before him, and posted an image of any part of his ballot, he could face a first degree misdemeanor charge like former President Trump.
The penalty for being convicted on this misdemeanor charge is a $1,000 fine.
Here is the statute:
“Any elector who, except as provided by law, allows his or her ballot to be seen by any person; takes or removes, or attempts to take or remove, any ballot from the polling place before the close of the polls; places any mark on his or her ballot by which it may be identified; endeavors to induce any elector to show how he or she voted; aids or attempts to aid any elector unlawfully; or prints or procures to be printed, or has in his or her possession, any copies of any ballot prepared to be voted is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.”
After reaching out to Pearson for comment on the investigation, Pearson responded to our request for comment in a statement late Wednesday evening, saying that he was not at liberty to comment on an ongoing investigation.
“I can’t comment on any investigation that might or might not be taken place but I can tell you this. Did I vote for Donald J Trump, your damn right I did. Did I endorse Donald J Trump for President, you’re damn right I did. The St Lucie Swamp is alive and well with its herd of RHINOs,” stated Pearson.
Pearson is currently in a contentious primary election against the interim Port St. Lucie Police chief, Richard Del Toro, who has also faced judicial scrutiny after being accused of violating the Hatch Act.
The U.S. Office of Special Counsel investigated the complaint filed against Del Toro and concluded that he did not violate the Hatch Act.
This is a developing story
