PANAMA CITY— A June 8 Republican roundtable at a local restaurant resulted in a police report after a confrontation between a congressional candidate and an opponent’s campaign staffers.
Congressman Neal Dunn is stepping away from his seat as the representative for Florida’s Second Congressional District. Many contenders are stepping forward to try to fill his spot, and the primary race for local Republicans appears to be heating up.
The Bay County Republican Party of Florida has regular public roundtable meetings at O’Charley’s at 311 E 23rd St. in Panama City. Since Dunn has announced he’s not seeking reelection, it has been a venue for Republican congressional candidates to speak to the public and make an impression on the area’s movers and shakers.
June 8 was candidate Jim Norton’s turn to make an appearance. Norton has been the superintendent of Gulf District Schools since his appointment by Rick Scott in 2011, and is a fourth-generation native of the Florida panhandle with deep roots in Gulf County. He’s a conservative Republican endorsed by well-established local figures in Bay and Gulf counties.
Norton’s speech went about as readers could expect at first, speaking on his background and policy beliefs. The evening remained uneventful until Christie McElroy, 64, asked about his pubic endorsement by St. Joe Company CEO Jorge Gonzalez, who FEC filings show made the maximum personal donation of $3,500 to the campaign.
Background
McElroy is a longtime local well-known for her community activism in Gulf County. She told the News Herald that she and Norton have crossed paths before in the messy political entanglements of Port St. Joe.
Port St. Joe, in its current form, was largely built and shaped by the St. Joe Company and its historical paper operations. The relationship between the company and many in the community is complex and occasionally at odds.
The perceived influence the company has in local decision-making, given its massive landholdings in the region, is why Norton’s endorsement by the company’s CEO raised questions from some attendees, including McElroy, at the June 8 Republican event.
Questions from the crowd
When McElroy raised concerns about that perceived influence and potential projects in Gulf County, Norton responded by asking what her father’s occupation was. While some interpreted this as a personal jab, it appears Norton was pointing out that he and McElroy’s father both worked for local paper companies as part of an argument in defense of the St. Joe Company.
Norton spoke about the St. Joe Company’s private property rights, how the company is an economic driver for the region, and how developments have brought new residents to the area who support the tax base.
McElroy responded with concerns about a perceived divestiture of public assets to the company, using the Panama City marina deal as an example. But Norton cut her off, saying that they have had “run-ins.” He accused her of throwing “a hand grenade out there,” and said they weren’t going to come to a place of agreement.
Another attendee later talked about an environmental problem with a St. Joe Company development and rumors that an elected official was involved. She pointed to this as an example of concerns surrounding perceived influence.
Norton responded by talking about environmental issues and permitting. He made a gesture, apparently toward McElroy, saying, “You guys may question, I know her motives, but I don’t know yours,” implying he isn’t influenced by the company.
After answering a different question about water resources, the same attendee tried to speak to him again and appeared to be annoyed, feeling that her question about company influence wasn’t fully answered.
Norton said she was trying to get him to “cast out” the St. Joe Company, and that his decisions would not be influenced by their endorsement. He added that he was warned to be careful with some of the questions.
“I have never heard another candidate personally attack somebody for asking a question,” said one of the attendees, presumably referencing McElroy. “I think you need to give her an apology.”
He did apologize, adding that McElroy has a history with officials in Gulf County, and reiterated that he was told to be careful with some of the questions. He added that someone he talked to was “insightful with beacon of the bay.” He was likely referring to the Beacon of Bay County, Florida, a popular community news page on Facebook.
One of the people who runs the page, Gerri Parker, was present at the event and later told the News Herald she didn’t appreciate the reference. The page republished much of the footage and a police report that resulted from the evening.
Alleged altercation
Joan Laureano, 22, works for the Keith Gross campaign and filmed the whole speech, which a member of his team told the News Herald is standard practice at these events.
Parker said Laureano went out of the room after the speech, and that Norton quickly followed. The police report circulating online accuses Norton of getting in Laureano’s “personal space” and making threats to the staffer over the publication of the video.
The report also accuses Norton of telling Laureano, a Black man, “go back to your country.” In one of the videos circulating of the altercation, it sounds like Norton is saying, “go back to your ménage à trois.” Norton denied making racial remarks to the staffer.
One witness, Carlile Hall, another campaign staffer, said in the police report that Norton was upset that they were recording him. She said another staffer told her to check on Laureano because Norton was in his face, and she witnessed Norton acting aggressively while threatening to sue if the video was released.
The report said the officer “advised Laureano that this incident would be documented as well as the charge of assault being written up to the State Attorney’s Office for further review.”
An email forwarded to the News Herald by McElroy shows that State Attorney Larry Basford had requested that the governor appoint another state attorney to review the case to avoid the appearance of impropriety as of June 11.
Norton team responds
Norton’s attorney, Sany Sanborn, responded to the incident via email to the News Herald.
“Involving law enforcement in campaign stunts is a waste of public resources and insulting to the voters of this area,” Sanborn wrote.
Florida Politics’ Jacob Ogles published a statement from Norton in an article about the incident.
“I didn’t say or do anything to these people. I did say if you are videoing me and if you use that out of context, I will sue you,” Norton is quoted as saying. “But I didn’t say any racial disparity to anybody.”
Norton also told Ogles that he was frustrated that Gross would dispatch campaign trackers to “embarrass” opponents. Norton told Florida Politics that the story was a “nothingburger.”
At the time Florida Politics published the article, Norton told them he had not been contacted by police and wasn’t expecting a call.
“While the aggression and insensitive remarks towards our staffer were inappropriate, we do not believe in cancel culture,” a release by the Gross campaign said.
The primary is scheduled for Aug. 18, with a local election website showing that 10 candidates are in the running on the Republican side. This leaves another three months for candidates to make headlines.
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: How a Panhandle Congressional forum brought about a police report
Reporting by Dylan Gentile, Panama City News Herald / The News Herald
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dylan Gentile, Panama City News Herald | USA TODAY Network
