Former City Commissioner Scott Maddox’s Bribery Scheme

In 2018, FBI agents raided Tallahassee City Hall and unsealed a 44-count racketeering indictment against Scott Maddox, then a sitting City Commissioner and former mayor. Prosecutors charged that Maddox used his office to extract monthly bribe payments—funneled through his consulting firm—from companies seeking favorable votes on city contracts. In September 2021, Maddox pleaded guilty to honest-services fraud and IRS-interference charges. Last year, he was sentenced to five years in federal prison and ordered to pay over $70,000 in forfeiture and restitution justice.gov.

His co-defendants—lobbyist Paige Carter-Smith and developer John “J.T.” Burnette—received sentences of two and three years respectively after similar guilty pleas and convictions. A federal appeals court in April 2023 upheld Burnette’s conviction, cementing the case as one of Tallahassee’s largest municipal-corruption probes observerlocalnews.com.

2. Million-Dollar Fraud & City Auditor’s Unanswered Questions

A 2020 Inspector General report revealed that the City’s Finance Department was defrauded of over $1 million through falsified vendor invoices. Despite repeated public-records requests and follow-up investigations, city leaders have yet to provide a full accounting of recovered funds or the status of criminal referrals. In late May 2025, WCTV reported that neither Mayor John Dailey nor the City Commission has responded to queries about the IG’s findings—leaving residents demanding transparency on how their tax dollars were “scammed” and whether any employees or contractors have been held accountable wctv.tv.

3. DEP Whistleblower Alleges Retaliation Over “Golf-Course” Plans

In June 2025, former DEP consultant James Gaddis filed a whistleblower suit in Leon County, claiming he was fired for exposing secretive maps drafted in Tallahassee outlining plans to build golf courses, hotels, and pickleball courts in nine state parks. Gaddis alleges the project threatened “globally significant” wetlands, and that senior officials instructed staff to stay silent. His suit seeks at least $100,000 in damages for retaliation under the Florida Whistle-blower Act. Public outrage following Gaddis’s disclosures forced Governor DeSantis and the Legislature to ban such park development—but questions linger about who authorized the initial plan and who will be held accountable apnews.com.

4. Ethical Oversight & Reporting Mechanisms

Tallahassee’s City Ethics Board is charged with investigating allegations of corruption, fraud, waste, and campaign-finance violations. It maintains a 24/7 hotline at 850-891-6550 and can levy civil penalties or refer matters to law-enforcement agencies. Yet critics argue the Board’s limited staff and procedural delays often leave complaints unresolved for months. Residents who suspect misconduct can file a written complaint at 300 South Adams Street, Tallahassee, FL 32301, or e-mail the Ethics Officer, but many are calling for stronger enforcement powers and faster case resolutions to restore public trust talgov.com.

What’s Next?

June 28, 2025: Leon County State Attorney to release audit of the 2020 fraud case.
July 15, 2025: DEP whistleblower-retaliation hearing scheduled in Leon County Circuit Court.
Ongoing: Ethics Board to review proposed ordinance expanding its subpoena power and shortening case-review timelines.

Tallahassee’s string of scandals—from high-level bribery to internal fraud and retaliatory practices—underscores the urgent need for transparent oversight, stronger whistle-blower protections, and a reinvigorated commitment to ethical governance at Florida’s capital.

This report contents provided by ChatGPT o4-mini-high.

Government Corruption in Tallahassee, Florida

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