The architect of the mailer that attacked Walker Wilson for having a “trusted” Black friend last year settled a defamation suit filed by a Santa Rosa County Commissioner over a mailer for $50,000.
- Wilson is in a tight GOP primary race for the Escambia County Commission District 4 seat.
Mark Zubaly, using the Nature Coast Conservative PAC, funded a mailer during the 2022 election cycle that, on one side, shows a mugshot of Kerry Smith from 2005 from a contempt of court arrest in Polk County and an earlier one from a 2003 battery arrest.
The mailer claimed Smith was “found guilty several times of domestic violence against his then-wife” and “violated probation after being found guilty of domestic violence.”
Alex Andrade represented Smith, who won the commission seat. He told Florida Politics that Smith was never found guilty of hitting any woman, let alone his wife, and never violated a probation. He said, “That could easily have been verified.”
Zubaly agreed to pay the settlement but also signed sworn affidavits identifying the source behind the attacks. He linked homebuilder Edwin Henry to the attack.
- Henry is also funding a PAC that is supporting Commissioner James “Poser” Calkins.
In an interview on “Real News with Rick Outzen” last October, Andrade said, “This settlement yielded identifying the individual who paid for them, a gentleman named Edwin Henry, who’s a developer in Santa Rosa County. And it looks like the point of these was that he didn’t want Kerry Smith to be elected, mainly because Kerry was running on, I wouldn’t say a 100% anti-development platform, but it was definitely a platform that said we should consider impact fees and we should consider how our growth is managed in Santa Rosa County.”
I think the more concerning thing is that the PAC that sent this message thought it would work in D4.
So does anyone have Zubaly directly on the payroll in the D4 commission race? Or are they getting it done through back channels with a PAC?
I’m neutral on the D4 race, but not neutral on disgusting, hateful, and dangerous handbills encouraging and capitalizing on racist evil. If a D4 candidate had prior knowledge of that flyer and didn’t speak out against it, then he or she needs to be exposed for it. And that aside, BOTH Buck and Ashlee need to come out strongly–and sincerely–against this sort of trash being circulated in our community.
Man, best of luck to the D4 voters choosing the right person to represent them. Hopefully people are taking it seriously, as whoever wins the primary might get an extra few months on the dais to do what they will if DeSantis decides to appoint the winner.