Member Submission: St. Johns County race for county sheriff
Another twist to trying to thwart the election process is taking place in the St. Johns County race for county sheriff. At the last minute on the final day for filing, a Democratic candidate with no law enforcement experience filed as a write in candidate. This means that only registered Republicans can vote in the primary election which will essentially decide the sheriff’s election. Whoever wins the Republican primary will face the write-in candidate in the general election. This shuts out 50,000 plus registered Democratic voters. Odds of an unqualified write- in candidate winning are small. The incumbent sheriff is not running for re-election. It is important to understand the platforms of the Republican candidates because one of them will increase targeting of alleged sexual predators with more online stings.
Both candidates are qualified with law enforcement experience. Candidate Robert Hardwick is currently St. Augustine Beach Chief of Police with both military and law enforcement experience. Candidate Christopher Strickland has been with the Sheriff’s office for nearly 30 years. He has announced that as part of his platform, he wants to add detectives and equipment to bolster the Sheriff’s Office internet Crimes Against Children Unit, which targets sexual predators. This probably means that there will be more “stings” and “bait and switch” efforts that border on entrapment. There have been several articles posted on the FAC newsletters recently to outline the harm that this causes and that results in prison terms and a lifetime on the registry when many are not able to afford the legal fees to fight this entrapment. The money for more detectives and equipment could be allocated to other more useful efforts to protect children than to this.
Although registered citizens are unfortunately unable to vote, many of their family and friends are eligible. Those already registered as Republicans can vote for sheriff in the primary. If a person is registered as a Democrat, they will only be eligible to vote in this primary by changing their affiliation to Republican. This can be done for this primary only and then switched back. It is free and easy to do online by going to www.vote sjc.com and click on My Voter Status. The deadline in St. Johns County to change the party affiliation is July 20. The primary is scheduled for August 18. It is important that voters study the platforms of both candidates and as many votes as possible are cast for this critical law enforcement position.
Just another example of where party over principles is establishing the dictates of society. Maybe at one time party was important but in today’s atmosphere ‘party’ has outlived itself.
The non-entrapper is far better represented by yard signs in my area. Not that that’s any reason to rest on our laurels.
I have contacted three St. John’s County voters— one registered Republican, one registered independent, and one registered Democrat who recently switched from Republican. The last of these initially protested, “I’m not switching back!”, but once I explained how closed primaries work in our area, promised to reconsider.
I also pointed out to them that sheriffs who are zealous about entrapment stings, often take a similar approach to the already punished (citing the example of Sheriff Judd in Polk).
Many thanks to the member who submitted this. I had no idea!
Elections have been rigged for decades, this isn’t surprising.
Clay County is having its own issues with the sheriff’s race. Last November when the Clay County Commissioners decided to pass what they referred to as a “sex offender ordinance”, when nothing had happened to cause a need for such an ordinance, Sheriff Daniels said the ordinance would help his department out. In addition, he asked for and received fees that will be charged to registrants for anything and everything that causes them to have to pass through the doors of the registration office. In the ordinance that was passed, Daniels gets to determine what the money collected, over and beyond the few groups that would benefit from the money, is used for — no regulations placed on him. Before this ordinance was passed, there were no fees.
This is the latest with Sheriff Daniels:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEJDTTMmyh8
More on the criminal investigation into Daniels:
https://www.news4jax.com/i-team/2020/07/02/state-attorney-seeks-independent-prosecutor-for-investigation-into-clay-county-sheriff/
Sheriff Darryl Daniels who influenced Clay Co commissioners to have the registration office go from no fees to fees every time a registrant walks through their doors:
https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2020/08/13/clay-county-sheriff-darryl-daniels-given-two-options-resign-or-be-arrested/
The fact that an incumbent has five challengers speaks for itself. But I like how he gave his opponents a gift of extra material.
It’s a form of corruption.
Corruption bad. The end.
Wouldn’t surprise me if the unqualified, last minute, write-in candidate was hired by the other candidates for that very reason. Pretty sure that if that write-in guy somehow won, he’d probably either refuse to serve or resign shortly after inauguration while whoever won the primary would be appointed to fill the seat.
I think the best way for me to be heard as a Democrat is to write in Defund the Police. Looks like another giant douche vs. terd sandwich situation to me!
Strickland, who promised more internet stings, has lost in a landslide. Hardwick will be the presumptive replacement for Sheriff Shoar.