SANTA ROSA BEACH, Fla. ( WMBB ) — Text messages made public from a 2022 Walton County court case show a former county commissioner using racial slurs and terms.
Bombshell sexual harassment lawsuit filed against Walton BOCC “This is coming from public officials, elected officials, people we put our trust in and this can’t be tolerated,” said Frank Guillory, NAACP Chapter President.
That former commissioner, Trey Nick, is seeking re-election.
In a group chat with former assistant county attorney Heather Maxwell and current commissioner Tony Anderson, Nick tells the group quote “plenty of N-words out this evening” followed by a photo of two black men in a car. The text goes on to call the two men monkeys at the circus.
A series of public record requests by citizens revealed the text threads. That led to a lengthy discussion at the July 9 board meeting in DeFuniak Springs.
“It’s disturbing. We’re all adults. This is not 1860 or 1850. This is 2024 and it’s about time we grow up as individuals and human beings and start showing some respect for each other,” Guillory said.
“Silence is acceptance, and when we hear silence, we hear acceptance. I’m standing before you not being silent that I don’t accept it, I don’t appreciate it, it’s unwarranted and unjust,” said resident Todd Roark.
Trey Nick is running for the District 1 seat. He served as the District 4 commissioner when the texts were sent.
Current county commissioners spoke out against the texts at the meeting.
“We apologize for that, I apologize for that, and you’re right the county does not condone this type of behavior,” said District 4 Commissioner Donna Johns.
“The people that played into that, which was wrong, are not here as part of this board and should not be allowed to be on this board and I’ll leave that at that,” said District 1 Commissioner William ‘Boots’ Johns.
Anderson was not at the meeting, but issued this statement to News 13 on Monday.
“As everyone knows, I did not write or reply to any of the text messages that you are referencing and neither did my aide. My friends and neighbors, and the residents of Walton County, know that I treat everyone with dignity and respect. The racist language in those messages is offensive and hurtful and should never be used. As I said yesterday, after the horrific assassination attempt against President Trump, we must reject division and pray to god for the healing our country needs.”
Tony Anderson, District 5 Commissioner
We have asked Trey Nick for a statement but he has not returned our efforts.
Nick is still listed as an active, qualified candidate in the November 5 general election.
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