Ethics Commission hits Mascara with $5,000 fine, other penalties for ghost-candidate scheme

TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Commission on Ethics unanimously agreed Friday to penalties for former St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara, a Democrat, related to his recruitment and support of a preferred Republican opponent during the 2020 election.

Those penalties, a $5,000 fine with a public censure and reprimand, previously had been agreed to by both sides in a joint stipulation agreement where Mascara admitted to the so-called "ghost candidate" scheme, which was the subject of a Florida Department of Law Enforcement report released last year .

Ultimately, prosecutors declined to bring criminal charges against Mascara — or any of the other individuals named in the report, including current Sheriff and candidate Keith Pearson — citing a lack of sufficient evidence. FDLE then filed a complaint with the Ethics Commission against Mascara. The commission said it had probable cause to investigate after a meeting last month .

A separate complaint against Pearson, filed by St. Lucie County Republican Executive Committee Chair Kenny Nail, was dismissed in April , with the commission citing a lack of jurisdiction to investigate. Pearson was appointed in December by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to replace Mascara, and he has since qualified, as a Republican, to run for a full term this year.

The origins of the ghost-candidate scheme against Mascara date back to the 2016 and 2020 elections, according to the FDLE report.

In 2016, Mascara faced Rich Williams in a Democratic primary that the FDLE report indicated Mascara felt included personal attacks.

Then, in 2020, Williams filed to run as a Republican, setting up a potential general election face-off with Mascara.

At that point, the FDLE report indicates, Mascara and his allies began attempts to recruit a more-preferred candidate to run as a Republican against Williams. Ultimately, former St. Lucie County deputy Kevin Carter filed to run. The FDLE report indicates Mascara and others in the Sheriff's Office, including Pearson, aided Carter's campaign.

Carter ultimately defeated Williams in the Republican primary and lost to Mascara in the general election.

More: Former St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara admits role in 2020 'ghost candidate' case

More: Ethics Commission dismisses complaint against St. Lucie sheriff filed by local GOP leader

Pearson, for his part, told FDLE investigators that he supported Carter, including allowing yard signs to be made on his property, because he believed Carter was the best Republican candidate in the race. Pearson's attorney reiterated that point to the Ethics Commission after Nail's complaint earlier this year.

The eight-member Ethics Commission voted unanimously Friday to approve the joint stipulation without further discussion, after a short explanation of the allegations and penalties.

Wicker Perlis is TCPalm's Watchdog Reporter for St. Lucie County. You can reach him at wicker.perlis@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Ethics Commission hits Mascara with $5,000 fine, other penalties for ghost-candidate scheme