Who are Lincoln Park Young Professionals at center of bid rigging scandal?

The alleged bid-rigging scheme that led to felony charges against Fort Pierce City Manager Nick Mimms centers around a local nonprofit group called the Lincoln Park Young Professionals (LPYP).

WPTV's investigative team spent Thursday working to get answers from the group and also their thoughts on Mimms' arrest.

It was formed by two former Fort Pierce city employees, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).

In a Wednesday evening news release from FDLE, the agency did not name the former employees but described one of them as Mimms' niece.

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Tax filings by LPYP list four people as officers. Two of them, Vennis Gilmore and Caleta Scott, have ties to Fort Pierce City Hall.

Gilmore is listed in the city's staff directory as assistant city planner. His personnel file contains no documents, indicating that he is no longer working for the city, and his attendance record shows him regularly reporting to work through Aug. 2, 2024.

Gilmore did not respond to voicemails from WPTV seeking comment. The same address is listed in public records as Gilmore's home and LPYP's office. There was a "NO TRESPASSING" sign taped to the door of the house Thursday.

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Scott resigned as a city employee in 2021, according to her personnel file. Her most recent role with the city was as manager of the grant administration division. She declined to answer questions when contacted by WPTV.

There are no available records linking the two other officers listed on LPYP's tax filings to the city's payroll. However, the tax filing says one of those officers is Scott's cousin. The two officers who did not work for the city did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.

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LPYP was previously awarded a lease from the city of Fort Pierce for vacant lots next to the Lincoln Theatre on Avenue D, with plans to develop it into a community gathering space. FDLE said a two-year investigation revealed that the lease was awarded in a bidding process orchestrated by Mimms to benefit LPYP.

The $10-per-year lease was terminated in May after the lot was never developed.

Commissioners expressed strong support of Mimms, despite hurdles with some projects.

We listened to the latest annual evaluation of Mimms, which took place during a city commission meeting in June.

At that meeting – Mimms himself spoke as a closing note:

“I'm going to always put our citizens first, and whatever our citizens need that's how we attack the situation," said Mimms. "It’s all about the community good and how we help our citizens navigate through these challenging times, and how we help our children, our elder citizens and our businesses as well. I'm still locked in, i'm still enjoying what we do and as long as you guys are too, this should be fun."

Also, the Boys & Girls Club of St. Lucie County released the following statement on Mimms' arrest:

"We are surprised as everyone in the community. Mr. Mimms was a consistent supporter of our organization. We reserve further comment as we await along with the rest of community the outcome of these legal matters."

CEO William Armstead told us Mimms has volunteered and attended events over the years and has a history of helping young people in the area.