In 2022, the Walton County Clerk of the Courts conducted an internal audit of credit card purchases made by members of the Walton County Board of County Commissioners (BCC). The report findings were released just weeks after the BCC had voted to terminate the contract of former Deputy County Administrator Dede Hinote in which they cited improper credit card purchases as being the basis for the action.
Kelly Cornelius, the Director of Internal Audit, released a report to the public in late June that detailed tens of thousands of dollars in questionable spending by all five elected commissioners. The matter was referred to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) to investigate by the First Judicial State Attorney’s Office in July.
It found more than $40,000 in spending discrepancies among the five elected commissioners, and also noted that board members collectively had failed to turn over another $40,000 in travel vouchers supposedly required for reimbursement of the money they had spent.
Though all five commissioners were dinged in the report, the most egregious offenders were Trey “N-word” Nick and Danny “Astro” Glidewell. According to auditors, each official had more than 100 violations apiece during the 28-month span investigated.
Nick and Glidewell had 88 and 46 “purchasing card discrepancies” and failed to turn in travel vouchers 52 and 78 times, respectively. Remember, this period of time for these men was just 28-months.
The report showed that commissioners, three of which were former Walton County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) deputies, had purchased first class airline tickets, paid for alcohol, and stayed at luxury hotels.
Nick, along with his aide, Scott Brannon, attended the National Association of Counties Conference in 2020 and submitted more than $7,000 in unauthorized charges. This included hotel rooms at nearly $700 per night, while other commissioners paid under $300 per night. Nick also originally booked a flight at a cost of $299, but re-booked it for more than $800. Brannon is still employed with the county as a legislative liaison and prior to being an aide for Nick, he had been elected to the BCC.
About a month after receiving the case, the FDLE sent a letter back to State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden stating that Cornelius did not provide enough information to even justify an investigation.
It should be noted that FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass leads the organization and has close ties to Walton County. He was appointed to the agency as the Acting Commissioner in May of 2022 and designated as the permanent commissioner on August 23, 2022.