After further review of its case against former Okaloosa County Commissioner James Campbell, the state attorney’s office has added eight new criminal charges.

Campbell, who was arrested Sept. 17, 2012, on four counts of official misconduct and four counts of perjury, now faces eight counts of misconduct in office and eight counts of filing a false financial affidavit.

“It is the same charges, just filed a little differently,” State Attorney Bill Eddins said. “We just went back a little further, looked at it and decided these were the correct formal charges that needed to be filed.”

The misconduct charges are felonies. Filing false financial affidavits are misdemeanors.

Read the charging documents for yourself.

The charges stem from Campbell “failing to report income he got for work he did to generate sponsorships” for the city of Niceville’s Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival, Eddins said.

Campbell said Thursday the charges “are not new.”

“It’s the same thing. They just went back to 2004,” he said. “I’m still innocent, period.”

Campbell said he still hopes to avoid a trial.

“I’d rather see this be resolved right now,” he said. “I’m ready to retire and move on with my life.”

He said the past five months have been difficult for him and his family.

“You find out who your friends are. People have been very supportive and I deeply appreciate that.”

Campbell is scheduled to be in court again Feb. 21 for a docket day. His trial is scheduled for March 4.

Eddins said Thursday that Don Dewrell, Campbell’s attorney, has not requested that the case be continued.

Dewrell did not return a phone call seeking comment.

For more than a decade as Niceville’s director of parks and recreation, Campbell received a 20 percent commission for each sponsorship he secured for the Mullet Festival.

As a county commissioner he was obligated to report any income over $1,000 to the Florida Commission on Ethics.

The original charges stated Campbell failed to report payments he received from the Mullet Festival’s coordinating committee in 2005, 2006 and 2010.

Charging documents released Thursday indicate Campbell failed to  properly disclose income he received each year from the time he was elected to the County Commission in 2004 through 2012.

Campbell continues to stand by his explanation that his wife filled out his financial disclosure forms each year and he simply signed them. He said he had not disclosed the festival commissions because that was money he would use for personal hunting expenses.

The documents also state that Campbell’s failure as a public official to accurately report his income was taken “with corrupt intent to obtain a benefit.”

Documents released Thursday were not as specific in outlining the charges against Campbell as those released in September. He was not taken into custody Wednesday after the charges were amended.

The original arrest report stated at least two sponsorships Campbell received money for came from county agencies when he was on the County Commission.

The Tourist Development Council, under former director Mark Bellinger, bought a $10,000 sponsorship in 2010 with BP oil spill grant money.

Campbell also received a significant sponsorship donation from Northwest Florida Regional Airport and took home a commission for doing so, the original arrest report said.

Okaloosa County sheriff's investigators looking into Bellinger’s misuse of county bed tax and BP funds uncovered evidence against Campbell, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

The FDLE and state attorney’s office worked together to follow up on the sheriff's office’s findings.

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Tom McLaughlin at 850-315-4435 or tmclaughlin@nwfdailynews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomMnwfdn.

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari Barlow at 850-315-4438 or kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: James Campbell faces additional charges after case review

LAUREL HILL — The City Council on Thursday voted unanimously to seek Okaloosa County's help in paving Sunnyside Avenue and a portion of Steel Mill Creek Road.

Councilman Larry Hendren said the Okaloosa County Commission responded favorably to his letter requesting road repair assistance.

"The county said the letter was fine with them, with the exception that they wanted us to add specific streets for the fiscal year," he said. "Then, every year after that, we simply redo the letter simply by adding different streets."

The city would cover the cost of material needed to repair the roads, whereas the county would provide equipment and labor, under Laurel Hill's proposal.

Click here to see the resolution, in full.

Sunnyside Avenue, from State Road 85 to 3rd Street, was the first road added to the letter.

Councilman Robby Adams proposed that a portion of Steel Mill Creek Road be added.

The council then voted to add Sunnyside and the portion of Steel Mill Creek Road to the letter.

"I make a motion that we add Steel Mill Creek on, if there is enough in our budget," Councilman Clifton Hall said.

The council during a workshop last month discussed using $83,000 from a reserve fund on road repairs.

If the two streets extend so much that would cost that amount, the matter would be raised at the next council meeting, Hendren said.

Engineer may also write grants

In addition, Thursday, council members voted in favor of advertising for an engineer who could aid grant writing of a Community Development Block Grant, or CDBG.

The council last January voted to pursue the grant, which would give the city $600,000 for road repairs.

The city came close to obtaining the grant money last year, but fell short after a permit missing from the application eliminated Laurel Hill from consideration.

Hall suggested searching for an engineer capable of grant writing, which would preclude the need for a grant writer, too.

"We would be killing two birds with one stone," he said.

Candidates with grant writing experience would have an advantage in the selection process, Mayor Joan Smith said.

The council decided to give each finalist a chance to make a presentation at the next scheduled council meeting, 6 p.m. April 4 at City Hall. 

Budget approval

The council voted to approve its budget, which includes moving $83,030 from reserved funds to a checking account for fuel tax revenue. The account's funds would be used for roadwork.

Another change included adding $200 to the payroll budget for each fiscal year.

"The $200 is covering the 2 percent increase in costs in Medicare and Social Security costs," City Clerk Nita Miller said.

Council members also unanimously voted to change council meetings to 6 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month. The council had been meeting on the first Tuesday.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Laurel Hill Council selects first roads for repairs, approves budget

The next meeting of the Almarante board of fire commissioners is at 7 p.m. Feb. 14 at the fire station, 3710 Old California Road. Meetings are every Thursday at 7 p.m. 

For more on the Almarante Fire Department, see their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Almarante50.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Almarante fire commissioners board meets Feb. 14

He said he knows going in that House Bill 431 will be controversial, and he’s eager to hear from all interested parties.

“The issue is, are we willing to do our part to be energy-dependence free?” he said.

Read a copy of the bill.

Broxson, R-Midway, could have trouble finding a Senate sponsor. Sen. Greg Evers, who sponsored similar legislation last year, got brutalized when it was learned he owned 150 acres in the state forest.

He said he was accused of looking to legislate himself a windfall, even though he could drill on his private property any time he chooses.

Evers said he has no interest in touching the drilling issue again.

“After the b.s. everyone accused me of last year, I don’t think I’ll even vote on it,” said Evers, R-Baker. “Do I think it’s a good idea? We need oil, we need lower gas prices and the state needs revenue, but from a personal standpoint I don’t know what to do with it right now.”

Broxson said drilling on private land around the town of Jay in north Santa Rosa County has been going on for years “and to my knowledge has not left any environmental footprint.”

Oil was discovered in Jay in 1970. The town is about seven miles from the Blackwater River State Forest.

Kurvin Qualls, Jay’s mayor, said royalties coming to his community from drilling leases “has dropped way off in the last couple of years” but still is $10,000 to $15,000 annually.

Qualls said he and other residents support H.B. 431. They see a potential for business growth if Broxson’s legislation is passed.

“We’re all used to it around here,” he said. “There have been no ill effects from it.”

Broxson said a company called Fairways has spent two years conducting seismic tests around the forest. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also has studied the issue and found drilling could be done successfully, he said.

Broxson said Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties stand to benefit from royalties if oil is found in the forest.

The legislation, as proposed, would allow drilling only in areas well clear of sensitive waterways and habitat necessary to the survival of endangered species such as the red cockaded woodpecker, Broxson said.

He said he intends to schedule at least one public meeting in Jay to allow all sides of the drilling issue to speak.

Audubon Florida may have been the first group to voice opposition to Broxson’s bill, but has been joined by a Pensacola-based Audubon organization as well as the Sierra Club, according to Audubon Florida spokeswoman Julie Wraithmell.

“The Blackwater River State Forest is a really special place. It protects a lot of watershed for Pensacola Bay, supports some really diverse wildlife and provides habitat for some highly endangered species,” Wraithmell said.

She noted that last year’s bill was much broader in scope than Broxson’s and targeted areas across Florida.

It was “slowly amended” during last year’s session until it focused only on the Blackwater River State Forest, Wraithmell said.

“It’s an important place in Florida,” Wraithmell said of the forest. “So what makes it any less special than other parts of Florida that were taken off the table?”

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Tom McLaughlin at 850-315-4435 or tmclaughlin@nwfdailynews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomMnwfdn.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Broxson proposes oil exploration in Blackwater forest (DOCUMENT)

CRESTVIEW — Linking historic downtown Crestview's shopping and dining with Twin Hills Park's recreational opportunities would maximize use from two existing city resources, City Councilwoman Robyn Helt said.

Helt has presented this concept — of a pedestrian and bicycle corridor joining Main Street with the park — to the city's Community Redevelopment Agency, which should have the funds to make it a reality.

Noting the CRA has a cash balance of about $1 million, she said, "my goal is to make sure we're utilizing the resources that we have, to put them back into the CRA district as they are intended to go and do so in a way that will benefit the most number of people."

Downtown's historic, well-defined early 20th-century business district is conducive to strolling and shopping, she said. Extending that classic model along a proposed corridor past the Amtrak railroad shelter on Industrial Drive and into Twin Hills Park at its southwest corner will offer a "continuity of theme," Helt said.

She likened it in concept to Disney World's Main Street U.S.A. that links the theme park's entrance with attractions beyond.

"Connect the two to make it feel serene and safe," Helt said. "There are ways to do it and carry the theme of downtown," including matching Main Street's historically inspired street furniture — such as streetlamps, planters and benches — along the foot and bike path.

Add picnic tables and shelters to the underused portion of southwest Twin Hills Park, couple it with proposed skate and dog parks on the north side, and link it with downtown's resources, and "we, I feel, have the potential to capitalize on the properties we currently have," Helt said.

Helt said she envisions parents strolling over to Main Street to eat and shop while their children play at the skate park or ball fields in Twin Hills Park. Pharmacy students at Florida A&M University's Rural Diversity Healthcare Center could take their lunch over to the park to eat and study outdoors. During downtown festivals, a pedestrian link to a site offering more parking also would be beneficial, she said.

"It also helps the parking situation because you use all the parking in the park and downtown," Helt said. "It's also a very short distance over to our new parking lot."

The Amtrak shelter, closed after Hurricane Katrina track damage caused suspension of the Sunset Limited's service east of New Orleans, could have new use in the concept, Helt said.

"When you're aggressively looking at ways to beautify your downtown, the last thing you want is to have something boarded up," Helt said. "It is the cutest little thing. That could be even turned — if there's not another suggestion — into a public restroom."

CRA board members agreed with Helt's recommendations.

"That is a lot of good information and we want to be good stewards of that area," board member and City Councilman Tom Gordon said. "My concern is security."

Helt noted that boarding up the Amtrak station was necessitated by vandalism "because there was nothing going on around it."

Creating a vibrant, busy corridor between Twin Hills Park and downtown would deter crime and vandalism, she said.

"If you go to Disney World and there was nothing between Main Street U.S.A. and Frontierland, there would be a lot of vandalism and tomfoolery."

Using CRA funds to maximize residents' use of the two areas would be a responsible use of money that by law can only be used on projects to improve the CRA district, Helt said.

"We have a little over a million dollars which is not general fund money," she said. "This is money that is earmarked specifically for the CRA and we have an obligation as the CRA board to utilize that money rather than just letting it sit there. I think as a whole we should develop a strategy and plan and cohesive vision. A lot of these things are not large scale in terms of cost."

Cal Zethmayr, chairman of a Historic Preservation Board committee studying the feasibility of recreating Crestview's original railroad depot as a multi-purpose downtown public facility, praised Helt's concept.

Several components she suggested complement his committee's vision, including the foot link between downtown and Twin Hills Park, he said.

"This isn't a new idea," Zethmayr said. "There's already an asphalt path there. When they built the Amtrak station, they had money left over and built a footpath along the original Yellow River Railroad route. We also wanted to open up the woods to have a picnic area."

"I think if we were to undertake any of this, we can't undertake just a small piece of this," Helt said.

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Councilwoman supports Main Street-Twin Hills Park pedestrian link

Whether it’s Orange County Commission members texting lobbyists in the audience at their public meeting for speaking suggestions or Team Santa Rosa getting cited for “repeated violations” of the law and receiving less than a slap on the wrist, Petersen has seen about everything.

Since 1995, Petersen has been advocating, sometimes “as the only squeaky wheel,” for open government.

This year, she told members of the Daily News Editorial Board on Monday, she wants to recruit more people — a lot more people — to her cause.

“I’m a little weary of being the only squeaky wheel when, in fact, everybody needs access to good information from government,” she said. “This year, I want to get everybody in one place at the same time to agree on a set of principles we all agree we need for reform.”

At an event on March 16 at St. Petersburg College, Petersen intends to engage groups from across the political spectrum — “ACLU to Tea Party Nation” — in an effort to establish a broad-based set of principles to take to Tallahassee with a request for Sunshine Law reform.

“We all agree there’s a need for reform. This is so I can say, ‘It’s not just me, it’s 123 others who feel we need open government,’ ” she said. “I’m trying to make everyone understand that good open government laws benefit everyone. People say, ‘Oh, it’s just the media,’ but that’s not true.”

Petersen said she sees in state Senate President Don Gaetz, state House Speaker Will Weatherford and Gaetz’s son, Rep. Matt Gaetz, stronger advocates for open government than she had to work with last year.

She said she wants to work with Don Gaetz in 2013 on two legislative priorities: ensuring the public’s right to speak at public meetings and developing an accessible website that increases the transparency of state government.

“Those are personal priorities of mine and priorities I share with Speaker Weatherford,” Gaetz, R-Niceville, said Monday.

 After Escambia County’s Community Maritime Park Association board decided it could hold meetings without providing an opportunity for citizens to speak, and the Court of Appeals upheld the decision, Don Gaetz and state Sen. Joe Negron sponsored legislation in 2012 to incorporate into law the public’s right to speak.

The legislation got “smothered in private” in the House, said Gaetz, R-Niceville.

This year, Negron, R-Palm City, said his bill has a strong sponsor and “is viewed much more favorably in the House.”

Petersen also wants to see the Florida Legislature create a public-access website that allows the state’s citizens to look at budgets, contracts and proposed legislation.

Under Senate President Mike Haridopolos, last year senators entered a $5.5 million contract with a private company to create a “transparency” website, Petersen said. The site, as it turned out, was available only to senators.

Gaetz has canceled the contract and has promised to this year build a website accessible to the public for much less money.

“I’m pleased Barbara Petersen is pleased with some of our efforts,” Gaetz said. “Those are two important priorities but not the only parts of a broad-based ethics package I expect the Senate to pass and the House to seriously consider.”

Petersen will also advocate again in 2013 for the state to force local governments to charge “reasonable fees” for public records.

“One woman told me she had to make a choice between paying her mortgage and paying for public records,” she said.

State fees for records are frequently a barrier preventing the public from seeing what their government is doing, and in a world of electronic communication, that shouldn’t be so, Petersen said.

She said the state needs to define “extensive use” in regard to billing for public record searches, to provide a consistent hourly rate to charge for record retrieval and eliminate employee benefit charges included in the retrieval cost.

“Everybody understands government records ought to be easier to get,” she said.

Petersen said she would also continue this year to advocate for better enforcement when violations of the Sunshine Law occur.

She cited Team Santa Rosa, Santa Rosa County’s now defunct economic development arm, as a group that was taken to task for multiple law violations but not prosecuted.

“State attorneys are either reluctant to get involved or see no evidence to warrant prosecution, so they don’t prosecute,” Petersen said.

The high cost of litigation is likewise preventing newspapers and private citizens from taking agencies to court for Sunshine Law violations, she said. City and county governments also typically use taxpayer money to cover the cost of litigation.

“The weakest, weakest part of our law is no enforcement,” Petersen said.

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Tom McLaughlin at 850-315-4435 or tmclaughlin@nwfdailynews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomMnwfdn.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Advocate: It's time to reform Sunshine Laws

Anderson currently has offices on Eglin Air Force Base and Fort Walton Beach, Crestview, Niceville and Destin.

He said he has wanted a location on Hurlburt Field since he took office in August 2011.

“Here they are Special Ops, and they are shipped in and out, and in a moment’s notice they’re gone,” Anderson said. “We should be delivering our services to them instead of making them come downtown to us.”

As tax collector, Anderson has the authority to open satellite offices where he sees fit, but because his office also collects county revenue such as business and property taxes, he must have the approval of the Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners.

Commissioners are scheduled to vote on the proposal Tuesday at a meeting in Crestview.

“It’ll be a full-service office that we provide out there,” Anderson said.

Those services include driver license renewals, vehicle registrations, hunting and fishing licenses and property tax payments. The office would hold daytime hours Monday through Friday.

“I am honored and I am humbled that we will be on base at Hurlburt Field working in a partnership with the military,” he said. “They’ve located a facility to put us in, but they have a little bit of remodeling they want to do for us.”

Anderson said he anticipates the office will be open by mid-March.

“It’s a convenience to the military, but it’s also a neighborly outreach to recognize and appreciate economically what they mean to our area,” he said.

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari Barlow at 850-315-4438 or kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Tax collector to open office on Hurlburt Field

CRESTVIEW — A sports complex's proposed site appears inadequate and might generate a $400,000 annual loss, but that doesn't mean death to the project.

Click here for a clear image of the proposed conceptual plan.

The city still is researching feasibility of such a facility, said Council President Ben Iannucci III, who raised the concept of a sports complex — built and operated by a sports management company at no expense to Crestview taxpayers — early last year.

In addition to providing sports and recreational opportunities for locals, the complex would attract out-of-town traveling sports tournaments, he said.

He reported on recent communication with the Institute of Retired Professionals, tasked with conducting a feasibility study, at the Jan. 28 council meeting. Among preliminary findings, the group questioned the suggested location, an 18-acre city-owned tract of land behind the Brookmeade Drive public safety building.

"Their determination is it may not be big enough for what we're proposing," Iannucci said.

The group's early estimates indicate the facility would cost between $1 and $3 million.

"There are ways to get this paid for that won't come out of the taxpayers' pockets," Iannucci said.

The retired professionals estimated the complex itself had the potential to lose up to $400,000 a year, but it would generate revenues between $5 and $10 million annually for the city's hospitality industry, including hotels, restaurants and service providers.

The north county could use a sports complex, Councilman Charles Baugh Jr. said.

"We don't have enough recreational opportunities for our youth," he said. "Roughly, there's 40,000 people living in this area, and this is the county seat, so maybe we can get some partnership from the county to make this happen."

The project has drawn support from the county Economic Development Council.

"You've heard before that this would be an excellent development for the city and would contribute greatly to the quality of life in the area," EDC interim President Kay Rasmussen said.

RESTORE Act money — from BP's fines for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill — might apply to the sports complex project, Rasmussen said.

The institute will meet next week and soon will deliver a formal report on its findings and recommendations, Iannucci said.

Former Okaloosa County Tourism Development Council Director Mark Bellinger addressed the city council and the Community Redevelopment Agency in the spring of 2012 to advise on funding the project with a Crestview tourism development tax, or "bed tax," levied on guests at area hotels.

A sports complex that attracted more visitors to the community would be a permissible use of the tax, Bellinger said.

"The bed tax is a very strong option for you in the future if you decide to go down that road as a funding source for this type of development," Rasmussen said.

While researching the concept, the institute requested copies of a proposal for a combined community arts and sports facility presented to the agency by Rae Schwartz, representing Friends of the Arts and the Okaloosa Arts Alliance's Crestview area committee.

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Sports complex feasibility report coming soon to city council

CRESTVIEW — Two downtown events have combined into a feast for the eye and the palate.

The Spanish Trail Cruisers have teamed up with the Main Street Crestview Association to add the Taste of Crestview restaurant crawl to the annual Average Joe Car Show on April 20.

Mike Turman and Ellis Conner, presidents of the car club and the Main Street association, respectively, announced the collaboration at Monday's city council meeting.

Turman requested the city's assistance to close Main Street for the event, provide portable restrooms, barricades for side streets and security by the Crestview Police Department. The council unanimously approved the club's request.

Some 100 vintage vehicles from throughout the Southeast appear at the event, drawing thousands of spectators. The Cruisers traditionally pour the proceeds from car show registrations into the community, a favorite charity being the local food bank.

"They do a lot of charitable things for our city, including taking care of our very needed Sharing and Caring," Councilman Charles Baugh Jr., a Spanish Trail Cruisers honorary member, said. "I'm looking forward to it, especially if it is as big an event as I think it's going to be."

Considering past Taste of Crestview events' popularity made the collaboration an easy decision, Conner said.

"We started this dialogue about three months ago," he said. "We have all the details worked out at this time. This will hopefully make a good event even better with the addition of the food."

BREAKOUT (with Crestview Blue screen):

Lately, the Crestview City Council:

•Unanimously directed city staff to create a document showing taxpayers' cost for granting non-profit organizations' free use of city parks for their events. Krystal Jackson, the local Relay for Life cancer fundraiser's event chair, had requested free use of Old Spanish Trail Park for the annual all-night walkathon.

•Learned that Wave express bus rides between Crestview and Fort Walton Beach are down 9 percent, according to Councilman Charles Baugh Jr.

"If you're riding the Wave, you gotta have the numbers or they're going to take it away from us," he said, referring to the County Board of Commissioners' aim to cancel this area's bus service.

"The good news is routes 11 and 12 are up 2 percent, he said, referring to routes that specifically serve the city.

•Unanimously appointed Mayor David Cadle as the council's representative to the Supervisor of Elections Canvassing Board. The city clerk typically fills the seat, but with City Clerk Betsy Roy being a candidate for reelection, she cannot serve on the election board.

•Unanimously appointed Main Street Crestview Association member Cal Zethmayr to the Historic Preservation Board on Council President Ben Iannucci III's recommendation.

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Downtown car show and restaurant crawl combine for April 20 event