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ORLANDO, Fla., March 11 - Mayor Buddy Dyer turned himself in on Friday to face a felony charge of paying someone to collect absentee ballots before his election in a tight race last year. Gov. Jeb Bush swiftly suspended Mr. Dyer, as required by Florida law, in a case that has roiled this city for months and even caused a brief firestorm in the presidential election. A grand jury handed up sealed indictments on Thursday for Mr. Dyer and three others: Patricia Beatty Phillips, his campaign manager; Ezzie Thomas, who worked for the Dyer campaign as a get-out-the-vote consultant; and...

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A campaign consultant said he was hired by several Florida politicians over the past seven years to gather absentee ballots during their elections, a violation of state law. Ezzie Thomas, who has been granted immunity, told prosecutors that he was paid numerous times since 1998 to gather absentee ballots, most recently by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer's (Dem) campaign last year, his attorney said Friday. Thomas told prosecutors four months ago that he was hired to do similar work for U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez (Rep) when he ran for Orange County chairman in 1998, Florida Secretary of State...

BRONSON TO HEAR MOTIONS IN DYER ELECTION FRAUD CASE On Friday, January 7, 2005 at 9:30 a.m. Orange/Osceola Circuit Judge Theotis Bronson will hear motions from WCPX Local 6 and the Orlando Sentinel as well as Orlando Mayoral challenger Ken Mulvaney regarding the closure of witness depositions and the release of a sealed transcript of the hearing that Judge Bronson issued a protective order preventing the deposition of Dyer campaign consultant Ezzie Thomas. WCPX Local 6 filed a motion to allow the media and the public from attending depositions in the ongoing civil election fraud case filed by Mulvaney. The...

Orlando Police Continue Fight Over Contract Terms POSTED: 3:27 pm EDT October 11, 2004 UPDATED: 3:46 pm EDT October 11, 2004 More than 100 Orlando police officers were reportedly taking part in another protest Monday in their fight with the city over contract terms, according to Local 6 News. Monday's protest is over longevity pay or the annual payment officers receive if they've put in at least five years of service. The amount can range from $600 to $2,200. "They're contractually obligated to pay it even though our contract expired Sept. 30," police union labor spokesman Sam Hoffman said. "You...

The probe into Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer's re-election campaign has widened to include a state senator and a circuit judge, and it has been kicked upstairs to investigators specializing in public-corruption cases. In addition, State Attorney Lawson Lamar's office confirmed Tuesday that it is backing out of the probe. A spokesman said a new "person of interest" has emerged in the investigation that could create the appearance of a conflict of interest were Lamar to investigate. Administrators in Lamar's office would not identify that person. But a letter sent to Gov. Jeb Bush by Chief Assistant State Attorney Bill Vose...

For Immediate Release For Further Information Contact Doug Guetzloe (407) 895-0077 DYER CANVASSING BOARD SEEKS DELAY OF ORLANDO ELECTION FRAUD TRIAL SET FOR JULY 27TH King & Blackwell representing the City of Orlando Board and coordinating Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer's legal team has improperly scheduled a motion to continue or delay the long anticipated Orlando election fraud trail set for July 27, 2004, before Circuit Judge Theotis Bronson. A motion for continuance (delay) of the trial will be presented by the Dyer legal team tomorrow (Wednesday, 7/7/04) to Judge Bronson at 8:30 a.m. (11th floor, Orange County Courthouse) during the...

Ken Mulvaney filed a handful of sworn statements from voters that he says bolster his claim that he was cheated out of a fair contest for mayor of Orlando. A judge in Mulvaney's election-fraud lawsuit against Mayor Buddy Dyer gave him until today to produce witness lists, affidavits and any other evidence to support his case. Mulvaney's attorney collected 19 statements from Orlando residents, including some who said Dyer's paid campaign worker, Ezzie Thomas, either filled out their absentee ballots for them, took completed ballots in unsealed envelopes or urged them to mark their ballots for Dyer.

By WDBO's: Mike Synan 07/02/2004 WDBO is getting it's first look at what evidence Ken Mulvaney and Lawanna Gelzer have in their lawsuit alledging ballot fraud in the Orlando Mayor's race. We told you two weeks ago about some of the affadavits filed by the city saying nothing was done wrong. AM 580 WDBO's Mike Synan continues our team coverage. At the center of this issue is the head of Orange County's League of Voters Ezzie Thomas. He was paid 10 thousand dollars by Mayor Buddy Dyer's reelection campaign. Several voters signed affadavits saying they gave Thomas a signed, but...

Law-enforcement agents raided Orlando City Hall on Friday and carted off computers used by top managers in the Fire Department as part of their widening investigation into possible election fraud in the mayor's race. Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement would reveal few details of their inquiry, but a search warrant indicated that investigators are trying to determine whether city firefighters were improperly paid with taxpayer money while campaigning for Mayor Buddy Dyer. "It's part of our ongoing criminal investigation of election fraud," FDLE legal adviser Steve Brady said. "It's all related to the same issue, the mayoral-election...

The state's top law-enforcement agency on Tuesday intensified its investigation into Orlando's March elections, saying the probe into potential voting irregularities and fraud could result in racketeering charges. The decision to move forward with the investigation was made after Florida Department of Law Enforcement representatives reviewed its evidence, including seized absentee-ballot envelopes, with the State Attorney's Office. The FDLE would not confirm the focus of its investigation, but said it included Mayor Buddy Dyer's race for re-election. Dyer avoided a runoff with his closest opponent, political newcomer Ken Mulvaney, with just 234 votes to spare.

Breaking News from The Guetzloe Report... Florida Department of Law Enforcement Agents have seized all of the absentee ballots that were cast in the recent City of Orlando Mayor's race. Yesterday, (5/20/04), agents served Orange County Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles with a subpoena for all of the tainted absentee ballots cast in the March 9, 2004 Mayor's election. The ballot were removed from the Elections Supervisor's office and are now in the custody of FDLE investigators. This action was taken as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into the allegations of widespread fraud by the Dyer campaign during the...

For Immediate Release For Further Information Contact: Doug Guetzloe (407) 312-1781 Ax the Tax Ax the Tax blasts use of taxdollars to defend Dyer in illegal ballot fraud lawsuit... news release distributed by City of Orlando violates Florida Law Lauren Hames, Public Information Officer for the Mayor's Office violated Florida Law today by using tax dollars in issuing a news release that supports Buddy Dyer's defense in the ongoing election fraud case currently before Judge Theotis Bronson. "Buddy Dyer is violating the laws of the State of Florida in continuing his use of taxdollars to defend his losing battle in...

Fellow Orlandoans: (PLEASE FORWARD) We have known all along that Patty Sheehan is going to push for an amendment to Chapter 57 (transgender rights) if she is reelected. On the Gay/Lesbian website she has been writing that if she is successful in her reelection bid, great things are in store for "Our Community," meaning the Gay/Lesbian /Transgender/Bisexual community. This morning , March 4, on his radio program Shannon Burke (540 WFLA) reported that he has an inside source that confirms that Dyer, Sheehan and Daisy Lynum will support same sex marriages and benefits. Burke further stated that Dyer plans to...

Need help to freep a poll by voting "NO". Dyer in a Clinton-esque mayor...wherever you can find a camera he's there. Laid off employees to "save money", weeks later gives millions of dollars in tax money to his buddies. Recently had the city council sign a "secret agreement" and rushed debate (one meeting to the city council in I believe in an HOUR's time) on a project that involved millions of dollars in tax breaks and money on a historic building site. He took over when he one a smear campeign against Pete Barr; taking over the job vacated by...