Bradford County pauses payments to Fair Association, staff secures records as sheriff urges legal action

The Board of County Commissioners of Bradford County, Florida, voted May 6 to approve most items on the consent agenda but removed the agenda item that would have authorized a Tourism Development Council payment related to the Bradford County Fair Association and its related organizations. The board also directed staff to pause any new requests from the Fair Association until a newly constituted fair board is in place and county staff finish a records review.

The pause followed public comments questioning the accuracy of a grant application and a lengthy presentation from the sheriff outlining what he called possible improprieties in the Fair Association’s recent asset transfers. Paul Steele, a public commenter, told commissioners the application and tax-identification information in the packet did not match the nonprofit the county intended to fund. “I’m just suggesting that you may want to send that one back…so that you don’t have this incorrect information in your allocation,” Steele said.

Why it matters: county leaders said the county and community may have an interest in clarifying ownership of fair property, loans and bank accounts tied to the fair’s nonprofit. The sheriff urged the commission to support civil and criminal review, saying the association may…