Published by the Florida Center for Government Accountability
Manatee Sheriff’s Office recommends charges for former administrator Scott Hopes
Melissa Pérez-Carrillo and Gabriela Szymanowska
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office has recommended charges for former Manatee County administrator Scott Hopes.
The Sheriff’s Office received multiple complaints about Hopes in February, including one from Michael Barfield, director of Public Access at Florida Center for Government Accountability, who claims Hopes reset his county devices before turning them in to Information Technology staff.
Other complaints allege criminal violations of Florida’s public records, theft, and notary laws, according to a release from the Sheriff’s Office.