BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. -- The corruption trial for the former chief deputy property appraiser in Brevard County got underway Monday. Lance Larsen is facing prison time if he is convicted of lowering property values for Jim Ford's campaign contributors.

Larsen's boss, Jim Ford, could be forced to take the stand just days before the election.

There was controversy about some of Ford's former workers even before jury selection started. Several former employees, who assisted in the investigation and were then let go by Ford, were in court to watch Monday morning. Larsen's defense attorney asked that they be kept outside of the courtroom, because they could be witnesses, but the judge said they could stay for jury selection.

Larsen didn't have anything to say about the start of his corruption trial as he entered the courtroom. The property appraiser's former chief deputy faces one county of grand theft and seven counts of official misconduct, including falsification of documents.

Larsen is accused of lowering the property values for campaign contributors and other political supporters of his boss, Jim Ford, so those people in turn would pay lower property taxes, in some cases saving thousands of dollars.

Larsen's attorneys demanded a speedy trial, starting now just eight days before voters decide whether to re-elect Ford.

Monday morning, Larsen's attorneys tried to prevent the prosecution from presenting evidence that the properties in question might have erroneous values, since by state law generally what the property appraiser says goes.

The prosecutor said, though, they have evidence that proves corruption in Ford's office by the way Larsen handled ford's political supporters.

"What we are looking at is the methodology, the procedures, the way this particular thing was done," said assistant state prosecutor Beth Rutberg.

The attorneys are trying to find six jurors and two alternates to decide the case. They started with a pool of 32 and already one has been eliminated because they heard about news reports regarding the case.

Jim Ford has not been charged with any crimes. The judge did announce that Ford is on the witness list and could be called to testify, along with his new wife and several other members of his top staff.