LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — A letter opposing a penny sales tax looks like it came from an official Lake County government office, but it’s actually from a man who doesn’t live in central Florida.
The man is sending the letters and emails to people, telling them to vote down the tax next week.
Supporters of the tax are threatening legal action against the man.
People on both sides of the issue agreed the man shouldn’t have sent out the emails.
Supporters said if the penny sales tax is passed, it will help with improvements to infrastructure and schools.
“The messages that were sent out were definitely misleading,” said Dr. Kasey Kesselring, of Impact Lake County.
The letter called the penny tax a “slush fund” and accuses county leaders of wasting $440,000 putting the issue on the ballot during an off-year election.
Officials said they expect the opposition, but leaders said they also expect people to do things the right way.
Along with using the county seal, some versions of the email upset officials with Lake County chambers as well, because they support the tax renewal.
“It said ‘Chamber News,’ and it was directed to chamber members. So, our membership gets confused, but that’s because they believe it's coming from our office,” said Ran Sanfratello, president of the South Lake Chamber.
Tom Rask, whose Facebook profile says he lives in Seminole, Florida, posted that he sent out the emails to help out the groups in Lake County fighting the tax.
Supporters said they’re not going to let him get away with it.
“An election violation is in the process of being filled out and filed,” said Kesselring. Other leaders said they can’t believe the man is sticking his nose into a matter that doesn’t affect him.
“To sit back and merely throw shots across county lines just isn't fair, and it shows how ignorant this person is to the needs of Lake County,” said Lake County School Board member Bill Mathias.
Rask didn’t respond to Channel 9’s request for an interview.
The Citizens for Better Government, which is against the tax, said they were not involved with the emails.