OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — The Osceola County sheriff has apologized for hiring his daughter as a vendor for the department.
Chris Blackmon sent an email Monday night to the agency saying his daughter received a contract from the sheriff’s office and was paid $40,000.
The daughter’s company makes challenge coins and patches for law enforcement uniforms.
After a public records request was made by Channel 9 for the information regarding the Cloud Nine Stitches deal, the sheriff said the money was reimbursed, and the items were then donated to the sheriff’s office. Blackmon told employees by email that he wanted them to hear it from him directly and not from the news.
In that email, the sheriff called it an oversight and a mistake, saying, “At the time, my focus was on securing the lowest possible cost for taxpayers. However, I now understand the cost considerations should not outweigh the importance of maintaining impartiality and public trust.”
It is not clear why new patches were needed or how taxpayer money was saved in this process.
State statute says that public officials are prohibited from hiring family members as contractors within their agency. It’s not clear if he will face an ethics investigation or any other state investigation.
This is a developing story.
Click here to read the statute.
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