An Eatonville councilman says he saw the town’s newly elected mayor tamper with absentee ballots. Mayor Anthony Grant is facing charges of voter fraud related to the number of votes he received from absentee ballots. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the charges.
Councilman Rodney Daniels submitted an affidavit to the FDLE, saying he saw Grant tampering with residents’ mailboxes a few weeks before the election.
“He looked in, went inside a residence, came out, and when he came out, he had a green envelope in his hand. At that particular time, the absentees had just dropped, so I know what he was looking for, what he was looking to get,” he said.
Daniels was first elected to town council eight years ago. He is one of several witnesses claiming to have seen Grant partake in bribery or fraud on his rental properties.
“Before he went in [the mailbox], I was sure to say that, ‘Sir that’s a felony because you can’t go inside someone’s mailbox,’ which he replied, ‘This is family’ and proceeded to walk inside the home, and when he came out, he had a green envelope in his hand," Daniels said.
A lawsuit filed by the former mayor, Bruce Mount, alleges that Grant bribed his renters to vote absentee in exchange for reduced rent.
Grant defended his innocence last night at his first council meeting since taking office. He says his lawyers will respond this week to the lawsuit.