Former Orange Park Mayor Continues County Tradition Of Political Sign Theft
The Contest For Orange Park Town Council Takes An Absurd Turn
Campaign sign theft is a time-honored tradition in Clay County. This election cycle, former Orange Park Mayor Eugene Nix was caught in the act.
Nix has been pushing hard to elect Chuck Lindholm and oust incumbent Doug Benefield from the Orange Park Town Council. His efforts crossed a line from petty to criminal when the Orange Park Police Department discovered that Nix had stolen one of Benefield’s signs and replaced it with a Lindholm sign.
Rather than prosecute Nix, the Benefield campaign decided not to let a good crisis go to waste and gave information about the heist to News4Jax, who then obtained body-cam footage from the police investigation.
The former Mayor initially denied the theft but later confessed after police obtained video footage of the crime from a nearby security camera.
Eugene Nix last held office in Orange Park in 2018. But ever since then, he has been active on social media, decrying what he believes to be a lack of “public servants” in local politics.
Regardless of the reasons Nix might have, the theft is inexcusable. Even the theft of something as small as a yard sign. It’s also a symptom of the broken political system in Clay County.
Chuck Lindholm was quick to distance himself from the theft, stating that he neither condoned it nor had knowledge of it.
Nix, among others, has been battling the influence of Rob Bradley and Sam Garrison on town politics. Bradley is a former state senator who was succeeded by his wife, Jennifer. Garrison is a member of the Florida House of Representatives and is in line to be Speaker of the House.
Bradley and the Garrison have served the town as lawyers in the past, as they were partners in a law firm until recently. Behind the scenes, they have attempted to place candidates on the Town Council who would be receptive to the policies and initiatives that are supported by Bradley and Garrison.
The Orange Park Town Council is seen as a stepping stone to other elected offices, and candidates who “kiss the ring” and pledge loyalty to the Bradleys are promised unlimited support for any future run for office. This support comes in many forms, but primarily from the deep pockets of the dark-money Political Action Committees (PACs) controlled by the Bradleys and Garrisons.
Doug Benefield is a candidate supported by Bradley & Garrison. 81% of the funds raised by Benefield have come from PACs tied to Bradley and Garrison. Lindholm has largely self-funded his campaign and has received a handful of donations from town residents.
Lindholm's challenge to his seat on the Town Council turned into the latest proxy war between the Bradleys and the folks who are tired of their influence.
Benefield made sure to publicize the theft and use it to his advantage. On his Facebook page, he wrote about the theft and argued it should be proof that he’s the better choice for Orange Park voters.
The election will be decided this coming Tuesday, April 14th.
The Great Bullock/Kerekes Sign Heist of 2022
This article was originally published on the Clay County Beacon in August 2022. Minor edits have been made for grammar and clarity.