A political committee run by a Gainesville Republican operative is mailing Clay County voters about the school district’s one-mill tax renewal. The committee is called Believing in Clay’s Kids PC.
Most of its money comes from outside Clay County. Much of it comes from businesses that have worked for the school district. Another large share comes through a chain of committees that hides the money's origin.
A committee mailer arrived in Clay mailboxes this week. It urges a “Yes” vote on the millage renewal. It promises teacher raises, school safety, school resource officers, and a citizen oversight group. It calls the measure “a renewal, not a new tax.”
The ballot question asks voters to renew the district’s existing one-mill property tax for four years. Voters first approved the extra mill in 2018 and renewed it in 2022. The current levy ends June 30, 2027.
The district says the money funds school resource officers and guardians at every school, plus other operating costs.
The mailer carries the line “Paid for by Believing in Clays Kids PC.” Its postage permit is from Manasota, in the Sarasota area.
The committee registered with the state on August 31. William Stafford Jones chairs and serves as treasurer. Its address is a suite on Northwest 80th Boulevard in Gainesville. Its registered agent is Tallahassee attorney Richard Coates.
Jones is a former chairman of the Alachua County Republican Party. He served as a delegate at the 2020 Republican National Convention. The Sarasota News Leader has counted about 145 political committees where Jones served as treasurer.
In 2021, the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington reported that two of his organizations failed to disclose more than $1 million in political contributions.
Most of Jones’ committees share one mailing address: 115 E. Park Ave., Suite 1, in Tallahassee.
This is the second time a Jones committee has used this name in Clay. A committee called Believing In Clay’s Kids operated in 2020 and closed after that election. A sister committee, Believing In Putnam’s Kids, also used the same name format.
State records show the committee raised $128,500 through Oct. 8. Only about $18,500 came from donors with Clay County addresses. That is about 14% of the total.
The donors were:
Leading for Our Future (political committee), Tallahassee: $40,000
Scorpio (construction), Gainesville: $20,000
Parrish McCall Constructors, Gainesville: $20,000
David Grundy (construction), St. Augustine: $10,000
Reinhold Corp., Fleming Island: $10,000
Paul Stresing (architect), Newberry: $10,000
David Shively (architect), Orange Park: $8,000
12 Visual Inc., Fort Myers: $5,000
Committee for Professional Law Enforcement, Gainesville: $2,500
John Smith, Midway: $2,500
Gerald Agresti, Fleming Island: $500
Construction and architecture donors contributed about $68,000, more than half of the total.
Several donors have done work for Clay County District Schools.
Scorpio gave $20,000. The school board used Scorpio as construction manager for the new cafeteria and classrooms at Keystone Heights Elementary in 2022. In 2024, the board awarded Scorpio a $2.8 million contract to rebuild the Clay High School parking lot.
Parrish McCall Constructors gave $20,000. In 2018, the board picked the firm as one of three construction management firms for district projects. The board renewed that contract in 2019. The firm also managed construction of a new elementary school in 2017.
David Shively gave $8,000. Shively is senior vice president of Bhide & Hall Architects in Orange Park. Bhide & Hall is one of the district’s most-used architects.
It designed Spring Park Elementary, which opened in 2023, and the RideOut Elementary classroom addition approved in 2024. The board approved a new continuing contract with the firm in May.
Parrish McCall Constructors gave $20,000. In 2018, the board picked the firm as one of three construction management firms for district projects. The board renewed that contract in 2019. The firm also built Spring Park Elementary, the district’s newest school.
Paul Stresing gave $10,000. The board hired his firm in 2009 to design an administration building at Keystone Heights Elementary.
The donations raise a question. The millage pays for school safety and operating costs. It cannot be used for construction. It is unclear why architects and builders would fund a campaign for a tax that does not pay for buildings.
One possible answer is that the millage frees up other district money. CN&V has asked the district for comment. A follow-up story will include the district’s response.
The 2020 version of Believing In Clay’s Kids raised $156,000. Builders, developers, and contractors gave nearly all of it.
Reinhold Corp. gave $25,000 that year. The Northeast Florida Builders Association also gave $25,000. Charles Perry Partners, another district construction management firm, gave $5,000. Bhide & Hall Architects gave $1,000.
That committee spent about $120,000 on advertising through a Virginia ad buyer. It paid about $28,000 more to Data Targeting, a Gainesville political firm.
The largest single donation came from another Jones committee, Leading for Our Future. It gave $40,000 on Sept. 2, the same day the state acknowledged the new committee’s paperwork.
CN&V traced that money back through state records. About 96% of Leading for Our Future’s money over the prior year came from one source. That source is Greater Florida Foundation, another Jones committee.
Greater Florida Foundation raised $4.45 million in 2026. Every dollar came from other political committees. Most of those committees also list 115 E. Park Ave. as their address.
Some of the money moved in circles. On July 8, a committee called Keep Florida Great gave $200,000 to Greater Florida Foundation. The next day, Greater Florida Foundation sent $100,000 back.
Further up the chain, the records show money from the Republican State Leadership Committee in Washington, D.C. They also show money from Florida Crystals Corp., a sugar company in West Palm Beach. Other sources include nursing home operators, law firms, and statewide business groups.
None of the traceable money at the top of that chain comes from Clay County. Because money from many sources is pooled, there is no way to know which original donor paid for any single mailer.
Leading for Our Future has also given to school board candidates. On June 19, it gave $1,000 to Clay School Board member Michele Hanson’s campaign. It has also given to school board candidates in Pasco, Alachua and Duval counties.
Hanson voted to put the millage renewal on the ballot. Every other board member did too.
The Committee for Professional Law Enforcement gave $2,500 on Sept. 21. Jones is its treasurer. Charles R. Taylor Jr. chairs it.
Its past donors include Sheriff Michelle Cook. She gave the committee $16,000 between 2020 and 2022. Its only donation in 2026 was $5,000 from Lyman George Hall, who lists his occupation as law enforcement.
Through Oct. 8, the committee reported spending $1,846.50. It paid $225 to Coates’ law firm. The rest went to Anedot, an online payment processor, for fees.
Those fees match five donations made Oct. 6 to Oct. 8. All five went through the same online system within three days.
The reports still show no costs for printing, postage, or advertising. The mailer’s cost should appear in the committee’s next report. As of Oct. 8, the committee had about $126,000 left to spend before the Nov. 3 election.
It never ceases to amaze me how much corruption the public is willing to swallow.