Even though it cost her the Sun-Sentinel endorsement, Broward County Commission District 9 candidate Hazelle Rogers keeps paying big bucks to a mystery Delaware corporation. In July, REDBROWARD exposed how the recently formed Delaware corporation known as Purple Bird Communications LLC shared the same address as Rogers’ campaign headquarters. Rogers, the Mayor of Lauderdale Lakes, is running against Guithele Ruiz-Nicolas in the August open primary.

According to official Delaware corporation records, Purple Bird Communications LLC was formed on May 31, 2022. Delaware does not require corporations to list managing members/officers. The corporation was formed using a Delaware registered agent company.

State of Florida records do not show any corporation or foreign based corporation named Purple Bird Communications.

According to her official financial reports, on June 13, 2022, Hazelle Rogers paid $3,000 to Purple Bird Communications for “design campaign materials.”

Two weeks later, Hazelle Rogers gave $22,150 to Purple Bird Communications. This payment was made for “canvassing and designing.”

Two days after REDBROWARD exposed the $25,150 payments to Purple Bird, Hazelle Rogers amended her campaign treasurer report.

On July 10 2022, REDBROWARD asked Rogers about the payments to Purple Bird Communications which uses the same post office box address as Rogers’ campaign. Rogers never responded to our request for comment. On July 11, 2022 we posted the story.

According to Broward Supervisor of Elections records, on July 11th at 10:21PM, Rogers filed an amended June 2022 campaign treasurer’s report. The report deleted the June 28, 2022 payment to Purple Bird Communications. The amended report changed the address for Purple Bird Communications. Instead of Rogers’ PO Box, the new report lists the address of the registered agent in Delaware.

The agent forms Delaware corporations for a fee and then accepts mail and correspondence on behalf of the true owners as required by Delaware law. However, the registered agent is not the person providing campaign help to Hazelle Rogers.

The June 13, 2022 payment to Purple Bird Communications was not amended.

One week after Hazelle Rogers amended her report, the Sun-Sentinel endorsed her opponent after Rogers could not answer basic questions about payments to Purple Bird Communications LLC.

Rogers told Sun Sentinel editors Steve Bousquet and Dan Sweeney that she did not have all the answers about Purple Bird. “I don’t have all the details,” Rogers said. “You contract with a number of people to do different things.” They called Rogers response “woefully inadequate.”

“She has not earned the trust of Broward voters,” they wrote.

The Rogers interview is even worse than described in the endorsement.

Dan Sweeney asked Rogers a simple question-who owns or controls Purple Bird Communications? Rogers played dumb. She claimed to have learned about the issue the day before. Rogers claimed she was finding out information about the company.

“I have a campaign strategist and a group of campaign consultants,” Rogers said. “I follow their guidance.”

An incredulous Sweeney wasn’t buying Rogers’ ignorance. He asked why the company shares the same address as her campaign.

“They do? They don’t. But they don’t,” Rogers said. “I can assure that is incorrect.”

Rogers went on to say her campaign doesn’t have “an address other than my house!” Rogers uses the P.O. Box address on official campaign documents as well as her website.

Steve Bousquet asked why Purple Bird Communications was formed in Delaware instead of Florida. Rogers told him she has someone else that handles contracts. When Bousquet read the P.O. Box address from the report, Rogers said, “that sounds familiar.”

Rogers denied that any family member was involved in Purple Bird Communications.

Judging from her latest campaign treasurer’s report, Hazelle Rogers’ consultants told her to keep paying big bucks to Purple Bird Communications. Only July 16, 2022 Hazelle Rogers paid $10,079 to Purple Bird. The payment was made one day after the Sun-Sentinel endorsed Guithele Ruiz-Nicolas.

Since it is an open primary, all voters (Republicans, Democrats and Independents) can vote in the District 9 race.

All voters will be able send a message to Hazelle Rogers, her consultants and mystery Delaware companies.