Tag Archives: north Lauderdale

Commission Applicant Carl Dotson Says He Has Lived In North Lauderdale For Three Years, So Why Does He Vote In Pompano Beach?

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Carl Dotson enjoys the view of North Lauderdale or Pompano Beach?

Carl Dotson is one of two finalists for the District D seat on the North Lauderdale City Commission. Under city law, Mayor Samson Borgelin and the city commissioners will vote tonight to seat Dotson or Darrell Lewis-Ricketts on the commission. If neither candidate gets a majority, the city will be forced to hold a costly special election in January.

This process was triggered when Borgelin defeated Mayor Ana Ziadie last month.

Last week, each applicant received only two votes each. Three votes are required.

Dotson is backed by the commission allies of Tamarac Commissioner Marlon Bolton. While Bolton laughably endorsed Ziade’s application, Commissioners Regina Martin and Lherrison Luke Lewis supported Dotson.

Dotson and Bolton are salesmen for TLC cannabis products.

On his application, Carl Dotson claims to have been a North Lauderdale resident for three years. However, State of Florida and Broward County records show Dotson is registered to vote in the City of Pompano Beach.

Voter records show Dotson voted in Pompano Beach in August 2022 and November 2022. It is against the law to vote in a city in which you do not reside.

REDBROWARD asked Carl Dotson to explain what is going on. At first, when asked where he is registered to vote, Dotson said “I am not sure. Somewhere in Broward.” Later, Dotson provided a written statement via text message.

Dotson told REDBROWARD:

“I am honored that I was chosen by members of the North Lauderdale Commission to advance in the final process to be appointed to serve the City Commission. As it relates to your question on residency. I have lived in North Lauderdale for the past three years and have seen many ways that I can contribute to the City’s success. I am happy to provide a copy of my lease, utility bills, and driver’s license to the City if they require it. To your question on why I voted in another City, I believe that is a question for the Elections office. Each time I show up to where I believe to be my poll in North Lauderdale, I am sent to my old voting location. On the last occasion, I witnessed many voters who were also turned away. So I am not sure why that is. But I will reach out Elections Office again to get an answer.”

Dotson provided a photograph of a driver’s license with a North Lauderdale address but did not say when he obtained the license.

Would the Broward Supervisor of Elections allow a resident to vote in the wrong city for three years?

What happened when Dotson produced identification with a North Lauderdale address at a Pompano Beach polling place?

Why does Team Bolton want Dotson on the North Lauderdale commission?

Broward Inspector General Finds North Lauderdale Commissioner Regina Martin Committed Numerous Felonies, Misdemeanors During 2020 Campaign, Refers Case To Broward State Attorney

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The OIG investigation substantiated the original allegation that that the candidate and treasurer used cash for a post-election campaign expenditure. During the investigation, we uncovered that before the election the campaign routinely deposited cash, and before and after the election it withdrew cash from the campaign depository, without correctly reporting the transactions and in violation of Florida law.

Commissioner Martin’s sole treasurer and campaign manager committed misconduct with Commissioner Martin as they handled and reported the campaign’s finances before and after the November 3, 2020, election, when Commissioner Martin was elected to office. These included the third-degree felonies of knowingly and willfully accepting and failing to report an excessive cash contribution and helping to make and accepting contributions made through or in the names of others.

Commissioner Martin and her campaign treasurer also committed additional criminal misconduct when they accepted an excessive cash contribution—a loan from the candidate—of more than $5,000.00; accepted a contribution received less than five days before the election; and willfully certified as true reports they knew were incorrect, incomplete, or both. The false reporting included deliberately failing to report cash contributions and falsely reporting cash contributions; overreporting contributions; underreporting an expenditure or disposition of surplus campaign funds; failing to list a corporate contributor’s name and principal type of business; failing to report the post-election return of a campaign sign bond; failing to report expenditures; and failing to identify the full name, address, or purpose of cash expenditures. Each occurrence of this activity constituted a first-degree misdemeanor.

In accordance with our charter mandate, considering the misconduct detailed above, we are referring or have referred this matter to the Broward State Attorney and the Florida Elections Commission for whatever action those agencies deem appropriate.

Broward OIG Report

An April 2021 REDBROWARD report on North Lauderdale Commissioner Regina Martin’s lavish election night party triggered a Broward Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report which found Martin and her campaign treasurer repeatedly made unlawful deposits and withdrawals of cash from campaign accounts and committed “numerous crimes in their knowing and willful violations of other Florida campaign finance laws.” While he is not named in the report, the Broward OIG investigation documents numerous large payments Martin made to companies tied to Tamarac Commissioner Marlon Bolton. The Broward OIG referred the matter to Broward State Attorney Harold Pryor for prosecution.

On April 21, 2021 REDBROWARD reported how campaign records failed to show who paid for an “election watch party” hosted by North Lauderdale Commissioner Regina Martin in November 2020. Martin held the party at the Grand Palace Ballroom located in a North Lauderdale strip mall. State of Florida corporate records show the Grand Palace Ballroom is owned and operated by Dorothy Borgelin, wife of North Lauderdale Commissioner Samson Borgelin.

Regina Martin’s final campaign treasurer’s report (termination report) was filed in late January. There was no listing of any payment to Grand Palace Ballroom or Dorothy Borgelin. There is no listing for any “in-kind contribution” from Grand Palace Ballroom or Dorothy Borgelin.