Tag Archives: Trace Robinson

Happy Feet 2.0: Tamarac Commissioner Marlon Bolton Using Company & Political Committee To Fund Elberg Mike Gelin Campaign For Mayor

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Tamarac Commissioner Marlon Bolton (D-Big Baby) is funding fellow commissioner Elberg Mike Gelin’s campaign for mayor with large contributions from his personal bank account, his company and a political committee under his control, campaign records show. It appears Bolton plans on using tactics he used to get his allies elected in 2018 and 2020. Gelin is running against popular incumbent Mayor Michelle Gomez.

Marlon Bolton and Elberg Mike Gelin have repeatedly joined together to attack Michelle Gomez and her supporters. Now, the two men have teamed up in a desperate attempt to unseat her.

According to his May 2022 campaign financial reports, Elberg Mike Gelin received $3,000 in contributions tied to Marlon Bolton.

On May 13, 2022, Gelin recorded a $1,000 contribution from Forecast Holdings LLC, a self-described advertising company owned by Marlon Bolton.

Also on May 13th, the Gelin campaign reported a $1,000 contribution from Marlon Bolton. The address provided by Bolton was Post Office Box 451711 in Fort Lauderdale.

Two days earlier, Gelin picked up a $1,000 contribution from Broward Vision PAC. The Gelin campaign lists Post Office Box 451711 in Fort Lauderdale as the address for Broward Vision PAC. The same address provided by Marlon Bolton.

Last year, REDBROWARD exposed the deep ties between Broward Vision PAC and Marlon Bolton.

In September 2019, Trace Robinson created the Broward Vision PAC political committee using the same post office box address used by businesses owned by Marlon Bolton.

Florida business records list Marlon Bolton and Trace Robinson as owners of The Driven Project, Praise Experience Worldwide Outreach Church, and South Florida Theological Seminary, Inc.

State of Florida campaign records show Broward Vision PAC paid $1,400 to Exy Consultants, a corporation created under the Happy Feet Advertising LLC name by Robinson. Exy Consultants used the same P.O. Box 451711 address as Marlon Bolton. Trace Robinson is the founder of Happy Feet Advertising.

Florida business records show the post office box address used by Happy Feet Advertising has been used by Marlon Bolton since at least 2014. These businesses include Tyson Bolton and Associates, Forecast Holdings, LLC, Prophet Fire, and Win Without War.

According to his campaign reports, Commissioner Bolton provided Happy Feet Advertising with a huge payday—nearly $14,000 during the 2020 election cycle.

In addition to exposing North Lauderdale Commissioner Regina Martin’s ties to Happy Feet Advertising, REDBROWARD also revealed ties between Broward Vision PAC and Regina Martin. On September 11, 2020, Regina Martin announced Broward Vision endorsed her campaign. “Thank you Broward Vision for your support and endorsement of our campaign.”

Earlier this year, REDBROWARD exposed Tamarac Commissioner Debra Placko’s ties to Happy Feet Advertising.

On October 7, 2018, Tamarac Commissioner Debra Placko paid $4,000 to Resident United Advertising LLC for a “campaign expense,” records show. State records show Resident United Advertising LLC was a Margate company owned by Trace Robinson. Placko never said a word about our reporting.

REDBROWARD previously exposed the roles former Broward County Commissioner Dale Holness’ campaign guru, Omar Smith and his former aide Sophia Nelson played in Tamarac elections.

Florida Division Of Elections records show Sophia A. Nelson is the chairperson of the “A Better Florida For All” political committee. Division of Elections records show Omar Smith is the treasurer of the “A Better Florida For All” political committee.

In October 2018, Buddy Nevins of Broward Beat reported on four local judicial candidates appearing the endorsement card produced by A Better Florida For All. The card promoted Democrat candidates most notably Andrew Gillum. Nevins wrote, “Four Broward lawyers running for judge could end up in trouble for appearing to violate state Code of Ethics for judicial candidates. Partisan appeals judicial candidates’ ads are forbidden by the Florida Supreme Court Code of Judicial Conduct. Joint advertising by judicial candidates is also prohibited.”

Shortly thereafter, the State of Florida revoked the registration of A Better Florida For All. Smith failed to properly submit paper to the Florida Division Of Elections. Attempts to contact Smith failed.

Since the committee is no longer a legal entity, legal steps were made to keep the card from being distributed to voters. In Late October 2018, (now Judge) Corey Cawthon filed an emergency motion against A Better Florida All over its inappropriate endorsement card. A judge granted the motion and ordered the card removed from polling locations.

Omar Smith told to the Sun-Sentinel “that none of the candidates were picked because of financial ties to the political action committee or to any of Smith’s businesses, which perform campaign services.”

A copy of the A Better Florida For All card was included in Cawthon’s emergency lawsuit. One of the candidates prominently displayed is Tamarac Commissioner Debra Placko.

Placko is pictured alongside Commissioner Elberg Mike Gelin and Elvin Villalobos. Both Gelin and Villalobos enjoyed the support of Marlon Bolton.

Was timing of Placko’s $4,000 payment to Resident United Advertising LLC and her inclusion on the For Better Florida For All endorsement card in October 2018 a mere coincidence?

Omar Smith is currently facing thirty years in Federal prison for PPP loan fraud.

Even with Omar Smith sidelined, will Tamarac voters allow Marlon Bolton and a shady network of companies and political committees to run roughshod over city elections again?

Tamarac residents deserve better, right?

Official Business? Tamarac Commissioner Marlon Bolton Opened A Tallahassee-Based Political Committee While “Lobbying” For Residents

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Official Business? Marlon Bolton Started Political Committee During Trip To Tallahassee

On January 20, 2022, Tamarac Commissioner Bolton told his Facebook followers he was “Fighting for our residents today in Tallahassee…lobbying for State Dollars to come to our city.” But according to State elections records, the only dollars Bolton brought to Tamarac that day was a $500 personal loan to Tallahassee-based political committee he formed the previous day. Despite a plethora of political committees started by his business associates and allies, Bolton (D-Clown) opened the “Friends Of Marlon Bolton PAC” political committee on January 19, 2022. This committee is located at a UPS Store on North Monroe Street in Tallahassee. Marlon Bolton is listed as the Chairman and Treasurer of the new committee.

As previously reported by REDBROWARD, Marlon Bolton is tied to several existing political committee in Broward and Tallahassee.

Last month, REDBROWARD reported how Marlon Bolton answered the telephone number listed for a Tallahassee-based political committee tied to a mysterious 2020 voters guide and website. REDBROWARD called the Conservative Governance PAC, a political committee based at a PAK Mail store at 1563 Capital Circle S.E. in Tallahassee. The State records list Malucci Joseph as the chairperson, treasurer and registered agent of Conservative Governance PAC.

REDBROWARD revealed Malucci Joseph, a singer and active participant at services held at Marlon Bolton’s Praise Experience Worldwide Outreach church in North Lauderdale, is tied to multiple political committees which support Bolton. These include Go Tamarac Go PAC and Residents United PAC.

In December, Elijah Manley, a Democrat running for the Florida State House District 94 seat, made two payments to Happy Feet Advertising of Margate. REDBROWARD repeatedly documented the deep ties between Marlon Bolton and Happy Feet Advertising owner Trace Robinson. Instead of using Happy Feet’s Margate address, the Manley campaign listed the 1563 Capital Circle S.E. address used by Malucci Joseph and Conservative Governance PAC. State business records show this Tallahassee address is also used by 100 Volunteers Of Florida, a fictitious corporation owned by Happy Feet Advertising of Margate.

During the November 2020 election, some Broward residents received the “Our Florida Democracy” voters guide. The guide is still available on the Our Blue Broward website. The guide states it was produced by the Our Blue Democracy political committee located at 1563 Capital Circle S.E. address in Tallahassee.

The guide endorsed most of the Democrat candidates on the 2020 ballot. But a few candidates received special notice including pictures alongside Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. In addition to being pictured with the Presidential nominee, these special candidates received their own sections on the guide.

These candidates were Marlon Bolton, former Broward County Commissioner Dale Holness, the late Congressman Alcee Hastings, North Lauderdale Commissioner Regina Martin and Tamarac Commissioner Elvin Villalobos.

Federal records show Our Blue Democracy was formed in September 2020 by its treasurer Malucci Joseph. Our Blue Democracy used the same address and telephone number as the Conservative Converance PAC operated by Malucci Joseph.

Federal campaign reports show a September 18, 2020 contribution of $5,000 by Malucci Joseph. Four days later, Our Blue Democracy paid $3,309.34 to Minuteman Press of Coral Springs for mailing services and $900 to Xpress Color of Lauderdale Lakes for printing services. These are the same companies used by Residents United PAC, Conservative Governance PAC and Go Tamarac Go PAC.

REDBROWARD wanted to ask Broward resident Malucci Joseph why she opened so many Tallahassee based political committees.

This reporter called the Tallahassee telephone number listed for both committees: (850) 220-7853.

But Malucci Joseph did not answer the phone. Instead, Marlon Bolton answered our phone call.

“Hello?” Marlon Bolton said.

“Marlon?”

“Who’s this?” Bolton said.

This reporter identified himself and the publication and asked Bolton why he was answering a telephone number listed for two Tallahassee based political committees.

“Tom Lauder, I don’t consider you a real reporter?”

We stated that’s his opinion and asked what his role is with the Conservative Governance PAC, the Our Blue Democracy guide and the Our Blue Broward website.

Bolton said, “Tom Lauder, do you have any other questions, not related to these PACs?”

We asked Bolton if he had recently hired an attorney.

“Tom Lauder, do you have any other questions?”

We asked if he had been interviewed by any Federal, State or local law enforcement agents.

“Goodbye, Tom Lauder,” Bolton said.

FRIENDS?

While the Friends Of Marlon Bolton has a different Tallahassee address than Malucci Joseph’s Conservative Governance PAC, both committees share the same bank. Official documents for both committees list a Bank United branch on N. University Drive in Tamarac as the location of their bank accounts.

Oddly enough, Broward Vision PAC, a political committee operated by Happy Feet Advertising owner Trace Robinson, also does its banking at the Bank United branch at 5819 North University Drive in Tamarac.

Why does Marlon Bolton need a Tallahassee-based political committee?

Why does Bolton need any political committee? Local politicians rarely operate political committees.

Why are so many business associates of Marlon Bolton running political consulting businesses and political committees?

Did Tamarac taxpayers pay for Marlon Bolton’s trip to Tallahassee?

Don’t Tamarac residents deserve answers?

Or at least a refund?

Friends of Marlon Bolto
Friends Of Marlon Bolton PAC