Candidates For Sheriff Spar Over Florida PBA's Flyers

Highlands County Sheriff Susan Benton said she considers flyers mailed recently by the Florida Police Benevolent Association in support of her opponent, Republican Ron Grimming, misleading.

Grimming, the Republican challenging the incumbent Democrat, said the flyers simply show support from what he called "a very well known and a very well respected law enforcement organization representing law enforcement and corrections officers from around the state."

Benton questions the use of photos of three sheriff's deputies in two pro-Grimming state PBA flyers that arrived in local mailboxes this week.

Both Grimming and Benton say the deputies pictured are not from Highlands County, but they differ sharply on the implied message from the images and accompanying text.

The text near the deputies' photos in the first flier reads: "Your law enforcement officers urge you to support Ron Grimming for Sheriff of Highlands County ..."

In the second flyer, the text reads in part: "We are your sheriff's deputies ... As a voter, you have to realize that the person YOU chose will affect OUR lives now, and for years to come."

"They mailed it to Highlands County residents, so to me it clearly implies that it's your deputies, Highlands County deputies," Benton said. In those photos, she said, "it's not our deputies, its not our uniform patch, it's not our patrol cars."

She called the flyers "purely just a PBA scam to win more support for their candidate."

"These ads," Benton added, "are not coming from or have anything to do with the (PBA) bargaining unit that represents our deputies. These are the lobbyists in Tallahassee. I'm not clear whether they are seeking to have their candidate in or have me ousted."

Grimming called the fliers "simple and straightforward" campaign literature showing support for him from the statewide PBA, which has about 37,000 members

The photos and text, he said, "reference the fact that these are deputies that belong to the PBA that are in support of my candidacy ... they are saying that's their statewide choice."

He also said, "I think that is making reference to the endorsement by the (statewide) PBA and their local chapter is included in that. I think it is accurate to say that their local members and representatives are a part of that endorsement, as well as the statewide organization."

Grimming said it would be inappropriate to use photos of local officers in any campaign literature supporting the challenger running against the incumbent head of a law enforcement agency.

"If you used Highlands County deputies (in photos), you would put them in a very difficult situation with the current sheriff," he said. "It would put them in a position of retribution from the sheriff for participating in another candidate's campaign."

About whether local members of the PBA back the state organization's endorsement, Grimming said, "certainly some of those local members, I'm assuming, support the statewide endorsement. There may be some who may not."

Likewise, Grimming said, the same holds true for the endorsement of Benton by the local lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, which is being touted in radio ads.

"Does that mean every member of the FOP endorses the sheriff? I think not," he said.

"I think it's clear," Grimming added, "that the sheriff has some support and I have some support from the Highlands County Sheriff's deputies. And I think that ads that both she is doing and that the FOP is involved in and the PBA reflect that."