Hankerson has Elections Commission fine reduced

Historic City News learned that Derek Hankerson will pay a reduced fine to the Florida Elections Commission; charges arising from the late filing of his campaign treasurer’s report when he ran against incumbent John Thrasher in the 2014 Republican Primary Election.

The due date for the report in question was October 10, 2014 and Hankerson submitted it on October 26, 2014. Also, an “input error” in the report indicated that Hankerson loaned himself $5,000 instead of $500 — but, he revised that inaccuracy the same day.

Hankerson stated in his appeal that he was preoccupied with two major incidents in his life last fall – his mother’s battle with cancer and his involvement in a traffic accident that injured his neck.

During an appeal hearing in Tallahassee on Wednesday, executive director Amy Toman reported that the original $1,250 fine levied against Hankerson had been “corrected” to $125. The results won’t be posted until Tuesday, and won’t be official until they are signed by the commission chair and stamped; but, Toman said she had access to the information yesterday.

According to Florida law, the Florida Elections Commission may waive the fine, in whole or in part, or uphold it.