Why is Sheriff hiding the compensation of his brother-in-law?

This week, St Johns County Sheriff David Shoar explained in the press that the job of “public information officer” is not one “where you are out on patrol one day, and the next day … you’re it”.  Although, twenty years ago, that’s exactly how his latest retiree, Chuck Mulligan, came into the job.

Now, Shoar reportedly says, as of March 1st, he is going to continue paying the retired commander; this time as an “independent contractor”.  His reason is supposedly not just to help out the man whose brother, Pat, is married to Shoar’s sister-in-law, Connie, but Shoar was quoted in The St. Augustine Record saying he needs to bring Mulligan back for “about a year” to train up someone else in the agency to do his job.

St Johns County taxpayers are already paying nearly a half-million-dollars each year for these other St Johns County sheriff’s employees to already be trained:

Charles Edgar Mulligan, who turns 52-years-old in April, completes his 60-month maximum participation as a “DROP Member” in the Florida Retirement System this week.  Mulligan was 22-years-old when hired on January 4, 1988.  He was paid $85,161.00 a year, plus benefits, as a Commander.

He got there after being overlooked for promotion for twenty-five of his 30-years at the sheriff’s office.  Mulligan never advanced above the rank of sergeant until five-years-ago.  In 2013, without explanation, Shoar finally gave his extended family member the promotion he had been denied during his entire career under Neil J. Perry.

In the 2012 payroll records, Historic City News verified that Mulligan was only earning $58,903 a year as a Sergeant.  Then, in the next budget year, beginning October 1, 2013, Shoar made Mulligan a Commander, kicking his paycheck into overdrive — $81,120.00 per year plus benefits.

“It’s a transition away from full-time law enforcement,” Mulligan said in a quote to local news reporters.  “I’ll be in more of a civilian role within the agency.”

That means that when he returns to work on March 1 for the official start date in his new role, he will have traded in his traditional green uniform for civilian clothes.

Surprisingly (?) when Historic City News attempted to obtain the new employee documents that would indicate what, exactly, Mulligan would be doing and what he would be paid, we were clearly asking questions that Shoar would just as soon not explain.

At this time, we are in a back and forth with Public Records Custodian Bonnie Jimmerson.  We have made Florida First Amendment Foundation attorney Barbara Petersen aware of the incident.  A copy of email between us and Jimmerson has been forward to both Petersen and Special Counsel for Open Government, Patricia R Gleason Esq.

We will produce another segment for this story with more details as this investigation continues.