Three board members of the St. Johns County Airport Authority are facing charges for allegedly violating Florida's Sunshine Law. Reba Ludlow, Dennis Clarke, and Len Tucker are accused of conducting business in private sessions, with these meetings occurring over several years, as indicated by the State Attorney's Office. Tucker, in addition to Sunshine Law violations, is also charged with witness tampering or harassment, reports the First Coast News.
The charges, amplified by previous calls for resignation, follow months of controversy surrounding the board's operations. News4Jax detailed instances including Clarke and Ludlow's disregard for the transparency laws, as they were observed in private conversations before official meetings, and on one occasion "trading recipes" in the presence of potential sensitive financial information on screen. A potential breach of the requirement that public boards conduct business openly, as per Florida's Sunshine Law.
Further illustrating the board's casual approach to the law, Action News Jax reported on an account from Courtney Pittman, the current Interim Executive Director of the Northeast Florida Regional Airport. Pittman recalled an interaction in which Ludlow emphasized caution to avoid being caught by a staff member and Clarke dismissively referred to the Sunshine Law penalties as "just a slap on the wrist and a fine," followed by Ludlow claiming law enforcement had previously failed to extract information from her, during a shared moment of laughter.
These allegations carry potential penalties, fines or jail time if found guilty. Ben Wilcox from Integrity Florida reflected on the gravity of the accusations, telling Action News Jax, "Doing this willingly and almost laughing about along the way, I mean, that just looks terrible to the public."
