Former County Administrator Scott Hopes broke Florida law, Manatee deputies say
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office is recommending criminal charges against former Manatee County Administrator Scott Hopes.
In a news release, deputies said they have reason to believe that the former county official broke Florida law, but they declined to detail the exact charges they recommend. The sheriff’s office said the investigation centered around “public records, theft and notary laws.”
The State Attorney’s Office is expected to review the case and determine whether criminal charges will be filed against Hopes at a later date. State Attorney Ed Brodsky also declined to detail the charges recommended by the sheriff’s office.
Reached for comment Wednesday afternoon, Hopes declined to discuss the sheriff’s office’s findings with a Bradenton Herald reporter, noting that he has not seen the agency’s final report.
An investigation into Hopes’ handling of public records began in February when the sheriff’s office received “multiple complaints” linked to allegations that the county leader had wiped his county-issued iPhone and iPad before records could be preserved.
Hopes, who served as the county administrator from April 2021 to February, previously denied any wrongdoing in an interview with the Bradenton Herald. He said the public records on his electronic devices had been backed up to a cloud service, preserving them for future requests.
“I’m not worried about it. Nothing was destroyed that was subject to public records. They can get all the phone records and emails they want,” Hopes said at the time. “There are no documents that weren’t backed up.”
Hopes, who previously served as a school board member before being appointed county administrator in April 2021, agreed to an abrupt separation agreement earlier this year. The Manatee County Commission accepted his resignation in February.
This article has been updated to clarify that the charges recommended against Hopes have not been detailed by local law enforcement officials.
This story was originally published November 15, 2023 at 2:49 PM.
