Why did Florida GOP suspend Manatee County’s Republican committee? Members want answers

Republican Party of Florida leaders voted to suspend the GOP’s Manatee County leadership after months of inner turmoil in the local party and a major shakeup in the August primary election.

Evan Power, chairman of the RPOF, announced the decision to local Republican party leaders Sunday. A copy of the email, which cites “numerous grievances” such as lawsuits against leaders and police reports, has been reviewed by the Bradenton Herald.

“At the recommendation of the RPOF Grievance Committee, the RPOF Executive Board on Saturday, September 7 voted to temporarily suspend the Manatee County Republican Executive Committee (REC) due to the serious issues plaguing the REC that have prevented it from functioning and working towards victory in 2024 and beyond,” Power’s email said.

Power said the REC is prohibited from making new expenditures and holding any meetings “until a turnaround plan is approved by the RPOF Executive Board and can be presented to the Manatee REC as a whole.”

The email was addressed to Manatee REC Chair April Culbreath, REC Committeewoman Cindy Spray and REC Committeeman Dave Matthews.

Culbreath did not immediately respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment on Thursday afternoon.

Years of alleged chaos inside Manatee REC

One of the lawsuits mentioned in Power’s email was filed in May by Manatee REC members against Culbreath.

It accused Culbreath of “ongoing financial malfeasance and abuse of MCREC funds,” refusing to recognize fairly-elected committee members and “maliciously retaliating against MCREC members opposed to her agenda,” among other claims.

The lawsuit also accused Spray, Matthews and RPOF leadership, including Power, of supporting Culbreath’s alleged abuses of power.

However, the plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit on August 29.

The Manatee REC bled membership this election cycle, with many prominent local Republicans leaving the group.

Former Manatee County Commissioner Misty Servia left the group in May with a fiery resignation letter sent to dozens of members.

“Most of the Manatee County REC — once committed to electing Republicans — has become a group of small-minded individuals committed to being a part of the local corruption or following lies rooted in propaganda and manipulation,” her letter said.

“I’ll look for the opportunity to return to the REC when this phase plays out and the party returns to being pro-business, pro-small government, and pro-family. Until then, I’ll watch the REC burn to the ground — and hopefully one day a future generation of Republicans will find their values look back on this dark time — and emerge stronger and smarter, vowing to never allow it to happen again.”

Current and former members with direct knowledge of the party’s turmoil told the Bradenton Herald that infighting and favoritism within the group predated April’s tenure as chair, going as far back as 2021, and gradually turned it into a toxic environment.

One former member described meetings as a “circus” that likely scared away potential new members.

Manatee Republicans concerned about shutdown

The temporary shutdown has left some local Republicans concerned that the suspension may be a form of retribution for recent primary election results.

Manatee County Republican voters decisively chose a slate of grassroots Republican candidates over well-funded opponents backed by political action committees and, in some cases, by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

“We took our party back in the primary and now they are trying to shut it down,” local party leaders said in an email to members before the RPOF had officially announced its decision. “It would have been far easier to remove our chair than to shut Republican voters out of their party in this manner.”

But after Power’s announcement, soon-to-be leaders of the Manatee County REC are taking a “wait-and-see” approach.

What happens next?

Trent Wayman was elected in August as the Manatee REC’s next State Committeeman. His term begins in December.

“I strongly encourage committee members to rely on info that’s verified from official sources and avoid jumping to conclusions,” Wayman said.

Wayman acknowledged that he was disappointed in how the state leadership handled the situation.

“In my opinion, the best thing would have been just to remove April and let the rest of the members decide what we wanted to do with the future of the board,” Wayman said.

But he is still optimistic that the group can have a fresh start under new leadership.

“I would like to see a new approach,” Wayman said. “The past few years it has been top-down. This should be a grassroots, bottom-up organization.”

The Bradenton Herald asked Power for more details about the RPOF’s motives for suspending the Manatee REC. Power provided the following statement:

“The Republican Party of Florida is committed to supporting our candidates in Manatee County and throughout Florida. We are laser-focused on electing President Trump, Senator Scott, our down-ballot candidates, and defeating Amendments 3 and 4. RPOF Chairman Evan Power and the Executive Board will continue to work and communicate directly with our members in Manatee County per our party rules of procedure.”

This story was originally published September 12, 2024 at 3:00 PM.