ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. â Five people, including two sitting St. Johns County commissioners and a former St. Augustine Beach mayor, face criminal charges in connection with an alleged scheme to distribute unauthorized Republican voter guides during the 2024 primary election.
St. Johns County Commissioners Sarah Arnold and Christian Whitehurst, St. Augustine Beach Commissioner and former Mayor Dylan Rumrell, political consultant Brianna Jordan and Jamie Lynn Johnson were charged after an investigation into campaign mailers allegedly designed to resemble official voter guides from the St. Johns County Republican Executive Committee.
Each defendant faces charges of creating an unauthorized voter guide and conspiracy, according to charging documents described in multiple reports.
Jordan also faces a felony charge of tampering with physical evidence over allegations that voter guides were destroyed or concealed while an investigation was pending.
The charges are accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Investigators allege guides mimicked Republican Party materials
The case centers on voter guides mailed to Republican voters ahead of the 2024 primary.
According to investigators, the disputed guides used design elements similar to materials distributed by the St. Johns County Republican Executive Committee but promoted a different slate of candidates.
Charging documents allege the guides used the local Republican organization’s logo while reversing its color scheme from white lettering on a red background to red lettering on a white background.
Investigators also allege the mailers failed to include language required under Florida law identifying who created or paid for the voter guides.
Florida law defines a voter guide as certain direct mail advocating for candidates or issues by recommending specific electoral choices or displaying selections on an unofficial ballot.
State law also prohibits a person from representing that a voter guide is an official publication of a political party unless the party has approved the guide.
Alleged ‘secret envelope-stuffing’ operation
Investigators allege the voter guides were assembled during an envelope-stuffing operation at a rented St. Augustine home used by Jordan as a campaign headquarters.
According to charging documents, materials were prepared for mailing before guides were sent from locations in Orlando and Jacksonville.
Investigators allege the use of separate mailing locations was intended to conceal the origins of the mailers.
Reports citing the criminal affidavit say tens of thousands of guides were printed and distributed to Republican primary voters.
The disputed guides allegedly promoted candidates who had not received the official endorsements of the local Republican organization.
Evidence allegedly burned during investigation
The case also includes allegations that physical evidence was destroyed after those involved became aware of the investigation.
Investigators allege some voter guides were burned.
Jordan’s felony evidence-tampering charge stems from allegations that she destroyed or concealed materials while the investigation was pending.
The allegations concerning destruction of evidence have not been proven in court.
Disputed guides emerged during contentious 2024 primary
The alleged voter-guide operation unfolded amid a bitter Republican primary in fast-growing St. Johns County.
The St. Johns County Republican Executive Committee had endorsed several candidates challenging sitting officeholders, including candidates who criticized county leaders over development and population growth.
The disputed guide allegedly presented a different slate of candidates in a format investigators say was intended to resemble official Republican Party material.
One of the most closely watched contests involved Whitehurst and Ann-Marie Evans.
Whitehurst ultimately defeated Evans in a race decided by fewer than 1,000 votes.
The criminal charges do not establish that the disputed voter guides changed the outcome of any election.
Calls for action follow criminal charges
The criminal charges have also prompted calls for action against the two county commissioners.
State Rep. Kim Kendall, R-St. Augustine, has written to Gov. Ron DeSantis with recommendations for potential replacements if Commissioners Sarah Arnold and Christian Whitehurst are removed from office.
Current County Commissioner Ann Taylor has also called on Arnold and Whitehurst to resign.
Kendall suggested Ann-Marie Evans as a potential replacement for Whitehurst. Evans lost to Whitehurst by roughly 800 votes in the 2024 election.
Arnold is not seeking reelection. Kendall recommended that the winner of the Aug. 18 election for Arnold’s seat be considered for temporary appointment if a vacancy occurs before the new term begins.
The defendants have not been convicted, and any action involving the commissioners’ status would be separate from the pending criminal case.
Florida law regulates voter guides
Under Florida Statute 106.1436, voter guides are subject to specific disclosure and representation requirements.
Florida law requires voter guides to carry applicable political advertising or electioneering communication disclaimers and to be prominently marked âVoter Guide.â
It also prohibits falsely representing a guide as an official publication of a political party.
The five defendants now face prosecution in Florida’s 7th Judicial Circuit.
The case is likely to draw continued scrutiny as St. Johns County voters prepare for another election cycle and questions surrounding the 2024 voter guides move from a political controversy into the criminal court system.
Related Coverage
- Florida Elections 2026: Voter Guide to Candidates, Key Races, Ballot Issues and Important Dates
- Florida Voters Have Until Aug. 6 to Request Vote-by-Mail Ballot for Primary Election
- Florida Elections 2026: Candidates, Races, Ballot Measures and Election News
Sources
- Florida Legislature â Florida Statute 106.1436, voter guide requirements
- First Coast News â Elected officials charged in 2024 voter guide case
- First Coast News â Brianna Jordan arrest and evidence-tampering allegations
- Jacksonville Today â St. Johns County voter guide case
