Kent Stermon

Kent Stermon was born in Collinsville, Illinois, on January 24, 1972. He received his bachelor's degree in finance from Georgia State University.{{cite web |title=Governor Ron DeSantis Makes Three Appointments to the Board of Governors of the State University System |url=https://www.flgov.com/2019/03/29/governor-ron-desantis-makes-three-appointments-to-the-board-of-governors-of-the-state-university-system/ |website=flgov.com |access-date=28 December 2023 |date=March 19, 2019}} Stermon's college roommate was former Florida representative Travis Cummings.{{cite news |last1=Gancarski |first1=A.G. |title=Kent Stermon, NE Florida political powerhouse and confidant of Ron DeSantis, found dead Thursday |url=https://floridapolitics.com/archives/575369-report-kent-stermon-found-dead-in-mayport/ |access-date=28 December 2023 |work=Florida Politics |date=December 9, 2022}}

Stermon cultivated relationships with members of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO). He was given badges allowing him access to the JSO headquarters by three consecutive Republican sheriffs, beginning with current congressman John Rutherford in 2013.{{cite news |last1=Heddles |first1=Claire |title=Republican donor Kent Stermon had JSO access for nearly a decade as part of "the sheriff’s circle" |url=https://jaxtoday.org/2023/01/19/republican-donor-kent-stermon-had-jso-access-for-nearly-a-decade-as-part-of-the-sheriffs-circle/ |access-date=28 December 2023 |work=Jacksonville Today |date=January 19, 2023}} He was particularly close with Chief Mike Williams, another of the sheriffs who renewed his access to the JSO headquarters.{{cite news |last1=Monroe |first1=Nate |title=Influential Northeast Florida donor, subject of active JSO investigation, found dead Thursday |url=https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2022/12/09/influential-jacksonville-political-donor-kent-stermon-found-dead/69714593007 |work=Florida Times-Union |date=December 9, 2022}}

In the weeks before his death, Stermon's access to JSO facilities became a public controversy. It was learned that Stermon had used his badges more than 700 times—far more frequently than any others with JSO headquarter access—including multiple accesses after normal business hours. Current Jacksonville Sheriff T. K. Waters no longer allows “special access to individuals outside of the need for official business.” Stermon was also an ally of Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry. In a since-deleted tweet in December 2022, Mayor Curry defended Stermon against local lawyer John Phillips, who tweeted about potential changes to Stermon's badge access to JSO headquarters. Curry called Phillips a ‘media [expletive] with no compass’ and told him to ‘pound sand, chump,’ saying that he felt ‘compelled to reply’ since Phillips mentioned ‘[his] friend, Kent.’{{cite news |last1=Harris |first1=Jenese |title=Mayor Lenny Curry and Attorney John Phillips respond to tweets about Kent Stermon, days before his death |url=https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2022/12/16/mayor-lenny-curry-and-attorney-john-phillips-respond-to-tweets-about-kent-stermon-days-before-his-death/ |access-date=28 December 2023 |work=News 4 Jacksonville |date=December 16, 2022}} Phillips also owns the Jacksonville-based publication Folio Weekly, which published a piece critical of Stermon and sheriff Mike Williams in June 2022.{{cite news |title=Mike Drop |url=https://folioweekly.com/2022/06/17/mike-drop/ |access-date=28 December 2023 |work=Folio |date=June 17, 2022}}

Stermon was a member of the host committee of the 2020 Republican National Convention.{{cite web |last1=Gibbons |first1=Timothy |title=32 state, local leaders named to Jacksonville Republican convention host committee |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2020/06/19/jacksonville-host-committee-names.html |website=Jacksonville Business Journal |access-date=November 15, 2020 |date=June 19, 2020 |archive-date=December 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202050224/https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2020/06/19/jacksonville-host-committee-names.html |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Meet the Jacksonville Host Committee for the Republican National Convention |url=https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2020/06/18/meet-the-jacksonville-host-committee-for-the-republican-national-convention/ |website=WJXT |access-date=November 16, 2020 |language=en |date=June 18, 2020 |archive-date=November 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130231526/https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2020/06/18/meet-the-jacksonville-host-committee-for-the-republican-national-convention/ |url-status=live}}

In 2019, Florida Trend listed Stermon as one of six individuals in DeSantis’ inner circle, along with Casey DeSantis, Matt Gaetz, Richard Corcoran, Byron Donalds, and Susie Wiles, calling him "one of DeSantis' closest friends".{{cite news |last1=Garcia |first1=Jason |title=And Now, The Details |url=http://digital.floridatrend.com/january-2019/page-33 |work=Florida Trend |date=January 2019 |pages=33}} Stermon's citation in a 2020 listing of the most influential people in Florida politics read "It's good to be the governor's bestie".{{cite news |last1=Schorch |first1=Peter |title=100 Most Influential People in Florida Politics |url=https://issuu.com/influenceflorida/docs/influence_fall2020 |work=Influence Magazine |issue=Fall 2020 |pages=157}}

Of the $140,000 Stermon has spent in political contributions in the state of Florida, more than $60,000 has gone to Ron DeSantis's political operations.{{cite web |last1=Bolies |first1=Corbin |title=Prominent Florida Donor Intertwined With DeSantis—and the Law—Found Dead by Suicide |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/florida-donor-and-ron-desantis-ally-kent-stermon-found-dead-by-suicide |website=Daily Beast |access-date=28 December 2023 |date=December 11, 2022}} He is considered the most high-profile of DeSantis's longtime donors. Stermon "told the Times/Herald that he and DeSantis became friends through mutual social circles in Jacksonville nearly 10 years ago, before DeSantis ran for Congress, and he's since helped DeSantis' campaigns as a 'labor of love'".{{cite news |last1=Mahoney |first1=Emily L. |last2=Taylor |first2=Langston |title=They advise Ron DeSantis. They were also top campaign donors. |url=https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2018/12/14/they-advise-ron-desantis-they-were-also-top-campaign-donors/ |access-date=28 December 2023 |work=Tampa Bay Times |date=14 December 2018}}

From July to November 2016, when DeSantis needed to change residency due to federal congressional redistricting, he rented a Flagler Beach condo owned by Stermon.{{cite news |last1=Dixon |first1=Matt |title=DeSantis rented condo owned by campaign donor after redistricting |url=https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2018/03/15/desantis-lived-in-condo-owned-by-campaign-donor-after-redistricting-317589 |access-date=28 December 2023 |work=Politico |date=March 15, 2018}} After DeSantis announced his campaign for governor, Stermon hosted an early fundraiser and was appointed to his transition team. In October 2019, Casey DeSantis took a controversial trip from Tallahassee to Jacksonville by private jet to attend a Republican party fundraiser hosted by Stermon’s company, TMM.{{cite news |last1=Dixon |first1=Matt |title=Florida’s first lady flies a private jet ⁠— and wades into an ethics quandary |url=https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2019/10/10/floridas-first-lady-flies-a-private-jet-and-wades-into-an-ethics-quandary-1225449 |access-date=28 December 2023 |work=Politico |date=10 October 2019}}

In 2019, Governor DeSantis appointed Stermon to the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state university system.

In November 2022, Stermon engaged in a sextortion scheme, offering a young family friend backstage access to Taylor Swift in exchange for nude photos. On November 18, 2022, the victim went to Stermon's office, where he detained her and demanded favors. On November 29, 2022, Stermon met with the victim and her father at Panera. Following a confrontation, Stermon fled, and police were informed.{{cite news |last1=Gibson |first1=Travis |title=Powerful political player was under investigation in 'bizarre' scheme involving Taylor Swift tickets before suicide: SAO |url=https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2023/09/29/powerful-political-player-was-under-investigation-in-bizarre-scheme-involving-taylor-swift-tickets-before-suicide-sao/ |access-date=28 December 2023 |work=News 4 Jacksonville |date=September 29, 2023}}

The State Attorney's office released its report in September 2023. It concludes that Stermon "would have been charged with the criminal offenses of solicitation for prostitution, false imprisonment, theft by false pretenses, unlawful use of a two-way communications device and obtaining by false representation".{{cite news |last1=Scanlan |first1=Dan |title=Kent Stermon coerced young woman, investigation shows |url=https://jaxtoday.org/2023/09/29/kent-stermon-coerced-young-woman-investigation-shows/ |access-date=28 December 2023 |work=Jacksonville Today |date=September 29, 2023}}

On Thursday, December 8, 2022, Stermon died by suicide. He shot himself in his truck at the Atlantic Beach post office. He left a suicide note.{{cite news |last1=Vaca |first1=Marilyn |title=Police photos show note written by prominent political donor before he was found dead in Atlantic Beach |url=https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2023/04/20/police-photos-show-note-written-by-prominent-political-donor-before-he-was-found-dead-in-atlantic-beach/ |access-date=28 December 2023 |work=News 4 Jacksonville |date=April 20, 2023}} Earlier in the week, he had been hospitalized for a stroke.{{cite news |last1=Gancarski |first1=A.G. |title=New details emerge about the troubled final days of Ron DeSantis confidant Kent Stermon |url=https://floridapolitics.com/archives/636832-kent-stermon/ |access-date=28 December 2023 |work=Florida Politics |date=September 30, 2023}}

{{Reflist}}

• "[https://folioweekly.com/2022/06/17/mike-drop/ Mike Drop]," Folio, June 17, 2022.
• "[https://folioweekly.com/2022/12/16/citizen-1-kent-stermon-was-the-florida-politicians-bestie/ Citizen 1: Kent Stermon Was the Florida Politician’s ‘Bestie’]," Folio, December 19, 2022.

• [https://sao4th.egnyte.com/fl/miNuVXnJxF#folder-link/Kent%20Stermon State Attorney Stermon investigation dossier]
• [https://jacksonvilleso.mycusthelp.com/WEBAPP/_rs/(S(3nwvflpn14txflfm4sbw1ctw))/DownloadFile.aspx?sSessionID=&aid=370857&fid=777199 Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Incident Report] (pdf)
• [https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Stermon&contributor_state=FL Stermon campaign donations]

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Category:1972 births

Category:2022 deaths

Category:Florida Republicans

Category:People from Collinsville, Illinois

Category:People from Jacksonville, Florida

Category:Suicides by firearm in Florida

Category:Georgia State University alumni