Former aide to Lieutenant Governor Carroll arrested in illegal recording case

Oct 25, 2011

The following article was published in the Florida Current on October 25, 2011:

Former aide to Lt. Gov. Carroll arrested in illegal recording case

By Gray Rohrer

Carletha Cole, a former spokeswoman for Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, was arrested Thursday and charged with intercepting and disclosing of wire, oral or electronic communications, a third-degree felony.

Cole spoke with The Florida Times-Union in September, criticizing Carroll’s chief of staff, John Kronkus, and likening her office to a “juvenile school.”  She was let go by Carroll’s office the same day. The Jacksonville paper later obtained a recording of Cole and Kronkus in which he states that Gov. Rick Scott “is not leading.”

The charge carries a maximum penalty of up to five years in jail or a $5,000 fine.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement started the investigation last month after a complaint was filed, and turned their findings over to State Attorney Willie Meggs.

“The process is she was arrested on a warrant based on probable cause. We’ve already received and approved it,” Meggs said.

Calls to Carroll’s office were forwarded to Scott’s press office. A spokeswoman for Scott declined to comment.

The Leon County Sheriff’s Office, which arrested Cole, did not immediately return calls for comment.

Find this article here:  http://www.thefloridacurrent.com/article.cfm?id=25128493