Sheriff by Association?

Lobbyist is such an ugly word.

But that didn't stop the Herald Tribune from branding Sheriff Jack Parker with the Scarlet L...

...and then retracting it.

Here's the back story.

Apparently, fellow Sarasota County Sheriff Bill Balkwill finds himself caught up in the whole Armor Correctional Health pyramid scheme. On the day of his retirement, Balkwill awarded a no-bid contract to the firm that provides health care at the jail.

The sheriff now finds himself the center of a lawsuit, accused of awarding the $9 million deal with the promise of a job lobbying for Armor once retired.

Balkwill denies those allegations.

Getting back to Jack--

Read for yourself.

The Herald Tribune original story and correction are posted in entirety.

Regardless of who's lobbying who, there's a whole lot of comfy-cozy wining and dining going on for a no-bid contract.

With the same table of four or five seated front and center, garnering our reservations.

***

Sheriff ignoring contract suit

By Anthony Cormier

Published: Monday, September 29, 2008 at 1:50 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, September 29, 2008 at 2:04 a.m

CORRECTION

A story in Monday‘s paper about a lawsuit against Sarasota County Sheriff Bill Balkwill contained several errors.

The headline said that Balkwill was ‘ignoring’ the lawsuit, and the story suggested that he did not show up for depositions. Both are incorrect. Balkwill has offered to schedule a deposition in December 2008 to answer questions from the plaintiff’s attorney.

The story also said that four Florida sheriffs have been hired by Armor Correctional Health Services to lobby on the firm’s behalf. Armor officials say that Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, Brevard County Sheriff Jack Parker and former Broward County Sheriff Ken Jenne were never hired to work for the firm.

Now, attorneys suing the sheriff over that contract want to know if Balkwill chose Armor Correctional Health Services because the firm promised him a job when he left office.

In the lawsuit over the $9 million deal, Balkwill has not shown up for depositions, and attorneys from a rival firm want a judge to force the sheriff to answer questions about his plans.

Balkwill, who did not respond to questions on Friday, has said in a past interview with the Herald-Tribune that he does not intend to work for Armor when he retires.

He also has said that Armor's lobbying did not influence his decision, explaining that he negotiated solely with Armor because they came in with the lowest price.

Founded in 2004, Armor quickly amassed about $240 million in contracts around the state. At times, Armor has hired sheriffs to lobby throughout Florida -- including Palm Beach's Rick Bradshaw, Brevard's Jack Parker, Hillsborough's Cal Henderson and Broward's Ken Jenne.

Henderson played a role in the company's bid for the contract at the Sarasota County jail. He joined Balkwill and Armor's former CEO, Doyle Moore, for dinner and fishing.

In all, Armor spent about $1,500 to see Balkwill three times -- a meeting at Cafe L'Europe, dinner with the sheriff and his wife at Sam Snead's Tavern and the fishing trip to Lake Okeechobee.

That excursion cost $748 -- which appears to violate a state law banning lobbyist's gifts worth more than $100.

Balkwill did not claim the trip on state ethics forms and has said that he did not know who paid for the trip or how expensive it was.

He will retire at the end of the year.