Local Orlando Gadfly Behind “Fake” Tea Party Headed to Jail

The man allegedly behind the fake “Tea Party” here in Central Florida has been sentenced to 60 days in the hole for his role in distributing more than 5,000 illegal mailers in the 2006 Winter Park mayoral race.
Guetzloe, the political consultant behind the “fake” Florida Tea Party that is reported to be funded by District 8 Congressman Alan “Die Quickly” Grayson, pleaded no contest in November 2006 to distributing an electioneering communication without a required disclaimer and was sentenced to 60 days in jail. He remained free during the appeals process.

60 Days in the Hole for Doug Guetzloe

And so another chapter in the local saga of Mr. Guetzloe is played out. The sentence seems a little harsh but when his record of corruption in local politics is looked at in total maybe the sentence was justified.
In 2005 and 2006, Guetzloe’s company received nearly $500,000 from the law firm representing the Carlisle developers. Neither Guetzloe nor the firm would say what the money was for.
One of the Carlisle’s developers, Alan Keen, in his role as then-chairman of the Orlando Orange County Expressway Authority, also arranged in 2004 through 2006 for Guetzloe’s company to receive $107,500 in toll money, largely for a three-page report on why people do not like higher tolls.
A 2007 grand jury report called it “hush money” and noted that “a quieter Ax the Tax seemed to flow from the $107,500 payment to Doug Guetzloe.”
Keen resigned from the authority shortly after Local 6 exposed the payments to Guetzloe’s company.
The Carlisle was never built.
And Mr. Guetzloe has been accused by the Orlando Sentinel of receiving money from the Orlando Magic for not opposing the new arena now in use.
What can you say? Orlando is not Chicago and Doug Guetzloe is not Jessie Jackson.
Don’t drop the soap Mr. Guetzloe.