A late-night dispute over campaign signs in Port St. Lucie has escalated into a police investigation involving the husband of the sitting mayor, just as early voting opens in one of the city’s most closely watched elections in years. Mayoral candidate Steve Giordano says he and his campaign manager were out planting signs overnight when he saw a man yank one from the ground and toss it aside, triggering a profanity-laced confrontation that Giordano captured on his cell phone.
Giordano accused the man of removing a campaign sign without permission, and police say the man shown in the video appears to be Lieutenant Aaron Martin of the Port St. Lucie Police Department, who is married to incumbent Mayor Shannon Martin, according to CBS12 News. The confrontation centered on accusations about installing campaign signs without property owners’ permission, a dispute that touches on Florida’s specific rules for political signage. Under state law, campaign signs cannot be placed on state, county, or municipal road rights-of-way and may only go up on private property with the owner’s express consent, according to Florida Statute 106.1435.
The flip side of that law carries its own teeth. Removing or taking someone else’s campaign sign without authorization can be prosecuted as petit theft under Florida Statute 812.014, a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to 60 days in jail for property valued under $100, or a first-degree misdemeanor carrying up to a year in jail if the property is worth between $100 and $750, per state statute guidance.
Police Say Investigation Is Active on Two Fronts
The Port St. Lucie Police Department confirmed it is investigating two separate reports involving political campaign signs this month. Detectives have begun interviewing people involved in the reported incidents, are speaking with witnesses, and are working to verify statements provided to investigators, the station’s report notes. Police say they documented the scenes and collected available evidence from the incidents, and that detectives are now reviewing that physical evidence as the case moves forward…