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Beckner, Dems irked over blog post

Posted Aug 10, 2011 by William March

Updated Aug 11, 2011 at 05:17 PM

County Commissioner Kevin Beckner and the Hillsborough County Democratic Party have taken exception to a blog posting by a local Republican activist bashing Beckner, which also reveals the location of the home he shares with his domestic partner, a sheriff’s deputy.

For safety reasons, it’s against the law for public records to reveal a law officer’s address. Officers say publishing that information can put them in danger.

The posting by local conservative blogger Nadia Naffe criticizes Beckner over his financial disclosure forms.

Its charges: His net worth has increased while he was a commissioner; the value of his home as listed on his financial disclosure forms has gone up, while the values of neighbor’s homes on tax records have gone down; his property records aren’t publicly available; he didn’t list the values of some of his partner’s assets on his financial disclosure forms; and he allegedly didn’t list a bank or checking account.

The posting suggests there are improper reasons for those things, but doesn’t say what they are. It says the story “sounds more like a bizarre plot in a Hollywood movie than the life and career of an elected official.”

That, Beckner said, is ridiculous.

His responses: His net worth went up because the value of some of his investments went up; his listed home value is greater than his neighbors because he used a recent local home sale to calculate the value instead of the less-accurate tax value; his property records are confidential because Florida law requires it for a law officer; the law doesn’t require an officeholder to list the values of a spouse’s assets unless they generate shared income; and he did list his banking and checking accounts under “cash equivalents” on his disclosure form.

Naffe’s post doesn’t give Beckner’s specific address, but gives the address of a home it says is across the street and describes Beckner’s home, which Beckner said would make it easy for a criminal bent on revenge to find. He said the couple are talking to a lawyer about potential legal options.

Beckner called it “a replication of the vitriol we’re seeing in Washington, bringing it home to Hillsborough County and taking it to a brand-new low—that they would question the integrity of a law officer who’s served the county 26 years and potentially put his life in danger.”

In a news release, the Hillsborough County Democratic Party called Naffe’s post “scurrilous inuendo.”

FSP is trying to reach Naffe for a response, and will update if she returns messages.
____________
Update: Concerning the revelation of Beckner’s partner’s residence, Naffe called Beckner’s responses “disingenuous,” noting that Beckner himself listed his home address on his financial disclosure forms for 2008 and 2009—though not 2010—and that he and his partner have made no secret of their relationship.
The instructions for the form, however, appear to require an address, or a county tax appraiser’s identification number.
Naffe also said she finds it “hard to believe”  that Beckner had no other cash accounts than the $7,849.59 listed under “cash equivalents” on his 2010 form.