‘Insufficient evidence’ to prove Florida Keys GOP members violated election laws
A prosecutor investigating a complaint that alleged election fraud and unlawful disbursement of funds by both the chair and treasurer of the Florida Keys Republican Party ended the probe last month after concluding there was a lack of evidence to prove any crimes were committed.
The complaint revolved around an April 2024 vote by the Republican Executive Committee of Monroe County to endorse a primary candidate in the supervisor-of-elections race. The endorsement, which came with a $20,000 contribution by the committee, was introduced by the committee’s chair, Rhonda Rebman-Lopez.
The complaint alleged the vote to endorse Sherri Hodies, who was then treasurer of the committee, for elections supervisor did not meet the threshold of approval from 60% of the membership as the complaint stated is required by the state party’s rules.
Hodies went on to win the primary and then the general election against Democrat and former State Rep. Ron Saunders, who maintains support among many Republicans and Democrats in the Keys.
Following news that the investigation was over and no criminal wrongdoing was found, Rebman-Lopez released a statement declaring “vindication” and calling the complaint “a transparent attempt to confuse voters and give Democrat Ron Saunders an unfair advantage.”
According to the complaint, 38 of the 63 members were present at the April 20, 2024, meeting, and 20 voted to endorse Hodies while 18 opposed the motion. The complaint states that, under state party rules, all 38 people would have needed to vote to endorse Hodies for it to pass.
But, investigators found there was too much confusion over the interpretation of the rule. Committee leadership explained before the vote was taken at the meeting that the endorsement would be valid if 60% of membership was present at the meeting, which it was, not that 60% voted to approve Hodies, investigators said. Investigators said no one disputed that interpretation prior to the vote.
During the probe, investigators realized there were too many interpretations of the rule to determine if a crime had been committed with the endorsement, according to the Aug. 14, 2025, memo to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office announcing the case is closed.
The complaint was filed by a Key West Republican named Phyllis May in July 2024 to Monroe State Attorney Dennis Ward. May is not a member of the committee.
The issue caused a rift that still exists within the Keys’ Republican community between supporters and opponents of Hodies and Rebman-Lopez The situation also created concern among party members who said the committee had never endorsed a primary candidate before, nor has it ever contributed money in favor of one Republican candidate over another.
Ward, a Republican who is a member of the committee and supported Hodies’ primary opponent, Margaret Romero, recused his office from conducting the investigation, saying it would have been a conflict of interest for him to run it. He requested DeSantis to appoint another State Attorney’s Office to take the case.
“I did what any ethical prosecutor would do, I sent the complaint to the governor for a reassignment to another state attorney,” Ward told the Miami Herald on Friday.
He also maintains that in his opinion, the rules were not followed regarding the vote to endorse Hodies.
“I was at the meeting, and there is no question in my mind they didn’t follow the rule,” Ward said.
DeSantis appointed Amira D. Fox, state attorney for the 20th Judicial Circuit of Florida, which includes Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee counties, to conduct the investigation in September 2024.
The person Fox put in charge, Deputy Chief Assistant State Attorney John W. Dommerich Jr., concluded in the close-out memo to DeSantis that given the lack of a concise understanding of the rule, he could not prove a violation, let alone a crime.
Regarding the contribution, Dommerich noted the committee’s rule requires only that the majority of votes cast at the meeting be in favor of giving the money, not any other threshold.
“Had the [committee] simply proceeded with a majority vote for the financial distribution, as the organization had always done in the past, the allegation of misappropriation of funds may have been avoided,” Dommerich wrote.
Rebman-Lopez is an outspoken and controversial member of the Keys’ Republican Party. She ran unsuccessfully against state Rep. Jim Mooney for the District 120 state House seat in 2020. She has accused opponents within the party of acting on behalf of Democrats.
In her statement reacting to the end of the investigation, she did just that, accusing Ward of being behind the complaint, which she called “a smear campaign.”
“This was a political attack from the start,” Rebman-Lopez said. “Ward’s effort to slander loyal Republicans failed.”
Ward responded that he had nothing to do with the complaint and said it sat on the desk of the Key West bureau of the State Attorney’s Office for several days before he knew it was filed.
“She knows good and well who filed the complaint and what I did to respond to the complaint,” Ward said.
This story was originally published September 26, 2025 at 8:10 PM.
