It’s not a secret, Fred Hawkins has been dealing with some untimely accusations over the last few months while trying to win the Florida House of Representatives open seat in District 42, which includes portions of both Osceola and Polk Counties.
On Monday, Hawkins looks to have received some good news for his campaign as he will no longer be facing a criminal trial on election day and could have his felony charge dropped if he completes a pretrial diversion program.
According to Hawkins’ campaign spokeswoman, Christina Johnson, “Commissioner Hawkins and the state attorney’s office came to an agreement that the charge stemming from nearly a year ago from a contentious HOA meeting in which Hawkins tried to bring law and order to a volatile situation would be dismissed. In an effort to bring this matter to a speedy and certain dismissal, Mr. Hawkins elected this course of action to bring closure on this matter.”
Hawkins was arrested in July after a dispute outside a meeting of a homeowners’ association in Kissimmee in November 2019 when he showed honorary credentials given to him by the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office. According to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement report, he threatened the security guard with arrest. Hawkins was later charged with impersonating an officer. Before the charges were dropped Hawkins was scheduled to appear in Osceola Court at 9am on Nov. 3 – election day.
Hawkins is running as the Republican candidate for an open seat in Florida House District 42 against Democrat Barbara Cady, who ran against Republican Mike La Rosa in 2000. Cady has never been elected to office . Hawkins served as Osceola County Commissioner since 2008 in District 5, but Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Hawkins from the Osceola County Commission in early August after his arrest.
Rep. Mike LaRosa, a Republican from St. Cloud, was unable to run for the House in District 42 again due to term limits, and has since been appointed to the Florida Public Service Commission by Governor Ron DeSantis.
“Fred Hawkins said, “I am glad to get this behind me and have said throughout this process that I was innocent of this allegation. The fairness of the criminal justice system and my faith in these proceedings serve as a reminder that a person is innocent until proven guilty. I look forward to continuing my campaign for House District 42 based on my record of principled and community-based leadership.”
Positively Osceola is reaching out to the Ninth Circuit State Attorney’s Office Wednesday for more information.
