Cape Coral council member Patty Cummings arrested, charged with three felonies
CAPE CORAL, Fla. – Authorities arrested Cape Coral City Council member Patty Cummings Tuesday as part of a felony investigation by the state attorney’s office.
Florida State Attorney Amira Fox announced that an arrest warrant was approved by a judge on Monday. The charges were Fraudulent Application for Driver License and two counts of False Swearing in Connection with or Arising Out of Voting or Elections.
Cummings turned herself in at the Lee County Jail Tuesday afternoon.
The warrant reads:
1. On or about May 9, 2022 in Lee County, Florida, did unlawfully and knowingly make a false statement, knowingly conceal a material fact, or otherwise commit a fraud in an application for a driver license or identification card, contrary to Florida Statute 322.212(5)(a)
2. On or about June 14, 2022 in Lee County, Florida, did unlawfully and willfully swear or affirm falsely to an oath or affirmation in connection with or arising out of voting or elections, contrary to Florida Statute 104.011(1)
3. On or about November 18, 2022 in Lee County, Florida, did unlawfully and willfully swear or affirm falsely to an oath or affirmation in connection with or arising out of voting or elections, contrary to Florida Statute 104.011(1)
State Attorney Amira Fox’s office
The City of Cape Coral hired Vicki Sproat to conduct an independent investigation into Cummings, following a complaint sent to the governor’s office and Lee County Supervisor of Elections Tommy Doyle.
The defendant had reportedly labeled the investigation brought onto her as a “witch hunt that is politically motivated.”
That investigation concluded that although Cummings listed her Palm Tree Boulevard address as her residence when running for the city council seat, she had not “ever intended” to live there during the “relevant period.”
The report claimed that she did not live in District 4, the seat she held, until March 22, 2023. Instead, she had been living at a residency in District 2.
The city charter requires council member candidates to list and reside within their intended district of representation, according to the investigation.
The Cape Coral City Council later voted 7-1 in June for the state attorney’s office to investigate the fraud claims. Cummings was the only member to vote against the motion in June.
“When I look at this investigation, at best it’s incomplete,” Mayor John Gunter said when discussing the motion in June. “It’s not incomplete because the investigator that we hired wasn’t able to get the information. It was because she either wasn’t provided the information or individuals elected not to participate in the investigation.”
“All the information is there that’s why I’m just kind of like put in a situation where you have all the data that was sent from my attorney, so I have to say no,” Cummings briefly said right before her vote.
