Florida GOP removes St. Johns GOP chair for multiple grievances, ‘failure of leadership’

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Following multiple complaints toward former St. Johns County Republican Executive Committee Chairman Blake Paterson, the Republican Party of Florida removed him from his position.

In a letter sent to Republican Party of Florida Chairman Evan Power on March 13, Grievance Committee Chairman Mark Cross explained the committee’s recommendations to remove Paterson after considering grievances filed against the chairman.

On the same day, Power sent an email to Paterson informing him of his removal, “effective immediately.”

“You are hereby removed as Chairman and as Precinct Committeeman of the St. Johns County Republican Executive Committee (‘St. Johns GOP’),” Power wrote.

The two grievances against Paterson that Cross included in the letter from County Commissioner and former REC Chairman Roy Alaimo, and Vice Chair of St. Johns County REC Jaime Parham included the following allegations against Paterson:

• “Authorizing the misuse of the St. Johns REC social media to disparage Republican elected officials and promote and support their opponents without an endorsement of the REC and in violation of RPOF Rules.”
• “Authorizing the ‘spontaneous’ suspension of the St. Johns REC Vice Chairman, [Jaime] Parham, and imposing disciplinary actions against the Vice Chairman in conflict with RPOF Rules as interpreted by the RPOF Rules Committee in an advisory opinion.”
• “Barring the REC Vice Chairman from attending two REC meetings to the point of law enforcement being called, and thus preventing the Vice Chairman from lawfully performing his powers and duties under the RPOF rules.”

“Blake may claim that his removal was a witch hunt by the Establishment,” Parham told Florida’s Voice. “The reality is that he is not a grassroots Patriot at all, he behaves as a Constitution hating Democrat who rode the America First coattails for political power.”

Cross wrote in the letter that the grievances were “only the tip of the iceberg” regarding the “problems” in the county’s Republican Executive Committee and the “inability of Mr. Paterson to adequately perform his role as Chairman.”

He said the number of grievances the committee received from St. Johns County alone is “indicative of a failure of leadership at the top.”

“It is clear that a multitude of embarrassing and unproductive issues have been occurring within the SJCREC for nearly a year now under Mr. Paterson’s leadership,” Cross wrote and linked Florida’s Voice’s previous story about Paterson for reference.

Paterson previously received criticism from political leaders and activists after a chaotic June 1 meeting, which included a 911 call and Vice Chairman Parham later pressing charges.

Parham said the 911 call was made because some people were standing in the back of the room during the meeting and Paterson was “insistent on forcing people to sit down.” 

He said Paterson would not begin the meeting until everyone sat down, leading him to call the police in an attempt to have the people standing removed from the meeting.

Parham said Paterson also “shoved” him during the meeting, leading him to press charges against him.

In the 911 police body cam footage, officers are heard explaining that they couldn’t remove people from the public establishment and Paterson called it “bull****.”

Paterson is then heard in the footage saying Parham is “terrible.”

“I mean, he’s the worst, he and his brother, the Parham boys,” Paterson said.

Cross wrote in the letter that in defense of the allegations against him, Paterson “deflected blame on others.”

“Blake accused others of what he, in fact, does,” Parham said. “Then, he used Law Enforcement to punish his supposed enemies, much more in line with Biden and Mayorkas than Patriotic Republicans. He was told to respect people’s God Given Rights and the orders of those appointed over him. He blatantly did neither.”

Cross said Paterson also denied that the suspension of Parham was done by him and claimed it was “spontaneously presented by REC members.”

However, Cross wrote that the chairman is responsible for running the meetings in accordance with Florida GOP rules and regulations.

“The facts show he encouraged the suspension and then took steps to enforce the suspension, even involving law enforcement to prevent the Vice Chairman from attendance at the REC meeting,” Cross wrote. “There is no provision within the RPOF rules that allows for a REC to have an up or down vote (without any notice) to suspend an officer of his or her powers and duties for a certain period of time.”

In Paterson’s response letter, he called Parham’s grievances against him “incorrect” and said Alaimo’s claims against him are “inaccurate.”

Florida’s Voice spoke to Paterson for a response regarding his removal and he said the “reason they’re doing this” is that he claimed to have turned the St. Johns Republican Executive Committee into something better than it was.

“I turned the St. Johns County REC from one with no money, no fundraising, no participation, and just simply rubber stamping establishment […] I’ve changed it into one that has already canvased 40% of the county,” Paterson said. “I raised $150,000, we have a great participative entity with 12 committees that are doing an enormous amount of work.”

He said “they are crowing their successes and singing over [his] supposed grave.”

During a meeting following Parham’s “suspension,” video footage shows police confronting Paterson after not allowing Parham into the meeting, saying the meeting was private and “federally protected rights do not apply” to him.

Cross said Paterson’s actions were “so egregious” that the Florida GOP Rules Committee “felt compelled to issue an advisory opinion making it clear that such action violated the RPOF rules.”

Following Paterson’s removal, Parham will now hold the position as chairman of the St. Johns Republican Executive Committee.

“I look forward to mending fences with the membership who were misled, as well as try to regain the members who left,” Parham said. “This election year is far too important, we are losing time with things like this. We have one of the most important elections of our lifetimes to win!”