Rep. Bobby Payne revokes endorsement from Jamie Watts for State House bid against Judson Sapp
PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. – Rep. Bobby Payne, R-Palatka, revoked his endorsement from Waleka Mayor Jamie Watts, a Republican who is running against Republican Judson Sapp to take over Payne’s House District 20 seat.
Payne told Florida’s Voice he revoked his endorsement from Watts because he thinks the endorsement came with “some undisclosed things.”
“Once they were disclosed, I think optically it was just bad,” Payne said. “Just the bad optics for not only myself and my reputation, but my other candidates I’m supporting that could be tied to an endorsement that was probably not fully credible.”
Payne said when it comes to both Watts and Sapp, he said he is “stepping out of the picture.”
In November, Watts responded to inquiries from Florida’s Voice after records revealed two separate women had accused him of harassment. One woman was his ex-wife who sought and secured a restraining order against him.
The other woman was an ex-girlfriend who filed a police report with the St. Johns Sheriff’s Office after he allegedly “threatened to expose pictures of her” on the internet.
In a petition for injunction filed the ex-wife of Watts in 2021, she checked off that Watts had a history of mental health issues and that he had been a subject of a Baker Act proceeding.
Watts is also a licensed funeral director and embalmer who operates several funeral homes including his family’s business, Watts Funeral Home.
According to a Clay County Sheriff’s arrest report of Watts from 2008, Director of Environmental Health at Putnam County Health Department John Holmes said Watts Funeral Home was inspected for a sanitary nuisance complaint and “caught them pumping contents of their septic tank onto their own property” in 2005, allegedly violating the Florida Litter Law.
Watts was arrested two years after the incident in 2008 and was charged with one count of felony dumping.
Watts previously explained to Florida’s Voice that he received pretrial intervention due to not having a criminal history prior to the 2008 arrest and the charge was dropped after a year.
Sapp describes himself on social media as a “conservative businessman.”
Sapp has secured substantial backing for his campaign, including endorsements from every sheriff within his district.
Those sheriffs who endorsed Sapp include St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods, Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook, and Putnam County Sheriff Gator DeLoach.
Sapp’s other endorsements include:
- Florida Republican Reps. John Rutherford and Aaron Bean
- GOP state Reps. Dean Black and Chuck Brannan
- Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis
- Clay County School District Superintendent David Broskie
- Clay County School Board Members Beth Clark and Erin Skipper
- Putnam County Commissioner Larry Harvey
- Clay County Clerk of Court Tara Green
- Associated Industries of Florida
Florida’s State House District 20 includes the areas within Putnam, Clay, Marion and St. Johns County. Currently, Payne holds the office, but the seat will be open in November.
The only other registered candidate, according to the state, is Andrew Dodge, with no party affiliation.
