Whitmore Hires Lawyer After Kruse's Blackmail Accusation: Report

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — Manatee County Commissioner Carol Whitmore hired an attorney after fellow Commissioner George Kruse accused her of attempting to blackmail him at Tuesday’s commission meeting, the Herald-Tribune reported.

Kruse publicly admitted to an extramarital affair amid claims that Whitmore was going to use photographic evidence of his indiscretion to blackmail him.

Whitmore denied the accusation. She also refused to comment on it further when the Herald-Tribune reached out to her. Instead, she referred questions about the matter to Sarasota defense attorney Brett McIntosh.

“I did hire an attorney because of what (Kruse’s) accusations are,” Whitmore told the newspaper. “It is so ludicrous that I figured I should get an attorney. Carol does not break the law. Period.”

The accusation was made during a discussion about a Jan. 22 meeting between Kruse and Whitmore, both at-large members. Whitmore said she invited Kruse to meet with her to discuss affordable housing, as he works in real estate and is knowledgeable about the matter.

Members of the public and other commissioners slammed the meeting for a lack of transparency, though Whitmore said it was “a legal, advertised meeting” that had been posted to the county website and other places to promote it.

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Kruse also renewed his efforts to remove County Administrator Cheri Coryea from her position. The four incoming commissioners, including Kruse, pursued firing her days after their mid-November swearing-in, though they dropped the issue in early January.

Coryea organized the Jan. 22 meeting at Whitmore’s request. Kruse partially blamed the county administrator for the criticism the commissioners have faced over the event.

At Tuesday’s meeting, he motioned to revisit Coryea's termination, which the commission supported in a 4 to 3 vote. Commissioners Reggie Bellamy, Misty Servia and Whitmore were the "no" votes.

Coryea's position with the county will be discussed at a special Feb. 17 meeting at the Bradenton Area Convention Center.

Whitmore said the county administrator shouldn't be punished for her involvement in the Jan. 22 meeting.

"Cheri has seven bosses and if a boss asks her to set a meeting up or orchestrate setting a meeting up, that's not a fireable offense," she said.

during which a commissioner publicly admitted to an extramarital affair amid claims a colleague was going to blackmail him over the indiscretion.

At-large Commissioner George Kruse admitted to an affair and accused the county's other at-large commissioner, Carol Whitmore, of using that information to blackmail him during a discussion about a Friday morning meeting between the two. That meeting has been criticized by other commissioners, as well as county residents, who say it toed the line of legality when it came to the Sunshine Law, Florida's statute regarding open government.