PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
September 2, 2020
SAVE SOUTHERN HERITAGE CALLS FOR FDLE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION OF MADISON MAYOR RAYNE COOKS
Madison, FL Mayor Rayne Crooks
Madison - Save Southern Heritage FL ("SSH FL") announces today it has provided a dossier of information to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement asking for an official investigation of Rayne Cooks, Mayor of the City of Madison, FL.
The requests alleges 10 violations of State law, and City and County ordinances. The 10 complaints all relate to Ms. Cook's address and the persistent question of whether she lives in the City of Madison, or in fact outside Madison City limits.
"Documentation provided to the FDLE suggests that Ms. Cooks has a history of making false statements to the State of Florida for the purpose of shielding her true residential address from the public" said SSH FL spokesman David McCallister.
"This is of concern to us because we assert that Mr. Cooks has no authority to serve as an elected member of the Commission of the City of Madison. If she does not, she was not legally able to cast the deciding vote to take down the historic Madison Soldier's memorial in the City's historic district" McCallister said.
Gov. Ron Desantis pledged to attack government corruption during his administration, and several elected officials have been removed from office. According to recent news reports, another elected official, Sweetwater Commissioner Sophia Lacayo, resigned and pleaded guilty to a perjury charge after falsely saying she lived in the city during her election campaign. Lacayo had sworn she lived at an address on Southwest Seventh Street near 18th Avenue in Sweetwater, Miami, when in fact she lived at a different address in unincorporated Miami-Dade.
Below is a summary of information submitted to the FDLE.
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Suspect:
Rayne J. Cooks
Executive Office:
Elected City Commissioner (Dist. 1) (and current Mayor) of the City of Madison, FL
Residential Address listed on public documents:
162 SW Third Ave, Madison, FL 32340 (Cooks Cooper Funeral Home Business premises)
Suspected Residential Address:
NE Gooseberry Street in Lee, Florida >>>LINK
(approx opposite #1432 NE Gooseberry St. and 2 parcels west of #1617 NE Gooseberty between two vacant parcels, i.e.
vacant parcel 1 - owned by Rachael Sarah Widdick >>>LINK and
vacant parcel 2 - owned by Mark Dale Waters>>>LINK
Suspected Violations:
1. FS 119.017 - (count 1) suspected false eligibility for protected address to Madison Co. Property Appraiser - suspect is a private funeral home operator - not an eligible category
2. FS 119.017 - (count 2) suspected false eligibility for protected address to Madison Co. Supervisor of Elections - suspect is a private funeral home operator - not an eligible category
3. FS 119.017 - (count 3) suspected false eligibility for protected address to Madison Co. Tax Collector - suspect is a private funeral home operator - not an eligible category 4. FS 97.051 - suspected false voter registration application - address provided is a commercial business - not a residence 5. FS 322.08 (2) (a) - suspected false driver license application and residence documentation - suspect provided commercial business address and documentation - not actual residential adddress 6. FL 322.19 (2) - suspected failure to change driver's license address - suspect has resided at residential address and has not 'made the change" within 30 days 7. City of Madison CIty Code Section 11 - suspected false residency requirements of city commission members
8. FS 99.021 - suspected of false statement on candidate oath provided to Madison County Supervisor of Election and/or City of Madison Clerk - address provided is a commercial business - not a residence
9. Madison Co. Ordinance #89 V(c) - suspected violating street number display ordinance - no street number displayed
10. Madison Co. Ordinance #89 IV(I)(2) - supected violationg long road/private drive street number display ordinance - no street number displayed on long/private drive
Documentation suggesting violations:
1. copy of Cook's D/L showing Third Ave. Funeral home address
2. copy of Cook's Candidate oath showing Third. Ave. Funeral home address
3. information on Funeral home showing Third Ave. address and photo of commercial structure
4. Copy of FHP crash report involving suspect near suspected NE Gosseberry Street residential address in Lee, FL
5. copy of news report of an FHP incident near suspected NE Goosberry Street residential address in Lee, FL 6. Google earth map screen shot of suspected Crook's residence on Gooseberry Road in Lee, FL 7. picture of suspect
8. Copy of City of Madison Code of Ordinances Section 11
9. Copy of Madison County Code of Ordinace #89
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