‘Let’s conspire’: Hundreds of Scott Maddox texts emerge in Tallahassee public corruption case

Private messages reveal inside dealings on medical marijuana, Uber, Las Vegas and more

Hundreds of private conversations between former City Commissioner Scott Maddox, members of his one-time inner circle and a who’s-who of movers and shakers inadvertently surfaced as part of the federal government’s public corruption case against him and his co-defendants.

The communications, which include text messages and secretly recorded talks with undercover FBI agents, provide an unvarnished look into behind-the-scenes machinations that preceded charges against Maddox, former Downtown Improvement Authority Executive Director Paige Carter-Smith and businessman John “J.T.” Burnette.

They also shed new light on Maddox’s involvement with city vendors who sought help getting their projects approved through Governance, Inc., a lobbying firm that was owned by Carter-Smith on paper but secretly controlled by Maddox. The vendors included Uber, local developers and players in the medical marijuana world.

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