FORT WALTON BEACH — The Florida Commission on Ethics has dismissed a complaint accusing Fort Walton Beach City Councilmember Bryce Jeter of coercing an incarcerated man into selling his home as a condition of securing his release from jail, concluding that the allegations did not meet the legal requirements to open an ethics investigation.
In a four-page public report released Jan. 28, the commission concluded that, even if the allegations were assumed true, they did not demonstrate that Jeter misused his public office or official resources, a necessary element under Florida law for an ethics violation.
The dismissal closes the ethics case without addressing broader factual disputes surrounding the property transaction at the center of the complaint.
In a statement to Mid Bay News, Jeter said that he is “Always grateful & thankful to see the State of Florida run their due process and come to a professional conclusion where vindication is the result. For multiple decades, I’ve always supported the blighted properties in our community getting cleaned up & becoming safer for all the neighbors & surrounding families.”
Robinson filed the complaint, alleging that Jeter contacted him while he was incarcerated following a multi-agency drug task force arrest in July 2025 and tied assistance with posting bond to Robinson selling his home at 15 Elm Ave. to JBJ Builders LLC, Jeter’s construction company.
Robinson further alleged that the transaction was orchestrated while he was jailed and constituted fraud.
In its report, the ethics commission emphasized that its review was limited strictly to legal sufficiency and jurisdiction, not fact-finding. No investigation was conducted, and the commission neither assessed the evidence nor determined whether the allegations were accurate.
Instead, commissioners evaluated whether the alleged conduct, if true, constituted a misuse of public position under state ethics law. They concluded it did not, finding the complaint described Jeter acting in a private capacity as a real estate buyer rather than using the authority or resources of his elected office.
The commission also found the complaint failed to establish a violation of the Florida Constitution’s prohibition on disproportionate benefits, noting that the allegations did not identify any improper benefit tied to Jeter’s official role.
According to the complaint, Jeter contacted Robinson while Robinson was jailed and discussed purchasing the Elm Avenue property.
The complaint alleged Jeter sent a notary to the jail to secure Robinson’s signature on closing documents and later posted Robinson’s bond after the deed transfer was completed.
It further alleged Jeter made statements at a city meeting suggesting he could not be challenged because the property had been placed in his name.
While the ethics commission did not evaluate the evidence, additional details entered the public record through jailhouse text messages exchanged between Jeter and Robinson, later obtained through a public records request to the Okaloosa County Jail.
Those messages, sent between July 29 and Aug. 15, show Jeter initiating contact about the property and negotiating purchase price, timing and bail in the same conversations. The two ultimately agreed to a $65,000 sale price, with repeated discussion of when Robinson would be released and how the bond would be handled.
In multiple messages, Jeter told Robinson that the bond would be posted after the paperwork was signed or after closing. Robinson repeatedly expressed fear about remaining jailed without bond and concern that he would be homeless upon release.
Court records show a person listed as Jared B. Jeter posted Robinson’s $3,500 bail on Aug. 15, the same day county records show the deed transferring the property to JBJ Builders LLC was recorded.
Robinson later testified at a special magistrate hearing that he felt pressured and frightened throughout the process. Another prospective buyer, Frank Esposito, also accused Jeter of coercion during that hearing.
In 2012, Esposito was sued by then-Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi for alleged false advertising of scam protection services. The suit alleges that Esposito’s company, Scammer Guard LLC, told customers that it was affiliated with the State’s Attorney General’s office, the Federal Trade Commission, and other agencies in an attempt to obtain consumer refunds.
The magistrate granted a 30-day continuance to allow Robinson to retrieve personal belongings and for officials to review the disputed transaction.
City officials at the time said questions surrounding ownership remained unresolved.
Jeter did not attend the magistrate hearing but later issued a written statement to Mid Bay News denying all allegations. He described the sale as a voluntary, “arm’s-length” real estate transaction conducted in his role as a private builder.
“This willing seller stated his price he wanted, I paid very close to that price, which was the current taxable value of the land, as the current structure is condemned and there is only value in the land,” Jeter wrote last September. “This transaction was 100% legally, ethically, and morally performed as a builder and 0% as a councilmember.”
Jeter has said Robinson initiated discussions about bail and that he did not act in any official capacity as a city council member. He also cited the property’s history of code violations, arguing the structure was effectively condemned and that the value lay primarily in the land.
The Okaloosa County Property Appraiser listed the property’s just value at $166,406 at the time of sale, with a taxable land value of $43,449. The l The $65,000 sale price exceeded the land value but was well below the just value.
While the ethics case is now closed, the commission’s ruling does not resolve the underlying factual disputes surrounding the transaction.
Pro Communi Bono
St. Francis De Sales, Ora Pro Nobis!
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