📱 Jailhouse texts show Councilmember Bryce Jeter negotiated a $65,000 property sale with inmate Walter Robinson Jr., linking the deal to Robinson’s bail.
⚖️ Critics allege coercion and conflict of interest, while Jeter insists the transaction was routine and unrelated to his public office.
🏚️ The deal involved a condemned property valued below the sale price, fueling debate over fairness and transparency.
(Editor’s Note: All quotes from the transcript have been left unaltered.)
FORT WALTON BEACH — Jailhouse text messages between Councilmember Bryce Jeter and inmate Walter Franklin Robinson Jr. provide a window into how a disputed property deal unfolded while one of the parties was behind bars.
The transcripts, obtained by Mid Bay News from a source who wishes to remain anonymous, were verified as legitimate after a records request to the Okaloosa County Jail.
The conversations between Jeter and Robinson spanned from July 29 through Aug. 15, the day Robinson was released.
The messages begin on the morning of July 29, when Jeter reached out to Robinson: “Good Morning, Mr. Robinson. I was wanting to get in contact with you in regards to the property at 15 Elm.”
Within hours, Jeter made an offer: “we can pay 55k in cash, can close in a couple of weeks as is. don’t need to do anything.” Robinson countered later that day, writing, “sleep on $75,000 hit me in the AM.”
After some brief back-and-forth, along with Jeter offering $50,000, following numbers provided by the Okaloosa County Property Appraiser’s Office, Robinson pressed back, going for $65,000 and bail, which he wrongly said was $350.
Jeter agreed to this proposal, saying, “We can do bond as part of closing next week, maybe, but the deal has to go through and close first.”
Over the following days, Jeter’s texts referenced Robinson’s bail and the property deal in the same conversation.
On July 30, Jeter wrote: “We will close next week and pay next week and use your money to bind out same day.” He added, “I will post bond after contract is signed, and you can clean up house next week when you are out and will get money at closing next Friday.”
On the evening of July 29, Robinson asked Jeter if they had a deal, to which Jeter agreed: $65,000 and bail.
The bargaining also included the timeframe for Robinson to collect his belongings after release. Jeter offered to hold back $5,000 from the purchase price until Robinson vacated the home. He also promised to provide a dumpster and assistance with cleanup once the sale closed.
By July 30, Robinson’s messages revealed growing confusion and frustration over the terms of the deal.
He pressed Jeter on when bond would actually be posted, warning that without it, he would be left “sleeping under a bridge.”
Jeter responded that part of the purchase money would be held back until Robinson vacated the property, telling him, “We will hold $5,000 and it will not be the bond money.”
Robinson pushed again for clarity: “look sir I must be out in order for this deal to proceed.”
In one message, Jeter wrote: “I will post bond after contract is signed and you can clean up house next week when you are out and will get money at closing next Friday.”
Later that evening, Jeter grew more direct: “Sir with all due respect you are getting 65 thousand dollars out of this deal. I can just wait for the property to come up for sale. And you won’t get a cent! Your bond is 3,500 not 350. You can use the 65k to post bond and get out the day of closing! I will give you 5 days after closing to remove your personal items.”
The back-and-forth shows Robinson at times trying to stay cooperative, writing, “yes come up here tomorrow thank you and God Bless,” even as Robinson texted that he found Jeter’s tone to be condescending and disrespectful.
By the next morning, the deal was moving toward completion on paper.
“Good Morning Mr. Frankie, We will be there tomorrow morning around 9 am to sign the contract,” Jeter wrote on July 31, confirming his company’s identity and location: “JBJ Builders office on Beal Parkway & live in the neighborhood.”
Robinson replied that “9 will work,” and the two agreed to meet the following morning.
On Aug. 1, Jeter messaged that he was en route—“on my way be there in 30 min”—before later apologizing that “something happened but we are on our way.”
He then asked for identification details: “we need either a copy of his ID or at least his birthdate.” Robinson responded that his ID was in his wallet and pressed Jeter on a separate concern: “DID YOU SECURE MY house?” Jeter said he would check the next day.
Two days later, Robinson again asked whether the house had been secured. Jeter replied: “I tried. It’s condemned and police tapped off with no entry. I’m trying to get in yes but haven’t yet.”
Robinson continued to focus on retrieving his belongings and logistics for moving out, while Jeter told him that the paperwork was still being processed and to “hang in there.”
Throughout Aug. 6–8, Robinson repeatedly sought updates—“any results?????”; “well our status is??????”—as Jeter said title work was ongoing and that he was “pushing” the company.
When Robinson asked who Jeter worked for, Jeter answered: “JBJ Builders.” Robinson then pressed the central question: “when am Im going to leave this terrible place.”
That evening, his frustration boiled over: (“POWER CONTROL) IT MUST BE INTOXIICATING?? … YET YOU LEAVE ME HERE!!!!!!!” Jeter responded, “I know it is frustrating we a working diligantly,” and later estimated, “hopefully not passed this week … as soon as I get something I will let you know.”
On Aug. 9, Robinson asked Jeter to “put 50 on my commissary” before deciding against it, telling him he was “very frugal” and that after seven years, he hadn’t had more than $25 at a time and was “home less.”
Robinson also made grandiose claims about future windfalls, saying he expected to receive “winning pkgs totaling $813 million.”
Two days later, Jeter requested estate details for a relative—“Full name of J C Robinson … Date of Birth … Date of Death … anything he knows”—explaining that the “title company needs his information.” Robinson replied with what he knew.
By Aug. 12–13, Robinson’s frustration intensified. “well is today the day … today should be the DAY!!!!” he wrote, later pleading: “Hope you got news because Im Still in Fucking Jail.”
Jeter told him paperwork was still being “import[ed]” and said they were “looking no later [than] Friday,” adding “fingers crossed.”
On Aug. 14, Robinson again pressed for updates.
Jeter replied: “we should be there tomorrow in the morning.” When Robinson asked if he meant the jail, Jeter confirmed and added: “between 10:30 and 11. and bail will be posted after.”
Robinson responded, “oh my God Praise Jesus … see you in the morning.”
He also asked, “what about my check and front money?” to which Jeter wrote, “it will be waiting for you at the house.”
Robinson fired back: “we didnt plan this … IS THIS A S C A M … it’s recorded here on this platform,” before Jeter told him to call.
On Aug. 15, Jeter messaged that “paper work is being finalized” and later: “I’m on my way back … to post bail … When you get released, they have a green folder with your name on it … Tubs will be dropped off at your house.”
Around midday, Jeter asked for Robinson’s Social Security number; Robinson provided it in full (which Mid Bay News is not publishing). Jeter then texted instructions about pickup: “last bus is 6pm … front desk should have large envelope … in the folder.”
The last message sent between the two was from Robinson, who asked “are you here.”
According to records from the Okaloosa County Clerk of Court, a “Jared B. Jeter” signed off on documents that showed Robinson posted his $3,500 bail.
That same day, official county records show a deed transferring the property to JBJ Builders; the property appraiser’s site reflects the ownership change.
Just days after his release, the unusual transaction spilled into public view at an Aug. 20 Fort Walton Beach Special Magistrate hearing.
Frank Esposito, another prospective buyer, accused Jeter of coercion, telling the magistrate that Jeter “solicited him in jail and told him, ‘if he wants to get out of jail, to sell him the property.'”
“If he doesn’t do that, there’s a chance that he won’t get anything for the property, and he’ll lose the property,” Esposito said.
Esposito also alleged Jeter sent a notary into the jail multiple times to collect Robinson’s signature, denied him access to closing papers, and opened a jail telecommunications account specifically to communicate with him.
However, according to records from the Okaloosa County Jail, Robinson received no in-person visitors during his incarceration. Furthermore, only Jeter and another Fort Walton Beach resident, Diana Campbell, were approved to be visitors by the jail.
Robinson testified that the experience was frightening and said Jeter told him that Fort Walton Beach police would trespass him from the property if he tried to return.
The magistrate granted a 30-day continuance, allowing Robinson to retrieve his belongings and for investigators to review the disputed transfer. City officials noted that ownership questions remain unsettled.
Jeter did not attend the hearing but later sent a written statement to Mid Bay News on Aug. 28.
In that statement, he called the accusations “100% false” and said the deal was a routine “arm’s-length” real estate purchase, not a misuse of his public position.
“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. “This transaction was 100% legally, ethically, and morally performed as a builder and 0% as a councilmember.”
During the Aug. 20 special magistrate meeting, Code Inspector Richard Taylor and Lt. Troy Williams, of the Fort Walton Beach Police Department, told officials that the property had been cited for numerous violations, including litter, junked vehicles, fence issues, and a pending case involving a severe line issue and mold inside the house.
Williams told the magistrate that a Fort Walton Beach official gave the notice to vacate the property due to these violations.
Furthermore, pictures of the property show police tape around the perimeter, signs on the door, and a notice that the building has been condemned.
Jeter also told Mid Bay News that Robinson had already cashed checks from the sale and suggested that a “third party” had stepped in afterward to “completely falsify the story.”
In a Sept. 1 written response to Mid Bay News, Jeter again defended the transaction and rejected claims that his status as a sitting councilmember made the deal inappropriate.
He said he contacted Robinson while he was in jail because that is what he does in his business.
“Because it is legal,” Jeter wrote. “For 20+ years, a part of my business has been the purchase of land, or houses, and either tearing something down, or rebuilding … I located the owner and asked if it was available to purchase, he happened to be in jail & he said YES, he would sell it.”
Jeter said he viewed his role strictly as a builder and private citizen.
“As a Builder, YES 100% appropriate! I did absolutely nothing as a Councilmember,” he wrote. “This was 0% nothing to do with me being a council member.”
He also argued that Robinson himself raised the issue of bail during negotiations.
“He asked for me to pay that and time to get his personal items,” Jeter said. “Until then, I had no idea what the amount was or the details of his arrest. That is how a negotiation works, both sides ask for concessions & some are granted in favor in both sides of the Buyer & the seller.”
As for Robinson’s mid-deal accusation that he was being scammed, Jeter pointed the finger elsewhere.
“You would have to ask him why he felt that way,” Jeter wrote. “I now believe he was encouraged to say that once he was released from jail, by someone who has identified himself as a competitor.”
Jeter said he had no reason to doubt Robinson’s understanding of the contract, even while incarcerated. “Mr. Robinson is an adult, and I had no reason to believe he did not understand the terms he asked for. He named his price … He was excited the night before closing, too.”
He dismissed any suggestion that the deal represented a conflict of interest: “Absolutely not. None. Zero. This transaction had nothing, absolutely ZERO to do with me being a council member.”
“He took advantage of my want to purchase this property just as much his need to sell it. I believe neither of us took unfair or undisclosed advantage of the other,” Jeter wrote, after being asked to respond to the allegation that he took advantage of Robinson’s incarceration.
“Most of the time, perception is not reality, and I can never control other people’s thoughts or feelings,” said Jeter.
Finally, Jeter said he sought legal advice and confirmed the sale was valid.
“Yes, it is legal. The seller could’ve said I don’t want to sell it or I already have another offer higher than yours. He did not. He said I will sell it for $75k, then we agreed to $65k. Again, the house is condemned, and the lot is appraised at $67k,” wrote Jeter.
It is worth noting that the Okaloosa County Property Appraiser’s website lists the taxable value of the land as $43,449, based on the 2025 preliminary values.
Robinson and Jeter agreed to a deed transfer price of $65,000, which is above the taxable land value but well below the property appraiser’s ‘just value’ of $166,406.
“Nobody was taken advantage of in that the other was not completely aware of. In all successful real estate transactions, you must have a willing seller, a willing buyer, a legally signed deed & exchange of funds. We have all of that here and the seller has already gladly cashed the proceed checks!”
Pro Communi Bono
St. Francis De Sales, Ora Pro Nobis!
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