Isnardi vs. Capote District 5 County Commission race has Palm Bay politics in background
Dave Berman
Incumbent Republican County Commissioner Kristine Isnardi and her Democratic challenger, William Capote, the current mayor of Palm Bay, are trying to stick to the issues in their District 5 race in South Brevard.
But, lurking in the shadows of this closely watched race is the specter of the political corruption allegations that have dogged Palm Bay politics for the past several years.
Capote has been mentioned in Florida Department of Law Enforcement affidavits that resulted in three arrests in two separate investigations involving allegations of illegal efforts to sway votes on the Palm Bay City Council on development issues. He was not charged in either case.
And Isnardi's former husband, Dave Isnardi — who previously was Palm Bay's deputy city manager — pleaded guilty earlier this month in one of those cases to one felony count of criminal conspiracy (extortion). He was sentenced to five years of probation. He had been arrested in May 2019 on charges of racketeering, conspiracy to commit extortion and conspiracy to possess controlled substances, including oxycodone. As part of the plea deal, he has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors and to complete 60 days of service at the sheriff's work farm.
Both Capote and Kristine Isnardi say they want to focus on the issues in advance of the Nov. 3 election, and contend that the Palm Bay corruption investigations should not be a spotlight of the District 5 race.
But some voters in District 5 are unlikely to ignore the allegations of political corruption that has plagued the city and touched the candidates.
County Commission District 5 includes portions of Indialantic, Melbourne, Melbourne Village, Palm Bay and West Melbourne, as well as parts of unincorporated South Brevard.
More:County Commissioner Isnardi, challenger Capote air differences during forum
More:2020 elections: Meet the candidates in Brevard County Commission District 5
Voter registration figures favor Isnardi, the incumbent Republican, with 34,679 registered Republicans in the district, 28,748 registered Democrats, 23,527 members of minor political parties, and 1,771 "no party affiliation" voters.
Isnardi also has a big advantage in campaign fundraising, raising $73,428 in cash and in-kind contributions through Oct. 2, about seven times as much as $10,525 raised by Capote.
What they're proud of
Isnardi says among her biggest accomplishments during her first four-year term on the County Commission was her efforts to spearhead road improvement projects. She also cited utility system improvements and septic-to-sewer conversion projects that in part were designed to reduce introduction of harmful nutrients into the Indian River Lagoon. She also pushed for the expansion of Space Coast Area Transit bus service and helped assure that the Meals on Wheels program would get county funding.
But Isnardi says she also enjoys the day-to-day work on constituent services, such as helping residents with a trash service issue or a code-enforcement issue.
"I enjoy the most helping people," said Isnardi, 47, who also is a nurse practitioner affiliated with Health First. "Every day, we're able to help residents. Every day, we're doing things that change people's lives. That's the kind of stuff I like."
Capote, 58, says he wants to continue serving South Brevard, now that he cannot seek reelection as Palm Bay mayor because of term limits. Capote has been Palm Bay mayor since 2012, and before that served as a Palm Bay City Council member from 2008 to 2012.
"I look forward and I'm very passionate about representing District 5," Capote said.
He said he is "a proven and dedicated leader," and would be "a voice of reason" on the County Commission.
"I'm leaving Palm Bay better than I found it," Capote said, of his tenure as mayor and city councilman.
He cited as examples road upgrade projects; working to get businesses to locate or expand in the city; and expansion projects at Florida Institute of Technology and Eastern Florida State College.
Until 2016, Capote taught "Strategy for Success" classes at Eastern Florida State College. His only paid job now is Palm Bay mayor, a position that pays $23,145 a year, with much of the family's income coming from his wife's job at the high-tech company Leonardo DRS.
This is the second time the candidates have faced one another in an election. In 2007, Isnardi defeated Capote and four other candidates in an election for Palm Bay City Council, with Capote finishing second. In that election, Isnardi got 28.5% of the vote and Capote got 24.1%. Isnardi served on the City Council through 2014.
Capote joined Isnardi in the City Council in 2008, after winning an election involving four candidates, in which Capote received 32.7% of the vote.
So, in their first election victories, both Isnardi and Capote received less than one-third of the votes.
Why they're running
Isnardi says she wants to continue serving as a commissioner to be an advocate for families and senior citizens.
She said she will be an advocate for job creation and support projects that have the goal of the restoring the health of the Indian River Lagoon, as well as putting a focus on public safety.
She describes herself as "a principled, liberty-minded conservative. I understand that we need to limit government, instead of grow it. I'm a fiscal conservative."
Capote said he considers himself a political moderate, while also being "fiscally responsible."
Capote says his priorities as a commissioner would include infrastructure, public safety, transportation upgrades, protecting the Indian River Lagoon, and supporting the space program, as both a job-creation impetus and as a tourism draw.
"I think that NASA is a key component to the engine of Brevard County," Capote said.
"I'm going to be that type of person that can cross party lines and make things happen, because we need things done in this community to move forward," Capote said.
There currently are no Democrats on the five-member County Commission.
CARES Act
The two candidates have differences on a number of issues.
Capote is critical of what he saw as the County Commission's lack of communications with municipal mayors during the pandemic.
Isnardi counters that the county "didn't hear anything from (Capote) at all," other than blaming Lisa Morrell — who was Palm Bay's city manager at the time — for a lack of communications.
Isnardi spearheaded efforts on the County Commission to allocate $4.4 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act money for individual assistance programs for families negatively impacted by COVID-19 and struggling to pay their mortgage, rent, utility deposits or security deposits. She also has supported CARES Act assistance for small businesses, and for programs to help food banks and food pantries.
Critics of the County Commission's action, however, have said more money should have been designated for individuals financially hurt by COVID-19 and that many people found the application process difficult and time-consuming.
Isnardi also disputes Capote's contention that cities like Palm Bay should have been more directly involved in deciding how the CARES Act money was distributed.
"We didn't set up the rules. The federal government did," Isnardi said, with more populous counties like Brevard getting direct grants from the CARES Act. "We didn't hoard it all. We didn't ask for it all. This is how the federal government program was implemented. We reached out to the cities immediately, and asked them what their needs would be. And this money is available to all residents within the county."
COVID-19 response
In her roles as commissioner and nurse practitioner "working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic," Isnardi said she strives to find a balance "between protecting our health and our economic prosperity."
She opposed county regulation of businesses that would force customers to wear facemasks.
Isnardi and Capote disagree on the state's recent decision to allow restaurants and other venues to operate at full capacity.
Capote said, to do this at the onset of flu season "is just a problem waiting to come again."
Isnardi said "only time will tell" whether that was the correct decision. But she added that government must put faith in local businesses that they are opening safely. She said many businesses still encourage or require facemask for entry, and social distancing guidelines.
"We have to find that balance," Isnardi said. "We have to make sure that we have a strong economy, because if people aren't working, they're not able to feed their families. We need to make sure that we continue to provide an environment that's friendly for our economy, especially as we're coming back from the shutdown. I think we have to take it day-by-day, and have faith in our residents, have faith in our businesses that we're making the best decisions we can for our economy and for our communities."
Running emergency management
Isnardi said she would consider a proposal for the Brevard County Sheriff's Office to take over running day-to-day operations of the county's Emergency Management Department, as long as county management and the County Commission continue their policy-setting and decision-making roles during an emergency like a hurricane.
Capote opposes that change, and believes the county should continue to have its own emergency management director running the department, rather than having Sheriff Wayne Ivey play a role in that department.
"Sheriff Ivey's strength is police," Capote said. "The emergency management is a totally different beast, especially with the pandemic. I don't think that that is a venue or something that we should be giving to the sheriff's department to take over. I think there's a better way to getting it done than to give it to the sheriff when the sheriff has other things that he's responsible" for doing.
Campaign fundraising
Capote says he's not worried about the large gap in fundraising between him and Isnardi. He points to a 2010 election in County Commission District 4, in which Republican Mary Bolin defeated five other candidates in a GOP primary, then Democrat Kendall Moore in the general election — even though Moore raised and spent almost twice as much as Bolin.
Capote says money doesn't buy love — or votes.
Capote also didn't want to discuss Isnardi's array of 208 contributions, which include attorneys, contractors, developers, engineers, health care professionals, hospitality industry officials, law enforcement officers and real estate officials. Her contributors also include County Commission Chairman Bryan Lober, former U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon, former Palm Bay Mayor John Mazziotti and a since-closed political action committee that was headed by former Palm Bay City Councilman Tres Holton.
"That's on her," Capote said. "Whoever wants to donate to her campaign, that's on them. I'm concerned with me."
Capote's 33 contributors include the Brevard Democratic Executive Committee and Republic Services, the company that earlier this year was awarded Palm Bay's trash-hauling contract.
In general, Capote said, an incumbent commissioner has an advantage in fundraising.
Calls for trust
When Isnardi was asked during a recent FLORIDA TODAY candidate forum, why voters should trust her, she said: "I think my track record speaks for itself. I've lived my life with ethical leadership. And I'm a good mom. I'm a good community advocate. And I'm very proud of the work I've done, not just within the community, but as a nurse practitioner and as a mother. So I hope people have as much faith in me as I have in myself, because I can promise you that it's the real deal when you're dealing with me."
In a subsequent interview, Isnardi said she had no knowledge of her then-husband's activities that led to the criminal charges against him.
She said she was busy working two jobs — as a county commissioner and as a nurse — as well as pursuing her advanced nursing degrees.
"We were living like two separate lives," Isnardi said, adding that, when she read the criminal affidavits that were released, detailing the allegations against her then-husband, "I think I was as shocked as anybody."
Earlier this year, the Isnardis separated and later divorced.
Capote said he has no control over what negative things people may allege about him that later wind up in a Florida Department of Law Enforcement report that's part of its Palm Bay corruption investigations.
"There is nothing to address, because the allegations were false," Capote said, adding that, if they were true "an arrest would have been made."
"Some people say bad things," Capote said. "That's the nature of this business. People are going to say whatever they want to say. It's the nature of politics — who builds the narrative. I can't concern myself with people who like to hate. I can't help that people always have my name on the tip of their tongue and try to accuse me of things. If you have an understanding of politics, you're going to have foes and you're going to have friends, and your foes tend to elevate the discussion to their benefit."
But Capote said he will ignore it.
"You have to have an alligator skin, a turtle shell." Capote said. "I'll take the bad with the good. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I just try to do my job to the best of my ability. The reality is, at the end of the day, I'll be vindicated. History will justify me."
Capote said that, if some people are saying he is "toxic" and "can't be trusted," Palm Bay voters would not have overwhelmingly approved a referendum in 2018 for bonding road improvement, and trusted him and the rest of the City Council with implementing the resulting projects.
He said he would not have run for County Commission if he felt voters did not support him.
"I've conducted myself with integrity and transparency," Capote said. "So, basically, I'm just going to let the voters decide."
Dave Berman is government editor at FLORIDA TODAY.
Contact Berman at 321-242-3649 or dberman@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @bydaveberman