City Commissioner Scott Maddox is asking the courts to clear the way for him to be sworn back into office. He was blocked from taking the oath until a residency dispute was resolved. Monday a Leon County Judge ruled Maddox lives in his district.
Leon County Judge Karen Givers says Scott Maddox lives where he says he does: in a downtown office that has an apartment upstairs. Local businessman Erwin Jackson claimed Maddox resided in a home outside city limits, and filed suit. Maddox provided a tour of his home after speaking with reporters. It’s the latest in a line of residency challenges Maddox has fended off over the years.
“No matter how many complaints Erwin Jackson files, the facts stay the same and the facts are that I live in the city of Tallahassee," says Maddox. "I know he doesn’t like that because he doesn’t want me on the commission or the others on the commission to continue to serve. But you know, this process has been extremely trying. The price of public service shouldn’t be that your wife and children get deposed.”
Jackson says he’s still considering whether to appeal the ruling but calls the city’s residency requirement a “ruse" and adds he'll push for changes.
“Right now this ruling clearly confirms that there is no residency requirement," Jackson says.
Maddox says he wants Jackson to pay his legal fees but the businessman says "that's wishful thinking on his part. I'd like for him to pay mine too."
A separate residency dispute between Jackson and the City of Tallahassee is still pending before the Florida Supreme Court.
