Candidates for Tallahassee Mayor are dueling from the podium just weeks ahead of the August primary elections.
Jeremy Matlow held a press conference Wednesday in response to a news conference held by fellow candidate Daryl Parks earlier in the week. Both candidates used their time to criticize how the other handled leaked op ed information in a different race.
The issue started when a Facebook account called “Tallahassee Conservatives” published bodycam footage and emails of Tallahassee Commission Seat 3 Candidate Talethia Edwards after her car was towed in Orlando for using an expired handicap sticker in 2023.
But the account had recently been renamed. It was previously used as an account opposing the TMH/FSU merger. Screenshots posted to Facebook by Edwards depicted a disclosure on one ad on the account saying it was paid for by Matlow's City Commission campaign account.
WFSU could not independently verify that the Matlow campaign paid for the ad depicted in the screenshot.
Matlow's campaign financial reporting shows he spent $532 on Facebook ads during the first week of February, a month before the commission had its final vote on the sale. But Meta's ad financial reporting feature reports Matlow's campaign only spent money that month on a post soliciting campaign donations.
In a statement to WFSU Public Media, Matlow denied his campaign paid for those ads depicted in the screenshot.
The situation didn’t sit well with mayoral candidate Daryl Parks.
“They wanted to mislabel conservatives, right, and make it look like the conservative part of this of this community was saying this about a black woman,” he said.
On Monday, Parks held a news conference accusing Matlow’s campaign of a deliberate attempt to mislead Tallahassee voters.
Two days later, Matlow held his own presser on the same spot, criticizing Parks.
“He used a microphone in front of City Hall to lodge a personal attack against me, much like John Dailey has done for the last eight years, and to advocate for a candidate that has been hand-selected by the city hall majority. “The people of Tallahassee are not interested in another mayor that wants to use this platform to bully and settle personal scores,” he said.
Matlow denies knowing about the Facebook post. His former campaign manager, Kristellys Estanga, took credit for the post, and resigned from his campaign.
Matlow did take time at the podium to discuss Edwards’ bodycam footage.
“Parks' chosen candidate in this race has accused the Orlando Police Department of illegally towing her car and planting a bomb in her vehicle, Parks' chosen candidate told law enforcement she was an honorary member of the Leon County Sheriff's Office. Mr. Parks' candidate failed to appear again and again when summoned to court. Yet somehow, Mr. Parks is using this situation to launch a personal attack against my character. This frankly falls short of anybody who aspires to be Mayor of Tallahassee,” he said.
While no official endorsements have been made, Matlow has been seen at political events with a different candidate running for Tallahassee City Commission Seat Three—PJ Perez.
The winner in each race could significantly impact the balance of power on the city commission, altering the entrenched 3-2 split that has dominated the body since 2020.
The candidates will be on the ballot during the Aug. 18th primaries.
