Former Florida Keys public relations director Andy Newman pleaded no contest in a Key West courtroom on Nov. 3 to a series of charges alleging he made false statements under oath regarding payments for tourism promotion work to a business entity of his that reportedly didn’t exist.
Newman was charged on Aug. 6, 2024 with 14 counts of perjury and 14 counts of false official statements — all first- and second-degree misdemeanors — by the Monroe County State Attorney’s Office. It all stemmed from a county clerk and comptroller’s audit last year of the county Tourist Development Council and its public relations contract with Newman’s company, NewmanPR.
Ultimately, the hearing concluded with County Judge Albert Kelley sentencing Newman to 42 months probation and 140 community service hours on 14 of the 28 charges, seven for perjury and seven for false official statements. Newman was also ordered to pay some fines and court fees totaling a little more than $1,000. He also received a suspended sentence of 70 days in jail, which means he’ll only serve the time if he violates probation.
Newman told the Keys Weekly he changed his not-guilty plea to no contest during the hearing, giving up his right to a jury trial in a bid to avoid continued litigation fees and mental anguish from a matter that could have dragged on.
Prosecutors, however, were seeking jail time for Newman.
“There has to be some level of transparency, and he thumbed his nose at it,” chief prosecutor Joe Mansfield told Keys Weekly.
The county clerk and comptroller’s audit last year reviewed NewmanPR’s requests for reimbursement on work performed by Graphics 71, an independent third-party vendor NewmanPR regularly conducted business with on behalf of the TDC. The audit revealed Graphics 71, which provided production, production supervision, distribution supervision and photography services, wasn’t a legal business entity in Florida.
Newman said Graphics 71 was initiated as a separate entity within Stuart Newman Associates to properly document work done outside the scope of work detailed in client contracts with Monroe County and others. Specifically, it focused on photography, print production and an occasional video production project that would otherwise be done by an outside vendor.
An independent, forensic audit by the state attorney’s office led to charges pertaining to “making false official statements,” each categorized as a second-degree misdemeanor. Prosecutors alleged Newman submitted false written certifications to the clerk of court’s office, falsely claiming that payments were made to Graphics 71 to mislead public officials.
Newman turned himself in and was booked Aug. 7, 2024.
“I sat there in the holding cell with my face in my hand thinking, ‘Is this really happening?”’ Newman said.
Newman told Keys Weekly he’s satisfied with Kelley’s ruling, given the circumstances and political atmosphere that surrounded the Monroe County Tourist Development Council in previous years. He admits he made a mistake, but said neither he nor the company ever tried to do anything maliciously to deceive the county.
Launched by Andy Newman’s father, Stuart Newman, as Stuart Newman Associates, NewmanPR handled public relations for the Florida Keys’ tourism interests for more than 40 years. The job of marketing the Florida Keys to national and international media outlets by providing video and still news photography of noteworthy events, as well as bringing media to the island chain for such events, included CNN’s annual presence in Key West for New Year’s Eve, worldwide Fantasy Fest coverage and celebrity-studded fishing tournaments.
The audit prompted significant changes at the TDC. Board members terminated marketing director Stacey Mitchell and hired Kara Franker as president and CEO of the TDC and Visit Florida Keys. By September 2024, Franker recommended that the TDC board and county commission give NewmanPR a few months’ notice before terminating its contract with the longtime PR firm.
The move was part of larger changes happening at the TDC. In addition to parting ways with Newman PR, the tourism agency canceled its contract with Two Oceans Digital, the company that managed the Keys’ tourism website, fla-keys.com, and handled all digital marketing. The move was recommended by a county audit of Two Oceans’ contract with the TDC, which revealed that the TDC was significantly overpaying for website and digital services given the payment structure of the contract. The TDC’s advertising services through Tinsley Advertising were re-bid.
Newman said his late father erred when he did not register Graphics 71, a division of NewmanPR, with the state.
“I should have paid closer attention to internal business aspects, especially after he died in 2019. But regretfully I didn’t and apologized for that,” Newman said.
The state attorney’s office said the acts committed by Newman were a huge breach of trust to the public and TDC. Prosecutors were asking the judge for 180 days in jail for the 14 counts.
“The fact he was certifying every month under oath and submitting invoices to the fraudulent company was egregious in our minds,” Mansfield said. “And he swore by the submissions month after month.”
Kelley announced the sentence after five witnesses took the stand to vouch for Newman’s integrity and hard work. They included Lou Caputo, former Monroe County Sheriff’s Office colonel; Shannon Weiner, former Monroe County Emergency Management director; David Dipre, retired Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission captain; Bob Eadie, retired Monroe County Health Department director; and Max Mayfield, former National Hurricane Center director.
“I always say that public relations is what others say about you, not about what you say about yourself,” Newman said. “They know who I am and they know who I am not. The accusations made by the state attorneys’ office was not me. I’m not a criminal.”
Newman, who turns 70 on Nov. 28, said he’s looking forward to doing his community service and getting the whole matter behind him. He’s still a Florida Keys resident and he said he’ll continue to volunteer with the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council. And he said he’ll enjoy time with his new granddaughter.
