ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Last week, the St. Johns County Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller’s Office announced that former Florida State Senator Travis Hutson was joining its team as Senior Advisor for Intergovernmental Affairs.
Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller Brandon J. Patty celebrated the move, saying, “It’s not often that someone with Travis’ dedication to public service and legislative accomplishments steps into a role like this at the county level.”
But just one day after his official start day, Patty was on damage control after receiving some backlash from the community about the hire.
Patty issued a letter to the community on Tuesday after he said residents reached out with “questions and concerns” about Hutson’s hire.
A Facebook post about Hutson’s hire shows some of those concerns. Commenters were critical of Hutson’s ties to developers and some questioned why the new position was created.
Patty tried to address some of those concerns in his letter.
“I created this position to strengthen our ability to fight for you — the residents we serve — by primarily ensuring our courts are adequately funded,” Patty wrote.
He said his goal is to find a long-term solution to funding issues by bringing in a senior advisor who has the experience, relationships and skill set to address this critical need and provide input on court processes and court facilities as well.
“The primary goal of the new Senior Advisor is to reduce reliance on subsidies from our local County by fixing and securing sustainable state funding. That will allow us to focus more fully on delivering the court services our growing community deserves,” Patty wrote.
Hutson said in a written statement he was honored to join the office.
“As a St. Johns County local, I’m excited to come back to my roots and serve the community that has always meant so much to me. I look forward to continuing my public service in this new capacity and supporting the Clerk’s Office in its governmental needs,” he wrote.
St. Johns County will pay Hutson an annual salary of $75,000 with benefits, according to Jax Today. According to state financial disclosures, Hutson had a net worth of $17.5 million in 2023.
Hutson recently worked as a senior vice president at The Hutson Companies — a Northeast Florida homebuilder run by his mother and father that developed OakLeaf Plantation, SilverLeaf and Johns Creek, with David Hutson’s homebuilding career dating back to 1973 — but Travis Hutson is no longer employed or listed on the company’s website.
During his time in the Legislature, Hutson sponsored and helped pass many bills, including several that benefit developers and energy companies.
Hutson was behind a bill that made it harder for people to sue homebuilders for construction defects in their homes, and another that prohibits municipalities from regulating the energy usage of utility companies.
Other bills Hutson was involved in getting to the governor’s desk include a bill that helped create Florida’s swimming lesson voucher for families, ease restrictions on craft distilleries and insulate businesses from COVID-19-related lawsuits.
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