The Anastasia Mosquito Control District. | Noah Hertz, Jacksonville Today
Published on January 16, 2025 at 5:25 pm
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The Anastasia Mosquito Control District’s newest commissioner is suing his predecessor after she accused him of violating Florida’s Sunshine Laws.
T.J. Mazzotta was elected to serve on the Anastasia Mosquito Control District’s board in November, replacing Catherine Brandhorst. He filed a defamation lawsuit against Brandhorst after she said he violated Florida’s Sunshine Law and spoke with another commissioner outside of a public meeting.
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Mazzotta says the accusation is baseless.
The Anastasia Mosquito Control District is separate from St. Johns County’s government. The district handles mosquito control and education about pests and pesticides, and a five-member board of elected commissioners oversees it.
The recent drama between Mazzotta and Brandhorst began during the Mosquito Control Board’s meeting in November.
Mazzotta, then a commissioner-elect, spoke during the public comment period suggesting that the board wait to discuss several matters until the entire board was present — one commissioner was out sick.
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In December, during a tense discussion about the board’s decision to award itself $1,000 holiday bonuses, Brandhorst said she believed that Mazzotta had violated Florida’s Sunshine Laws.
She alleged that Mazzotta had mentioned having a conversation with Commissioner Martha Gleason about the bonuses during the November meeting, but when a recording of his comments was played, Brandhorst said she was incorrect.
Brandhorst also said she had informed Florida’s Commission on Ethics about the matter, and when Mazzotta asked her to rescind the complaint, she said she would “consider it.” Brandhorst later admitted that she had never contacted the state and that she was merely “bluffing.”
Mazzotta is arguing that Brandhorst slandered him during that meeting. Through an attorney, Mazzotta expressed that he would drop the defamation lawsuit if Brandhorst would attend the Mosquito Control Board’s meeting in January and publicly apologize for accusing him of violating the law.
Mazzotta’s attorney, Rook Ringer, delivered that information to Brandhorst in an email Dec. 20, noting that she also sent the email to the State Attorney’s Office, “due to the nature of the criminal allegations that were leveled against my client.”
Brandhorst did not attend the board’s meeting in January, nor did she apologize to Mazzotta. Speaking with Jacksonville Today, Brandhorst said she has no intention of apologizing publicly.
She acknowledges that her initial claim that Mazzotta violated Sunshine Laws was incorrect, but she still believes he may have acted improperly when he attended a Mosquito Control Board meeting ahead of the election and passed out business cards.
The attorney for the Anastasia Mosquito Control District was unable to be reached for comment about the district’s rules surrounding campaigning.
Mazzotta hopes the entire situation will be resolved quickly and easily.
“I don’t know why she has it out for me,” Mazzotta told Jacksonville Today. “I’m trying to minimize the drama and just go in there and do a good job.”
