Sarasota News Leader

09/27/2013

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Sarasota News Leader September 27, 2013 Page 54 and the IP address is affiliated with Waechter's company, RWR Installations, according to the Sheriff's Office investigation. The January letter to the FEC notes that the Obama donation was made in the name of "Lourdes Ramierz," pointing out the misspelling. Waechter attorney Cleta Mitchell — who has represented a number of high-rolling Republican federal officials, including Sens. James Inhofe and Jim DeMint, and the NRA — asked the FEC to drop its investigation in March. She claimed the $200 Fitzgerald donation was too little "to warrant the use of Commission resources." But the FEC pressed on, transferring the case to its Alternative Dispute Resolution Office in June. Mitchell and Waechter eventually agreed to the settlement process. The agreement was signed by Mitchell on July 1, but it was not approved by Krista Roche, the assistant director of the FEC's Alternative Dispute Resolution Office, till Sept. 10. The settlement does not touch on the third alleged donation, to Florida House candidate Liz Alpert, since the state has jurisdiction in that case. The Florida Elections Commission hit Waechter with a $750 fine for the Alpert donation last month; it found "probable cause" of an election law violation. Robert Waechter. Photo from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office Waechter has been an influential Republican fundraiser for years. He served as head of the Republican Party of Sarasota County from 2004 to 2006. His criminal trial was originally set to begin in August, then in October, but it has now been pushed back to January 2014. Since his arrest, Waechter has left posts on the Sarasota County Tourism Development Council, the Sarasota County Board of Zoning Appeals and the Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority. He has told The Sarasota News Leader he is not commenting on the issue. % Keith Fitzgerald makes his concession speech after losing a local congressional race last year. Photo by Robert Hackney

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