James Taylor, from jail, resigns ahead of Fort Pierce City Commission meeting about him

Yahoo

5 days ago

FORT PIERCE — Facing 24 felony charges related to an alleged explicit internet relationship with a teenage girl — and under pressure to step down from office before a special City Commission meeting — City Commissioner James Taylor submitted his resignation on July 28, just hours before that meeting convened.
The resignation is effective Aug. 2, according to a copy obtained by TCPalm. Taylor remained in the St. Lucie County Jail as of the afternoon of July 28 in lieu of $360,000 bail, according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office.
City, state and federal officials had been calling on Taylor to resign since shortly after his arrest during a July 24 traffic stop. Had he not done so, many were putting pressure on Gov. Ron DeSantis to suspend him before the July 28 meeting began, at 5:05 p.m. Either action — resignation or suspension by DeSantis — would have allowed city commissioners to use that hastily scheduled meeting to begin planning for a special election to replace Taylor.
"The citizens of the city of Fort Pierce own that commission seat, and they need to get it back," City Commissioner Michael Broderick said in a July 25 phone call.
Broderick was joined by state Rep. Toby Overdorf, R-Palm City, and U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fort Pierce, among others, in calling for the seat to be vacated — one way or another — before the special meeting began.
Taylor is accused of conducting a years-long relationship with a 14-year-old girl from Evanston, Illinois, over the private messaging app Snapchat. That relationship, which local sheriff's investigators believe began when the girl was 12, included Taylor sending and asking for nude images, according to investigators.
Police in Evanston were first tipped off to the alleged relationship by the girl's mother in August 2024, while Taylor was in the midst of his campaign for City Commission. Taylor — who won that race with nearly 62% of the vote — was first on St. Lucie County investigators' radar in May, when they were contacted by the Evanston Police Department.
More: What to know about City Commissioner James Taylor, his arrest, Fort Pierce city reaction
More: Fort Pierce sets special meeting on James Taylor; special election may be in the works
Taylor faces six counts of transmission of materials harmful to minors by electronic equipment; six counts of transfer or display of obscenity to a minor; six counts of harmful communication to a minor and lewd computer solicitation; four counts of lewd computer solicitation of a child; and two counts of solicitation of transmission of child pornography by electronic device or equipment. His arraignment — when he would enter a plea on those charges — is not yet scheduled.
Wicker Perlis is TCPalm's Watchdog Reporter for St. Lucie County. You can reach him at [e-mail].
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: James Taylor resigns rather than be removed by Gov. Ron DeSantis