WELAKA, Fla. — Action News Jax learns that his local mayor, running for high office, is putting his town in legal jeopardy. This was due to an inappropriate relationship between him and a deputy city employee and the sexual text messages, or sexting, that he recorded.
Jamie Watts is the mayor of Welaka, Putnam County, and is currently running for state legislature. Action News Jax Investigates uncovered an internal email written by the town's attorney stating that Mayor Watts' actions legally endangered Wellaka.
Mayor Watts sent them to the deputy town clerk. Their relationship goes beyond business, revealed through text conversations. In it, Watts sent a photo from her bathtub after drinking a bottle of Pinot Noir on Valentine's Day and texted, “You're already in the deep end.” Me too. and “It's hard to leave you alone.” The message hints that he wasn't single at the time.
The town nearly faced charges of sexual harassment, sex discrimination, and gender-based retaliation. They just avoided it for legal technical reasons. Action News obtained the text messages at the center of the scandal, which clearly paint a very complex picture.
Mayor Watts talks a lot about faith and family values in his book. Announcement of public campaignBut in private, his text messages paint a different picture. He sent text messages such as “Please stop thinking dirty thoughts” and “Why do I want to kiss you?”, some of which were too vile to be broadcast on a news program. It was.
Investigate: Troubling accusations against Mayor Welaka
The line between the two is blurred, but Watts sent an email saying, “Sorry, you have to stop // You're breaking our rules.” This becomes especially important when she is fired. Action News Jax Investigates obtained 65 pages of text messages that were the centerpiece of her legal claim letter in which she threatened to sue the town of Welaka after her firing in February 2022.
action news jacks memo Weraka Town Attorney said she was fired for “absenteeism” and “poor performance.” However, because of their extracurricular activities, “Mayor Watts essentially put himself in a position where he had to avoid (involvement in the incident),” he said. Name removed), which “could have impaired his ability to effectively manage the town's administrative functions and could have led to other legal consequences.”
The drama of this process unfolded in her post-termination documents. Mayor Watts emailed, saying, “This whole thing is a mess and I shouldn't have even been mayor right now, but I made it even worse with my own stupidity.” The reasons for this are all related to this.” “This is my career that you messed up'' and “my head and my heart for no reason.'' The only reason her civil rights case didn't move forward was a technicality, the lawyers wrote. . law. Welaka employers are too small to be subject to state or federal civil rights laws. “This law applies only to employers with 15 or more employees,” he wrote.
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Less than a year after I sent her a message that said something along the lines of, “I'm not a playboy.” “I am a mayor under a terrible microscope,” he said, adding his name to the November 2024 ballot announcing his candidacy for the Florida House of Representatives. “I am a mayor who is under a terrible microscope. to the people they serve, who claimed to have had the privilege of working at the local level. ”
However, Welaka's lawyers appear to have a different opinion. “The mayor's actions were highly unprofessional and inappropriate and, in my legal opinion, exposed the town to potential liability, which we appear to have avoided,” he said. ” he wrote. Better than the track record he touted on his campaign trail. In October, Action News Jax first spoke about Watts' efforts. A past filled with accusations of harassment and stalking.
Action News Jax investigator Emily Turner attempted to speak with Watts. “I would like to talk to you about a worrying pattern of behavior in your past. When it comes to women, at least three of them have accused you of stalking and harassment,” she said.
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The charges also include threats of harassment and revenge porn. The three women, all ex-girlfriends of his, went to police after they broke up, citing safety concerns.
Mayor Watts initially agreed to an interview at a later date, but subsequently declined to respond to Action News Jax's request for an interview.
We requested a second interview regarding texting and liability concerns. A spokesperson sent an email last week promising a statement on Watts' behalf, but it has not yet arrived.
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