 Michael Dobson, the CEO of the Tallahassee-based Dream Foundation, Inc., which receives funding from the State of Florida through the Martin Luther King Jr. 'Live the Dream' specialty license plate, has been charged with stealing from the nonprofit organization. Michael Dobson, a longtime local political consultant and nonprofit manager, has allegedly stolen $153,146.00 between July 1, 2020, and April 1, 2023. The money came from Florida residents, who pay a $25 annual fee for the specialty license plate. Michael J. Dobson, 65, was arrested on a charge of resisting an officer without violence and was then rearrested on the grand theft charges. After weeks in jail, he was released from Leon County Detention Facility, the Sheriff's Office website shows, after Circuit Judge Tiffany Baker-Carper this week OK'd him to be on pre-trial release. According to state records, Dobson served multiple short stints in jail starting in 1990, and later served multiple years-long sentencings in prison starting in 2013. Most of the charges are clustered in the early 1990s and early 2010s. However, he continued to work with the Florida Legislature. The Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Department's inspector general's office completed an audit in March 2023 of the Dream Foundation's "Live the Dream" license plate, featuring a likeness of Dr. King, and found that "money received by the foundation was illegally misappropriated" by Dobson. The audit is not complete for the subsequent year as he did not have to file the report. In the last legislative session, the 'Live the Dream' specialty license plate distribution of funds was amended and redirected (CS/CS/HB 403)to the Historical Resources Operating Trust Fund to support the Historic Cemeteries Program. The funds are to be utilized to research, identify, and record abandoned African-American cemeteries and provide grants to eligible entities. 5% will still be paid to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc., also known as The King Center, as a royalty for the use of the image of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr on the license plate. Over the past 5 years, Dobson had crafted various bills which were subsequently approved by the state legislature and Governor Ron DeSantis, which redirected funds that could be used for his organization's own non-profit purposes. Separate bills saw the use of funds distribution amended from March of Dimes, Healthy Start Coalition and Sickle Cell to going directly to the nonprofit controlled by Dobson with 8% for "assisting inmates released from custody of a county jail in this state or a Department of Corrections facility in successfully reentering the community," and "at least 15%" for "as grants for programs and services throughout this state which assist inmates released from the custody of a county jail in this state or a Department of Corrections facility in successfully reentering the community." With a further 20% for scholarships of graduating high school seniors in this state who have at least one parent or legal guardian who is incarcerated." A portion of these amendments were filed by Representative Dr James Bush, III, a retired teacher who served in the House from 1992-2000, 2008 and then 2018 and Senator Keith Perry, CEO of Perry Roofing Contractors, who served in the House from 2010-2016 and in the Senate from 2016. In 2008, Dobson was reprimanded by the House of Representatives for "fraudulent representation before a House Committee." Michael Dobson agreed to pay back $20,000 to a client who hired him to win legislative passage of a new license plate. Dobson was registered to lobby the Florida Legislature for 10 clients, including the Capitol City Chamber of Commerce and several bio-fuel and renewable energy groups, some of which he was the CEO and founder, including the Florida Renewable Energy Producers Association. Panama City Rep. Jimmy Patronis filed a complaint with the House that Dobson was lobbying for a client without registering the name with the Legislature. House General Counsel Jeremiah Hawkes determined the Panama City Marine Institute signed a $40,000 contract with Dobson's firm in July 2007 to win passage of the tag. Dobson later testified for bills creating the "Horse Country" and an "I Believe" license plate in March without registering to lobby for PCMI, according to Hawkes' investigative report. Hawkes' findings also suggested Dobson violated a House rule by fabricating information in a survey of the number of motorists likely to buy the tag that was submitted to the House Infrastructure Committee. Florida law requires backers of specialty tags to submit a "scientific sample survey" showing that at least 30,000 motorists are likely to buy the tag, which would devote a portion of the revenues generated to special causes. The committee's chairman, Tampa Bay Rep. Rich Glorioso, told Hawkes he had repeatedly told Dobson that the surveys for both tags "were defective." "These violations are not de minimus," Hawkes wrote to House Speaker Marco Rubio. "Mr. Dobson has been a registered lobbyist for years and is aware of the requirements to lobby. Dobson was given an opportunity to respond to this investigation, and failed to do so." The agreement called for a one-year ban from lobbying if he failed to repay the Institute the $20,000 by the following spring. He must also go back and file compensation reports reflecting the contract. According to the Lobbyist disclosure Reports, he did not.
According to the Tallahassee Democrat, John Lynch, Dobson's assigned public defender, said his client is presumed innocent until proven guilty and declined further comment: "I'm really not at liberty to discuss any sort of defense strategy at this point," Lynch said. The Tallahassee Democrat was made aware of the case by a political candidate that Dobson has been advising. That person, who asked to be unnamed, said Dobson told her he thinks that he is being pursued criminally now because of his affiliation with the Democratic Party and for the diversity, equity and inclusion conferences he organizes. He also told her he missed his court date because of mail service issues and he didn't get the summons on time. He did not comment on the allegedly stolen funds. Law enforcement got a warrant for Dobson's arrest in September, but took until December to locate him and take him into custody. According to a probable cause affidavit, Dobson was spotted by police walking between the Golden Corral and Masa restaurants on North Monroe Street. "I exited my patrol car in full uniform and called out 'Mr. Dobson!' as he was ahead of me," the report says. "I then called out 'Mr. Dobson, I need you to stop!' and as I was telling him to stop several times, he began to pick up his pace." Dobson allegedly darted into traffic where he ran across the busy roadway to the Cottages at Lake Ella. Officers finally caught him inside the kitchen of the American Legion hall, the report said. Over the last 34 years, Michael Dobson has been charged with various misdemeanors, such as passing worthless bank checks, as well as felony charges of fraudulent use of credit cards, bank fraud and grand theft, court dockets show. He had a case management hearing on Feb. 6, court dockets show. Additional Source: Tallahassee Democrat, Elena Barrera [email protected]. Follow her on X @elenabarreraaa.
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