Former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg alleges far-reaching public corruption.

​Former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg alleged far-reaching public corruption, including granting no-work contracts on the public dime, when he spoke with investigators probing the “ghost” candidate scheme that helped Republican state Sen. Jason Brodeur win office in 2020.

In the June 23 jailhouse interview with investigators from the 18th Circuit State Attorney’s Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Greenberg said under oath that he and others arranged for allies to receive lucrative contracts in exchange for political favors.

The partially redacted transcript of the interview, released last week because it’s part of the criminal cases against three people involved in the 2020 “ghost” candidate scheme, reads like a who’s who of Central Florida elected officials and their political allies.

The unredacted portion doesn’t mention U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, Greenberg’s close associate who is reportedly under federal investigation for sex trafficking.

But Greenberg discussed plenty of other public figures, including people who worked for him during his turbulent four-year stint in the tax collector’s office, during the interview with Chief Assistant State Attorney Stacey Straub Salmons and two FDLE investigators.

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​And he says someone close to Brodeur — whose name is redacted from the transcript because of the ongoing investigation — wields enormous power and influence. Greenberg described how the person, a Central Florida developer, directed lawmakers to file legislation intended to benefit their projects.

During the nearly three-hour interview, Greenberg also told investigators that Brodeur “absolutely” knew about the scheme designed to siphon votes away from his Democratic opponent and that former St. Johns River Water Management District board chair John Miklos got “greased off” in exchange for help approving permits for developments in sensitive areas.

The revelations come on the heels of a guilty verdict in the trial of Seminole County GOP Chairman Ben Paris, who was accused of arranging to put his cousin’s name on the financial contribution reports for independent state Senate candidate Jestine Iannotti.

​Though Iannotti did not actively campaign for the seat or fundraise, she and independent candidates in two other state senate races in 2020 were promoted as progressives in a mail advertising blitz.

Iannotti and political consultant Eric Foglesong also face criminal charges for allegedly falsifying Iannotti’s campaign contribution reports.

Brodeur told the Sentinel in June he had no knowledge that Paris, who was working for him at the Seminole County Chamber of Commerce in 2020, played a role in the scheme. He has not responded to multiple requests for comment from the Sentinel since Paris’ trial.

​Much of the interview transcript is redacted, indicating the investigation by the state attorney’s office and FDLE is ongoing. The name of at least one well-connected person is redacted in dozens of places.

Greenberg describes that person as “very close” friends with Brodeur and a frequent host for gatherings when the senator, Greenberg, Foglesong, Paris, former state Sen. Frank Artiles and others would talk about politics over drinks, including floating the idea of recruiting a third-party or independent candidate for Brodeur’s state Senate race. The group acted like “a little mafia,” Greenberg said, describing them as “extremely organized.”

Greenberg said the person whose name was redacted from the transcript was trying to develop land in east Seminole County and had pushed lawmakers to file legislation that would have declared land within three miles of a state university campus open to urban development.

“There were different legislators that he would know who would file bills on his behalf, pretty much,” Greenberg said.

The 2018 bill failed and the developer is locked in a long legal battle with Seminole County, Straub Salmons noted.

The developer fits the description of former state Rep. Chris Dorworth, who has repeatedly tried to gain approval for his large residential and commercial development, called River Cross, within Seminole County’s rural boundary.

The failed 2018 legislation mentioned during Greenberg’s interview would have enabled the proposed development, which is within three miles of the University of Central Florida, to move forward.

“Was it your understanding that that [legislation] was specifically because the land that [name redacted] hoped to develop that was that Seminole County area east of Oviedo moving towards Orange County, was so close to UCF that had the legislation passed, it would have been a benefit to [name redacted] and his development project?” Straub Salmons said.

“Correct,” Greenberg replied.