Court Rejects Lawmaker’s Bid to Reverse Florida Election

The Florida Supreme Court today rejected Democratic U.S. Rep. Bill Chappell Jr.’s lawsuit seeking to reverse his failed reelection bid by throwing out ballots cast by nearly 11,000 voters.

The high court, facing a self-imposed noon deadline before the state’s Elections Canvassing Commission could certify Republican newcomer Craig James as the winner, issued its ruling in a brief order shortly after 8 a.m.

The commission had been scheduled Monday to tell federal elections officials that James, a DeLand lawyer, had won the Fourth Congressional District race, but the court delayed the meeting for two days because of Chappell’s lawsuit.

A veteran of 20 years in Congress whose dealings with defense contractors came under scrutiny this summer during the Pentagon fraud probe, Chappell lost to James by 732 votes in a recount of the Nov. 8 general election.

Messages were left for Chappell today, but the telephone calls were not returned.

“We are delighted we had a victory for the people of the Fourth District,” James said, adding that he had had 11 lawyers research the law. “To attempt to disenfranchise the voters of the Fourth District is tantamount to being un-American.”

James said in a telephone interview from Washington that he hopes Chappell will concede and help “with an easy transition.”

Chappell’s lawsuit sought to have Flagler County’s election results invalidated, claiming that the county elections supervisor’s office missed a seven-day deadline for filing returns with state officials after the election.

State law requires that returns be ignored if they arrive after 5 p.m. on the seventh day after an election, but the canvassing panel said it would be unjust to disqualify voters because of a technicality.

Without the county’s 10,907 votes, Chappell would have won by 288 votes.