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Did Debbie Galvin lie on her candidate oath for Orange County Republican Party State Committeewoman? Did she lie when she indicated she lived in Isleworth?
Standing in Chief Judge Lisa Munyon's courtroom, Galvin refused to answer those questions. Her attorney, Leonard Collins of GrayRobinson who joined her legal team that morning, told VoxPopuli, “Respectfully, we aren’t going to answer that question,” as he packed up his briefcase following the Feb. 12 hearing in the lawsuit that contested Galvin’s re-election as Republican State Committeewoman for Orange County.
The lawsuit, filed in August in the Ninth Circuit Court, alleged Galvin was ineligible to be a candidate because she filed a “false and fraudulent Candidate Oath …”
But it’s moot now, according to Munyon, who filed her ruling a few hours later.
Court documents show that Galvin resigned her position as Republican State Committee Woman for Orange County on Feb. 5 in a resignation letter sent to Evan Power, chair of the Republican Party of Florida. That was two days before the Feb. 7 deadline to submit her 2022/2023 tax returns, utility bills, bank records and phone records to prove her residency and 10 days before her Feb. 15 scheduled deposition. With Galvin's resignation, Munyon wrote in her ruling, “… the instant lawsuit is moot.”
Winter Park attorney Bonnie Jackson who filed the lawsuit against Galvin told VoxPopuli in an email that it’s a “small victory.”
“But this is not how I want this to end,” Jackson said.
It doesn’t sit well with her that Galvin was able to defy a court order.
“It excuses her from her previous violations of two separate court orders compelling her to provide discovery about where she actually lives,” Jackson said. “The court should be concerned about parties flagrantly disregarding a court order.”
And there’s the lingering question of whether Galvin was eligible for the office at all since there were questions about the candidate oath.
“Galvin’s attorney thinks that she can run again despite resigning,” Jackson said.
A new election to fill the State Committeewoman position will be held, and Jackson, who ran in August, plans to run again. As for Galvin's election plans, Florida Politics reported that she is rumored to be considering a run for Carolina Amesty’s old District 45 seat.
