Florida Republican community mourning man slain in Osceola
Officials in the Central Florida political scene are grieving the shooting death of a former Republican staffer and campaign worker in Osceola County.
Among the mourners following 30-year-old Nick Corvino’s homicide was Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who said she was “heartbroken.” Corvino worked on her re-election campaign.
“Nick Corvino was a great young man who had his entire life ahead of him,” she said in a statement. “He was charismatic and kind.”
Osceola County Sheriff’s deputies say Corvino, a former staffer for ex-Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, was shot to death by his roommate Monday.
Corvino, who also worked on President Donald Trump’s campaign, was found dead in an apartment near Kissimmee around 11:15 a.m. Tuesday.
His roommate, Scott D. Waddell, 45, now faces a first-degree murder charge. Details about what led up to the slaying were not clear Wednesday. Deputies said Waddell was being uncooperative. He is being held at the Osceola County Jail without bond.
Corvino most recently worked at Disney’s Polynesian Resort, according to his Facebook page. Before that, he was a regional manager for the Chief Financial Office from January 2015 to August 2016. As part of the position, he helped coordinate events and worked with local leaders on consumer initiatives.
“We offer our heartfelt sympathies to Nick’s family and loved ones during this terrible time of grief,” said spokeswoman Ashley Carr.
He also worked for State Rep. Jason Brodeur as a district secretary. “Shocked and saddened to hear about Nick, my former district secretary,” Brodeur tweeted Wednesday. “A sweet man who smiled easy and often.”
Bobby Olszewski, the Republican who won the Florida House District 44 seat Tuesday, came home to the news about Corvino’s death.
Corvino volunteered on Olszewski’s campaign for the Orange County Board of Commissioners last year.
“I was just in disbelief,” Olszewski said. “I’m heartbroken.”
Corvino wrote in a post on Facebook that he moved from Pennsylvania to Orlando in 2006.
Despite his political jobs, that did not define him, said Michelle Ertel, a Republican political strategist.
“He was just as content working on a presidential campaign as he was helping guests at Disney — and he did both very well,” she said.
She said Corvino was a frequent guest at her house for holidays.
“He was always the first to arrive at our family events and usually the last to leave,” she said. “Nick was a blessing and I am just sick over his passing.”
Friend Lynnea Futrell said Corvino and Waddell met through mutual friends at Disney.
She said the two had just been living together for a few months while Corvino looked for his own place.
Futrell said Waddell was a loner but she did not know of any problems between the two.
She said she was just shocked about the loss of her friend.
“Nick was one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met,” Futrell, 33, of Kissimmee said. “He had a heart of gold and put his friends and other people before himself all the time.”