Speaker’s Florida house tied to ‘bribe money’
Larry Householder’s place in Naples, Florida, fell into disrepair last year.
The Republican speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives also had another problem, according to records there. He had not paid two years’ worth of property taxes and penalties on his house totaling more than $9,000.
But Householder, 61, of Glenford, in Perry County, came up with the money to pay both his long-overdue Florida taxes and fix his deteriorating $300,000 house — after being found guilty of violations by Collier County, Florida, officials, The Dispatch found.
An FBI agent alleges in an affidavit made public Tuesday that Householder spent more than $100,000 in “bribe money” on his southwest Florida house that authorities say he received in a racketeering scheme involving Ohio’s $1 billion nuclear power plant bailout.
By early last year, the Collier County tax assessor was after Householder, threatening to seize and sell his house to pay off a tax lien. Householder had not paid property taxes and penalties on his home totaling $9,412 from the 2016 and 2017 tax years.
On April 11, 2019, Householder paid off his overdue taxes, according to Collier County records, while also paying his 2018 tax bill of $4,356. That was a three-year total of $13,768 paid in taxes.
Householder, though, is again being cited for delinquent taxes, this time for failing to pay his 2019 property taxes and penalties of $4,299 due June 1, records show.
Householder bought the Florida property in 2009, after he departed his first go-around as House speaker and prior to his second stint beginning in 2019. He is now charged with using his legislative position to criminally enrich himself.
The speaker’s Florida house, valued at $306,393 on Belville Boulevard, backs onto a man-made lake in Naples, a spot popular spot with many Ohioans, and is located five miles east of the Gulf of Mexico beaches.
But Householder apparently did not keep up his Florida getaway.
On Feb. 12, 2019, Collier County zoning code authorities cited Householder with violations involving a moldy roof that had missing or damaged tiles; broken and boarded-up windows; and a swimming pool that was not enclosed with an approved barrier.
Householder appeared in person at a public hearing before a special magistrate in Naples on Oct. 4. He was found guilty of the violations and ordered to pay $112 in costs. He had agreed in a document the day before to correct the violations, county records show.
Records show Householder hired a company to replace the tile roof of the house on Dec. 4 and hired another firm to replace a screened enclosure around his pool on Feb. 1.
No county records were found concerning repairs to the broken and boarded-up windows. None of the repair records placed an estimate on costs.
The federal affidavit in the case also alleges Householder used about $20,000 from the First Energy conspiracy to pay credit card debt and $300,000 to cover legal fees and a settlement in a defamation lawsuit he dropped after suing political opponents for ads questioning his ethics.
Householder and four colleagues were arrested by federal officials Tuesday as part of a bribery investigation involving the state’s $1 billion nuclear plant bailout and Householder’s maneuverings to secure support to lead the legislative chamber.
Authorities said some of the proceeds were used to back the campaigns of legislative candidates supportive of Householder’s run for speaker and to personally enrich Householder. rludlow@dispatch.com @Randyludlow