Don’t Believe the Wrong Republican Party in Florida

It’s been awhile since my last article because I’ve been busy 24/7 with the coalition I helped co-found, American Patriot Executive Committee (APEC). Recall my original intent in doing so was because the Republican Party of Florida (aka the FLGOP), led by Chairman Evan Power and Executive Director Bill Helmich, was purging America First/MAGA members from the Party in droves.

But now, with attacks against the real Patriots in Florida supporting President Trump and his agenda escalating, from his own supposed party, I can no longer remain silent.

If you find it difficult to believe that the leadership of the Republican Party is playing dirty politics against Trump’s own most active, grassroots Patriot supporters, I beg you to read this article through its entirety.

A LOOK INSIDE THE REPUBLICAN PARTY OF FLORIDA

If you’ve read my second political book, “Rules for RINOs: Alinsky Tactics to Fight Republican In Name Only,” you got a real education about the RPOF war on MAGA. But to update those who haven’t, I’ll give some pointers here on how to distinguish the RINOs from the true Patriots running for upcoming elections, especially since on August 18th (the primaries) you’ll have a real opportunity to vote the RINOs out before they can progress to the final ballot in November.

If you are not already involved in your local REC (Republican Executive Committee), I urge you to attend one of your county’s local Party meetings. NOT any Republican Club meetings (and there are LOTS of those). The REAL deal: the REC.

Observe how the monthly meeting is conducted. Are members allowed to speak? Are candidates “chosen” by the select few? Or voted on for endorsement? Are Robert’s Rules of Order followed? Or any rules, for that matter?

REC’s are designed to operate from the bottom up, with members in charge while the Chairman should be there simply as a facilitator. That is not what is happening.

Educate yourself quickly by reading substack articles written by Steve Edward Farley. A recent one gives quite the glimpse of what goes on in not just Collier County (the subject of one of his most recent articles), but in many RECs throughout Florida.

In his article entitled “Senior Takeover Update: The Chairman Who Erased the Man in the Wheelchair” (credited for illustration above), Farley describes the chaos that ensued when Republican gubernatorial candidate James Fishback showed up uninvited at an REC meeting in Collier where candidate Byron Donalds was the scheduled speaker.

Senior Takeover Update: The Chairman Who Erased the Man in the Wheelchair

By Steven E Farle

Edited clips are not the whole truth. On that much, Collier County Republican Executive Committee Chairman John Meo Jr. has a point…

Read more9 days ago · 3 likes · Steve Edward Farley

One can argue that Fishback had no business being there unannounced. That the only good that could come of it was chaos. But the real question ought to be, when did it become the norm that one candidate could not show up to hear his opponent speak? And, how is the way this was handled okay?

I experienced a similar assault in 2021 by the Executive Director of my Pinellas REC, after having been a Precinct Committee member for about five years without incident. But, once I began speaking out about the 2020 stolen election, while the FLGOP wanted to sweep the whole affair under the rug, I had a target on my back evermore.

The ensuing four years trying to exist in a Republican Party that refused to fight against election fraud for fear of shattering the “Florida is the Gold Standard” election myth that our Defend Florida group’s evidence sowed doubt on was excrutiating. A GOP that demonized every J6er fighting for our Constitution was eye-opening. Leadership that targeted its most ardent and active grassroots volunteers became almost unbearable.

Then, simply for speaking truth about 2020, defending J6ers, founding my own grassroots group in my own county (Pinellas Watchdogs), and calling out Republicans I believed were Establishment anti-Trumper RINOs, the Florida GOP had me suspended from the Party. (Rulesfordeplorablesbook.com/grievances)

Don’t worry, though, they won’t bother you so long as you tow their line.

TRICKS THE ESTABLISHMENT PLAYS

If you believe the 2020 was stolen, we have RINOs in the Party, think J6 was a setup, complain about John Thune’s sabotage of President Trump’s agenda, or are angry that Florida Senator Ashley Moody gaveled in proformas twice, you are probably not in line with the Republican Establishment.

Because all those beliefs are not acceptable to, indeed publicly and outright ostracized by, the Florida GOP (RPOF). I do not make those accusations lightly.

First, let’s examine the hoopla about Sen. Moody gaveling in proformas. Just a quick AI google search explains that “Florida U.S. Senator Ashley Moody presided over multiple pro forma sessions of the Senate, a strategy utilized to prevent recess appointments by formally keeping the chamber open with no actual legislative business conducted.”1 WTF? Why would Florida’s own so-called Trump-supporting Republican Senator work to prevent Trump’s recess appointments? More baffling, why would Florida’s Republican leadership back her up?

Outspoken correspondent/influencer who lives in Florida, Ann Vandersteel, recently tweeted2 about fake voter guides from the 2024 elections. Note her image of the two voter guides that were released just prior to that election and BEWARE! I saw this happening in real time back then. This is happening all over Florida, from what I’m hearing, and getting worse with every election. Are our own state party leaders sabotaging our local candidate preferences in the primaries so their RINO, lobbyist-controlled, Establishment puppets take over? It seems so.

The Voter Guide on the right was the genuine one released by the St. Johns County grassroots Republicans. It appears with the official www.StJohns.gop website on it and recommends true America First candidates that the locals wanted to win. The one on the left copied the local’s voter guide almost indistinguishably to the uninformed voter, except it includes Establishment candidates. If only voters knew! Disgraceful.

The only way an uninformed Republican voter could possibly know which voter guide was real is if they are “inside” politics. Unfortunately, most are not. And the worst offenders are our Churches who focus on one issue and get bamboozled by slick-talking phonies. Shame on them. Jesus upturned tables yet when candidates do it, they cringe.

In such an important midterm as we have coming up on August 18th, I’m begging every Republican who is listening to GOP Leadership instead of doing their own homework: stop believing anyone just because they have an “R” next to their name. PLEASE!

DEMOCRATS HAVE INFILTRATED THE GOP

For years the FLGOP has targeted me and other grassroots conservatives with derogatory names like “conspiracy nuts,” “crazies,” “loons,” “disrupters.” At first I was shocked. Now, nothing surprises me. Even well-meaning Republicans have asked me to “go along to get along.” Seriously? I think our Founding Fathers would be aghast.

The infiltration of the Republican Party is truly frightening. I’m seeing it everywhere. Of course, once again, if you aren’t in the thick of politics, kicking up dirt wherever and whenever you find it, you aren’t going to notice anything amiss. Some in our party go along just because they don’t want to “divide” our Party. Well, I’ve news for you…it’s too damned late. Because of your inaction and cowardice, we are more divided than ever. And the real dividers are winning this war.

At our American Patriot Executive Committee coalition, we’ve been gathering petitions from hundreds of true Patriots throughout the state who have been suspended from the Republican Party. You heard that right: suspended. And, that only includes the ones we know about. Why? These were cream of the crop Trump supporters who were once instrumental in registering new voters, poll watching during elections, door knocking for candidates. The doers. Many now disenfranchised. Right before a critical midterm election. Think about that.

So today what riled me up enough to stop the volunteer work I’m doing to help organize a “Grassroots for Grassroots” debate that has actually invited ALL eleven gubernatorial candidates (like we voters deserve), along with ALL four FL US Senatorial candidates and ALL three US House D-16 candidates, I felt compelled to write one of my rare articles. Because voters deserve the truth.

WHO IS BEHIND THE MISLEADING MESSAGING?

Aside from not being able to trace back who was behind the fake voter guides of 2024 (although many of us know but can’t prove without getting sued by the side with the money), it seems the fake messaging has escalated for 2026. In a really ugly way.

A video going viral as I write, was put out by a self-described Republican. Or is he?

Without legitimizing the name of the person who put the video out, let me just say I know him personally and he has zero respect or credibility amongst the America Firsters I trust in various counties where grassroots are fighting the good fight, including my own in Pinellas.

Ooops, I forgot his name is in my snapshot of a podcast he did.

This guy has flip-flopped so many times his trustworthiness is less than CNN’s supposed Conservative Scott Jennings when the commentator said he had a 20-minute conversation about global affairs with Mitch McConnell after the former Senate Majority Leader was basically pronounced brain dead. I digress.

The viral video that raised my fur enough to write this article was put out by a guy I consider the new face of the GOP. Trust me, you want to watch the video below.

But a little background first. The 13th chapter of my sequel, “Rules for RINOs”3 was originally intended to point out how far the FLGOP had descended in its attacks against Grassroots volunteers. Once I started investigating how the Manatee REC had been suspended from the Party, however, along with its two legally elected Manatee State Committee people, Trent Wayman and Jackie Heisse, I felt I had no choice than to focus the entire final chapter on the corruption I uncovered within our FLGOP.

MISINFORMATION, DISINFORMATION AND RUMOR CONTROL

Just as Trump 45’s now-disgraced CISA Director Chris Krebs once famously tried to make us all believe that the 2020 election was one of the most secure in American history, we are now being fed an overabundant amount of crap by the Florida GOP regarding the upcoming elections. Every hard working grassroots volunteer disparaged in this slick video are the exact Patriots who are helping our country!

Dangerously with the corruption inside the GOP worsening daily, every Republican who despises the Establishment RINOs better watch this video and share this substack because attacks against the great Patriots in Manatee County are increasing. And it can happen to every single grassroots Patriot and Patriot group in our state and country. Unless we push back hard.

Listen carefully. Try to understand the games being played against us by our own party. The Establishment is literally using Saul Alinsky tactics from “Rules for Radicals” exactly as the left does. If you aren’t familiar with Alinsky’s tactics, GET INFORMED!4

Before I was kicked out of my own party by Republicans In Name Only, my local REC mysteriously announced the formation of a new “America First” group. They emailed a picture of the group to every REC member. Strangely, not one of the years-long hardworking grassroots volunteers amongst us recognized one single person in the group photo. This is how the GOP continuously confuses newbies. My friends and I aren’t “newbies” so they needed to replace us with uninformed Republicans who won’t question authority … yet. That’s how our FLGOP operates, whether you believe me or not. Our Republican Party is a conveyor belt. So long as you don’t object, you can stay. Once you see the games they play, you’re out.I can tell you who NOT to trust. In the media, for example, “Florida’s Voice” is constantly running cover for the FLGOP. If they are favorable to a candidate, vote for the other guy. A new group that’s recently popped up, “Concerned Citizens of Tampa,” represents itself as “Tampa First,” as though it’s grassroots Republicans. It is not. We are, unfortunately, living in a time that, unless we are really focused, it’s becoming more and more difficult for us to recognize Truth. Especially with the advent of AI.The best thing you can and should do is find Patriots you trust and can bind with. Question everything. Verify. VOTE on Aug. 18th, and FIGHT like our country’s survival depends on it. Because, it does. More than ever before.

WHAT CAN THE BUSY AMERICAN VOTER DO?

Alot.

1. A growing coalition of well-vetted, true America First Patriot groups/clubs in Florida have organized to fight the RPOF/FLGOP corruption. Get your group involved. We now number over 200 group representatives from 30+ counties. Join APECUnited.com … We’ve been busy heavily vetting and endorsing the PROVEN grassroots candidates in FL. They need help against the controlled, lobbyist-backed, foreign/CCP-financed (in many cases), RINO Establishment candidates. You’ll find those candidates’ websites at APECUnited.com/candidates. DONATE. This is the way to get RINOs out of politics and the good guys in!
2. If you can spare more than the minimum amount allowable for donations to a STATE candidate, consider donating to one of our endorsed candidates at a true America First PAC created specifically for vetted AF/MAGA candidates in mind. Concerned Citizens 4 Commonsense Communities, Inc. was founded just for them! https://c4fl.org
3. Attend the upcoming CDM/Miami Independent-sponsored debates on July 25th in Manatee County where ALL eleven gubernatorial + four US FL Senate + US House D-16 candidates have been invited to debate. A debate real Grassroots Patriots organized and DESERVE! You can register at bit.ly/3SU2Rib

In closing, the last thing I planned on doing on one of the few Saturdays I’ve had free from grassroots volunteerism/activism to save our state and country in five years, was to write an article about the RPOF/FLGOP corruption. But, like many Patriots before me, I cannot ignore my patriotic duty when I see our country falling apart.

Yet, as I was about to wrap this article up at midnight on Saturday 7/11/26, I received a text from Trent Wayman himself. A true Patriot I’ve grown to trust and admire. And his text was so compelling and relevant, I could not go to sleep without including it in this substack article. (Click on the image below to watch the video he spent his Saturday night creating. You will be shocked.)

Trent’s video is a desperate plea for Manatee Republican voters to understand the games being played by the RPOF/FLGOP in his county. It’s a game the developer lobbyists seeking control over land and lives are playing in every one of our own backyards. Wake up!

Oh…if only we all had Patriots like Trent Wayman to protect every county in Florida and every state in America. Educate yourselves. Whether you live in Manatee County, FL or Anywhere, USA, watch this video because the same games being played there are happening to us all, everywhere. https://www.facebook.com/reel/1452947232773885

If I could spend my Saturday creating this article, please spend a minute or two commenting, sharing, bookmarking, and yes, donating if you can.

But, whatever you do, do not let all the hard work put into this article go to waste. Our country deserves better.

©2026 Cathi Chamberlain. All rights reserved.

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