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On June 19, 2022, Flagler County commissioner Joe Mullins was pulled over for speeding for the second time by Florida Highway Patrol troopers. In video footage released recently, the commissioner can be seen using his position to get out of the situation.
In a video released by the Daytona Beach News Journal, Joe Mullins, who is driving a red Ferrari, can be seen getting pulled over by troopers for speeding. According to the police citation, the commissioner's 2013 Ferrari convertible sports car was traveling at 92 mph in a 70 mph zone.
The county commissioner's reply to driving over the limit, however, was anything but contrite. In the dash cam video, Mullins can be seen interrupting the trooper by saying:
"I run the county."
Who is Joe Mullins? County residents blame the commissioner for ruining the reputation of the county
Joe Mullins, the county Commissioner of Flagler county, is not new to run-ins with the law. He was previously pulled over by troopers in a Mercedes-Benz SUV for going 89 mph in a 60-mph zone on Interstate 4. According to reports, he had tried to escape by using his name back then, too.
In footage obtained by the Daytona Beach News Journal, troopers can be seen discussing the commissioner's behavior. "He said he was a county commissioner," a trooper can be heard saying, to which another replies that he is still getting a ticket. According to the local publication, the troopers had also threatened to arrest him, to which Joe Mullins had said:
"...it would be a carrer ending move if I arrested him for failing to obey a lawful order."
In the reports, the police have further said that the commissioner had "flashed his business card" in hopes of an exemption. They found Mullins' behavior:
"extremely condescending, belligerent, illogical and disrespectful."
In response to the reports, Mullins has sought leniency by saying that he was in a rush and was not mindful of the speed limit.
The commissioner's repeated attempts at exemption have garnered negative reactions online, with people citing the incidents as reasons for not re-electing him. As a representative of the county, his behavior is being seen as damaging to the reputation of the otherwise peaceful county.
According to candidate reports found online, the 51-year-old commissioner is a successful entrepreneur and the founder and president of The Mullins Companies. He is a member of the Flagler County Chamber of Commerce, the Flagler County Republican Executive Committee, the Rotary Club of Flagler County and the Italian-American Club of Palm Coast. He had campaigned for the Flagler County Commission - District 4 seat.
